Outside Of Time

Chapter 1609: Opening of the Immortal Palace
Editor: Atlas Studios

In that moment, as his gaze swept across, this figure—second only to the eight great stars—immediately recognized Xu Qing!

Scenes from the past, when he had once hunted him down and Xu Qing escaped into the ferry boat, quickly resurfaced in his mind.

However, what followed next was disbelief and extreme shock.

He naturally… sensed that Xu Qing was different!

He couldn’t sense the Ordinance and couldn’t understand it. However, with the spiritual perception formed by his cultivation, he felt an indescribably intense life-and-death crisis the moment he looked over.

This sense of danger was so intense that describing it as a needle pricking his back would be insufficient. As a result, it wasn’t just his footsteps that came to a halt.

There was also his heartbeat, his sea of consciousness, and his thoughts.

At this moment, it was as though they were facing their natural enemy!

His expression changed drastically.

Xu Qing was calm. Only the coldness in his eyes affected space, fluctuating time and sealing space-time.

The conflict with Li Mengtu was a battle of the Dao. His opponent was upright, and killing him would result in his own path being borrowed. Moreover, his own space-time Ordinance was entangled in the karma of Li Mengtu’s ancestor.

Considering this, along with Li Mengtu’s background, Xu Qing ultimately chose to give up.

However, this red-haired youth was different!

Hence, killing intent rose and spacetime opened!

The world turned blurry and everything distorted. Under the spread of Xu Qing’s thoughts in the spacetime state, he was clearly still sitting cross-legged but a shadow descended in this spacetime.

The red-haired youth’s pause seemed to have become eternal. Everything was incomparably clear in Xu Qing’s eyes.

It was like a painting.

Regardless of the past or the future, everything… was ‘seen’ clearly.

After that, Xu Qing lifted his hand and poked gently.

It was as though the person outside the painting had reached out and poked a hole in the canvas, shattering the person in the painting and the surroundings.

In reality, the space around the red-haired youth instantly collapsed and time became chaotic.

At this instant, his body was directly suppressed by an indescribable vast force that exceeded his endurance.

His soul couldn’t escape either and let out a mournful wail.

No matter how hard he tried, no matter how he struggled, no matter how he erupted… he couldn’t dodge or resist!

His body and soul were about to be destroyed.

At this moment, Jiang Fan, who was also from the Southern Starfield, coughed lightly.

“Fellow Daoist, why are you so angry?”

“If there’s something to discuss, feel free to speak. There’s no need to harm others with Ordinance.”

As his voice rang out, fog appeared out of thin air around the red-haired youth, enveloping his entire body and concealing everything.

It was as though he had painted the canvas black.

Those who didn’t have an Ordinance wouldn’t be able to see this scene.

Only those possessing the power of Ordinance could perceive the true essence, able to see the fog that obscured the red-haired youth.

This fog was extraordinary and possessed Ordinance power.

This caused Xu Qing to ‘not see.’

It was the rise of earth’s energy, unacknowledged by the heavens, called ‘fog’—and fog was known as obscuration.

Jiang Fan’s Ordinance was obscuration, manifesting as fog.

Under the cover of this fog, it was as if the red-haired youth ceased to exist, as though he had been plucked from Xu Qing’s space-time Ordinance.

Only Ordinance could resist Ordinance!

This was also the first time Xu Qing personally experienced the confrontation between Ordinances.

The fog surged with hidden depths, concealing murderous intent and harboring death, displaying a terror that would cause outsiders to feel dread. Yet, in Xu Qing’s mind…

Although the Ordinance of obscuration was extraordinary and bizarre, it felt somewhat thin.

Hence, Xu Qing sat cross-legged and spoke calmly.

“This time is my space, and this space is my time—disperse!”

As the words left his mouth, Xu Qing raised his hand, unconcerned by the spreading fog, and reached out to grab it.

The moment he did, the space-time in that area began to tremble violently.

This disturbance came from the past, causing the past to collapse, the future to turn into foam, and the present to dissolve into dust.

Time and space were affected, with waves rippling from different points in time.

These waves converged, ultimately forming a… space-time storm.

In the storm, Jiang Fan’s obscuring fog lasted for a few breaths before it couldn’t continue and dissipated.

The energy of the earth, unacknowledged by the heavens, formed fog.

But if the heavens responded, this fog couldn’t exist!

Hence, the hidden red-haired youth was revealed again.

He was still in Xu Qing’s spacetime, not changing at all.

Moreover, as the fog dissipated, Xu Qing’s raised hand no longer had any obstructions and landed.

It grabbed hold of the red-haired youth’s past, future, and present!

He ruthlessly squeezed!

A cracking sound echoed in the ears of all living beings.

The red-haired youth trembled violently, his unwilling thoughts becoming eternal, while his despairing emotions faded into nothingness.

His past—everything that had once existed—completely collapsed in this moment, shattered into fragments.

His future—everything yet to come—instantly burst like bubbles, utterly annihilated.

What remained was his present self, existing alone in this isolated fragment of space-time.

However, without the support of the past and the guidance of the future, now… it had become a rootless tree.

It couldn’t exist.

Hence, in everyone’s eyes, the red-haired youth’s body and even his soul silently dissipated into pieces. When they scattered down, they turned into dust.

When the wind blew, it dissipated into the world.

