Beyond the Timescape [Wuxiaworld]

The dome of heaven was quiet. The dazzling light of teleportation winked out above the clouds. The broken face’s eyelashes had twitched thanks to the actions of Xu Qing, the Captain, and Master Seventh, but for some unknown reason, the eyes never opened. After the emperor’s corpse vanished along with Xu Qing and the Captain, and the golden hand faded into nothing, everything went back to normal. It almost seemed like nothing happened at all just now.

However, the powerful experts and gods who had been watching the events play out would never possibly forget what they had just seen.

What was more, the golden hand that appeared in the end clearly had a close connection to the two audacious individuals in question. Perhaps the background of the players involved would eventually be revealed, but regardless, that huge hand’s actions were something all the onlookers refused to take lightly.

Although the person behind the hand hadn’t personally broken through the godwarding, but rather, had been hidden on the person of one of the two crazy cultivators, the hand had made it obvious it possessed astonishing battle prowess.

“It was like a cultivator, but not a cultivator. And like a god, but not a god.”

“It was a combination of immortal and god. An amalgamation formed by some unique magic used by this unknown player.”

“Although this unknown expert is strong, his level of greed is too excessive. All three obviously suffered serious injuries. That said, that level of greed did get them some of the Father God’s flesh and blood. As for how much... only time will tell.”

“I wonder if that was the same mysterious cultivator that appeared earlier??”

“The unknown expert and the mysterious cultivator who helped the three gods definitely aren’t the same person!”

Different parties had different takes on what happened based on their perspective. No one agreed on all the details, and few people would be debating their viewpoint with others.

“See yourself out, ladies and gentlemen,” Sunfire said coldly to the surrounding streams of divine sense, in a voice that boomed like thunder.

The gazes and streams of divine will scattered. Both the mysterious cultivator and the unknown expert were obviously daring and rash, and also very thought-provoking.

Considering that the three gods had succeeded in thēir effort, there was no need for anyone to keep observing. That was especially true considering... that with the three gods having become Flawless Gods, the political structure of Revered Ancient was almost certainly going to change. It was time to make preparations for that.

The area emptied of auras. No one was hiding and looking on. At that point, Sunfire turned to look at Moonfire and Starfire, and was even about to speak. But then, hēr gaze shifted to a spot off in the distance. Shē blurred and disappeared.

Moonfire noticed the same thing. Face completely expressionless, shē also disappeared.

Meanwhile, Starfire smiled faintly. “You’ve got some guts to teleport back here. Ah, whatever. You do owe me some primal yang, after all.”

Suddenly looking ethereal and charming, Starfire a step forward, hēr garment swirling around hēr as shē vanished into thin air.

***

Some 5,000 kilometers away, but still in one of the Firemoon Darkheavens’ regions, the light of teleportation exploded in a desolate mountain range. A dazzlingly bright ring expanded out with tempestuous force. It spread for 3,000 meters in every direction, flattening mountains, wiping away plants and vegetation, and leaving the lands scorched and barren. The source was a mangled corpse. The moment it appeared was also the last moment the corpse could remain intact. It collapsed, and two figures shot out from the remains.

They were none other than Xu Qing and the Captain.

Xu Qing staggered a bit. Blood oozed out of the corners of his mouth, and his face was pale white. He had a mass of wounds all over him, and yet he kept his cool and used divine will to scan the surroundings. After confirming from the local aura that he was still in Firemoon Darkheaven territory, his expression darkened.

“Something must have gone wrong with Master!” he said in a hoarse voice. That much seemed obvious. If Master Seventh had been in good shape, he surely would have adjusted the teleportation to take them away from the Firemoon Darkheavens.

The Captain was in no better shape than Xu Qing. He had gaping wounds all over him, and at the moment, was just laying on the ground gasping for breath. However, he did manage to wave his hand dismissively and chuckle roguishly. “It’s fine. If something went wrong with the old man, for instance him dying or something, then as the Eldest Brother, I’ll just take over as the new Master Seventh!”

Upon hearing such disgraceful and offensive language, Xu Qing instinctively looked around to see if they were alone.

The Captain’s eyes darted back and forth as he did the same. After a few breaths of time passed, he blinked a few times, sighed, and said, “Seems that the old man really isn’t around. But seriously, it’s fine. He’s amazing enough that we don’t need to worry about him. There’s no way he took action without backup plans in place. Don’t worry. He’s gone on many more big jobs than either of us. He won’t die.”

Xu Qing decided that what the Captain said made sense. He nodded.

The Captain struggled to his feet and threw his arm over Xu Qing’s shoulders. Eyes glittering complacently, he said, “Well, what do you think, little Junior Brother? Was this job worth it?”

Xu Qing took a deep breath and checked his void soil. There were over a hundred very faint lineaments, each of which was made from godly authority.

He needed to gain enlightenment of them one by one before they could become material. But considering he was walking a path of cultivation that was without parallel in history, it seemed good to consider that just a first step in the right direction. It couldn’t be called anything other than good fortune.

Of course, his battle prowess had increased dramatically. What was more, he still had some of the god domain upgrade power in the form of the god talisman. It could also be considered a precious treasure, and contained terrifying might. If Xu Qing reached a bottleneck in Void Returning, it could be used like a god pill to make his cultivation path much smoother.

Or, if he waited until he was at the peak of Smoldering God to consume it, he might be able to do what other cultivators could only do if they had a bloodline legacy or a lot of destiny aura: he could break the shackles to become an Imperial Sovereign!

