Outside Of Time

Or perhaps, using the word 'seemed' wasn't appropriate.

This was because at this moment, those memories of the past were really revealed from the illusion and gradually became real.

Once these real scenes were formed, they could replace the present.

Time seemed to have become elusive at this moment. It no longer flowed forward or backward but turned into a vortex.

In this vortex, there was Xu Qing's past, his present, and his future.

However, the scene in the future was blurry and couldn't be seen clearly at all. Now that they had fused together, it was even more so.

The word 'time' also became unfamiliar.

It was as though it no longer had the concept it possessed!

Perhaps time was only defined by intelligent lifeforms for their own convenience.

In reality, time itself may not require any definition, and any attempt to define it might not capture its complete essence.

Xu Qing's mind churned as this peculiar understanding surged into his consciousness.

It subverted everything.

Changes appeared in front of Xu Qing again.

In his haze, he saw indescribable gods walking through the void, manipulating one vortex after another, each defined as time.

Their appearances were individually distinct, visible to Xu Qing, yet he couldn't articulate them in words. It appeared as if describing this phenomenon was not permitted.

He witnessed countless stars disintegrating into fragments while even more suns and moons were taking shape.

However, in the end, They removed them and placed them onto Their bodies, becoming intricate patterns.

Some transformed into instruments and elements that Xu Qing couldn't comprehend, creating things and colors beyond his understanding.

Even the starry sky was the same. Xu Qing saw a god holding a brush made of stars and smearing it.

Wherever it touched, the starry sky would grow larger.

This scene was unbelievable and unreal.

Yet in the next instant, everything vanished, becoming hazy and changing shape. It seemed as if everything before was just Xu Qing's own thoughts, and thus, it came into existence.

Difficult to comprehend, truly incredible.

Xu Qing's sea of consciousness trembled and rumbled. He couldn't believe any of this.

He even saw emperors adorned in imperial robes, writhing in agonizing wails, struggling in an attempt to resist. Yet, in the presence of the gods, everything appeared to be devoid of meaning.

That murmur from the god's fragmented-face and that incantation appeared to have opened up a surreal and fantastical realm.

Here…

What you perceived as time was not the same in the minds of the gods.

The space you understood didn't have this meaning in the god's perception.

In the eyes of the gods, the knowledge you grasped might not be correct.

In fact, what you saw was what the god unintentionally let you see.

The reason why it was unintentional was as they wouldn't specially do this.

All of this caused Xu Qing's consciousness to collapse.

At the next instant, a figure appeared in front of him. It was like a huge mountain peak that blocked everything for him, hiding all the chaos and blocking all gazes.

Xu Qing's perception finally recovered at this moment.

His body hit the ground with a resounding thud, and the surges of turmoil within his heart and the upheaval of understanding transformed into waves, continuously crashing against his consciousness, making it difficult for him to stand steady.

As he staggered back, Xu Qing couldn't suppress it and spat out a mouthful of blood.

His expression kept changing. He suddenly lifted his head and looked at Princess Mingmei, who stood in front of him.

"Did you sense it?"

Princess Mingmei turned around and stared at Xu Qing with a deep gaze.

Xu Qing's breathing was hurried and a storm rumbled in his heart. Countless bolts of lightning appeared to be exploding in his mind and intense horror appeared in his eyes. It was only after a long time that he barely recovered a little.

He nodded heavily.

"What is He saying? Also, I feel like I saw it but I don't seem to have seen it. I clearly remember it but I seem to have forgotten it."

"All the scenes and everything seem to have been overturned."

Xu Qing's body trembled. The cold feeling from his childhood surfaced on his body again after this experience. He felt very cold, so cold that it seeped into his bones and froze his soul…

"'He is counting down."

Princess Mingmei spoke softly.

"Cultivation is actually a helpless pain after the god's fragmented-face arrived. It's also a path of no return.

"In this world, anomalous substances are everywhere. Some can be sensed and some can't be peeped at."

"They invade all things in the world, causing changes in form and essence. Some turn to ashes, while others become sources of malevolence."

"And the mortals… are no exception. The course of life is altered, and they are forced to adapt."

"This phenomenon is even more serious on cultivators. At low levels, mutations will occur. When one reaches the critical point, they will either die or become one of the mutated beasts.

"Only at the mid-stage do they seem happiest. At this moment, most believe that they can suppress the anomalous substances and ignore them. But in reality, it's due to a cognitive barrier, ignorance, that they feel content."

"Until you cultivate to the high level… the expansion of your understanding will change everything."

"Just like us… everything you saw just now, we have to endure it at all times."

Princess Mingmei's tone was calm but her voice carried fatigue. The heir at the side sighed softly and looked at Xu Qing as he shook his head.

