Outside Of Time

The sky churned and thunder rumbled.

As the wind and clouds surged, patches of black clouds appeared in the sky. They piled up thicker and thicker, and the range grew larger and larger.

As for the wind in the green sand desert, it became even more majestic. The whistling whimpers were like wild shrieks and howls.

Waves of oppression descended from the sky, enveloping not only the place Xu Qing was at but also the entire green sand desert.

A rumbling sound descended from the nine heavens. All the living beings in the green sand desert felt their hearts skip a beat.

All the forces in the mountains, including the cultivators of the Bitter Life Mountain Range, were shocked. Even the people in the Red Moon Shrine looked at the sky.

"What's going on?"

"There's something wrong with the sky…"

Chen Fanzhuo sat cross-legged in his sect. At this moment, his heart was pounding. He quickly opened his eyes and looked at the pitch-black sky. Waves of uneasiness rose in his heart. He didn't know what was going on.

Also uneasy was Daoist Mu, who was accompanying a black-robed old man and carefully serving tea. The teacup he was holding trembled and the tea spilled out.

The black-robed old man in front of him looked at the sky with the same surprised expression.

There was also the number one rogue cultivator in the Bitter Life Mountain Range, Ancestor Mogui. He, who was sitting cross-legged and meditating, instantly appeared in the air. His expression was unprecedentedly solemn as he looked at the sky.

Everyone was the same. Even the desert guardian race, who lived under the desert, was the same.

Needless to say, the people in the sun were also shaken.

Ning Yan trembled, Wu Jianwu gasped, Li Youfei was shocked, and the captain stood there with an expectant expression as he looked down.

"The heir is right. Ever since Little Qing was acknowledged to be the future county governor of Fenghai County, the old man clearly prioritized safety first."

"However, it's not as serious as the heir said. Little Qing's Dao heart is slowly being shaped. In a few years, he will naturally have a Dao that belongs to him and won't need anyone to guide him."

"However, at this stage, this is a good thing for Little Qing."

At the thought of this, the captain looked at the ground.

On the ground, the heir who had transformed into an old man slowly rose into the air with his hands behind his back. The instant he left, the rumbling in the sky erupted like never before. Numerous arcs of lightning suddenly appeared in the sky and swam in all directions.

Its range continued to increase from 10,000 feet to 100,000 feet. In the end, it actually covered half of the green sand desert.

Such a strange scene brought horror to all living beings in the green sand desert.

Before they could take a closer look, the roars that were like the furious shouts of gods exploded in all directions. Countless thunder rumbled and countless arcs of lightning gathered to form bolts of heavenly lightning that covered half of the desert and descended on a large area.

They struck the sand!

There were no less than 3,000 heavenly lightning bolts.

These 3,000 heavenly lightning bolts fell in different places, and after descending, amidst the roaring gravel, they swiftly converged towards the location where Xu Qing was in the desert.

It was as though 3,000 lightning dragons had arrived at the same time. Their aura was astonishing and the ground churned, stirring up long marks.

After the captain sensed this scene, he gasped and his eyes widened. Even he was shocked.

"Little Qing is in danger!"

The captain was shocked and was about to fly out. However, the heir in the air turned his head and glanced at him.

"Calm down!"

The captain stopped in his tracks and his expression changed continuously.

At that moment, the 3,000 lightning dragons rumbled and headed straight for Xu Qing. The ground in the surroundings continued to explode. As the sounds spread into the sky, the 3,000 heavenly lightning bolts finally gathered!

A sound that spread throughout the green sand desert, turned into a raging sound wave, deafeningly reverberating. Below the desert where Xu Qing was, the surrounding sand suddenly shattered in this resounding explosion.

A mournful cry rang out from the sun, attracting the attention of Ning Yan and the others.

As the lightning bolts hit Xu Qing, the Red Moon Shrine's divine envoy's body emitted lightning from within and burst, turning into a rhombus-shaped piece of wood that fell to the ground.

Before everyone could react to his sudden death, the fluctuations on the ground instantly intensified. As the lightning bolts continued to explode, the impact spread for 500 kilometers.

Finally, from afar, a 500 kilometers deep pit appeared on the ground.

In the middle, a charred 50-foot-long body lay there motionlessly.

"A little weak. You only withstood a few hundred of the 3,000 heavenly lightning bolts." The heir shook his head and waved his right hand, pulling the charred body in front of him. He then turned and returned to the sun.

After reaching the sun, Ling'er's face was filled with anxiety and her eyes were red. She quickly ran over.

"Brother Xu Qing!"

Seeing that Xu Qing's entire body was covered in injuries and he was on the verge of death, tears flowed down Ling'er's face. She carried Xu Qing and looked at the heir.

"Grandpa, you…"

Ning Yan and Wu Jianwu didn't dare to breathe loudly. Their hearts trembled as they looked at the motionless Xu Qing.

"He won't die," the heir said calmly. Just as he finished speaking, he realized that Ling'er was crying. His heart softened.

"This is also a type of training. Moreover, with that Red Moon Divine Envoy continuing the tribulation, when your Brother Xu Qing reached his limit, the other party shared the burden…"

When the captain heard this, he looked at the location of the dissipating divine envoy. His heart churned as he muttered inwardly.

"Xinan's cruel order."

