Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 800: Demarcating the World for the Gods

Xu Qing knew that, given his current level of strength, he obviously wasn’t a match for Bai Xiaozhuo, who was in the great circle of Void Returning.

That was, unless he used his ancient sun. But doing that would have far-reaching ramifications. It could possibly destroy the entire dimension in which the Imperial University existed. And it could even bring catastrophe to the imperial capital. Furthermore... Xu Qing didn’t feel that Bai Xiaozhuo deserved to be killed by an ancient sun. It was better to have that sun around as a threat and deterrent.

It would be a lot simpler if I could use The Emperor’s Sword.

Xu Qing sighed inwardly. Unfortunately, the sword wasn’t stirring at all. The best thing he could do was employ the method of using four ounces to move a thousand pounds. By exposing Bai Xiaozhuo’s true identity, he could rely on the justice of humankind to exterminate him.

It wasn’t time to deal with the crow yet. Given Xu Qing’s current power and influence, he didn’t dare to try to make a move on the imperial preceptor.

Therefore, he sat on the white dao altar inside the spell formation, next to the Xeno-Immortal schoolmaster and Chen Daoze. Along with all of the students below, he simply watched the fighting play out. Xu Qing looked very calm. In contrast, the God-Merging forces had mixed emotions, and by now were unable to suppress the terror and anxiety they felt.

Even the Xeno-Immortal schoolmaster was completely shocked. Not even he could ever have guessed that the God-Merging schoolmaster was actually Torchlight’s Bai Xiaozhuo. And that enabled him to see a brilliant future. He knew that after this battle was over, no one would be able to stop the Xeno-Immortal School from rising to prominence. The God-Merging School would probably be disbanded, and the high-level members would all be investigated to see if they were Torchlight conspirators. All of it was happening because of this Patriarch Xu Qing. As countless thoughts ran through his head, the Xeno-Immortal schoolmaster looked at Chen Daoze, who nodded back at him.

The schoolmaster’s eyes shone with determination as he looked at Xu Qing, his gaze one of deep respect.

However, Xu Qing wasn’t paying attention to the schoolmaster. His senses were focused completely on the battle. It wasn’t often one got to witness fights like this. It could obviously provide deep insights into the Void Returning level. To Xu Qing specifically, though, the fight was even more meaningful than that. After all, it was also a fight between an immortal cultivator and a god cultivator.

Although they weren’t on the same level as Smoldering Gods, even just fourth-stage Void Returning experts were enough to cause the canopy of heaven to blur. People with cultivation bases too low wouldn’t be able to see what was happening. They would only hear rumbling and see flashes of light.

Spirit Trove cultivators, on the other hand, would be able to see a lot more. They could sense the transformations to the natural and magical laws. They could sense the natural laws turning corporeal, and the magical laws turning into ancient, shadowy figures. And all of that was shaking the Torchlight godliness.

This was observing the dao. Depending on one’s experience and focus on cultivation, they would perceive the natural and magical laws differently, and thus, the fight would look different. Some people could see clearly, others couldn’t see very clearly at all.

The students in the university held their breaths as they came to varying levels of enlightenment. Only people who were in Void Returning would be able to perceive the true significance of the fight. They would be able to see all of the natural and magical laws, as well as the flow of the great daos.

To Void Returning eyes, it was like watching a battle from the ancient past. Every single boom contained the magic of great daos.

At the same time, numerous rifts opened up in the air over the university. Close examination revealed that the rifts contained natural law transformations, which could shake observers deeply and provoke deep thought on their part. Only those in the same level or higher would be able to perceive the true nature of what was happening.

But Xu Qing’s cultivation base was different from anyone around him. He was an immortal cultivator. But he was also a god cultivator. As a result, this fight looked different to him. He saw the numerous colors interlocked in the canopy of heaven, almost like an abstract painting.

In that image, Bai Xiaozhuo was like a god, sometimes clear, sometimes blurry. Every flicker of light revealed something different.

Meanwhile, the chancellor of the university had a terrifying cultivation base. That was especially true since he had the blessing of the imperial clan’s bloodline, which made him about thirty percent stronger than an ordinary person in the great circle of Void Returning.

Every attack he unleashed contained millions upon millions of great daos that worked in concert with the golden dragons. He could change any natural laws with ease. Occasionally, dazzling sunlight would erupt out. Occasionally, ancient war chariots would rush forth. Occasionally, ancient beasts would form. All sorts of attacks were pressing Bai Xiaozhuo.

Even though the schoolmasters from the other schools of thought weren’t very far behind these two in cultivation, they were still astonished by what they were seeing.

The five nonhuman God-Merging puppets fought with such vigor that heaven and earth dimmed. All of them were injured in some way. In any species, the great circle of Void Returning counted as one of the highest levels possible.

In fact, there were many species without Smoldering Gods who viewed such people like actual gods. Therefore, it was only natural that there were some very unique things about cultivators in the great circle of Void Returning.

For example, when they bled, it turned into crimson lakes. Just the sound reverberations from the fighting could shatter the land. Thankfully, this area was protected by spell formations, which meant that all the students were kept safe and allowed to seek enlightenment without interruption.

Xu Qing was doing that. He was staring straight at the fighting, numerous thoughts running through his mind. And he was starting to get a deeper understanding of immortal cultivators versus god cultivators.

