Outside Of Time

Chapter 1618: Young Master of the Immortal Palace
Editor: Atlas Studios

Xu Qing’s expression darkened.

He crushed the jade token.

After that, he flicked his sleeve and swept the Earth Spirit Ancestor and the others out of the mural where the Southern Sky Mountain was located, sending them back to the outer hall of the palace.

In the palace, the three of them were overcome with relief and gratitude. Each of them expressed their thanks with deep reverence.

“I’m Ling Yuezi, a member of the Heavenly Moon Clan in the Northern Starfield. I owe my life to you, fellow Daoist. Should you ever come to the Northern Starfield, you have but to call on me, and I shall obey without question!”

The female cultivator among the three spoke seriously.

The middle-aged man among them also took a deep breath and spoke solemnly.

“Zhang Shiyi of the Southern Starfield’s Spirit Enlightenment Sect. Today’s life-saving grace will never be forgotten. No matter the time or place, should you need anything, I, Zhang, will answer your call with all my strength!”

Having barely escaped a deadly fate, they knew all too well that, without Xu Qing’s intervention, death had been inevitable.

So, this gratitude was sincere.

Finally, there was the Earth Spirit Ancestor.

He was incomparably excited.

“Lord, I finally met you.”

After saying this, he suddenly recalled something more important, so he hurriedly transmitted his voice.

“Lord Li Mengtu once searched for you here but was unsuccessful. In the end, he ventured into the fourth realm. Before he left, he entrusted me with a few words to pass on to you should I see you.”

When Xu Qing heard this, he looked at the Earth Spirit Ancestor.

“Lord, the message from Lord Li Mengtu is to inform you of the location of the entrance to the fourth realm and to alert you that an unknown disturbance has arisen here this time.”

“In the past, cultivators only needed to display their Ordinance to be able to enter the fourth realm.”

“But this time, there are special conditions. According to Lord Li Mengtu’s research and exploration, he discovered that what is needed is identity!”

“So, aside from the location, what he wanted me to tell you is how to obtain an identity here, as well as the identity he holds in the fourth realm.”

Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed.

“The entrance to the fourth realm is located beyond the northern region, where there is a sea, called the Northern Sea.”

The Earth Spirit Ancestor spoke very quickly and told Xu Qing everything he knew without hiding anything.

“In the Northern Sea, there is a gateway.”

“As for how to obtain an identity in this third realm, it involves diving into the Northern Sea to retrieve an identity token—this depends on fate.”

“And as for Lord Li Mengtu, his identity is… the study companion of the son of the Aurora Immortal Lord.”

“Lastly, he asked me to tell you that he will be waiting for you in the fourth realm.”

Xu Qing fell into deep thought.

From the little person, he knew that one needed an identity to enter the fourth realm.

Coupled with Li Mengtu’s message, it could be judged that such a situation where one needed an identity had never appeared before.

Then… why did it appear this time?

Xu Qing lowered his head and glanced at his empty palm.

“Because of it?”

Xu Qing muttered to himself and bade farewell to the Earth Spirit Ancestor and the others. He then entered space-time and left the southern region.

He headed north.

At that moment, the jade token reformed in Xu Qing’s palm and the little person’s voice rapidly rang out.

“Don’t be angry. I didn’t scold you!”

“It’s really this identity!”

Xu Qing was expressionless. Just as he was about to crush the jade token again, the little person hurriedly materialized and waved its hand. Immediately, the paper boat that it had kept earlier appeared in the air.

“Stop squeezing. Your identity is here!”

Xu Qing paused and looked at the paper boat.

Under the control of the little person’s hands, the paper boat was gradually dismantled and turned into a huge piece of white paper.

On the paper were large silver words.

21st day of the sixth month, predawn hours1.

As it gazed at these characters, an expression appeared on the little person’s face that had never been seen before—a rare emotional ripple.

It then raised its hand and drew a colorful figure on the paper, the figure being an image of Xu Qing from the second realm.

The image fused with the words on the paper.

After completing this, the little person folded the paper again, but instead of folding it back into the shape of a boat, it wrapped it around the jade token.

“With this paper wrapped around the jade token, the token can become real by using the power of the second realm. This way, your destiny will align, turning the illusion into reality!”

As it wrapped the paper around the jade token, it looked towards Xu Qing, its tone solemn, devoid of any trace of its usual cheekiness. Instead, it was full of earnest concern, like an elder giving advice.

“Kid, remember these words. After you enter the fourth realm, recite them silently and you will obtain an identity.”

“I indeed need your help to bring me to the fourth realm.”

“In the fourth realm, you go comprehend your Dao while I do my thing…”

“Also, I have to remind you of something.”

“You will be going to the past, but even with the Space-Time Ordinance, do not attempt to alter history, for history cannot and must not be changed!”

“Unless you want to die.”

“So after you enter… you will be a spectator of history.”

At this point, the little person had completely wrapped the paper around the jade token. After that, its figure flashed and it returned to the jade slip.

It coughed and said the last sentence in a despicable manner.

“Son, hurry up and head to the fourth realm. Go back to the past and witness how your father was so mighty and invincible, how I stood tall and glorious… in a grand battle against your grandpa!”

