Outside Of Time

Chapter 1726  The Tide of Fate Surges Forward.

Military merit was the primary criterion for a cultivatorʼs promotion within the army.

 It was also the sole currency for obtaining resources across all battlefronts.

Its significance and value needed no elaboration.

While earning military merit on the battlefield wasnʼt exceedingly difficult, reaching a million merits was a daunting challenge, its difficulty reversing drastically to become astonishing.

To achieve such a milestone through combat alone, one would need to slay at least ten Divine Platform-level gods or a single Divine Platform pinnacle entity.

As for earning ten million merits… it could only be obtained by slaying a True God.

But now, merely providing information on Starry Eye Goddessʼ whereabouts could yield a million military merits. Capturing her alive would award a staggering ten million.

Such rewards held an irresistible allure for the vast majority of cultivators.

Needless to say, other than military merits, there was also origin essence.

The measurement of origin essence was unit.

For instance, during Xu Qingʼs early missions in the Material Procurement Division, their task required the collection of a total of one hundred units of origin essence.

This comparison underscored the staggering value of the rewards being offered. Simply providing the Starry Eye Goddessʼ whereabouts would yield ten units of origin essence—a tenth of what Xu Qingʼs entire team once toiled to gather.

As for the reward of 100 units promised to anyone who captured Her alive, its extraordinary worth was self-evident.

Thus, while the decree that spread across the frontlines promised military merits capable of stirring most cultivators into a frenzy, the added reward of origin essence was enough to tempt even the most exceptional among them.

What moved the peak cultivators among these outstanding military cultivators and even the perfected Quasi Immortals in the various armies was…

The title of True Monarch!

True Monarch was a title unique to the disciples of the Immortal Lords.

It represented oneʼs identity, resources, and the future.

This was telling everyone that those who captured the Goddess alive could acknowledge an Immortal Lord as their master!

All of these added together were enough to make almost all of the cultivators boil with excitement.

The remaining ones were basically the commanders of the various factions whose cultivation levels had reached the Lower Immortal realm, as well as the guest elders of the various armies. Their cultivation levels were high and their identities were above all cultivators.

However, at this moment, even their eyes revealed a strange glint.

They were excited.

The reason for this was because of the last reward for capturing the goddess alive.

An Immortal Lord Dao Artifact!

It was a supreme treasure that contained the might of an Immortal Lord!

There were very few such supreme treasures.

Even Lower Immortals yearned for it.

Hence, the moment this decree was issued, the entire frontline of the left-wing war zone was in an uproar.

In an instant, the search erupted in an unprecedented manner.

All the armies, all the cultivators, and even the Corpse Looting Teams joined in!

Not only did those Lower Immortals participate in the search, but they also passed down orders to their scattered subordinates. If they had any clues, they would immediately inform them and promise them heavy rewards.

All the cultivators were like this. At that moment, on the battlefield where Xu Qing was on, the group of ascenders beside him also had strange glints in their eyes. They were all extremely tempted.

This was especially so for Xie Lingzi. His eyes were a little red.

For him, the broken blade was both the source of his strength and the root of restraint. This made him have to suppress it at all times. If he relaxed, he would be controlled by the broken blade and become the blade-nurturing puppet.

However, if he could acknowledge an Immortal Lord as his master… everything would naturally be different!

Li Mengtuʼs breathing also hastened slightly.

He wanted to escape the karma of his master, the Poison Lord, and the task in the decree… was an opportunity.

They werenʼt the only ones. Yuanshan Su and the other ascended cultivators were the same.

Each of them had their own struggles and dreams that they didnʼt want to tell others.

Now, they had obtained the hope of freeing themselves from the struggle and accomplishing their dreams!

Qianjun and Piyi were even more excited.

The two of them were actually much simpler. At that moment, what they were thinking was that once they acknowledged an Immortal Lord as their master, Xu Qing would have to be respectful in front of them.

At the thought of this scene, they became excited.

Even Star Ring had a strange glint in his eyes.

The reward was too generous.

At the same time, this bounty made them realize that their previous judgment wasnʼt wrong.

This goddess was extremely important.

This was clearly the reason why She had to be captured alive.

Zhou Zhengli was also incomparably tempted. However, when his gaze swept over to Xu Qing and he saw that there was no change in Xu Qingʼs expression, his heart instantly calmed down.

After some thought, he felt that something was amiss and immediately spoke.

”Everyone, donʼt be rash!”

His voice was like thunder landing in the minds of the ascenders, resonating for a while.

When he saw that everyone was looking toward him, Zhou Zhengli spoke solemnly.

”Everyone, with that goddessʼ identity and importance, even if Sheʼs injured… we canʼt underestimate Her!”

”Her god father is the Lord God Chiuz after all!”

”She must have abundant life-saving methods on Her and guards as well. Even if many of Her guards died in the battle in the report…”

”I donʼt believe that She doesnʼt have any other backup plans!”

”Therefore, the reward for this mission might be great, but the danger is also equally high!”

As soon as Zhou Zhengli finished speaking, Yuanshan Su and the others fell silent. A sharp glint flashed in Xie Lingziʼs eyes.

”Ridiculous. We cultivators defy the heavens. How can anything be smooth sailing? We have to fight, fight with others, fight with the heavens, fight with gods!”

Zhou Zhengli snorted.

”What we have to face might be a True God! If weʼre not careful, itʼs not impossible for our entire army to be wiped out.”

When Xie Lingzi heard this, he sneered and his gaze landed on the others.

Soon, everyoneʼs voices rang out one after another, expressing their opinions.

This was a habit they had cultivated after experiencing all kinds of things.

When they encountered something, they had to summarize everything and make the correct judgment. In the end, it was up to Xu Qing to make the decision.

