Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 1311: Grand Emperors

The vortex above rumbled more loudly than thunder. The sound of it filled Revered Ancient. It was like a heartbeat slamming into the hearts and minds of all living beings.

At the same time, poisonous plants in all regions of the Revered Ancient mainland, which had previously been withering… suddenly swayed as if they were dancing. It was as if they were offering a welcome! A deeply purple pestilential energy swept out of the vortex with mountain-toppling, sea-draining force. As it surged into the world, it obscured the sky and blocked the sun.

Within the pestilential energy was a tall figure, as black as a shadow. The moment he appeared, all the poisonous plants in Revered Ancient bloomed! A will of poison flourished within the natural and magical laws. The source of it was that figure in the pestilential energy.

He stepped out into the open. His robe was as black as the deep of night. It was decorated with frosty crystals made from the canon of poison, all of which glittered with a bizarre light. His unbound black hair swept out like the wings of a crow, shimmering with dark green fire that looked like millions upon millions of tiny, hissing vipers.

Most shocking of all were the twelve flower petals on his forehead, which intertwined with each other to create the distorted face of a beautiful woman. It was extremely ghastly!

This person was none other than Li Mengtu!

His arrival was deeply shocking to both the countless species of Revered Ancient and the many cultivators from the holy lands.

A second Quasi-Immortal! In the imperial capital, Ningyan inhaled sharply.

In Sea-Sealing County, Marquis Yao and the other powerful experts could sense what was happening thanks to their unique techniques, and they were equally stunned.

The Heir Apparent and his siblings in the Moonrite Region, as well as the cultivators of numerous species there, were shaken deeply.

Empress Summer Departure’s pupils constricted. This person is also a Quasi-Immortal! Although he’s not on the same level as the first one, his aura is definitely far beyond that of Sir Primestone!

The empress’ heart tightened with anxiety.

Meanwhile, Li Mengtu looked around at the new world he had stepped into. “Is this place Revered Ancient…?”

He took a deep breath. Based on the ancestral registry back at home, he knew… that his original ancestor actually came from Revered Ancient. His heart was filled with deep emotion, and he was about to continue speaking.

However, that was when Sir Star Ring coldly interrupted. “You’re blocking everybody else! Get out of the way!’

Li Mengtu snorted coldly, but at the same time, moved out of the way. As soon as he did, the vortex behind him began rumbling again.

This time, a host of mountains appeared. They were illusory mountains that formed just outside the vortex, and immediately caused the various mountain peaks in Revered Ancient to shake back and forth.

Amidst the illusory mountain peaks outside the vortex, a young woman appeared. She had beautiful facial features, with an aquiline nose, cinnabar-colored lips, and a coolness like the snowy summit of the tallest of mountains. Her flowing immortal skirt was as white as the full moon, and was embroidered with the images of distant mountains. The gray stitching seemed to flow, like clouds and mist caressing the mountain ranges. As she walked out, a cobbled footpath appeared in front of her, and the surrounding mountains rumbled as if in worship.

She was none other than Yuanshan Su![1]

She was not alone. Behind her, amidst the numerous mountains, was a figure who seemed like he had just climbed out of hell with a broken sword strapped to his back.

He wore a tattered, dark blue robe, and his hair was mostly gray, but interspersed with strands of scarlet, and it was casually bound atop his head with a hairpin made of gleaming white bone. The tips of his hair were encrusted with scabs of blood, as if someone had cut the hair haphazardly with a sword, causing it to bleed before it started growing back out. His expression was grimly cold, and his eyes seemed to pulse with malice and savagery, as if there were evil ghosts within him that could damn his enemies to myriad tribulations.

The broken sword at his back was particularly noteworthy. The hilt seemed to have been bound with decaying human flesh. The blade was crisscrossed with nicks and cracks, out of which emanated a dull purple wretched energy. As that energy spread around him, it seemed to contain the screams of countless living beings, and a deadly curse.

This person was, of course, Sir Vilespirit!

The people of Revered Ancient were yet again stricken with deep astonishment.

Empress Summer Departure instinctively took a few steps back. The first person who had just appeared was incredibly strong, and the second was no weakling. The third… was breathtakingly beautiful. But this fourth person seemed like the pinnacle of evil and wickedness!

All of these people were Quasi-Immortals! They were Grand Emperors!

Of even greater significance was the energy pulsing out from the vortex. It was a powerful energy that shook the world and caused brightly colored light to flash in heaven and earth. All cultivators in Revered Ancient were trembling, and regardless of their species, they felt the instinct to offer deep respect.

As for the holy lands cultivators, they were feeling increasingly gripped by fear.

That was especially true of the Quasi-Immortals who had scattered only moments ago. All of them could sense that, whether it was the people who had already appeared, or the energy of whoever was still in the vortex… they all surpassed Sir Primestone significantly! And yet… more people were still emerging!

All of Revered Ancient was shaken! Everyone was nervously watching in unison as the hum of swords emerged from the vortex.

Hordeslayer and Rampart shot out in their sword forms! Heaven and earth shook, and the world was filled with a light like the combination of the sun and moon. All swords in Revered Ancient thrummed in resonance.

Numerous people stared in astonishment, and even the gods who were observing with divine will were astonished.

The immortal energy surging off these two swords definitely surpassed anything else! They were clearly like treasures of an entire generation!

The sword that was Hordeslayer was three feet and three inches long. It looked like crystal made of melted snow, and shimmering starlight glittered within it. On the surface of the blade were silver etchings that resembled storm clouds.