"But what can we do?"

"And those, in fact, might not be true. It can only be said that it is just a corner of the story."

"In fact, my father once said something back then."

"We think that They are outsiders, but is that truly the case? Perhaps in Their understanding, we… are the outsiders."

"Is it possible that this place has always been… the god's kingdom?"

"I don't know the answer either."

The heir shook his head.

Xu Qing fell silent.

"These questions are not something you can contemplate now. It's good to feel and experience, which will help you better understand this world."

The heir patted Xu Qing's shoulder.

"Remember, in the future, before you're prepared, don't use your Poison Restriction Eyes to look at the fragmented-face. He… is supreme and can't be looked at directly."

"Let's return home."

Xu Qing nodded silently and followed the heir and Princess Mingmei out of the valley, returning to the apothecary.

What he experienced this time around still lingered in his mind even after half a month, influencing his thoughts.

He couldn't help but ponder and try to understand.

On this day, the oil the captain mentioned appeared.

In the sky, the Red Moon was even closer to the Moon Worship Region. When looking up, one could see that the celestial body was becoming larger and more distinct.

The redness in the sky also became increasingly dazzling, reflecting on the ground, causing the entire Moon Worship Region to turn into a red domain.

The tidal reactions were equally intense, with constant earthquakes and thunderous roars echoing in all directions.

The cultivation power of all the temple cultivators who believed in the Crimson Goddess was enhanced to varying degrees. The divine arts they exhibited became even more awe-inspiring.

Hence, with the five deputy hall masters of the Moon Rebel Hall as the source, the five rebel army was broken through under the suppression of the Red Moon Shrine.

They began to crumble, facing a comprehensive crisis.

To make matters worse, as the Red Moon drew closer and the tidal reactions intensified, something strange occurred across the entire Moon Worship Region.

It had grown larger.

The original landmass fractured and split apart, giving rise to new plates emerging from the depths of the earth, creating deep chasms.

The once-existing mountain peaks experienced a similar transformation, giving rise to new mountainous formations after their collapse.

The god's aura continued to surge in all the new places.

From these deep chasms, from these mountains, from all the newly created lands, a group of peculiar beings awakened.

They appeared ugly, resembling monsters, devoid of intelligence, filled with madness. Like insects or beasts, their numbers were incredibly vast, surging forth explosively.

Every one of them contained the fluctuations of gods. The smaller ones were dozens of feet in size, while the larger ones reached hundreds of feet or even thousands of feet.

They radiated an intense sense of ferocity, and madness permeated the surroundings.

Hunger, in particular, manifested violently in their beings.

Hence, wherever they passed, everything in the world, including soil and rocks, would be their food, let alone the flesh and blood of all living beings.

They ate and devoured everything. They rushed out of many areas and spread throughout the entire Moon Worship Region.

It was as though this was their feast.

Death appeared with every breath.

The Moon Rebel Hall also became incomparably desolate. The temples were completely dim, indicating that their masters had died.

At this moment, medicinal pills were even more important.

Although Xu Qing was in the blissful land of the Bitter Life Mountain Range, he still continued to send medicinal pills, and he didn't demand any payments.

However, he was still unable to satisfy the demand..

Xu Qing originally planned to refine them in large quantities but an accident happened.

On this day, the Bitter Life Mountain Range shook, with numerous rocks falling and peaks collapsing. A deep chasm tore through from within as the mountain range crumbled.

Its location was under the Bitter Life Mountain Range's Red Moon Shrine.

In the entire region, one could discover that every such chasm actually had a Red Moon Shrine nearby.

As for the wind in the desert, although it could stop outsiders from entering, it couldn't stop those who were already here.

Hence, countless malevolent existences rushed out like a tide.

In an instant, the frenzied roars became the most harrowing sound in the area, second only to the rustling wind.

The cultivators in the desert had no choice but to resist if they didn't want to die.

This was especially so for the Wind Guard Race. Their entire race was mobilized, including the other large and small forces to fight against these crazy demons.

The heir and Princess Mingmei also walked out at the moment the ground quaked. It was as though they were waiting for this.

Xu Qing followed behind.

"Xu Qing, observe these demon-like existences clearly."

"Their appearance isn't a coincidence. They are the offspring of the Crimson Goddess who haven't created their consciousness. They are the representatives of chaos and are formed by the unnecessary substances released by the Crimson Goddess during the process of becoming a god."

The heir walked in the sky and approached the deep chasm where all of this had erupted.

"These are actually the true divine sons."

Xu Qing lowered his head and looked at the mountain range below.

This wasn't the first time he had heard of this. When he left the highest hall of the Moon Rebel Hall, the captain had also told him about it. And this… was the oil the captain had mentioned.