Outside Of Time

Chapter 1699 Unexpected

Any system, after undergoing the test of time, would inevitably form a rigid framework and numerous branches that upheld it.

Within this framework, unless an individualʼs strength was heaven-defying, they had to adhere to its rules, making it nearly impossible to shake those supporting branches.

After all, the branches that composed this framework were themselves figures of considerable power.

Moreover, these branches often represented the accumulation of dozens,

hundreds, or even more generations of consolidation, forming factions that had become an integral part of the systemʼs rules.

In the Fifth Star Ring, the eleven Heavenʼs Beyonds were the largest branches of this framework.

Within these Heavenʼs Beyonds existed countless forces, which acted simultaneously as the protectors, beneficiaries, and integral parts of the framework.

They functioned like immense vortices, radiating powerful pulling forces that influenced all living things and phenomena within the Fifth Star Ring.

Thus, for the average cultivator, how could they ever hope to shake such a structure?

So, when Zhou Zhengli coughed and spoke, the words uttered by this group of individuals were like divine spells of unmatched sharpness, falling upon heaven and earth-and landing directly within the minds of the prison wardens.

It was like a meteor falling into the sea!

Every sentence caused their hearts to tremble.

Coupled with the light of those tokens, the waves of emotions in the hearts of the nonhuman prison guards naturally rose one after another and finally became a storm,

Such a background, such a lineup...

A sense of powerlessness rose in the hearts of the two chief wardens.

They could tell-this group was clearly nothing more than a bunch of wastrels!

And yet, they were wastrels whose cultivation and natural talents far surpassed those of ordinary people.

Generally speaking, such existences were mostly ascenders from the Immortal Capital!

Within the Immortal Capital, there appeared to be only a few orthodox sects in dominance. However, in reality, the place was a tangled web of hidden agendas and competing interests. As a breeding ground for future prodigies, every Heavenʼs Beyond had either overt or covert arrangements within its bounds. Even those individuals who had not yet drawn the attention of these forces would, upon naturally maturing and stepping out of the Immortal Capital, become subjects of inmediate scrutiny and eventual recruitment by various factions.

These two wardens understood this.

However, what puzzled them was...

The ascenders were usually scattered. There wasnʼt a situation where they were all gathered into a team.

And now...

The two wardens looked at the people in front of them and the sense of powerlessness in their hearts intensified.

The combat strength was clearly incomparable.

There was no need to mention the background.

”Moreover, they are Material Procurers...”

The two of them felt bitter,

At the same time, Star Ring had already led dozens of ascenders and barged into the prison inside the statue to begin this mission.

After that, Xie Lingzi, Yuanshan Su, Qianjun, and Piyi also spread out. Some entered the prison alone and some entered with others through the other entrances.

Li Menglu was among them.

The division of labor was clear.

Only a dozen or so stayed outside.

Xu Qing naturally didnʼt need to go personally. After some thought, Zhou Zhengli also chose to stay by Xu Qingʼs side.

As for the seaweed... it didnʼt enter the prison either.

It surrounded the prison statue and replaced the original defense of the prison. It spread out its pressure and used its divine sense to assist everyone, allowing the exploration of the prison to be more comprehensive.

When the prison guards and the two wardens saw this familiar scene, they felt that this was clearly not the first time this group of people had done this. After what had happened in the Chaotic Sky Universe, Xu Qing and the others had a certain degree of tacit understanding in their cooperation.

Just like now, seeing that the others had already entered the prison, Xu Qing simply sat down cross-legged. As he nourished his cultivation, he was also thinking about how to deal with the aftermath of this matter.

Doing such a thing would naturally cause a backlash and he would definitely be held accountable in the future.

As for how to deal with it, although there were several ways, the simplest method was still to find the nine-colored ice.

”However, once they all revealed their backgrounds, this matter was no longer solely my responsibility-it became a collective decision shared by everyone.”

Xu Qing fell silent.

Time slowly passed just like that.

Zhou Zhengli was also meditating. Beside him, the dozen or so ascenders who hadnʼt entered the prison sat cross-legged. However, they would occasionally open their eyes and look at the entrance of the prison.

Clearly, they also wanted to enter.

