Outside Of Time

Chapter 1819: Old Friends

Editor: Atlas Studios

The journey to Brilliant Heaven had come to an end.

Xu Qing left the world of Brilliant Heaven.

He took with him the mysterious light and the key to unlocking the Primordial Home Planet.

What remained behind was Erniu in deep slumber, Old Master Seventh, and an empty tomb.

The empty tomb had been built by Old Master Seventh himself—without the use of divine abilities or Xu Qing’s assistance.

Xu Qing watched as his master completed the tomb and inscribed a line of characters on the gravestone:

Tomb of Master Ling Fanzi.

Ling Fanzi had been the Daoist title of that ancient immortal from the sacred land.

Here, Old Master Seventh had built a tomb for his departed master.

He knelt before the grave, his expression steeped in a sorrow that seemed to permeate his very soul.

...

As for the Brilliant Heaven God Race, with the erasure of Their God Emperor’s karma and the loss of Their enshrined Primal Light—now absorbed into Xu Qing’s body—They had lost Their source...

Under the suppression of Zhou Zhengli and the others, some perished.

The rest, Xu Qing did not exterminate entirely. Instead, he allowed Them to remain in Brilliant Heaven, lingering around Erniu.

Though Erniu—now fused with the God Emperor’s divine body—remained in slumber, to the surviving Brilliant Heaven God Race, he was Their new emperor.

"Eldest Senior Brother’s slumber will require some time before he awakens..."

Before departing, standing before the empty tomb with Zhou Zhengli and the others waiting nearby, Xu Qing gazed into the distance at the sleeping Erniu.

His eyes shimmered with radiant light—overflowing traces of the light he had absorbed.

That light could not yet be fully integrated within him.

He, too, needed time.

Thus, Xu Qing had already resolved to enter seclusion.

Old Master Seventh also looked at Erniu, though his gaze occasionally drifted back to the tomb.

After a long silence, he spoke softly:

"Do you plan to enter seclusion immediately after returning?"

Xu Qing nodded.

"Most of the visible threats in Wanggu have been eradicated. In the coming time... I will visit old friends, then prepare for seclusion to absorb the light enshrined by the Brilliant Heaven God Race."

"At the same time, I must thoroughly explore the secrets contained within this light."

"Additionally... the existence of Desolate and the prying eyes of the Venerable Gods beyond mean my current cultivation is still insufficient."

Old Master Seventh listened, then reached out and patted Xu Qing’s shoulder, his expression tinged with melancholy.

"In this lifetime, my cultivation has reached its limit due to the constraints of my Daoist ideals. All I can do is guard Wanggu in your stead while you’re in seclusion."

"So, go and attend to your affairs. During this time, I will remain here... my thoughts lingering beyond."

Xu Qing studied his master, sensing the turmoil in his heart. The conclusion of Brilliant Heaven had stirred deep emotions within him, and now he wished to be alone.

Without another word, Xu Qing bowed deeply, then transformed into a streak of light that shot toward the heavens.

Zhou Zhengli and the others bowed to Old Master Seventh before following Xu Qing.

Soon, their figures grew smaller and smaller in the sky, vanishing into the passage leading back to Wanggu.

With their departure, Brilliant Heaven fell into silence.

Old Master Seventh withdrew his gaze from the sky and walked to the tomb, sitting before it. He produced a flask of wine and took a long swig, letting the wind tousle his hair as he murmured softly:

"Master..."

Long ago, his master had left, promising to return.

So Old Master Seventh had guarded Wanggu, cultivating a unique Daoist ideal—extending his life through cycles of reincarnation, lifetime after lifetime, standing watch.

In the end, he had waited for his master.

But... the one who returned was no longer truly his master.

All these thoughts gradually faded into ripples of memory, carried away by the wind.

...

Time flowed onward.

A month had passed since Xu Qing left Brilliant Heaven.

During this time, he visited the human imperial capital.

There, he witnessed the rise of human race under the Empress’s leadership—a unification as unstoppable as a rolling boulder.

As the Grand Tutor of the human race, he also attended the ceremony where Ning Yan was enshrined as Crown Prince.

Amid the auspicious radiance, memories of his past interactions with Ning Yan surfaced in Xu Qing’s mind, and his gaze inadvertently drifted to Ning Yan’s stomach.

He remembered the vine coiled there.

Back then, Erniu had often wielded Ning Yan as a weapon—whether as a shield or hurling him at enemies, it had always been effective.

The thought brought a faint smile to Xu Qing’s lips.

