Outside Of Time

Chapter 1847: Outside Of Time (End) (2)

Editor: Atlas Studios

"If one can walk its entire length, they may become a Divine God."

"I was only one step away."

Zi Qing sighed softly.

"Does this concern me?" Xu Qing suddenly asked.

Zi Qing’s gaze grew even more profound as He slowly nodded.

"At the deepest point of the Umbilical Cord of the Divine God, I saw a corridor. There were many doors there—each representing a Venerable God or a Venerable Bizarre!"

"Every time a new Venerable emerges in this world, another door appears."

Xu Qing’s pupils contracted sharply at these words.

Zi Qing continued, "Carve your name upon a door, push it open, and walk through... that is true ascension."

"At the end of that corridor sat a throne. Upon it was a figure holding a purple crystal, accompanied by the skeletal remains of a woman and a withered blue worm—both long dead."

"He sat there in solitude, exuding an antiquity that seemed to trace back to the Bizarre Realm... I didn’t know who he was, but when I saw him, two words surfaced in my mind—Si Yu!"

"He was nearing death, while I was at my peak. He blocked me from carving my name, so we fought a battle of life and death!"

"I lost that battle, escaping with only a remnant of myself. But he didn’t truly win either..."

"Because he perished at the deepest point of the umbilical cord."

"Before his end, he used the power of my retreat to send forth a possibility."

"Now that I reflect, perhaps his obstruction wasn’t malice—having reached his limit before me, my arrival gave him hope. So after my failure, he deliberately let me go... to carry that possibility away."

"That possibility merged with mine, and together... they went to the Primordial Home Planet of Brilliant Heaven."

"Then... became you."

Zi Qing looked at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing fell silent. These words sent ripples through his heart.

He thought of his purple crystal, the corridor deep in his soul, the throne...

And most importantly—the skeletal woman and blue worm Zi Qing mentioned...

After a long pause...

Zi Qing stood.

"Now that I’ve awakened, I shall walk the Umbilical Cord of the Divine God again."

"This time, no one will stop me. Will you... see me off?"

He smiled as he spoke.

Xu Qing nodded slowly.

...

The Umbilical Cord of the Divine God could manifest anywhere in the upper star rings.

But to open it required the voluntary unveiling of the upper star ring’s will—something it hated to do.

For Zi Qing, this posed no difficulty. When He chose to walk the umbilical cord in the Eighth Star Ring, its will trembled and opened of its own accord.

A massive vortex emerged—the entrance to the Umbilical Cord of the Divine God.

Zi Qing made no attempt to conceal His departure. Thus, on the day He left... every Venerable God across the upper star rings appeared.

Including the behemoth and the black pagoda.

They understood—if Desolate chose to act, Their presence would change nothing. So They came to witness openly.

Among them were also the Venerable Immortal of the Fifth Star Ring and Grandmaster Bai.

Together with all the Venerables, they watched Zi Qing... and Xu Qing.

As they reached the umbilical cord’s entrance, Zi Qing suddenly spoke:

"Would any of you... walk this path with me?"

His voice sent tremors through every Venerable present.

They knew the dangers of the umbilical cord—yet this was the road to higher realms.

Those who had reached the Venerable level all possessed their own ambitions and courage.

Given this opportunity, none would willingly accept stagnation.

So... some chose to follow Zi Qing into the umbilical cord, driven by their own purposes.

But most remained, watching alongside Xu Qing as the figures disappeared.

Xu Qing’s gaze lingered until the vortex vanished completely before slowly withdrawing.

He did not see the corridor Zi Qing described.

The Venerables dispersed.

At their level, conflict was rare—and the divide between gods and cultivators seemed trivial before the umbilical cord.

Before leaving, the Fifth Star Ring’s Venerable Immortal and Grandmaster Bai shared reminiscences with Xu Qing.

Then they returned to their star rings.

As for Xu Qing, he went back to Mount Morning Glow, listening with a gentle smile as Zi Xuan recounted their first meeting...

...

Time flowed endlessly.

Years passed without sound or trace.

The stories of time continued—new cultivators rose, old ones fell.

The same was true for gods.

An endless cycle, as though the tides of eternity had never truly shifted course.

In the years that followed, the Umbilical Cord of the Divine God opened several more times.

Each time, some Venerable Gods chose to depart in pursuit of Divine God.

But none knew whether Zi Qing and His companions had succeeded—nor whether those who entered later still lived.

Beyond the upper star rings lay the unknowable—outside of time itself.

Until... one year.

The third month, the day of Awakening of Insects.

Erniu awoke.

The moment he opened his eyes, all of Brilliant Heaven trembled with his triumphant laughter:

"Little Qing! Your Eldest Senior Brother is back—and stronger than ever! That Zi Qing fellow? I’ll help you deal with him!"

"And that fragmented-face, I’ll—"

His arrogant declaration halted abruptly as he burst through Brilliant Heaven’s skies, pointing dramatically at where the fragmented-face once hung...

Only to freeze, gaping at the empty firmament.

After a long pause, he whipped his head around, scanning the sky in confusion.

"Uh... what happened? Where’s the fragmented-face?"

"Eldest Senior Brother..."

Xu Qing’s voice came softly through the void as he appeared hand-in-hand with Zi Xuan, smiling at Erniu.

Erniu stared at Xu Qing, then gasped.

From Xu Qing, he sensed an aura far beyond a Lord God...

"Venerable God? Venerable Immortal?"

"What... what happened? I take one nap and everything changes? The fragmented-face is gone? Zi Qing’s gone? Little Qing became a Venerable?"

Xu Qing chuckled warmly.

"I’ve been waiting for you, Eldest Senior Brother. I’m going to walk the Umbilical Cord of the Divine God. Will you... come with me?"

...

After endless years, the Umbilical Cord of the Divine God opened for the seventh time since Zi Qing’s departure.

This time, in the Ninth Star Ring.

The Venerable Immortal and Grandmaster Bai came to bid farewell—they chose to remain.

Standing before the swirling vortex, Xu Qing turned to them with Zi Xuan at his side and Erniu in tow.

Grandmaster Bai nodded faintly.

"Remember what I told you years ago? The world is the guest house of all living beings. Time is a passerby from ancient times until now... You saw me off then. Today, I see you off."

"So long as we live, we shall meet again."

Xu Qing bowed deeply.

Then he turned back to Wanggu.

With a wave of his hand, he gathered the true spirits of countless souls from his memories—including his parents.

His gaze grew resolute as he looked at Zi Xuan and Erniu.

Zi Xuan nodded gently, sheltered within his protection.

Erniu transformed into a blue worm, perching on Xu Qing’s shoulder with a boisterous shout:

"Let’s go! It’s just some lousy umbilical cord—let’s see if there’s anything tasty inside!"

Xu Qing laughed, then stepped forward without hesitation—

Into the Umbilical Cord of the Divine God.

In pursuit of the higher realm—Xiyi!

"I don’t know how many times this has been attempted... but this time, I will succeed!"