However, according to the plan, there had to be a contingent left outside to stand guard, so they would proceed in batches.

As they frequently cast their gazes toward the entrance and the expressions of the guards and the two wardens grew increasingly grim, suddenly, from one of the entrances, a figure shot out at high speed.

The person who appeared wasnʼt a cultivator from Xu Qingʼs team but a nonhuman prison guard. After he appeared, he immediately knelt in front of the two wardens and spoke in a low voice.

”Sir, they... After they entered the prison, they indeed pretended to search at the start. However, after seeing the imprisoned gods...”

”They began to interrogate the gods and extracted their origin essence under the pretext of interrogation. Now, the origin cores of dozens of imprisoned gods have shattered.

”If this continues...”

The guard hesitated.

When the two wardens heard this, their expressions turned even uglier. Hence, they lifted their heads and looked at Xu Qing and the others.

Among them, the old man spoke in a deep voice.

”Fellow Daoist, this is the private prison of seventeen races of Spirit Light

Heavenʼs Beyond. While it is under shared jurisdiction, such blatant plundering will undoubtedly be pursued and punished!”

”Moreover, we have guarded this place for years and are intimately familiar with its workings-there is absolutely no so-called rebellion or prison break. Your excuse for such actions is laughably clumsy!”

Xu Qing remained silent. After all, this excuse had been something Zhou Zhengli had improvised on the spot.

As for the other ascenders who remained outside, none of them were the type

to be easily embarrassed. Their purpose in coming here had been clear from the start: to acquire origin essence. At this moment, their expressions remained composed and unaffected.

Zhou Zhengli solemnly nodded.

”The two sirs are right. The actions of my teammates are indeed a little rough. Iʼll dissuade them now.”

”Fellow Daoists, Iʼll have to trouble you to make a trip down and supervise them.”ʼ

As Zhou Zhengli spoke, he looked at the ascenders who had been waiting impatiently outside.

When everyone heard this, their expressions turned solemn and they stood up one after another.

”Thatʼs right!”

”Itʼs indeed too much!”

”Weʼll go and dissuade them now!”

As they spoke, the dozen or so ascenders immediately flew out and headed straight for the entrance of the prison.

How could the two wardens not see that there was something fishy about this scene? The anger in their hearts intensified. However, they also knew that their combat strength wasnʼt enough. Hence, after looking at each other, they saw the determination in each otherʼs eyes.

”This group of people is too brazen! We have to report this matter!”

”The Material Procurement Division has offended many people in the past. Their actions this time are even more overboard!”

”This matter shall be jointly reported by you and the seventeen lords to the Spirit Light Immortal Palace. Meanwhile, I will gather support from other factions to report it to the Nine Shores Immortal Palace. Even if these individuals possess profound backgrounds, such behavior must be met with due punishment!”

After making a decision, the two wardens immediately took out jade tokens and recorded the whole thing.

As for the harvesting, it continued.

In the prison, as a large number of ascenders barged in, the range of the collection of origin essence became larger and larger. The prison guards here couldnʼt stop them at all.

After all, the array formation here was targeted at gods. It wasnʼt of much use against cultivators, especially human cultivators.

However, at this moment, in the depths of this prison, in an area that Star Ring and the others hadnʼt explored yet, anomalous substances filled the air. Moreover, there were divine runes flickering in the surroundings, causing this place to seem to be isolated.

All one could see was a thick fog,

In the depths of the thick fog, there was an altar!

The material of this altar was actually godʼs bones. Moreover, there were four distorted figures sitting cross-legged on it.

Their eerie bodies swayed with writhing tentacles, while the faint divine energy emanating from them spread out covertly.

”Our plan is exceedingly secretive. The lower races here have long been veiled, completely unaware of anything...”

”Even those two human Quasi Immortalsʼ cognitions were secretly blocked by Master”

”So... how did the outside world notice it?!”

The divine voices of these four gods echoed within each otherʼs divine authority.

”At this point, the humans likely havenʼt fully sensed the truth, and are likely just puzzled!ʼ

”They havenʼt located this place yet, but their search is getting deeper and deeper”

”Indeed, my divine sense has already detected many of our people. They are being interrogated, and their origin is being drained dry!”

