Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 1203: More Human than Many Humans

It wasn’t just the stone steles that reacted. The more than one hundred galaxies began to shine with dazzling light. Apparently, the sentiment Xu Qing had just expressed was not considered enlightened in the Fifth Star Ring. Streams of divine will emerged from the stone steles, along with voices.

“Preposterous!”

“Gods are just gods!”

“How could they be human?”

“It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about preheaven gods, or all of those postheaven gods. Anyone who chooses the path of the gods has forfeited their humanity!”

“What you have seen and felt is simply a part of the process of god cultivation. The gods are more than willing to fool you to make progress easy!”

“You are not the first to be scammed by the gods, nor will you be the last.”

“Young one, take some advice… don’t let them fool you!”

“From ancient times until now, all who befriend the gods end up regretting that decision. There are no exceptions!”

“Now, take back what you said, and I’ll give you some of my inheritance!”

The streams of divine will echoed in the star domain, entering Xu Qing’s heart and mind.

Xu Qing didn’t say anything. His eyes contained reminiscence. After some more thought, he made his decision.

The remains of the immortals here had no souls. And what he was hearing wasn’t actual divine will. It was more like the lingering obsession of the immortals who had died in battle. They had fought gods their entire lives. From birth to death, they had stood in opposition to them. And thus, from their point of view, gods… really were all the same.

Xu Qing used to think in the same way. But then he had witnessed Empress Summer Departure reach godly ascension. And that had changed his worldview!

“Seniors,” he said calmly, “where I come from, there are things called holy lands. When the gods wreaked havoc, my people, even the children, were infected by the mutagen of the gods…. And you know what the humans in the holy lands did? They didn’t care about us. They left. They abandoned humankind.

“They were so high and mighty that it didn’t bother them at all that other humans were dying. And then their descendants came back and continued to exploit and manipulate things from behind the scenes.

“Over time, humans fell into decline. One emperor after another shed blood, sweat, and tears to keep humans safe. And then there was Grand Emperor Swordsage, who sacrificed everything to defend us.

“Despite all that, humans struggled to survive, much less rise to prominence. Countless humans… became food for nonhumans. They suffered in bitterness. I have seen things worse than even cannibalism. Our species struggled in the darkness, gradually losing touch with our humanity, until we were on the verge of being wiped out.

“But then someone came along within that tribulation and destruction. She was the empress of the humans back at my home! Unfortunately, her ideals were vanquished, and in the end, she had only two choices. Either let humans be wiped out. Or become a god!

“In the end, she chose godly ascension! Was it rebellious? Heretical? Did it besmirch the ancestral edicts? Maybe. But she chose to shoulder the responsibility!

“She said that she didn’t care if the holy lands were populated by humans. She was going to do everything to make sure that the joss flame of humankind still burned in Revered Ancient! She said that humans deserved to be happy. And if heaven and earth wouldn’t do it for humankind, she would. So she would bring peace to humans in Revered Ancient!

“She said that she didn’t care about living forever. She just wanted humans to have a chance to flourish, and once again be glorious in Revered Ancient. She said that she wasn’t becoming a god for her own sake. And she brought all of the old emperors with her to also reach godly ascension.

“She said that the five old emperors would be zombie gods. They would lack thinking faculties, but they would have godly might. And then she drew on the destiny aura of humankind to defend the last bastion of humankind, and strike fear into the hearts of the nonhumans.

“She said she would become a human god, to safeguard humankind and bring peace for generations to come! And lastly, she said that she knew her actions would result in karma that would bring catastrophe and tribulation. But she… would bear sole responsibility!”[1]

Xu Qing’s words echoed out into the star domain. They contained all of his reminiscence, and all of the emotions he felt. He used his words and voice to paint a detailed picture of the heroic spirits, describing how and why Empress Summer Departure became a god. In the end, he looked around at the stone steles.

“As far as I’m concerned, a god like that is more human than many humans! I also know that not all gods are like that. But humans can also be good and evil. It’s the same with gods. It doesn’t matter how many there are that are good. They do exist. And that’s why I’m not going to change my mind!”

Ducking his head, Xu Qing clasped hands and bowed.

Afterward, the galaxies in the star domain all seemed to emanate pure coldness. The stone steles didn’t vibrate, and the words on them disappeared from view. As for inheritances and legacies… not one came out! They did not agree with Xu Qing’s opinion, and thus… they had nothing further to say.

Xu Qing quietly turned. He was not disappointed at the results. One needed to walk one’s own path in life. And the scenery one would inevitably encounter on the way would mold one’s way of thinking. It would mold one’s view of life, one’s understanding of the world, and one’s perception of things living and inanimate. All of that would converge into a unique way of thinking. That was what it meant to be human.