The surroundings were completely silent.

Everyone present, especially those cultivators who lacked the power of Ordinance, felt their hearts tremble. This was a slaughter beyond their comprehension, something they could neither understand nor grasp.

However, it made them understand once again… how terrifying the Ordinance was.

Fortunately, there were extremely few Ruler Realm cultivators with Ordinance in the entire Fifth Star Ring.

Amid everyone’s silence, Jiang Fan narrowed his eyes and stared at Xu Qing.

His earlier intervention wasn’t due to any deep bond with the red-haired youth. In reality, the two were merely acquaintances, with no strong connection between them.

The reason why he intervened was mainly because they were both from the South.

If he hadn’t witnessed it, it might have been different. But seeing a fellow Southern Starfield cultivator being slaughtered right in front of him would stir displeasure deep within his heart.

However, Xu Qing’s Ordinance… caused fear to rise in his heart. He had never heard of such a person appearing in the West.

Moreover, he had seen Li Mengtu bowing to Xu Qing previously.

He fell into deep thought.

Yuanshan Su, who was beside him, also had a strange glint in her eyes as she looked at Xu Qing.

Her Ordinance was mountains, and it also embodied weight.

Facing their gazes, Xu Qing’s expression didn’t change at all. He calmly meditated.

However, Li Mengtu, who was beside him, coldly looked at Jiang Fan and Yuanshan Su. His gaze already expressed his standpoint.

Jiang Fan, who was already afraid, slowly smiled. His expression was gentle, as though he hadn’t interfered previously.

“Fellow Daoist’s Ordinance is quite extraordinary.”

With that, he closed his eyes.

Yuanshan Su smiled. Other than the weight, there was also a hint of interest in her gaze when she looked at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing ignored this.

The others were in awe of this scene. Earth Spirit ancestor was even more excited.

Compared to the eight great stars, the Earth Spirit Ancestor knew that regardless of status or identity, he was far inferior. As for the battle between the Ordinances, even though he couldn’t see it, his location allowed him to see it more directly than others.

At this moment, he felt a sense of relief.

He was glad that he hadn’t fought with Xu Qing in the Time Desert back then.

Otherwise…

The Earth Spirit Ancestor took a deep breath and his mind suddenly stirred. He felt that this might be an opportunity for him.

An opportunity that others could only dream of.

Hence, the Earth Spirit Ancestor lowered his voice and spoke respectfully.

“Lord, I just remembered that there’s another important piece of information about this Aurora Immortal Palace…”

The way he addressed Xu Qing also changed unknowingly.

When Xu Qing heard this, he looked at the Earth Spirit Ancestor and waited for him to speak.

“Lord, I said before that there are layers of world in this Aurora Immortal Palace.”

“The reason I could determine the number of levels is that each level has a boundary stone that marks the layer’s number.”

“Generally speaking, Rulers enter the third layer of the world and can only access the third layer. Only those with Ordinance or Quasi Immortal cultivation can enter the fourth layer and above.”

“In doing so, they seek to obtain more opportunities and fortunes. It is said that if one can reach the eighth layer, they may gain the chance to become a Summer Immortal.”

“This is precisely what draws Quasi Immortals to this place!”

“When the Immortal’s Fall Land opens, everyone will be in the same area. That’s the reception square of the Immortal Palace.”

“Everyone has to choose the path they want to take here, and there are three paths.”

“The first path is ahead. It’s said that there’s a bridge there.”

“The second path is on the left. That’s a quiet path.”

“As for the right, there’s a black river with no end in sight. That’s the third path.”

“Since ancient times, there have only been these three paths to enter the Aurora Immortal Palace.”

“Lord, remember not to step on the bridge. According to the records, 50% of those who step on it will die.”

“Although the path on the left is also dangerous, there’s an 80% chance of survival. It’s the best choice.”

The Earth Spirit ancestor didn’t hide anything and told him the truth.

“What about the right?”

Xu Qing asked.

The person who replied wasn’t the Earth Spirit ancestor but Li Mengtu.

“There’s no chance of survival.”

With that, Li Mengtu looked at Xu Qing.

“What this person said is indeed true. There are three paths, and only the left one is the safest, but the differences are significant.”

“Taking the left path leads directly to the third-layer, with no possibility of entering the first or second layers.”

“Walking the bridge takes you to the second-layer. Though dangerous, it offers more opportunities and fortunes. However, by choosing this path, you can’t access the first layer.”

“As for the right path, it’s the most complete, leading to the first-layer, but so far, no one has been known to survive after taking that route.”

Xu Qing nodded. Just as he was about to speak, his mind suddenly stirred and he looked at the core of the plain where the stone tablet was located.

Spiritual energy gushed out, echoing with a deafening sound. Amidst the rumbling, the spiritual energy surged like a tide, causing that place to be like an eye of the sea.

A strong wind blew.

The spiritual tide appeared.

It instantly swept in all directions, covering the entire plain.

From afar, the spiritual energy was like a rising tide, spreading past everyone’s bodies. It was as though they were in the sea.

At the same time, a vast and majestic immortal palace slowly appeared on the spirit sea.

In an instant, multicolored and gorgeous light spread out.

Everyone looked insignificant compared to it, as though they had entered a kingdom of giants.

More figures rushed over from afar.