Outside Of Time

Chapter 1817: Freedom

Editor: Atlas Studios

The mysterious and radiant ball of light flew toward Xu Qing under Erniu’s command.

Yet, after that momentary surge of passion, Erniu’s voice abruptly weakened.

The blue hue on the Brilliant Heaven God Emperor’s left hand—where he had taken refuge—rapidly faded. Simultaneously, the God Emperor’s divine might erupted violently, intent on utterly suppressing and erasing Erniu’s presence.

At this critical moment, the phantom of Profound Earth around Old Master Seventh shone even brighter, enveloping the surroundings to isolate external anomalous substances and delay the God Emperor’s revival.

Meanwhile, as the radiant light flew toward him, Xu Qing raised his right hand.

Embedded in his palm was a mirror shard!

A diamond-shaped fragment, its surface shimmering with flowing light, capable of reflecting all things in existence within itself.

An aura of Ordinance Law—surpassing that of a Summer Immortal, reaching the level of an Immortal Lord, even exceeding ordinary Immortal Lords—swirled within it.

Immortal intent permeated all of Brilliant Heaven.

This artifact came from Immortal Lord Mi Ming!

A gift bestowed upon Xu Qing before he left the Fifth Star Ring—Mi Ming’s very own Ordinance!

For others, this Ordinance would yield mediocre effects.

But Xu Qing was different.

He had once stepped into Mi Ming’s memories, lived through the most pivotal moments of Mi Ming’s life as if they were his own.

That experience made Xu Qing, in a way, the only person across the thirty-six upper star rings who could nearly fully manifest Mi Ming’s Ordinance.

Apart from the divine-eye lantern given by Grandmaster Bai, this was the most powerful treasure Xu Qing now possessed.

As the mirror shard in his palm gleamed, the skies of Brilliant Heaven transformed, and the earth churned.

Mi Ming’s Ordinance, with its terrifying rank, suppressed everything.

Especially the returning Brilliant Heaven God Emperor!

The moment the mirror reflected Him, the God Emperor’s colossal body shuddered violently.

Golden mist rapidly coalesced within the mirror, gradually outlining a blurry humanoid figure.

Old Master Seventh, watching nearby, felt his mind tremble.

He sensed the extraordinary nature of the mirror in Xu Qing’s palm and recognized the faint silhouette forming inside it—the God Emperor’s divine soul!

Even more astonishingly, a True Name faintly flickered within!

"This mirror... seems uniquely capable of suppressing gods!"

Old Master Seventh murmured inwardly.

Xu Qing, noticing his master’s expression, understood his thoughts.

Old Master Seventh was unaware of Immortal Lord Mi Ming’s Immortal Lord ascension method.

Mi Ming’s breakthrough had relied on the Primordial Home Planet of the Fourth Star Ring. By forcibly embedding himself into the star, he first borrowed its power to attain Lord God status, imprinting his True Name, then transitioned from god to immortal.

This method made Mi Ming both god and immortal!

Thus, his Ordinance held unique suppression over divine beings.

Later, Xu Qing had analyzed that ascension. Relying on the Primordial Home Planet—a being of unimaginable rank—meant the starting point was extraordinarily high.

Yet Mi Ming’s ultimate choice had carried regret.

He had only temporarily fused with the star.

He had not... devoured it!

Had he done so, history might have been rewritten in an even more terrifying manner.

But Xu Qing also knew the near-impossible obstacles to that path.

Whether it was the Fourth Star Ring Venerable God’s interference, the Primordial Home Planet’s ultimate rejection, Mi Ming’s own capacity for sacrifice, or the risk of his will being assimilated—any misstep would have doomed the ritual.

Like walking a spider’s thread!

Thus, Mi Ming had chosen the safest, most viable method—borrowing the fusion to ascend, then separating voluntarily.

These thoughts flashed through Xu Qing’s mind before his gaze settled on the God Emperor below.

The God Emperor’s eyes had closed again, but His aura fluctuated intensely. His body trembled, clearly struggling—yet Mi Ming’s Ordinance suppression rendered all resistance futile.

Even at His peak, the God Emperor could not have withstood Mi Ming’s current power, let alone now, during His incomplete revival and after losing His race’s enshrined Primal Light!

Thus, He could only watch helplessly as the mirror shard in Xu Qing’s palm forcibly drew His divine soul away.

During this process, Erniu was ecstatic. He could feel the resistance and rejection from the body he inhabited rapidly diminishing.

Without hesitation, he initiated fusion once more.

In an instant, the fading blue on the God Emperor’s left hand flared brilliantly, spreading swiftly across His body.

Within moments, it reclaimed half of the God Emperor’s form, charging toward the other half—unstoppable!

Yet even now, the God Emperor’s resistance persisted stubbornly. Though powerless against Mi Ming’s mirror, a hint of mutual destruction emerged.