When Xu Qing heard this, he squeezed the jade token.

However, this time, he couldn’t crush the jade token… The paper protected it.

The despicable voice of the little person echoed again.

“Haha, you can’t crush it, right? Alright, you should save your strength. I know you’re annoyed with me, but this is the last thing I’ll say to you in this lifetime.”

“Kid… we’ll meet again in the fourth layer!”

After he finished speaking, the jade token burned on its own in Xu Qing’s hand and instantly turned into dust that dissipated with the wind.

Xu Qing remained silent.

He analyzed the little person’s words and weighed the pros and cons of this identity.

Clearly, no matter how one looked at it, this identity had an advantage over other identities.

According to the information he had, Xu Qing could also determine that in the fourth realm, identity… was extremely important.

It would determine opportunities, fortune, and the degree of exploration.

It even determined his authority in the fourth realm.

Most importantly, the moment the little person drew the colorful figure on the paper, Xu Qing felt a mysterious attraction land on his body.

It seemed to be connected to his fate.

At the same time, this world seemed to have changed.

It gave him a sense of kindness.

A long time later, Xu Qing looked toward the north.

His body swayed as he moved forward in space-time.

He moved forward without stopping, moving across the north until he saw a vast sea.

The waves roared, stretching endlessly into the horizon.

The crashing waves against the shore’s rocks echoed with thunderous sounds, as if whispering ancient tales.

The radiant sunlight, filtering through the cracks in the clouds, bathed the ocean in a shimmering glow, scattering colorful reflections across the surface.

It seemed to decorate the ancient stories with the hues of time.

Occasionally, massive phantom seabirds soared in the sky, diving to catch fish in the sea below before flying back into the distant sky.

However, these were only normal sights.

In the Space-Time Ordinance, what Xu Qing saw was completely different.

The vibrant sunlight had seemingly never existed.

The waves and seabirds had never stirred.

It was nighttime.

A pale moon hung high in the sky, and the ocean below had turned crimson, resembling a sea of blood, or perhaps a sea of death, with countless corpses floating upon its surface.

A thick, suffocating aura of death formed a thin layer of mist over the water.

In the depths of that mist, two towering figures, as tall as the heavens, were locked in a fierce battle.

One of them held a broken sword, exuding an overwhelming killing intent. Every movement radiated destructive power capable of obliterating everything in its path. The broken sword itself seemed as if it could sever anything it touched.

It was Xie Lingzi!

The other person was naturally Zhou Zhengli.

Beyond his garments, countless bolts of lightning crackled and blazed, outlining an immense figure that looked like the master of the heavens.

In his hand, he held a long halberd, and wherever the weapon pointed, all was deemed evil.

Once he declared something as evil, his strike would contain the power to shatter Ordinance.

This was his Ordinance… Evil Punishment!

The two figures, upon encountering each other in the fourth realm, immediately began a fierce battle. Their clashes swept across the eastern regions, continuing into the northern territories, and even now, at the very entrance to the fourth realm, they were still locked in combat.

The thunderous roars of their strikes echoed like heaven’s thunderclaps, sending ripples through the void. These ripples transformed into violent winds, sweeping across the ocean and reaching the shore, halting just before Xu Qing.

Xu Qing lifted his head, his gaze fixated on the battle between the two figures over the sea.

The waves of conflict he had sensed upon entering the third realm—the source of the immense tremors—now had an explanation.

It was the aftershocks of the clash between the two combatants.

After looking at it for a while, Xu Qing retracted his gaze and walked over, stepping on the surface of the sea.

The battle in the sky had nothing to do with him.

He didn’t care whether they lived or died.

This was the entrance to the fourth realm, and that was enough.

Hence, Xu Qing’s expression was calm as he walked forward step by step.

Sword energy fell from the sky, but he raised his hand and waved it away.

Lightning rained down, but they were distorted and slashed by his space-time.

He continued to move forward and continuously dispersed the aftershock of the battle.

His expression was calm and his heart was calm.

His appearance naturally attracted the attention of Xie Lingzi and Zhou Zhengli.

Although at the start, their attention was more on killing each other, gradually, they both looked at Xu Qing on the surface of the sea at the same time.

Xu Qing’s age was very young compared to many people.

His appearance was also peerless.

Hence, when walking on the surface of the sea, the young peerless cultivator looked like he was walking in his own garden.

For some reason, he felt like the master of this palace.

This feeling caused the two of them to have solemn expressions.

They had seen Xu Qing before but they clearly remembered that when they were outside previously, the other party didn’t give them the feeling of the master of the Immortal Palace.

They saw different things.

“This person’s killing intent… is extremely dense!”

Xie Lingzi narrowed his eyes.

“This person’s Dao is resonating with this world…”

Zhou Zhengli’s eyes revealed a strange glint.

Their exchange of blows came to a rare end.

Xu Qing didn’t care about this. He walked his own path, just like the Dao.

Step by step, he walked to the center of the sea.

There, he saw an ancient stone gate.

Outside the gate, he paused for a few breaths.

After that, he stepped in!

He mumbled softly.

21st day of the sixth month, predawn hours.