Outside Of Time

1788  Little Qing, Let’s Go Home

”The Law of an Immortal Lord…”

”The Tenth Extremity…”

”My Ordinance of Dimension is also, in essence, a single point.”

Amidst the spacetime turbulence, surrounded by countless fragments paying homage, Xu Qing murmured softly with newfound understanding.

”Within this point, Dimension represents the pinnacle of spacetime.”

”The other Lord Gods—their different divine authorities are, in a sense, all at this level, merely taking different paths…”

Xu Qing pondered.

At this moment, his long hair cascaded behind him like a river that could engulf the entire turbulent sea. The simple white robe he wore seemed to contain all the secrets of spacetime.

Most striking were his pupils—each flicker of light within them resembled a revolution of time and space.

And the words he spoke existed beyond the flow of time.

He now possessed the omniscience of gods.

For instance, as he contemplated, a fragment emerged from the void.

This object was none other than a piece of the shattered bronze coffin of the old Venerable God—the very fragment that had pierced his body when he was swept into the spacetime turbulence.

Later, as his form stabilized, he had retrieved it.

Originally, his focus had been on his own enlightenment, so he hadnʼt examined it closely. But now, through the lens of his Ordinance Law, Xu Qing discerned a deeper meaning within this bronze fragment.

”This must be the opportunity Teacher spoke of.”

Xu Qing mumbled.

Stripped of its illusory surface, the fragment revealed itself to him like a kaleidoscope.

Viewed from one end, countless images could be seen at the other.

But when observed in reverse, only a single image remained.

Clearly, this was a hint meant for him.

But Xu Qing no longer needed it.

”Itʼs time to leave.”

He raised his head. With his Ordinance Law of Dimension, he could clearly perceive that he had spent over five thousand years within this spacetime turbulence.

Yet in the outside world, very little time had passed.

”Seven years…”

Xu Qing stood up, preparing to depart. But before leaving, he needed to find his Eldest Senior Brother.

In the past, before attaining the Tenth Extremity, locating his Eldest Senior Brother would have been nearly impossible. But now…

With just a glance, he saw.

Yet the scene before him sent ripples through his heart, like a wind stirring the sea of his emotions.

And so, Xu Qing took a step forward.

In the next instant, he entered a fragment world within this turbulent spacetime.

As he stepped inside, an atmosphere of quiet sorrow enveloped him.

The surroundings were shrouded in gray haze. The sky seemed veiled by a pall of gloom, with only a few feeble rays of historical sunlight struggling through, casting a dim, oppressive light over the entire world.

Observing this small world, Xu Qing sighed softly and walked forward.

Beneath his feet was soft sand, leaving shallow footprints with each step. When the wind blew, the fine grains shifted with a whispering sound, as if murmuring untold stories.

In the distance stood a few withered trees, their twisted branches reaching desperately toward the sky like hands clawing in despair.

By the season, this should have been a time of lush growth, yet the branches bore only a handful of yellowed leaves trembling in the wind, rustling faintly like muffled sobs.

Every detail spoke of sorrow, as though some presence had poured its grief into this place, distorting the very workings of the world.

Xu Qing walked silently onward, past the haze, past the withered trees, until he came upon ruins.

Here, there had once been a small town.

Now, the houses that once stood were reduced to broken stone walls, overgrown with dark green vines.

Some of the vines still bore withered flowers, as if showcasing the stark contrast between past vitality and present desolation.

Occasionally, black birds flew across the sky, their harsh cries piercing the silence and deepening the melancholy.

Xu Qing stood before the ruins, gazing in a certain direction within them. After a moment of silence, he stepped forward.

Finally, in a corner, he saw a figure.

It was Erniu.

Curled into himself, arms wrapped tightly around his knees, his head buried in the crook of his arms, his body trembled violently.

He cried like a child who had lost everything, his choked sobs echoing through the quiet world, as though pouring out all his sorrow at once.

This was a side of his Eldest Senior Brother that Xu Qing had never seen before.

He had witnessed his Eldest Senior Brotherʼs madness, his laughter, his pride, his indifference—but never… had he seen him weep like this.

”Eldest Senior Brother…”

Xu Qing approached, crouching down as he called out softly.

Erniu slowly lifted his head at the sound.

Tear tracks streaked his face, his eyes red and swollen. The usual arrogance in his gaze was now drowned in boundless grief.

His lips shivered slightly, as though summoning great effort to speak.

”Little Qing… Iʼve remembered the memories of my past two lives…”

…

What those memories were, Erniu never said.

In Xu Qingʼs company, he wept for another day before whispering one sentence.

”Little Qing… I miss Wanggu. I miss Master…”

”Letʼs go home.”

Xu Qingʼs voice was gentle.

These words made Erniu smile, though the sorrow in the depths of his eyes seemed, under Xu Qingʼs gaze, to have become eternal.

Finally, his body transformed into a streak of light, reverting to a blue worm that burrowed into Xu Qingʼs hair.

”Little Qing… letʼs go…”

…

One day later, outside the spatial rift in the Fourth Star Ring—the same rift that had been gazed upon by the Eye of Desolate—Grandmaster Bai, who had been meditating there for seven years, opened his eyes.

Within his gaze, a figure gradually emerged from the rift.

As the figure appeared, time in the Fourth Star Ring seemed to solidify into tangible threads, shimmering with intense undulations.

Space, too, was affected.

The entire star ring became like an ocean, and Xu Qing the wind that stirred its waves.

All were welcoming the immortal!

”Youʼve returned.”

Grandmaster Bai smiled softly as he spoke.

Xu Qing looked at Grandmaster Bai and bowed deeply.

”Thank you, Teacher!”

”Before returning home, walk with me for a while.” Grandmaster Bai rose, his eyes kind as he gazed at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing nodded, stepping to Grandmaster Baiʼs side before falling slightly behind, accompanying his mentor as they walked through the starry sky.

Their voices echoed through time.

”Among the thirty-six upper star rings, most Lord Gods exist at a level that is, in truth, just a single point.”

”This point is a microcosm of their star ring.”

”They extend Their divine authorities within this point, but it endures just that—an extension. They cannot become the point itself.”

”Only those at the level of Venerable God can become this point!”

”This is your next step…”

”And what lies beyond Venerable God?” Xu Qing asked.

”That is the domain of Divine Gods. I call it… the Outside.”

Grandmaster Baiʼs voice was soft.