Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 1219: An Unheard-of Quasi-Immortal

Hordeslayer and Rampart were moved. The brothers exchanged a glance, and then simultaneously looked over at Sir Star Ring.

Sir Star Ring’s face was completely expressionless, but he had turned his back to Xu Qing’s asteroid, indicating he was going accept the role of dharma protector. The two brothers’ spirits lifted. Sword energy soared up. Astonishingly, they chose to transform into two ancient immortal swords that glittered in the starry sky as their points shifted to face outward. They were also positioning themselves as loyal guards, watching over their master.

Zhou Zhengli smiled in response, all while his eyes glittered in a way that was both obsequious and amiable.

Sir Vilespirit snorted coldly in his heart, all while musing that these two swords had cultivated themselves into insanity. He also wondered why a Lower Immortal had taken people like that as apprentices, and how they had reached a similar level as himself. However, that was all inside. When he noted Zhou Zhengli’s actions, his eyes narrowed. Then, after some consideration, he closed his eyes.

Zhou Zhengli smiled again and then turned to look at Yuanshan Su. As far as he was concerned, Yuanshan Su was very important. Although it seemed on the surface that she wasn’t very strong—a far cry from Sir Vilespirit and Sir Star Ring—the reality was that she had exceptional battle prowess. And whether it was things he had learned about her in the past, or her behavior in the Aurora Immortal Palace, he knew that there was more to her than met the eye.

In fact, upon analyzing everything that happened in the Aurora Immortal Palace, there was no doubt that if Xu Qing hadn’t been there, she would have been the one to survive the longest. That was especially considering that she was… a female cultivator. And she was a very pretty female cultivator. As far as Zhou Zhengli was concerned, there was every reason to believe she would eventually become an astounding phoenix among women. Therefore, his gaze was filled with respect.

Yuanshan Su said nothing. She just settled into her role as dharma protector.

Zhou Zhengli looked away. As for the rest of the Acquisitioners, considering that the strongest among them were clearly siding with Xu Qing, it only lent further weight to their approval of him. Soon, the people who had harbored ill intentions quashed them. Everyone acted as dharma protectors.

In that manner, time passed.

The immortal energy fluctuations coming off Xu Qing grew stronger. The immortal energy spread out into the starry sky, eventually provoking a reaction from the universe’s magical laws.

At the same time, his immortal embryo began to manifest outside of him in the manner of a divine statue. It was fully 300 meters tall and looked like a god.

Xu Qing looked very dramatic as he sat on the asteroid. A terrifying aura spread off him, becoming a tempest in the starry sky. The surrounding cultivators backed away to avoid the tempest, but at the same time, they were paying close attention to the situation.

From ancient times until now, whenever an Imperial Sovereign became a Quasi-Immortal, it was a very grand occasion. After all, Quasi-Immortals… were still immortals! And the term ‘immortal’ was inherently marvelous.

Although most of the people present understood what would happen when an Imperial Sovereign rose to a higher level, they were still riveted on what was happening. That was because… watching this process would give them deep insights into what was to come for them in the future. Although things wouldn’t be exactly the same, at least they would get a general idea.

Sir Star Ring was paying very close attention. After all, this was the person who had served him up his first defeat. And Xu Qing had also killed him. He was very curious to see how his Quasi-Immortal upgrade went. The most important parts of a Quasi-Immortal upgrade are the nine bursts and the immortal foundation! Nine is the limit for the bursts. How many will he get?

There were others wondering the same thing, especially Zhou Zhengli. In fact, among this group, no one was paying closer attention than him.

As everyone pondered the situation, Sir Vilespirit suddenly said, “Ladies and gentlemen, who of you is willing to make a little wager? How many bursts do you think Xu Qing will get? Zhou Zhengli, I know you’re fond of him. Are you willing to put your money where your mouth is?”