Going forward, Xu Qing would still kill gods. He would still rob them and treat them cold-bloodedly. But there were some gods, such as the empress, whom he would fight for! Because he knew that, in her heart, the empress was not a god. She was human. And she was more human than many humans.

It was with such thoughts, and without any regrets, that Xu Qing calmly walked toward the door. He was ready to go back to the Inksun Universe and wait until the time came for his formal reception into the Nineshores Heaven.

But as he neared the door, and just before he stepped through it… the door trembled loudly. A somber, killing aura began to pulse from it.

Xu Qing stopped in place, his gaze hardening. Someone was coming through the door. In fact, it wasn’t a single person. It was over a hundred.

They all wore unique suits of armor that were stained with blood, both the blood of gods, and their own blood. They looked exhausted, and deep down inside, full of sorrow. They approached silently. Amidst this procession were a dozen or so cultivators carrying… a huge coffin. Draped atop the coffin was the flag of the Fifth Star Ring.

Xu Qing quietly stepped to the side to make way.

None of the cultivators paid any attention to him. They sorrowfully made their way off into the distance.

As Xu Qing watched them pass, he could sense sorrow, but more than that, desolation. That desolation didn’t come when cultivators fought and killed each other. It was something Xu Qing was familiar with. It was the powerful desolation that built up on soldiers when they spent time on the field of battle! These people had come from the war!

As for who rested in the coffin… Xu Qing could guess who it was. It definitely contained the remains of an immortal. An immortal had died on the field of battle and was being sent here for a hero’s burial!

Xu Qing felt more somber than ever.

Off in the stance, the procession stopped. They all bowed as the coffin was sent forth. And they began to sing an ancient song of mourning. The lyrics seemed to tug at the soul. It was a eulogy. And as the lyrics drifted out, stars appeared, like sand or dirt that covered the coffin. Soon it wasn’t visible.

The sand of stars then turned into a galaxy, and a stone stele appeared above it.

The cultivators stood, and the leader amongst them saluted.

“Rest in peace, Immortal Monarch!”

After the soldier passionately bade farewell, they turned somberly and left.

After all of this happened, Xu Qing didn’t just leave. He went over to the galaxy where the heroic immortal had just been laid to rest. After bowing, he looked at the inscription on the stone stele.

“Life is like a dream, and time is like a song. The starry sea eventually comes to an end. I am Immortal Monarch Spirit Jade. I eradicated a True God and drank hīs blood. I wiped out hīs mark like the turtledove occupying the magpie’s nest. Let’s see what happens in the future…. Will it be hē who returns, or me? If hē returns, my corpse will emanate golden light, and later generations can erase the True God from existence. But if it’s me… then silver light will shine, and I will slay gods again!”

This immortal seemed different than the others. He seemed to be attempting to use the natural laws governing gods to effectuate his own return!

Eyes shining, Xu Qing was about to investigate further when he heard a sigh from behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a stooped old man, who was the guard from outside.

The old man approached and stood in front of the stele.

“We’ve reached the next stage of the war. There are going to be a lot more heroic spirits here soon. According to what I heard, this one had been searching his whole life for an explanation about why True Gods are undying.”

The old man sighed.

Xu Qing backed up a few steps, then bowed thoughtfully. “Senior, what’s the war about?”

The old man turned and looked at him deeply. “When the rain falls, it falls on everyone equally. But if one party doesn’t feel the rain, it indicates that someone has gone out of their way to prevent the rain from falling on them. Immortal Lord Deepgloom is that person. He is stationed on the border, preventing the Fourth Star Ring from invading. It’s a star ring war, but also, a war between gods and immortals.”

The old man looked off into the distance. He lifted his hand, within which was a bell that lacked a bell clapper. It seemed ordinary in nature, but its mere presence caused colorful ripples to spread through the starry sky.

“I had a good friend who died in the war, killed by a God Lord. Though he perished, and this treasure of his was damaged, it survived in this state. It contains the might of a God Lord. He wanted me to find someone connected to him by destiny, and pass it on to them.”

Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the old man.

The old man waved his hand, and the bell floated over to Xu Qing. He turned and started walking off.

“I heard what you said, and I greatly admire that empress you mentioned. We live in a complicated world. And human nature is complicated. Don’t care too much what others think.

“I’m confident that if these old friends of mine were actually alive, they would understand. Unfortunately, all that’s left behind here are remnants of their obsession, and their will to defy the gods. An outstanding person like you shouldn’t leave here empty-handed. Take that as a gift from me.”

The old man disappeared, leaving behind a few words. “I’ve met gods like those you described… those who are more human than many humans.”

1. Xu Qing is summarizing the empress’ words from chapters 951 and 952. In some cases, the wording is very similar, in others not. So it comes across more like him telling his version, rather than reciting exactly what she said. ☜