Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 1181: Reaching Imperial Sovereign in One Step; Looking in on Revered Ancient

Getting into the Fifth World was exceedingly difficult! It was a place made for Quasi-Immortal Grand Emperors. As for Imperial Sovereigns… your only hope was to have canon that had been advanced to a high level.

Cultivators like that were as rare as phoenix feathers or qilin horns. In fact, in this generation in the Fifth Star Ring… it was publicly acknowledged that only the number one Shining Star, who was of course Sir Star Ring, qualified in that regard. That was one reason why the Shining Stars had such a high opinion of Sir Star Ring. It was also why Sir Star Ring was so ambitious. His canon of order had long since reached the point where he could break through to the Quasi-Immortal level.

He had intentionally held back in order to accumulate a total of 99 chains of order. After that, he had planned to use the majestic energy of the fifth world as his foundation, and the power of the immortal palace as the driving force, all with the goal of accepting Fourth True Monarch’s canon.

By breaking through in that way, he could follow the same path as Fourth True Monarch. Had he broken through in that manner, then the instant he became a Quasi-Immortal, he would have been one of the most astonishing Quasi-Immortals to exist, even going back to ancient times.

His battle prowess would have been overwhelming. He would have been an incredibly powerful Quasi-Immortal! And that would have given him limitless future potential! By accomplishing that, becoming a Lower Immortal would have been a foregone conclusion. That was the entire reason he had come to the Fallen Immortal Moors.

Unfortunately, ideals might be nice, but they often don’t measure up to reality. He had been thwarted in the fourth world, and had failed to maintain order. As a result, he never succeeded in his plan for the 99 chains. What was worse, some of them had even been broken. It had affected him in significant ways.

But Sir Star Ring was the number one Shining Star, so he didn’t let his defeat get to him. He made some mental adjustments, entered the fifth world, and continued to pursue his path.

Now he was only moments away from success. He had completely repaired his chains of order, and was halfway through building the 99th chain. All he needed was a bit more time and he would complete it. Then he would break through from Imperial Sovereign to Quasi-Immortal.

He had experienced some twists and turns, but was still going to achieve the result he desired. Based on his understanding, there was no one else in the same generation as him who had come to the immortal palace and could get to the fifth level. Thus, there was no one around who could stop him.

The other Quasi-Immortal Grand Emperors here were not interested in fighting him as long as he didn’t make a move on them. He was one of the Shining Stars, and was under the protection of special laws in the Fifth Star Ring. Anyone who broke such laws would have to pay a very high price. That was why he had been convinced there would be no hitches during his breakthrough.

But then he spotted Xu Qing… and was immediately shaken to the core. The development, after all, was profoundly significant. He could see the evidence of a breakthrough on Xu Qing. Besides, the mere fact that he had come to the fifth world indicated that he had broken through and was now on roughly the same level as himself. That realization caused his heart to start pounding.

“Your cultivation base…. You’re a Smoldering God??”

He wasn’t the only one to react with surprise. The other Quasi-Immortal Grand Emperors working on their cultivation opened their eyes and looked at Xu Qing. Their reactions varied. But all were surprised, especially when it came to Xu Qing’s cultivation base level.

“Smoldering God?”

“With canon….”

“He gained enlightenment of that canon as a Smoldering God….”

“Interesting. Looks like it might be time to rethink who deserves to be the number one Shining Star.”

An intangible wind seemed to kick up in the fifth world. As that wind blew, Sir Star Ring wiped the grimace from his face and slowly got to his feet. Killing intent built explosively within him, quickly turning into a raging tempest around him.

Naturally, he realized who Xu Qing was the moment he saw him.[1]

The person in front of him was the same cultivator who had possessed Young Lord Aurora in the fourth world! The person in front of him was the same cultivator who had kicked up such endless waves, all while staying hidden in the shadows! The person in front of him was the cultivator who had used the words on the marriage contract to drive him out of the fourth world!

“So you came here… looking to break through…? I won’t allow it!”

His killing intent exploded, and his cultivation base power, which was just on the verge of a breakthrough, erupted explosively. It didn’t matter if Xu Qing was planning to interrupt his breakthrough. There was no way he could allow him to break through.

If a Smoldering God could cause him so much trouble, then if that person broke through, he would definitely cause even more trouble. Though Sir Star Ring was confident he could still come out on top in that case, this person just really irritated him. And thus, he didn’t hesitate to shoot directly toward Xu Qing.

The surrounding Quasi-Immortal Grand Emperors looked on with keen eyes. None of them would casually call these two members of the Junior generation. After all, the fact that they had reached this point indicated that they qualified to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Grand Emperors. It didn’t matter to them who came out on top in the fight. If nothing else, being able to watch a fight like this would bring a welcome respite from their tedious cultivation.

And yet, just as Sir Star Ring’s killing intent surged and he shot forth, and even as the Quasi-Immortal Grand Emperors looked on, Xu Qing, who had only just arrived in the fifth world, frowned. He knew that he wasn’t in the proper state to get into a fight. His parallelism canon was fluctuating, and his ninth world was still stabilizing.

Xu Qing knew that the most important thing for him right now… was to use the energy here to make that final burst into Imperial Sovereign. He was completely and utterly confident that he could succeed. But he knew that if he was fighting when it happened, or if someone interrupted the process, he would have a hard time defending himself.