God cultivators... don’t use magical techniques. It seems more like thēy just act on instinct. It’s as if heaven and earth were both born for thēir sake. In this heaven and earth, thēy have freedom and independence. Thēy are unrestrained and unfettered.

But immortal cultivators are different. They use the energy of heaven and earth, but in a different way than god cultivators. They turn natural and magical laws into threads that can be used to harness the energy of heaven and earth. It’s like... they’re enslaving heaven and earth! And what about heavenly daos?

Xu Qing’s eyes shone brightly as numerous thoughts raced through his head. There was deep meaning in what he was observing.

When heavenly daos come into play, they create fetters that bind heaven and earth, and demarcate the world for the gods!

Xu Qing shivered inwardly as he wondered if his speculation was correct. It made sense based on what he knew, and it seemed logical. If it was correct, then it made sense that the earliest cultivators to become immortals in ancient times would give rise to heavenly daos after they conquered Revered Ancient. Heavenly daos would be the best way for their descendants to further their cultivation.

And that also explained why the technique system of cultivators involved producing heavenly daos in Spirit Trove.

By constantly bolstering the heavenly dao, the cultivator can keep that world under their control. If it’s as I’m speculating, then this is a really unprecedented situation. It’s taking world-controlling methods and merging them with the cultivation system of cultivators. What a daring concept....

Xu Qing inhaled deeply. Now more than ever, he felt deep respect for those early immortals. With that, he looked up into the canopy of heaven.

The sky above the Imperial University didn’t contain the broken face, but that didn’t have a negative effect on Xu Qing’s analysis.

Every time the broken face’s eyes open, heavenly daos perish. And with every heavenly dao that perishes, the Revered Ancient mainland comes closer to being a world of gods. What’s more, no matter how strong Revered Ancient gets, it will only be a tiny part of the starry sky. I wonder... what does it look like outside of Revered Ancient?

This was the first time Xu Qing felt truly curious about what lay beyond Revered Ancient.

I know the holy lands are out there. And beyond that... is the place where Li Zihua went to, which is also the location of the violet moon.

Xu Qing closed his eyes and cast his senses toward the violet moon. It was far, far away. As Xu Qing sensed that, there was a development in the fighting. And it came from Bai Xiaozhuo. As flickering light surrounded him from his position in the sky, and as the chancellor launched deadly attacks at him, Bai Xiaozhuo threw both of his hands over his head and then bowed to the highest point in the sky.

“The energy of the ultimate yang of the two polarities merges into the ancient eyes of the gods, becoming the glittering light of the starry sky over Revered Ancient. Let the projection fall and incarnate into the domain of a god. Respected lord of the sun and many heavens of the universe, the holy Torchlight. Let the door descend!”

As the words left his mouth, heaven and earth in the imperial capital shook violently. A terrifying, indescribably mighty force weighed down, not only on the capital, but on the Imperial University.

All of a sudden, a blurry image appeared in the sky over the university. It overtook heaven and overtook all daos. It overtook anything and everything.

The image depicted a host of freakish, immense trees that emanated fluctuations of godliness. Godly, gruish beasts abounded. Ancient, unique temples appeared, emanating a sense of profound age. It was possible to see frozen seas and mountains that existed in gaseous states. There were freakish, humanoid clouds, spirits resembling octopuses that had lived for innumerable years. And there were huge birds with plumed wings that could obscure the sky and cover the lands. They were gargantuan and strange in appearance. Tentacles writhed. It was a completely gruish and mysterious world.

In the depths of that bizarre scene was a shocking figure that was a terrifying, 5,000-kilometer sphere. It was black and covered with both writhing tentacles and gruish, blinking eyes that seemed capable of peering through both time and space. Deep, resonant voices spoke from within the sphere, like thunder that caused the clouds to seethe. As the sphere stirred, the world trembled, the lands shook, the seas went wild, and the air burst into flames. The black sphere’s surface was covered with innumerable faces, all of which were singing the same words just uttered by Bai Xiaozhuo. Godly might abounded.

It was just an image, but it caused all the students in the Imperial University to cough up blood. Some even started to show signs of mutation. It was the same in the imperial capital. An intense, domineering mutagen was spreading everywhere. Countless people shouted out in alarm.

As people from numerous organizations reacted with visible surprise, the emperor shot to his feet. The thirteen heavenly kings’ facial expressions flickered dramatically, and their energy surged.

Xu Qing’s face turned incredibly grave as he stared at the projected world of Bai Xiaozhuo. It looked very similar, and felt very similar, to something he had sense before.

“God domain...” he murmured.

In the shrine hall of the Red Dust Emotional Suppression Pavilion, there was a statue of a clay fox. The fox shivered, then suddenly came to life. Eyes opening, it looked in the direction of the Imperial University.

An unfamiliar god domain! A god is being born there... wait. No, this god... something’s off here!

A shocking aura rose up at the front of the rainbow bridge leading to the imperial palace, where the statue of Grand Emperor Swordsage stood. The Grand Emperor’s eyes opened slowly, revealing something profound and ancient. Cracking sounds rang out as the Grand Emperor looked up in the direction of the Imperial University. Then a voice spoke that echoed like heavenly thunder.

“The sword hangs in the blue sky. Thou canst try it out.”