While they were arguing with each other about whether they should participate in this matter, Xu Qing pondered silently. He raised his head and looked at the distant starry sky.

The emotional fluctuations from Little Shadow had been echoing in his mind for a long time…

”Mas… mas… master… big!”

”Big, fragrant!”

Little Shadow tried its best to transmit its perception to Xu Qing.

The faint sense of fate also stirred in Xu Qingʼs soul, growing larger and larger.

From the moment he read the battle report earlier, Xu Qing was already certain that his guess wasnʼt wrong. The scene in the God of Painʼs divine art had indeed appeared.

There was really a goddess on the frontline battlefield.

As expected, fate was like waves, sending that goddess over…

”Master, not far…”

”She concealed… but shadow strong. Perception locked!”

Little Shadowʼs emotions fluctuated even more.

At the same time, the discussion between Zhou Zhengli and the others also came to an end.

”Since youʼre so afraid of death, why cultivate?!”

”Although thereʼs danger, we only need to report it immediately after we encounter Her. It can be considered military contributions!”

”Everyone, letʼs be honest—what weʼre discussing here is practically meaningless. The scope of the frontlines is vast beyond measure, and the likelihood of us encountering that goddess is infinitesimally small.”

”This is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Of course, if by some twist of fate, we do happen to stumble upon Her… well, that would surely be the goddessʼs destined encounter!”

”So…”

As they spoke, everyoneʼs gazes landed on Xu Qing. After Zhou Zhengli sighed softly, he looked at Xu Qing fervently.

Xu Qing turned his head and retracted his gaze from the distant starry sky. He then looked at these fellow cultivators who had come all the way here with him.

”I might have a way to find that goddess, but there will be deaths on this trip.”

Xu Qing calmly spoke.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone had strange gazes.

Star Ring cast a meaningful glance at Xu Qing and calmly spoke.

”Before Zhou Zhengli said those words, I didnʼt truly believe weʼd ever encounter that goddess.”

”But he said it… and youʼve echoed it…”

”This journey, whether it leads to life or death, is my own choice. Yet, should we succeed… the rewards will be shared among us all!”

As soon as Star Ring finished speaking, Xie Lingzi laughed.

”It is also my choice!”

Li Mengtu, Yuanshan Su, and the group of ascenders also gave a positive answer as their thoughts raced.

Finally, it was Qianjun and Piyi. Zhou Zhengliʼs earlier words failed to convince everyone, however, the two brothers, who seemed foolish but were perhaps wiser than they appeared, had been swayed.

They already had the intention to retreat.

Now, seeing the others unanimously agree, they hesitated, exchanging secret transmissions with each other.

”Do you think that guy Xu is serious about encountering Her? Or is he bluffing?”

”He said ʼmightʼ! I think heʼs just trying to show off in front of everyone, making it seem like he has some grand insight. This way, if we donʼt find Her, he can explain it away. But if we do find Her, heʼll take all the credit!

Hmph, such petty tricks—whatʼs the harm in agreeing?”

”Brother, youʼre so smart!”

The two brothers were proud and immediately let out sword cries, expressing their willingness to take the risk!

Seeing that everyone had agreed, determination flashed in Xu Qingʼs eyes. He turned and followed Little Shadowʼs guidance and fateʼs perception, heading straight for the distant starry sky.

Star Ring and the others followed behind.

Time flowed by.

Several days later.

In the left-wing frontlines of the starry expanse, there floated a small region of interstellar gas, gently drifting through the void.

Within this space existed countless particles of dust and unknown granules, forming a cloud-like cluster that stretched out in a long, elongated shape. Occasionally, faint flashes of electric light flickered within and around it.

Such cloud clusters were not rare in the cosmos. When the pressure within them increased and the particles coalesced, a sudden surge of heat could lead to the birth of a star.

Alternatively, they could signify the dying breath of a star, the gaseous remnants scattered in the aftermath of its demise.

In a sense, this cloud was the final exhalation of a starʼs life.

At this moment, concealed within these clouds, were the hunted and pursued figures of the Starry Eye Goddess and the old god accompanying her.

They had exerted all Their remaining strength to suppress Their presence entirely. Using divine arts, They blended into the cloud, masking Themselves from detection. Additionally, They absorbed the dying breath of the star—the remnants of its lifeforce—to slowly tend to Their grievous injuries.

”This technique conceals our presence, and this place veils our aura. It should be sufficient to hide us for a while, allowing us to rest temporarily. Unless a Lower Immortal personally enters this cloud cluster, the cultivators will find it difficult to detect us.”

The old god slowly spoke.

”Luan, have you attempted to use your bloodline to summon the God Emperor?”

The goddess continued Her cultivation, Her expression remaining impassive. Without opening Her eyes, She responded in a calm voice:

”ʼThere has been no response.ʼ”

The old god fell silent and was about to speak after a while.

However, at the next instant, golden light suddenly flashed in His eyes as He turned around and looked beyond the clouds.

The void in the starry sky He was looking at distorted and circular ripples appeared in the distance. After that, amidst the layers of ripples, the figures of cultivators shuttled over.

In an instant, they appeared outside the cloud.

They stood there and didnʼt leave!

There were a total of 19 people.

The leader was none other than Xu Qing!

The instant they appeared, Xu Qingʼs eyes gleamed as he looked at the vast cloud in front of him.

At the same time, in the cloud, the goddessʼ eyes also trembled inexplicably. She suddenly opened Her eyes and looked outside.

Vaguely, Her gaze seemed to have merged with Xu Qingʼs through the clouds.

The guidance of fate churned intensely in Xu Qingʼs heart at this instant.

There seemed to be thunder rumbling.

There were also emotions that were almost like screams being emitted by Little Shadow.

”Lord… Lord Godʼs… bloodline!!”