Wu Jianwu and Ning Yan also understood the reason for the scene earlier. The two of them gasped.

This was especially so for Ning Yan. He knew many secrets. At that moment, an ancient ritual he had read about in ancient books instantly appeared in his mind.

"Xinan's cruel order!"

Ning Yan had read many ancient books and had a deep impression of Xinan's cruel order. In this current era, no one knows how to set up this art anymore. During the time of the Ancient Sovereign Mystic Nether, this art was sinister and lethal.

Xinan was an ancient ominous tree that existed from ancient times. It underwent a calamity every thousand years, and during each calamity, numerous powerful individuals inexplicably died in various places.

Later generations studied it and discovered some strange connections. All the experts who died replaced Xi Nan's calamity and died in its place.

Gradually, someone figured out this ritual.

During the Ancient Sovereign Mystic Nether Era, only the heaven's chosen of the imperial family would use this method under the supervision of the elders.

The most astonishing aspect of the Xinan Tu Ling was that it allowed the one undergoing the tribulation to reach their utmost potential. After experiencing the test of life and death, the substitute will turn into a piece of wood.

This piece of wood contained the power of curses. Once it erupted, its might would be astonishing.

At the thought of this, Ning Yan suddenly looked at the place where the divine envoy had died. There was a piece of wood there.

At the same time, the sky in the outside world returned to normal as the lightning dissipated. The black clouds also dissipated but the fluctuations from the ground were still spreading.

It looked like it was only 500 kilometers, but when the 3,000 heavenly lightning bolts landed just now, it caused a commotion in the entire green sand desert. Hence, countless mountains swayed and even the Bitter Life Mountain Range trembled intensely.

There were endless exclamations and solemnity filled the air.

One figure after another rose into the air. Wisps of divine sense created and terror and vigilance erupted.

"Which almighty was transcending the tribulation?"

"It doesn't look like tribulation transcending, but more like item refinement!"

All of a sudden, countless doubts and guesses rose in the entire green sand desert. Even the Red Moon Shrine was shaken and went out to search for the reason.

However, they found nothing.

To the cultivators of the green sand desert, the impact of this matter was extremely profound.

As the number one expert among rogue cultivators, Ancestor Mogui took a deep breath in the air above the Bitter Life Mountain Range. His ancient eyes looked at the sky as he muttered.

"The wind is about to blow in the green sand desert…"

Similar emotions rose in the hearts of many experts. As for Daoist Mu, the black-robed old man sitting in front of him was also shaken. After a long time, he took Daoist Mu's tea and spoke in a low voice.

"Don't leave the Bitter Life Mountain Range for the time being. I got a fright just now and had a bad feeling. You haven't done anything out of line recently, right?"

Daoist Mu hurriedly trembled his head.

"Master, I've been here all this time to prepare to build the sect. I didn't do anything out of line."

Only then did the black-robed old man nod.

At that moment, Xu Qing, who had caused all these fluctuations, barely opened his eyes inside the sun. He could sense that his body was extremely weak now. However, while he was weak, there was an amazing force churning inside him.

His 13 nascent souls had all reached the third tribulation.

His combat strength soared even more. Any Nascent Soul cultivator who encountered him would feel despair and horror in their hearts.

At this moment, Xu Qing could already fight against early-stage Dao Nurturing experts.

Even the weakest Dao Nurturing experts far surpassed Nascent Soul cultivators. As for the stronger ones, they were infinitely close to the Spirit Repository. Once they created the Heavenly Dao, they could break through their limitations and turn illusions into reality, achieving a true secret repository!

Just like that, three days passed as Xu Qing recuperated.

The Bitter Life Mountain Range was in sight.

After Ling'er saw that Brother Xu Qing was fine, she finally heaved a sigh of relief in her heart. She became lively again and continued to talk about the apothecary to the heir.

"Grandpa, my apothecary is really beautiful, especially under my arrangements. It's very heartwarming. I wipe it clean every day and it's spotless."

Ling'er was happy. Ning Yan and Wu Jianwu were also curious. The captain also showed anticipation.

Li Youfei was equally excited. Last time, he had fled, but this time, he was in a different situation. What Ancestor Mogui? He was a joke in front of him now.

The heir smiled and was quite happy. In the past, his status was extraordinary and it was difficult for him to experience the joys of the mortal world. He also didn't have any sense of family ties. After that, he was suppressed in the Heavenly Fire Sea and experienced extreme sufferings.

Even after returning, he was only recuperating alone. These few days, when he was with this group of children and heard them calling him grandfather, he didn't say anything but there was a rare warmth in his heart.

Hence, when he heard Ling'er's happy words, he smiled and nodded. However, when his gaze swept across the outside, his expression became a little strange.

"Ling'er, is your apothecary in the earth city 50 kilometers ahead?"

"That's right, grandpa. It's in that earth city. We're finally home." Ling'er's eyes showed anticipation.

As the sun gradually approached the Bitter Life Mountain Range, Xu Qing also postponed his treatment and stood up weakly. With Ling'er's support, he looked in the direction of earth city outside and sighed with emotion.

This trip took a full half a year.

However, at the next instant, Xu Qing's eyes narrowed.

A ruin emerged in his perception.

Immediately after, a roaring sound rang out from the direction of earth city. As dust rose, the few remaining houses there collapsed.

Xu Qing was startled.

* * *