Outside Of Time

Chapter 1616: There’s a Treasure in the Southern Sky
Editor: Atlas Studios

Hearing the little figure’s voice once again slipping into its cheeky tone, Xu Qing clenched his right hand tightly.

There was a crack.

The jade token shattered.

After that, he sat cross-legged in this dilapidated Dao Lecture Hall and waited patiently.

After a moment, as the sensation in his palm returned, the jade slip—already crushed countless times—reappeared in his grasp once again.

Throughout the jade slip’s reappearance, Xu Qing kept a close eye on the process.

Initially, a single dot emerged in his palm.

Then, more dots appeared, connecting into lines.

These lines twisted and multiplied, gradually forming a surface. It then formed the shape of the jade token from the second realm.

Finally, it seemed to have absorbed some profound rules of the main world, allowing it to achieve true height.

Hence… it formed a real jade token.

Xu Qing had been observing this process very seriously since the start.

With several examinations, he gained enough understanding.

“Indeed, this jade token, manifesting from nothing, relies on a form of Space-Time Ordinance. However, the direction of this Space-Time Ordinance differs from mine.”

“It seems to contain an additional element… perhaps the power of imagination?”

Xu Qing fell into deep thought.

His space-time state was formed from the foundation of the five elements, fusing time and space. Hence, in terms of performance, it focused on the macroscopic aspect of space-time.

As for the Aurora Immortal Lord, the ability to material objects from a lower-dimensional realm seemed fundamentally more aligned with the microscopic aspect.

As he pondered, the little person’s exasperated voice rang out from the jade token that appeared in his palm again.

“You’re too much. Can you let me finish speaking?!”

“I didn’t say that I wouldn’t tell you!!”

“Can you give me some face? Aren’t you ashamed by doing this? After all, I helped you leave the second realm!!”

“You heartless man!”

Hearing the little person’s words, Xu Qing seriously thought about it and felt that what the other party said made sense. Hence, he put down the jade token and took a few steps back. He tidied his clothes and cupped his fists respectfully, bowing deeply.

This bow stunned the little person again.

After Xu Qing bowed, he walked back and picked up the jade token. He exerted a little force and calmly spoke.

“Please inform me!”

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This scene caused the little person to fall silent.

It sensed the force in Xu Qing’s palm, realizing that with just a little more pressure, the jade token would completely shatter.

‘Why do I feel that after he bowed, he became even more calm…’

The little person felt that his head was a little big. The actions and thoughts of the person in front of him really made him feel that it wasn’t good to fool or brush him off.

“This person doesn’t care about his prestige at all. He begged just like that and bowed just like that…”

‘This person really has no regard for pride, begging outright and bowing when needed… It’s clear that in his heart, he follows a personal logic… After a single bow, he can then proceed with ease to kill, and his thoughts remain clear?’

‘This person really makes me speechless, especially since he clearly thinks so. Ahhh, how annoying!’

The little person felt helpless but, fearing being crushed again, angrily spoke up.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it!”

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes.

“I’m not talking about you!”

The little person hurriedly explained.

“I’m talking about those brats who barged into my house. Look at how greedy those brats have been all these years. They demolished my house and took away all my things…”

“They didn’t even spare the flowers and plants. They even took the floor tiles and roof tiles, and some even tried to smash the house itself to take it away…”

“But luckily, there’s still one of my childhood toys that hasn’t been stolen. Here’s the deal: you go fetch it for me, and in return, I’ll tell you how to obtain a great identity.”

“What do you think?”

The little person’s large face appeared on the jade token and looked at Xu Qing expectantly.

“That treasure is on the Southern Sky Mountain.”

“Although it’s not in this area, I have a way to get you there.”

“Hurry up and decide. I can vaguely sense a few thieves approaching the location!”

…

“Fellow Daoists, we’re almost there.”

On the Southern Sky Mountain, near the top of the mountain, there were four figures moving forward with great difficulty.

The person who spoke was someone at the back.

This man was a middle-aged figure dressed in black, holding a silver compass. His features were sharp and stern, wearing a brocade robe and a golden crown.

As he walked on the rocky terrain, though positioned behind, his gaze was as sharp as a hawk’s, sweeping over the three people ahead of him.

While observing their actions, his fingers occasionally tapped lightly on the compass, producing a crisp sound that echoed outward, distorting the surrounding void.

It was as though he was declaring his authority.

At the same time, the three people in front also trembled.

Among these three, there were two men and one woman.

One of the men was of medium build, slightly overweight, with thinning hair and a weary expression. His face bore the marks of hardship, giving him a weathered appearance.

Beside him stood the woman, also middle-aged, with a well-proportioned figure and a somewhat delicate face. However, her skin had a slight yellow tint, and her eyes were orange.

Despite her hair being neatly tied into a bun and her daoist robe orderly, the unsettling hue of her eyes made her look strange.

The last person was an elderly man, thin and slightly hunched, with a head full of white hair.

Once vigorous and alert, he now appeared tired, his face etched with even deeper lines of time, making the marks of his age all the more pronounced.