Meanwhile, Ning Yan, kneeling in ceremony, felt his heart churn with emotion. Even after all this time, seeing Xu Qing still left him in a daze, as if caught in a dream.

This daze lasted throughout the entire ceremony.

Once it concluded, Xu Qing departed.

He traveled to the Moon Offering Region.

There, he visited the old apothecary, reuniting with the Crown Prince, Third Grandma, Ninth Grandpa...

And Ling’er.

The moment they met, Ling’er—now grown into a graceful young woman—burst into tears and threw herself into Xu Qing’s arms.

Holding her, Xu Qing’s smile was as gentle as ever.

But time did not permit him to linger long in the Moon Offering Region. After a few days, with Ling’er reluctant to let him go, Xu Qing left.

Before departing, he infused Ling’er’s bloodline with the fortune he had extracted from the Ancient Spirit Emperor, purifying her lineage and granting her the fortune of an entire race.

Then, he set off for Nanhuang Continent.

Along the way, over the Endless Sea, Xu Qing appeared on the island where Yanyan resided, completely purging the residual divine will that had lingered within her all these years.

This restored her emotions to true normalcy.

Throughout the process, Yanyan watched Xu Qing with a complex expression, her lips parting several times as if to speak—yet in the end, she chose silence.

In Nanhuang Continent, Xu Qing encountered many more old friends.

He saw Ting Yu and Chen Feiyuan—the other two disciples of Grandmaster Bai—and delivered

to them the seed Grandmaster Bai had entrusted to him.

"Master has not passed away. If you wish to seek him, plant this seed. When it blooms, the fragrance will guide you to him."

He also saw Zhao Zhongheng.

Time had changed many things, but Zhao Zhongheng remained the same—still hopelessly infatuated with Ding Xue, as if this devotion had become his very Dao heart.

As for Ding Xue... she, too, was unchanged.

Though the heights Xu Qing had reached were now beyond her grasp, the feelings she had once harbored would forever remain buried in her heart.

Then there was Little Mute, whose spiritual aptitude was among the highest Xu Qing had ever seen.

His cultivation had reached the peak of the Golden Core realm.

Remembering their past, Xu Qing granted him the opportunity to break through to Nascent Soul.

And Zhang San—the self-proclaimed "investor" who took pride in having backed both Erniu and Xu Qing—initially nervous during their reunion, gradually relaxed.

He even shared his grand ambition with Xu Qing:

"I plan to travel across Wanggu!"

"I will spread my business to every corner of this continent!"

Zhang San declared proudly.

Xu Qing smiled and offered his blessings. As dawn broke and rain began to fall, he watched Zhang San set sail into the downpour before lifting his gaze to the skies.

Above, the Flame Phoenix circled, sending Xu Qing a smug divine message.

On its back stood Second Senior Sister, waving at Xu Qing.

They intended to leave Nanhuang Continent for a time, journeying to other regions.

Trailing behind them, a small bird clung stubbornly to the Flame Phoenix’s tail, its wings flapping furiously.

Xu Qing chuckled at the sight.

After a long while, as the rain pattered softly, Xu Qing stood at the harbor and turned his head.

Beneath a nearby eaves stood a woman in a cyan dress, holding an oil-paper umbrella, her eyes fixed on him.

"Long time no see, Qing Qiu."

Xu Qing spoke softly.

The woman beneath the eaves was none other than the little girl from the scavenger camp all those years ago. In silence, she stepped forward until she stood before Xu Qing, meeting his gaze.

Xu Qing reached into spacetime and retrieved a piece of candy, offering it to her.

Qing Qiu stared at the candy for a long moment before finally accepting it, clasping it tightly in her palm.

With one last look at Xu Qing, she turned and walked silently away.

When she had gone a hundred paces, her figure nearly lost in the curtain of rain, her voice drifted back to Xu Qing’s ears:

"Brother Kid."

"If back then, in the scavenger camp, my brother hadn’t taken me away... if I had gone with you to Seven Blood Eyes instead... what would our future have been like?"

Xu Qing said nothing.

Qing Qiu waited briefly, then placed the candy in her mouth and vanished into the rain.

Watching her departure, Xu Qing wandered through Seven Blood Eyes, strolling along familiar streets and past well-remembered shops, observing the growing crowds—

Mortals and cultivators alike.

With each step, memories surfaced, and at every familiar spot, it was as though he could see his younger self standing there.

Gradually, his heart settled into tranquility amidst these recollections.

Finally, he arrived at Port 176, where he retrieved his very first magic boat from the river of time and stepped aboard.

Seated cross-legged inside the gently rocking vessel, he closed his eyes.

And began... his seclusion.