It seemed He would rather obliterate Himself than surrender His divine body!

Seeing this, Old Master Seventh’s eyes flashed coldly as he prepared to act.

But Xu Qing, gazing at the God Emperor below, suddenly spoke.

"If your act of deception goes too far... hindering my senior brother’s fusion, I’ll assume you intend to turn pretense into reality."

As soon as Xu Qing spoke,

The God Emperor’s trembling abruptly stilled.

Xu Qing continued calmly.

"You used my senior brother’s hands—special summoning, a special location, a special method—to create a special ritual... for your return."

"On the surface, it seems logical. Had I not returned unexpectedly, you might have succeeded."

"Yet I refuse to believe you were unaware of events beyond Brilliant Heaven."

"Or that you didn’t realize your original plan, given current circumstances, would still end with your suppression even if you revived."

"So why struggle so desperately..."

Xu Qing’s gaze bore into the God Emperor’s corpse.

"You wanted to exploit my master’s and my karma to vanish completely here... so you could revive in another star ring through alternative means."

"Fearing exposure, you put on a show of resistance while secretly clinging to hope—trying to have it both ways!"

As he spoke, Xu Qing glanced at the mirror in his hand. Though it contained the God Emperor’s soul and True Name, seemingly unified, Mi Ming’s Ordinance revealed an almost imperceptible dissonance—

The True Name... did not belong to the Brilliant Heaven God Emperor!

"Senior Li Zihua never truly returned. I suspect his journey to Wanggu and everything that followed... was also meant to—

"Help you escape!"

Xu Qing’s voice was cool. He hadn’t been certain earlier, but his experiences in Brilliant Heaven and the mirror’s revelations had solidified his judgment.

Most importantly, he refused to believe this once-glorious God Emperor would leave Himself no room for retreat.

Xu Qing’s words echoed across the land.

On the ground, the God Emperor’s closed eyes suddenly snapped open again.

Golden light erupted from His gaze, locking onto Xu Qing.

Xu Qing turned to Old Master Seventh.

"Master, may I take full authority over matters here?"

Old Master Seventh nodded slightly, already guessing Xu Qing’s decision.

Xu Qing bowed, then addressed the God Emperor below.

"I owe Senior Li Zihua a debt from past events. Since he has taken your True Name... cease your resistance and let my senior brother complete his fusion."

"In return, I’ll set you free!"

"Henceforth, you may not set foot in the Ninth Star Ring—it will no longer concern you!"

Xu Qing’s voice carried the weight of heavenly decree.

"To gain something, one must first let go."

The God Emperor remained silent.

Xu Qing’s words had laid bare His entire scheme. Initially, He had indeed planned to use that greedy individual to facilitate His return.

But external changes had forced His hand—though not to the point of panic, for He had other avenues.

Li Zihua and Crimson Goddess had left Brilliant Heaven with His tacit approval.

After their departure, He hadn’t interfered—only instilled in all departing clansmen one conviction:

To rescue Him.

And Li Zihua, through his own brilliance, had come closest to success.

All He needed was to sever all ties and karma with Brilliant Heaven, willingly erase all traces of Himself, and it would be done.

Yet a sliver of reluctance had lingered in His heart.

After several breaths...

A sigh reverberated around Him.

He finally released that last vestige of unwillingness and closed His eyes.

Resistance ceased.

Instantly, the soul shadow in Xu Qing’s mirror fully manifested, completely severed from its original body.

Meanwhile, Erniu’s fusion accelerated dramatically. In mere breaths, it spread across the entire God Emperor’s form.

Then, he fell into deep slumber, beginning the final assimilation.

Seeing his senior brother would need time to awaken, Xu Qing clenched the mirror shard in his palm.

With a soft crunch, the God Emperor’s soul within shattered—along with the True Name—erased entirely.

All karma with Wanggu and Brilliant Heaven was severed.

Even memories.

Across Wanggu and Brilliant Heaven, all recollections of the Brilliant Heaven God Emperor’s existence faded silently.

None could remember, none could recall.

He was... free.

As Xu Qing had said: to gain something, one must first let go.

By abandoning everything here, He had bought His freedom.

"Freedom... perhaps it’s for the best. After all those years of war, though we claimed victory, this land was never truly unified. Brilliant Heaven’s presence meant it was never fully Profound Earth’s."

Old Master Seventh sighed inwardly.

This resolution also brought closure to his past.

"That light of Brilliant Heaven..."

He looked to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing reached out, grasping the floating radiance before him. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke softly.

"Master, senior brother will need time to awaken."

"And this light... is extraordinary. It holds Brilliant Heaven’s secrets... and its will."

"I wish to absorb it here and uncover... what those secrets truly are!"