Everyone looked at him with curious expressions. After blinking a few times, Sir Vilespirit continued, “I haven’t achieved my own breakthrough, but I do know that when an Imperial Sovereign becomes a Quasi-Immortal, they have to place their immortal embryo outside of their body and grow it in bursts. Ordinary Quasi-Immortals can only achieve three external bursts. Those who reach five are rarer, and any who achieve seven are considered chosen.

“As for eight bursts, well, people like that are as hard to find as phoenix feathers or qilin horns. And nine bursts… would make you a Lower Immortal! What about you, Fellow Daoist Yuanshan? How many bursts will you bet on?” He looked at her.

“Eight!” she replied coolly.

Sir Vilespirit smiled and looked at Sir Star Ring. Sir Star Ring ignored him. Unconcerned by that, Sir Vilespirit turned to look at Zhou Zhengli.

“Nine, of course,” Zhou Zhengli said with a faint smile.

“Now we wait and see what happens,” Sir Vilespirit said with a smile.

Li Mengtu frowned and was about to say something, when all of a sudden, he looked thoughtful. Then he looked at Zhou Zhengli and said, “The number of bursts isn’t as important as the immortal foundation!

“The bursts determine the strength of the immortal embryo. But the immortal foundation determines how far you can walk on the path of immortals! Every new Quasi-Immortal has to have that immortal foundation. It’s the foundation for their later immortal ascension!

“The foundation cannot be illusory. It must be corporeal. And it can’t be modeled on one’s canon. Some people prepare it in advance, but some people have more complicated plans…. I wonder what Xu Qing’s immortal foundation will be like.”

Li Mengtu’s words echoed through the starry sky for all to hear. Everyone responded with thoughtful looks. They all knew that the immortal foundation really was very important for one’s future.

Even Sir Star Ring, who had not participated in the talk of making a wager, was looking at Xu Qing in the tempest, and was thinking back to his own breakthrough. Originally speaking, he should have achieved nine bursts. But thanks to his conflict with Xu Qing, he had been unable to complete the breakthrough in the fifth world. After going through a lot of setbacks, he ultimately decided to go through with the breakthrough on the outside. And he had achieved eight bursts. In the end, he had died and been born again. That was when he finally achieved the last burst, and perfected his status as an immortal. But thinking back to everything that happened, he was still shaken.

Of course, the whole reason I picked the fifth world to begin with wasn’t just because the surroundings would help me achieve nine bursts. My real goal was related to what came after that, the immortal foundation.

I wanted to follow the path of Fourth True Monarch. I hoped to find his remains in the fifth world, and then incorporate them into my immortal foundation. So what is Xu Qing’s immortal foundation going to be like?

When he thought back to his fight with Xu Qing, he remembered the bell he had used. There was also that extremely sharp iron skewer….

Hordeslayer and Rampart shivered in sword form, then backed up. However, not feeling very confident in their position, they backed up again. All of a sudden, they were feeling a bit afraid.

Just as they did that, and as the tempest raged, Xu Qing on the asteroid emitted loud rumbling sounds. As the deafening sound spread out, the 300-meter immortal embryo that he had placed outside of himself, which resembled him in all respects, suddenly glittered with bright light.

“It’s starting!’ Li Mengtu murmured, his heart filling with anticipation.

The light became blinding as the 300-meter immortal embryo erupted with terrifying power. The rumbling grew louder. Then the 300-meter immortal embryo grew by tenfold. Astonishingly, it reached 3,000 meters in height, and the aura it emitted struck everyone with fear. This was the first burst!

But things weren’t over yet. The 3,000-meter immortal embryo let loose terrifying fluctuations again as it again grew by tenfold. It was now at 30,000 meters! Next came the third burst. 300,000 meters! After that was the fourth burst. 3,000,000 meters!

The process continued and showed no signs of weakening. In fact, it grew stronger. Soon, a 30,000,000-meter figure struck fear into the hearts of everyone.

“Xu Qing’s bursts are all tenfold increases!”

“Tenfold…. Normally speaking, they’re usually twofold or threefold!”