”If this continues, itʼs inevitable that they will find this place!”

”So, should we... observe silently on... act up in advance!”

The four gods fell silent.

A long time later, the divine voice rang out again,

”However, the Lord has not fully returned yet, at this moment, there is only a trace of connection. We are not yet prepared. If we act prematurely, even if the Lord returns, He will be in a weakened state:

”But if we donʼt act now, we may lose the chance for the Lordʼs return altogether:

”Weʼve been preparing for many years... What exactly happened? How did we get discovered?!”

The four gods fell silent again.

The sudden search from the outside world caught them off guard. Moreover, They had also heard about the prison break and rebellion when the humans were interrogating the other gods.

Hence. Their hearts were stirred.

This was because if they were given more time to follow the plan, nothing would go wrong. At that time, not only would their Lord be able to come over, but they could also teleport out of the Fifth Star Ring through the guidance of the star ring from their Lordʼs return.

But now...

”Thereʼs no point in thinking too much about this matter. I agree to act up in advance!”

”Seconded!”

The four godsʼ bodies shone with golden light. Under the fusion of Their divine voices, They came to an agreement. After that. They moved at the same time and pressed down on the altar.

At the next instant, the altar rumbled and a terrifying might suddenly erupted from the altar, forming a golden storm that spread toward the prison above. At that moment, in the middle section of the prison, Star Ring and the others were harvesting a god until It was about to be squeezed dry.

However, at this moment, rumbling sounds filled the prison and anomalous substances instantly filled the air, causing the entire world in the prison to darken.

Low roars rang out.

The gods had rebelled!

Star Ring immediately sensed it. He was stunned for a moment before his expression instantly turned solemn. He spread out his perception and swept in all directions, looking at golden pillars of light that soared into the sky.

There were also waves of auras of recovery!

”Is there really a rebellion?”

Star Ringʼs heart trembled in disbelief.

However, he also knew that this matter was serious, so he immediately got some people to go out and report this matter,

After the amount of time it took for an incense stick to burn out.

On the statue where the godʼs prison was located, the two wardens were recording and preparing to report to Heavenʼs Beyonds to punish Xu Qing and the others.

As for Xu Qing, he sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.

However, at the next instant, his eyes suddenly opened, revealing a puzzled expression. He lowered his head and looked down.

Almost at the instant Xu Qing looked over, two figures flew out at the same time. One was a guard and the other was an ascender.

These two peopleʼs movements were similar. After they flew out, they headed straight for their respective camps. When they got close, their voices echoed solemnly.

”Sir, the gods are indeed trying to break out of the prison!”

When Xu Qing heard this, his eyes narrowed. He instinctively turned his head and looked at Zhou Zhengli.

Zhou Zhengli was also stunned.

As for the prison guards who were originally angry at Xu Qing and the others, they were all stunned at this moment.

Their minds rumbled.

As for the two wardens, their minds were also churning as though they had been struck by lightning. At that moment, they no longer recorded. Cold sweat flowed down their foreheads and disbelief rose in their hearts.

There was really a prison break!

Before they could do anything, the ground suddenly trembled intensely. Golden pillars of light pierced through the ground and soared into the sky.

The anomalous substances also became denser at this moment. The two wardensʼ breathing was hurried and they instinctively looked at Xu

Qing. All the dissatisfaction and anger in their hearts earlier had disappeared now.

They were all too aware of the severity of the matter for the two of them personally when it came to the escape of the gods.

”Sir!”

These two people were anxious and spoke at the same time. Even though they didnʼt completely believe in the motive of Xu Qingʼs group, the fact had already occurred. Whether they believed in it or not, it no longer mattered.

The most important thing was how to resolve the situation!

Xu Qingʼs gaze darkened and he slowly stood up.

At this moment, his cultivation erupted completely, forming an earth-shattering pressure that suddenly suppressed the golden light and anomalous substances emitted by the statue.

The statue rumbled.

At the same time, Xu Qingʼs voice rang out in a deep voice.

”We will temporarily take over this prison!”

”Zhou Zhengli, inform everyone... to suppress the gods who are rebelling!”