Outside Of Time

Chapter 1809: Reshaping the Heavenly Daos

Editor: Atlas Studios

The once pitch-black Spirit Abyss was now bathed in golden light, transforming into a radiant golden world.

Within that brilliance, the divine authority radiating from the Venerable God’s eye inside the lantern surged like tidal waves, churning the sea of existence.

Wherever it passed, all things dissolved under the golden glow.

This was not decomposition, nor was it dismantling like Xu Qing’s Ordinance Law. It was a process of gradual diminishment—a reduction that could not be reversed except by corresponding divine authority.

Everything was being altered. All within the void—whether life, energy, illusion, or tangible existence, whether time or space—was fated to vanish under this inexorable subtraction.

Naturally, this included the golden lizard.

Though It was a Venerable God, this was merely a wisp of Its divine sense, inherently limited.

Thus, despite possessing a Venerable God’s rank, it could not endure long under the divine authority of an eye of equal standing—especially one enhanced by Grandmaster Bai’s refinements.

This made the lantern the most formidable weapon in Xu Qing’s current arsenal.

Now, wherever its light touched, only nothingness remained. Only the golden lizard persisted within that void, Its form growing increasingly indistinct as layer after layer of Its divine sense was stripped away.

Finally, on the verge of dissipation, It turned its gaze toward Xu Qing.

Its cold voice echoed through the void:

”You will leave this place one day.”

With these rippling words, the golden lizard closed Its eyes. Its form melted into the golden light, erased from existence.

Expunged.

Only the lingering echoes of Its final words remained, slowly fading.

Xu Qing’s eyes were icy as he listened to those fading echoes. He understood the implication.

In truth, even with the Venerable God’s eye lantern in hand, he knew the gap between himself and a true Venerable God remained as vast as heaven and earth.

There could be no real contest between them.

The reason the four Venerable Gods of the Ninth Star Ring had acquiesced to his boundary line was their fear of Desolate.

They dared not send Their true forms or even avatars—only divine senses or proxies.

And Xu Qing, armed with the lantern, could erase even those.

That was why They had chosen to stand by.

But as the golden lizard had said: unless Xu Qing never set foot outside Wanggu again, the moment he did, They would have countless ways to ensure his demise.

Even with his karmic ties to Desolate and his precedent of summoning It to the Fourth Star Ring, the Venerable Gods need not act personally. A coalition of Lord Gods could achieve the same ends.

”Leaving, is it...”

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, then slowly lowered the lantern.

As its divine might receded, his body swayed slightly. A trace of pallor crossed his face.

Wielding such a treasure exacted a heavy toll—even in his fused immortal-divine state, he could not use it repeatedly without consequence.

This time, having activated the Venerable God’s divine authority, the strain was especially severe.

Thus, as the golden lizard vanished, Xu Qing withdrew his will. The eye inside the lantern closed once more.

The golden light in the Spirit Abyss faded completely.

The void returned to darkness—but this darkness was now an absolute emptiness.

Pristine.

In a sense, the Spirit Abyss no longer existed.

Only the rotting serpent remained, trembling uncontrollably.

The golden light had been carefully controlled to avoid Xu Qing’s immediate surroundings, sparing both the serpent and the Ancient Spirit Emperor’s eyes.

Zhou Zhengli and the others emerged from the world atop the serpent, appearing beside Xu Qing. Having witnessed the events outside, their gazes now held even deeper reverence.

Even Star Ring bowed his head slightly in silent acknowledgment.

If they were awed, the Ancient Spirit Emperor was utterly shaken. It had watched the Spirit Abyss dissolve into nothingness and seen the terrifying entity of Its memories erased.

Every one of its eyes radiated shock and horror.

Sensing the serpent’s tremors and witnessing the Ancient Spirit Emperor’s dismay, Xu Qing shook his head.

”The Ancient Spirit Emperor who once unified Wanggu must have possessed extraordinary resolve—and indeed he did.”

”But clearly, after his failed ascension, he truly perished. You... are but a manifestation of his obsession, given life by a Venerable God’s intervention.”

”You are no longer the Ancient Spirit Emperor of old.”

Xu Qing’s voice was calm.

The Ancient Spirit Emperor’s eyes flickered with bitterness before closing. It knew resistance was futile, and

Xu Qing’s words laid bare a truth It had long refused to acknowledge.

It was indeed no longer the sovereign of legend—merely a resurrected remnant clinging to existence in the abyss.

”Yet you retain the status of antiquity, your connection to Wanggu, and the cultivation of your original form...”

Xu Qing’s gaze deepened as he studied the Ancient Spirit Emperor.

”Since you are the incarnation of his obsession to possess the Heavenly Dao...”