The sword that was Rampart was shorter by about an inch. It was the color of green jade, and it was covered with images of wild mountains and raging waterfalls. At the same time, the blade was as thin as the wings of a cicada.

The two swords spiraled around each other, causing the air to freeze around them, and leaving behind blue streaks. The thrum of the swords reached high into the heavens, and it resounded with the heroic words Hordeslayer and Rampart had prepared for this exact moment.

“Hordeslayer is the killer!”

“Rampart is the defender!”

“When together we can pierce the defenses of all worlds in the star rings. When apart, we can safeguard humankind from the most mystical attacks of the gods!”

Their words echoed in all directions, leaving the onlookers stunned. And yet, the vortex continued to rumble. This time, four figures emerged at the same time.

One of them was a burly man with a huge saber slung over his shoulders. He looked as sturdy as an iron pagoda, with his hair casually bound into a ponytail with a strip of animal hide. His eyes were as sharp as one could imagine. At his waist hung a pendant made from nine teeth, each one taken from a different Altar God that he had personally killed. His name was Wang Peng![2]

Next to him was a slender middle-aged man with a very slender sword sheathed at his side, the hilt of which was covered with a layer of ice that never melted. This person’s name was Li Hanfeng! His canon was that of the sword![3]

The third person looked like a refined scholar who spent all his time reading ancient classics. He wore a gray robe, had fair skin, and emanated a sensation that thirty percent of him was bookish, but the remaining seventy percent was pure danger hidden beneath his gentle exterior. In his hand was a bamboo scroll covered with dense lines of script. His canon was that of writing! His name was Li Xuan’ce.[4]

The fourth person was Daoist Bloodcloud. His hair was as red as burning fire, and it hung haphazardly down his shoulders. His face was gaunt to the point of being skeletal, and he seemed like an evil ghost that had just climbed out of a sea of blood. As he strode forward, a cloud of blood billowed around him, and he grinned in a very bloodthirsty fashion. Combined, it made it seem like he was a cloud of blood that could devour the world.[5]

These four were all Quasi-Immortals!

Ten Quasi-Immortals had arrived in Revered Ancient, shaking everyone and causing heaven and earth to tremble.

Anxiety and fear bubbled in the hearts of all living beings. Even the gods were no exception! The Quasi-Immortals from the holy lands felt their hearts pounding in their chests as tsunami waves of astonishment smashed into their minds.

Although the nine individuals who had emerged were not quite as strong as the first, every single one of them was a Quasi-Immortal Grand Emperor, and all of them caused the natural and magical laws of Revered Ancient to vibrate. Their mere presence affected all things around them!

From what the holy lands Quasi-Immortals could tell, these people all had battle prowess that was very close to that of a Summer Immortal. All of them were definitely stronger than Sir Primestone!

Of even greater significance was the fact that although none of them had their own canon, the fact that the ancient immortal had given Sir Primestone a bit of canon ensured that they knew what it was. And they could tell that these new arrivals… all had canon! These people existed in a level so high it struck fear into their hearts!

What was even more destabilizing to their minds was the age of these new arrivals. These ten Quasi-Immortals were all relatively young! Obviously… they were spectacular chosen cultivators! Each of them was the kind of person who could shock an entire world. Except… there were ten of them! Ten Grand Emperors!

Revered Ancient was shaken, all living things were astonished, the holy lands were rocked, and the gods looked on gravely! No one knew where these ten Grand Emperors came from or why they had come!

Empress Summer Departure still felt like it wasn’t real, but finally took a deep breath and prepared to speak.

And yet, that was when someone in the vortex cleared his throat. That small sound became like the most violent of tempests.

There’s more? The empress’ pupils constricted.

An eleventh person emerged. This person wore a silver robe. His black hair was bound with a jade crown, but it still hung down to his waist. He had a kind face and warm eyes that would instantly disarm anyone who looked at him. He seemed like a genial young prince from an aristocratic clan. He was none other than Zhou Zhengli.

Though he wore what seemed like a humble smile, Li Mengtu and all the others instinctively looked at him deferentially. Everyone, from holy lands cultivators to the people of Revered Ancient, noticed that. Empress Summer Departure looked at Zhou Zhengli, and immediately guessed that he was the leader.

Meanwhile, Zhou Zhengli laughed warmly and said, “My apologies. We ran into a situation along the way. A few God Lords tried to block His Majesty’s path through the Primeval Sea. His Majesty was very concerned about the safety of Revered Ancient, so he sent us along ahead. And thus… we ended up being late. His Majesty is still on the way. He should be here soon.”

1. By way of reminder, Yuanshan Su’s surname literally means “distant mountain(s).” ☜

2. Wang Peng: Wang is the #1 most common surname on the list of 100. It also means “king.” Peng is a mythical bird of enormous size. Madam Deathblade says that it sounds like an ordinary name to her. I actually knew a guy in China named Han Peng, different surname but the same given name, so that tracks with me as well. ☜

3. Li Hanfeng. Li is the #2 most common surname on the list of 100. Han means “freezing, frigid” and Feng means “wind.” So combined, his name means “freezing wind.” Madam Deathblade says that it sounds like a typical wuxia/xianxia name. ☜

4. Li Xuan’ce. Li is the same #2 common surname as the other character that was just introduced. Xuan means “dark, mysterious” and Ce, among other things, is another word for “bamboo slip.” Madam Deathblade says that this guy sounds like “a secretive/mysterious wannabe guy who is just PURE DUMB.” Lol. Take that for what you will. ☜

5. Daoist Bloodcloud was previously mentioned in chapter 1240. ☜