He hadn’t been planning to interrupt Sir Star Ring’s breakthrough. He figured it would be best for both of them to break through before worrying about fighting. But apparently… Sir Star Ring wasn’t going to let that happen.

“Fine then,” Xu Qing growled, his eyes icy. “I won’t allow you to break through.” Lifting his right hand, he pushed it gently in the direction of Sir Star Ring. “Be expelled.”

The fifth world rumbled loudly, and the wind became a tempest. As the world rumbled, the vortexes all started rotating. It was as if countless eyes had suddenly opened. A terrifying force of expulsion erupted. And it landed… right on Sir Star Ring!

Sir Star Ring was stunned, and he wanted to fight back. But the terrifying power was beyond his ability to resist. An instant later… he started blurring. And then he just vanished. He had been expelled from the fifth world. After he was gone, the force of expulsion went away and everything returned to normal.

As for the Quasi-Immortal Grand Emperors, their desire to see a dramatic scene play out in front of them died. All of them suddenly felt the need to take the situation very seriously.

“He owns the place?”

“He has seniority!”

“This guy has power over the immortal palace!”

Xu Qing didn’t have time to judge the reactions. Before leaving, Young Lord Aurora had given him ownership of the immortal palace. Theoretically speaking, he should be able to expel anyone he wanted once he was in a given world. After expelling Sir Star Ring, he sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and immersed himself in his ninth extreme.

The ninth extreme was the extreme of parallelism. It seemed to Xu Qing that this extreme was like the primordial sand he had found in the Desert of Time. Each and every movement became individual timelines and instances of space-time. Theoretically speaking, there was no limit to the versions of space-time that could be produced in that way.

They were real. But at the same time, they were unreal. At the same time, they were also doors. By means of those doors, he could connect to versions of himself from different space-times, and could share thoughts with them. Unify them, and that was the ninth extreme.[2]

You could call it the overlapping of parallel universes.

Suddenly, the fifth world rippled as Sir Star Ring appeared, forming out of the void.

“You—” he howled.

He only got out one word. Xu Qing, not bothering to even look at him, waved his hand to repeat the expelling process. Ripples flowed out, and the furious Sir Star Ring, who had just been stepping into the fifth world, was once again thrown out. He left behind only the echoing remains of the one word he had spoken.

Xu Qing closed his eyes and circulated the ninth extreme within him. He linked space-times, expanding the effect, until his ninth world bloomed like a dazzling flower.

Then he unified all the worlds! Nine worlds intersected, and Xu Qing’s cultivation base skyrocketed. His aura and energy shot upward. It caused ripples, which quickly turned into something like a vortex. As it spun and spun, Xu Qing sat cross-legged in the center of it. And his soul… manifested externally!

In the Imperial Sovereign level, one formed an immortal embryo. When it was complete, one became a Quasi-Immortal!

It was divided into three phases, which were the illusory reality, the undying, and the immortal embryo!

In the illusory reality, the soul came out of the body, covering the physical body and becoming what was called the real body. Because it was made of a soul, it was illusory. But because there was also a real body, it was called… illusory reality.

Xu Qing’s entire person radiated dazzling light. As his soul emerged, it looked almost like the statue of a buddha. He sat cross-legged, like a giant, shining with boundless light like a divine being.

Imperial Sovereigns were the cultivator system’s version of the Godfire level. Of course, Xu Qing’s version of the illusory reality was a bit different from other Imperial Sovereigns. It very quickly transformed from being blurry to clear, which was the hallmark of the great circle of illusory reality. At the same time, a majestic power that surpassed Smoldering Gods erupted within him.

He had reached Imperial Sovereign in one step!

***

Outside of the immortal palace, beyond the Fifth Star Ring, and separated by a boundless starry sky was… the Ninth Star Ring!

In the Revered Ancient mainland, in Sea-Sealing County, there was a phoenix palace underground, where Plumdark was in seclusion….

A figure sat cross-legged nearby, surrounded by shocking godly light. It was Xu Qing’s old god clone. The moment his immortal body stepped into Imperial Sovereign, their mysterious connection caused the god clone’s godly authority to glitter. There was a resonance between this god and this immortal!

Off to the side, Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior looked stunned. Inside the phoenix hall, Plumdark’s eyelashes quivered.

In the imperial palace of humankind, Empress Summer Departure looked in the direction of Sea-Sealing County.

Another person looked in that same direction. Beneath Revered Ancient in the ancient world where the Brilliant Heaven Godfolk were sealed, Erniu was frantically running along. His head was currently the size of a small mountain. He looked to be in very bad shape, but his eyes glittered brightly as he ran along and laughed uproariously.

I hit the jackpot. The jackpot! I could tell at a glance that this thingie is delicious. Granted, īt’s a bit tough. I just need to find a good spot to crack īt open.

As he ran along salivating, he was about to check his surroundings to look for a good place to eat the item he had taken. That was when he sensed something strange happening. He looked up, whereupon his eyes went wide.

Holy crap! Little Ah Qing must have eaten something amazing. How could he be breaking through so soon??

1. I have selectively edited out some text here that claimed Sir Star Ring had never seen Xu Qing’s true facial features in the fourth world. Except, he did, in chapter 1171. ☜

2. In English, “space-time” is an uncountable noun, similar to “traffic.” You generally do not use the word “traffics” in English. That is why I have been saying things like “instance/version of space-time.” However, the author uses the term as a countable noun. After a while, it gets tedious to say version/instance of space-time, so going forward, I will use it like a countable noun in many cases. ☜