”Today, you shall become the Heavenly Dao.”

With that, Xu Qing reached out and seized both the sphere of eyes and the massive serpent. In a single step, he traversed the void, reappearing high above Wanggu’s sky.

His declaration made the Ancient Spirit Emperor’s eyes snap open in disbelief.

Xu Qing raised his head, gazing into the firmament.

”For cultivators of Wanggu, the path beyond Soul Accumulation is severed. Except for rare legacies, none may advance to Ruler—because when Desolate arrived, It devoured many Heavenly Daos, leaving the cultivation path incomplete.”

As he spoke, a sharp light ignited in Xu Qing’s eyes.

”Heavenly Dao!”

The moment these words left his lips—transcending heavenly edicts, surpassing celestial voices—they detonated across Wanggu.

Amid the thunderous echoes, countless peculiar figures materialized in the sky above Xu Qing.

Some were human, others nonhuman.

These were the remnant Heavenly Daos of Wanggu—most decayed, their auras muddled, their forms indistinct.

”Today, I seal the Ancient Spirit Emperor—each eye a Dao, ninety-nine eyes forming ninety-nine Heavenly Daos for Wanggu!”

Xu Qing’s voice carried the power of imperial decree, shaking the heavens. The fortune of Wanggu churned, giving rise to auspicious signs everywhere.

The remnant Heavenly Daos bowed and retreated, yielding their positions.

Xu Qing’s gaze returned to the Ancient Spirit Emperor.

Every one of Its eyes burned with fervor.

”Gratitude, Lord of Wanggu!”

With this, it dispersed, merging back into the serpent. The massive creature shuddered as ninety-nine gashes split its body—each birthing a new eye.

All opened simultaneously.

The serpent let out a deafening roar and soared into the sky.

Each eye became a Dao, collectively forming ninety-nine Heavenly Daos that took their place in the firmament.

The entire ancient lands trembled.

A profound realization dawned in the hearts of countless cultivators stagnating at late-stage Soul Accumulation—a revelation of the path to Ruler, stirring unprecedented excitement.

This enlightenment flowed from the Ancient Spirit Emperor’s status, his connection to the land, his ancient cultivation!

It was antiquity bridging the gap to the present, restoring the severed path of Ruler!

”The Heavenly Daos must number one hundred to be complete.”

Xu Qing watched the ascending Ancient Spirit Emperor, then turned his gaze toward... the lands beyond Fenghai County.

There, sitting on the earth—visible even to mortals—was a gigantic infant, grinning foolishly up at Xu Qing.

Yet its body was marred by festering wounds... remnants of corruption from the Ancient Immortal tribulation.

Xu Qing’s eyes softened as he beheld the infant.

”Remnant Daos, return to your stations!”

His words, carrying the weight of his will, echoed across the heavens. The remnant Heavenly Daos that had yielded their positions now streaked toward the infant like shooting stars.

One after another, they merged into its form.

The infant’s aura grew increasingly profound, its wounds healing rapidly.

Finally, its body shimmered with iridescent light as it began to grow—transforming before Xu Qing’s eyes into a child of six or seven.

His face was like a full moon, his skin whiter than snow, glowing with a jade-like luster.

His eyes—deep as pooled ink yet clear as springwater—sparkled with the innocent radiance of stars, brimming with pure, childlike wonder.

Every glance at him evoked inexplicable joy, as if he were the embodiment of auspicious fortune itself.

Now, the child rose and bowed solemnly to Xu Qing with small, clasped hands.

”This child greets First Father.”

A smile touched Xu Qing’s lips.

”You were formless, born by chance as a Heavenly Dao, inheriting the status of antiquity.”

”Today, I name you the First Heavenly Dao of Wanggu!”

”Command the ninety-nine Daos of the Ancient Spirit!”

”Henceforth... guard Wanggu!”

Xu Qing’s voice, infused with the authority of his Ordinance Law and bolstered by the land’s fortune, resounded in the hearts of all living beings, sealing the heavenly edict.

Auspicious light intensified, heaven and earth rejoicing as one.

Bathed in this radiance, the child met Xu Qing’s gaze with utmost solemnity and nodded firmly.

”This child obeys First Father’s words. From this day forth, I will protect Wanggu.”

”While I live, Wanggu shall endure.”

”Even should I perish, I will strive with all my might to ensure Wanggu persists.”

Xu Qing acknowledged this pledge.

The child took a deep breath, then turned to sense another presence in the distance—his Second Father. Bowing in that direction, he ascended amid the riot of auspicious colors.

As the ninety-nine Daos of the Ancient Spirit bowed in deference, the child assumed his position as the First Heavenly Dao of Wanggu.

The moment he took his place, the rules of Wanggu... trembled.