If Xu Qing was here, he would definitely be able to recognize at a glance that this old man… was the Earth Spirit Ancestor.

At that moment, the three of them had ugly expressions and their hearts were gloomy.

Clearly, they weren’t willing to walk here.

They wanted to struggle but were powerless.

This was because three threads were connected to their souls and were controlled by the compass. They couldn’t control themselves and could only be used as tools for the other party to scout the way.

Recalling his experience, the Earth Spirit Ancestor gritted his teeth.

After he entered the third realm, things were quite smooth at the start. Even though Li Mengtu had left, he had his own plans and arrangements.

Everything was originally fine, and he gradually got close to his goal.

That was the information he had obtained from the Cloud Gate. It was a medicinal herb that hadn’t been taken away by anyone and could increase the chance of breaking through.

The location of this medicinal herb was a secret. Back then, the ancestor of the Cloud Gate lacked the necessary preparations to take away the medicinal herb. Hence, he could only regretfully leave this information behind.

In the end, this information was obtained by the Earth Spirit Ancestor.

However, just as he was about to succeed, a Ruler with an Ordinance treasure arrived.

Not only did this person take away that stalk of medicinal herb, but he also suppressed him and tied his soul.

After that, the other party suppressed seven cultivators, including himself. In the end, he used some special method to bring them away from the eastern area and near to this mountain.

The Earth Spirit Ancestor and the other seven people were all coerced to scout the way for him as they climbed up the mountain.

In the end, four died.

Only he and the man and woman beside him were left, but with severe injuries.

‘We’re about to reach the mountain peak and that’s where the other party’s target is. The moment we reach the peak, it will definitely be the time for this person to silence us!’

The Earth Spirit Ancestor was anxious but there was nothing he could do.

The two people beside him were the same.

What they could do was to stall for time. However, stalling… didn’t seem to have any meaning here.

As for the black-clothed middle-aged man who was holding the compass behind them, he knew what the three of them were thinking. However, he didn’t care at all.

From what he knew, among the people who entered this Immortal Palace, other than the stars and those few cultivators who possessed Ordinance treasures like him, the rest… were no longer in the same realm.

Hence, no matter how the three people in front struggled, it was useless.

“I’m almost there!”

The black-clothed middle-aged man gradually couldn’t suppress the excitement in his heart. It scattered in his gaze and landed on the mountain peak, revealing heat.

This wasn’t his first time entering the Immortal Palace.

To be precise, this was the second time.

The last time, many years ago, the southern area of the Immortal Palace had opened.

At that time, his cultivation was only at the early-stage Ruler realm and was very inconspicuous. He was very careful on the way and accidentally obtained an opportunity.

He entered the realm where the mountain was located.

While descending, he vaguely caught sight of a lake atop a mountain, and within that lake, there was a paper boat floating.

However, he had no choice but to land at the foot of the mountain. But there were many restrictions on this mountain and it was filled with endless dangers, so he couldn’t ascend this mountain.

In the end, he could only leave unwillingly.

However, in the following years, he couldn’t forget this mountain and that paper boat. Hence, through his meticulous investigation and flipping through the historical records about the Aurora Immortal Lord, he gained a better understanding of that paper boat.

He also confirmed one thing.

The paper boat was an Ordinance treasure!

Moreover, it was powerful!

Hence, he began to make preparations until he arrived again. His goal was the paper boat.

For this, he paid a huge price to borrow an Ordinance Treasure from a powerful figure. At the same time, he also relied on that Ordinance Treasure to control many people to scout the way for him.

Now, he had finally reached this step.

At the thought that he was about to reach the peak, the black-clothed middle-aged man took a deep breath and smiled at the three cultivators in front of him.

“Thank you for your help on the way. Now, I’ll have to ask you to work harder. You don’t have to think too much. After I reach the peak and obtain what I want, I’ll return you your freedom.”

The three of them fell silent.

They naturally didn’t believe these words.

However, as the black-clothed middle-aged man spoke, he spun the compass in his hand, causing the bodies and souls of the three people to tremble. They could only speed up and use their lives to pave the way.

Just like that, time slowly passed.

At this moment, if one’s vision were to elevate, rising higher and higher, clouds would begin to flow across the horizon, gradually filling the entire view.

The people in the mountain, along with the mountain itself, would grow smaller and smaller in sight, until the entire world surrounding the mountain came into view.

Astonishingly, it would reveal that this vast realm only held a single mountain.

Its surroundings were filled with fog.

If the perspective continued to ascend, once it crossed a certain critical point, it would break through the limitations of this realm.

Then, the world where the mountain stood would become nothing more than a vibrant mural.

It was carved onto a wall, in a chamber located in the southern part of the Immortal Palace.

This palace hall was relatively well-preserved, with enormous totem murals visible on its inner walls.

It depicted a mountain that reached into the clouds.

The mountain’s name was the Southern Sky.

Xu Qing appeared inside the hall and stood before the mural, staring at it.

“Do you see that paper boat? That’s my toy.”

The little person hurriedly spoke.

Xu Qing nodded slightly and walked into the mural.