And yet, that couldn’t be considered the best way to use it. The best would be for Xu Qing to wait until the day that he was in the Imperial Sovereign level, and consume the talisman. At that point, he could have the chance... to use that terrifying power to force his way into the quasi-Immortal level, also known as Grand Emperor. Though the chance of the latter succeeding was slim, if he added in the blood of the broken face....

Xu Qing’s heart raced as he checked the violet crystal and confirmed that it had a drop of golden blood sealed inside! God blood was usually gold. But comparing this drop to others he had seen, it was clear that the others were impure. Only this drop could be considered golden blood of the highest level of purity. Looking at it was like looking at the universe itself, and it caused Xu Qing’s mind to reel. Then, that ‘universe’ blurred and transformed into an enormous broken face.

That broken face was, of course, the Living God from the dome of heaven over Revered Ancient. Though hīs eyes were closed, there was still profound karma connecting to Xu Qing.

That sensation of karma provided Xu Qing with some enlightenment. He could tell that absorbing the god blood of the broken face could be considered a peak level of god blood, but at the same time, contained astonishing calamity and tribulation. The broken face’s eyes would occasionally open. However, that didn’t mean the face woke up. It was just an instinct.

If hē actually did wake up one day, then anyone connected to hīm by karma would be the first ones taken to be nutrients. To Xu Qing, though, that didn’t matter. All living beings in the Revered Ancient mainland were locked in a cage, and were all fundamentally already nutrients for the broken face.

Xu Qing took a deep breath. “It was worth it!”

Hearing that, the Captain laughed heartily. Then he took out an exquisite phoenix hairpin clearly designed for a woman. He handed it to Xu Qing. Before he could say anything else, the dome of heaven turned dark, and terrifying pressure spread out, cutting the area off from time and everything else.

The spot occupied by Xu Qing and the Captain was like a lone rowboat in a violent storm.

The three gods had arrived.

Xu Qing’s heart sank. Looking very serious, he turned to the canopy of heaven and bowed in greeting. “Well met, three gods.”

He wasn’t exactly panicking. He knew that devouring that blood created karma between him and the broken face. He also knew that this good fortune could also be considered something taboo!

The Captain was also aware of that reality. Apparently, the Captain had also prepared for this moment, as he cleared his throat, and not looking alarmed at all, waved cheerily to the three gods and opened his mouth to call out a greeting.

Before he could, Sunfire glared down at him and Xu Qing.

Both Xu Qing and the Captain shivered from head to toe as a sensation of extermination filled them, and their life force showed signs of withering up. Apparently, resistance or refusal would not be tolerated.

But then, a terrifying personhood power rose up within them, causing the will of extermination to pause. Although it wasn’t very strong, considering they had both consumed the blood of the broken face, which had a paramount level of personhood, it was correct to say that, in comparison, Sunfire was like some ordinary water compared to a 10,000-year-old glacier. Unfortunately, that glacier was just too small, while the water was as vast as an endless sea.

At that moment of crisis, when Sunfire was just about to take action, the Captain shouted something absolutely astonishing.

“Moonie! Sweetheart! My wife!”

Those words caused wild colors to flash in heaven and earth.

Starfire blinked a few times. Sunfire’s eyes burned with rarely-seen anger, as well as deadly extermination. But then... Moonfire unexpectedly took a step forward. Along with that step came a burst of godly might that blocked the power of Sunfire.

Face completely expressionless, Moonfire looked at the Captain.

Xu Qing, meanwhile, was reeling. He had expected the Captain to do something, but could never have guessed it would be this....

The Captain wasn’t done shouting. “Sweetheart, Niuniu was in the wrong....”

Xu Qing’s expression turned even stranger upon hearing the Captain call himself Niuniu.

The Captain didn’t seem to care about that. Looking completely intoxicated, even in love, he continued, “Do you know what, sweetheart? Everything I’ve done in this life was so that, just like in that past life, I could be close to you!

“I risked death, acted crazily, and held nothing back, all because of my love for you. I’m still that same little Niuniu who gave up everything for love! In that past life, I didn’t know how to cherish things. But in this life, it doesn’t matter whether or not God will give me an opportunity, I’m going to fight for the right to stand next to your true form!

“For that purpose, I used 10,000-year-old black gold, plus an eternal gem, as well as strength from my Junior Brother, to form two phoenix hairpins, each of which is a perfect gift for one’s true love. All I want to say to you today, Moonie, is... please accept my hairpin. And please... let’s make up!”

With that, the Captain took out a hairpin that looked almost exactly like the one he had given to Xu Qing. Hands trembling, he held it up to the dome of heaven. At the same time, he bowed his head nervously, as if he didn’t dare to look Moonfire directly in the eyes. Apparently, he feared seeing anything like rejection or cold apathy.

Xu Qing had already reached the point where he didn’t want to hear anything further. However, it was a dangerous situation. So he just watched to see what the Captain would do. However, only a moment later, he realized that the Captain was looking at him meaningfully out of the corner of his eye.

Xu Qing, being so familiar with the Captain, almost instantly knew what that look meant. Then he thought about the hairpin.

On any other occasion, he would refuse to go along with the Captain’s idea. But today....

Sighing inwardly, Xu Qing looked at Starfire, braced himself, and said, “High God Starfire, on the way here, I prepared a gift for you....”