“We’re only up to the fifth burst!”

“It’s only the fifth burst, and yet… he’s already surpassed the vast majority of Quasi-Immortals!”

As everyone reeled… the bursts continued! In the blink of an eye, the sixth burst occurred. 300,000,000 meters! That alone went to show what kind of reserve powers Xu Qing had built up.

Everyone backed away further. Xu Qing’s immortal embryo really looked like a god. As it sat cross-legged in the starry sky, it seemed holy, and caused the hearts of all observers to pound.

Rumbling echoed out along with the seventh burst. The eighth burst followed instantly.

30,000,000,000 meters!

Although it wasn’t as big as an entire galaxy… compared to it, the planets in the area were like grains of rice.

The other ascendees had backed away a great distance. As they looked at Xu Qing’s immortal embryo, they were shaken to the core. Sir Vilespirit was dumbstruck. Zhou Zhengli’s eyes were shining with excitement. Sir Star Ring’s expression had not changed, but his pupils had constricted. Yuanshan Su remained silent. Everyone else felt tempests raging in their hearts.

As everyone reacted with different degrees and types of shock, Xu Qing’s external bursts seemed to stop. But that only lasted a moment. Finally… a heaven-rending, earth-crushing boom ripped through the starry sky as Xu Qing’s terrifying immortal embryo experienced another burst!

The ninth burst!

The starry sky went dark. A figure comparable to a galaxy towered in the starry sky. The surrounding planets were no longer like grains of rice. They were like dust.

Everyone was struck senseless.

Then the galaxy-sized immortal embryo shrank down rapidly, causing a host of afterimages to linger in the starry sky. Soon, it was back to normal size, and it fused with Xu Qing’s true body until they were one.

This was what he really looked like. The external bursts… portrayed the immortal embryo’s sphere of power. What that meant was that Xu Qing’s divine will… had a range as large as a galaxy.

“Unheard-of…” Sir Star Ring murmured, his scalp tingling.

Everyone else was flabbergasted.

“This can’t be! Normally speaking, this should be completely and utterly impossible. Tenfold bursts… all the way to the limit. The ancient records don’t even talk about this kind of thing happening!”

“Xu Qing’s reserve powers were obviously deep, but they couldn’t make this happen!”

“This surpasses any normal categorization!”

“There must be other karma at play!”

Sir Star Ring had previously been the number one Shining Star. He came from the Star Ring Pagoda, and was unusually knowledgeable. But after being temporarily stunned, he realized that something was off. He could admit that there was a disparity between himself and Xu Qing. But the disparity shouldn’t be this big! All of a sudden, he trembled inwardly as something occurred to him. It was a speculation that caused him to turn and look at Zhou Zhengli.

Sir Vilespirit soon came to his senses. So did Yuanshan Su and the others. And they all looked over at Zhou Zhengli. They were all thinking back to what Zhou Zhengli had just said.

As for Zhou Zhengli, he looked very excited. “It’s because… we’re in the Aurora heaven beyond heaven! It’s because… he sowed immense karma with this place. Someone actually gave him this heaven beyond heaven! That’s why… this heaven beyond heaven without a lord welcomed him with open arms!”

***

Somewhere in the Fourth Star Ring, in lands where gods proliferated, an old boat was soaring through the starry sky. It was a marvelous boat that the will of gods couldn’t detect. There were two people in it, both of whom had astonishing cultivation bases. As long as they were careful, they could safely traverse the Fourth Star Ring.

“He has it now,” a gentle voice said in the boat. The person who had just spoken was none other than Young Lord Aurora.

Next to him was a young woman who was his wife. Immortal Fairy Spirit Phoenix. Upon hearing her husband’s words, she laughed softly. “I knew it. I could tell that you gave him more than just the immortal palace.”

Young Lord Aurora looked affectionately at his wife. “He did us such a favor that an immortal palace wasn’t enough. I gave him the entire heaven beyond heaven.”