Outside Of Time

Chapter 1808: The Suffering of the Spirit Emperor

Editor: Atlas Studios

Almost the moment Xu Qing’s words echoed out, the colossal serpent before him trembled violently, letting out a soul-piercing hiss.

The sound rippled through the darkness of the Spirit Abyss, creating concentric waves that swept outward like tidal surges.

At the same time, within the massive world atop the serpent’s head, every single one of the Spirit Emperor’s eyes that had opened from the imperial palaces contracted sharply. An overwhelming sense of life-and-death crisis caused the newly awakened Ancient Spirit Emperor’s divine soul to quake uncontrollably.

Instinctively, It sought to flee. In an instant, spatial fluctuations appeared around each of the Spirit Emperor’s eyes.

These fluctuations erupted abruptly, submerging the eyes and causing Them to vanish.

Xu Qing’s expression remained unchanged. He gazed calmly and spoke softly, ”Return.”

All space had already been sealed the moment Xu Qing arrived—including time itself.

Unless one’s realm surpassed his, no living being could casually depart in his presence.

Thus, under his gaze and following his command, the vanished Spirit Emperor’s eyes reappeared.

But They did not return to Their original positions in the great world. Instead... They emerged directly on the serpent’s body.

Across the rotting serpent’s flesh, Spirit Emperor’s eyes materialized out of thin air, embedded in its flesh, unable to break free.

Now, every single eye was wide open, radiating intense terror.

Not a single thought of resistance arose as they allowed Zhou Zhengli, Star Ring, and the others to rampage unchecked through Their world.

”Xu Qing, I have never offended you!”

All the Spirit Emperor’s eyes transmitted divine thoughts, converging into a voice imbued with divine majesty.

Yet beneath that majesty lay unmistakable anxiety and tension—a far cry from Its former glory.

Standing in the void outside the serpent, Xu Qing raised his right hand and made a grasping motion toward the massive creature.

The instant he did so, the serpent’s trembling reached its peak. Its body grew indistinct, its hisses turning into wails of agony.

Its enormous form even began to melt.

The Spirit Emperor’s eyes covering its body also shrieked as They were forcibly peeled away from the flesh one by one, uncontrollably converging before Xu Qing.

The aura of death exploded to its limit.

The Ancient Spirit Emperor’s wails turned into instinctive pleas.

”Xu Qing, I helped you before!”

”Even when you were weak and provoked me repeatedly, I never truly struck back at you!”

Xu Qing remained silent in the face of the Ancient Spirit Emperor’s cries.

He understood all too well the nature of his past relationship with the Ancient Spirit Emperor—a series of perilous transactions.

The reason It hadn’t killed him in the past was due to a combination of wariness toward him and his usefulness.

Thus had followed the ”feedings” and Its participation in the battle against Crimson Goddess.

So his grasping hand clenched ruthlessly.

A tearing sound accompanied the Ancient Spirit Emperor’s shrieks as all ninety-nine eyes embedded in the serpent’s body were forcibly stripped away.

They gathered before Xu Qing, compressed by an irresistible force into a sphere of eyeballs.

And the pressure continued to intensify.

”Xu Qing, I even aided your dao companion!”

”I can help her in the future too! My existence can shield her from all curses! I know you can protect her, but I—”

”I can take on her tribulations for her!”

”Our Ancient Spirit Race bears bloodline curses! I can use myself to bear her tribulations in her stead!!”

All of the Ancient Spirit Emperor’s eyes rippled as these frantic divine thoughts were transmitted under the unbearable external pressure.

The words seemed to have some effect—the compressing force eased slightly.

But before the Ancient Spirit Emperor could sigh in relief, Xu Qing’s raised right hand abruptly clenched.

Amid the thunderous collapse of the Ancient Spirit Emperor’s psyche, Xu Qing’s hand landed above the sphere of eyes, gripping the empty space.

Every single one of the Spirit Emperor’s pupils contracted violently.

At the same time, a sharp glint flashed in Xu Qing’s eyes.

He stared at the emptiness his hand had grasped.

There—imperceptible to others—was a golden thread.

Calling it a thread wasn’t entirely accurate. In truth, it was a strand of hair.

It existed and didn’t exist, occupying an extremely peculiar state. One end connected to the Ancient Spirit Emperor’s eyes, while the other... extended into the distant darkness.

”Just as I suspected.”

Xu Qing murmured inwardly. He had long theorized that the Ancient Spirit Emperor’s ability to cling to existence wasn’t solely due to Its own tenacity—It likely had external assistance.

After all, if one were to select a chess piece, few would rival the Ancient Spirit Emperor’s qualifications.

”As for who stands behind It... this strand of hair has already revealed the answer.”

Xu Qing seized the peculiar hair, and his divine sense erupted along its length, sweeping toward the distant darkness.

The pitch-black Spirit Abyss became as clear as day under his divine sense, illuminated as if by heavenly fire.

With the hair as a guide, his search became a targeted pursuit.

In mere moments, Xu Qing’s divine sense locked onto a bestial entity slumbering within the misty depths of the abyss.

It resembled a lizard, its entire body golden.

And the moment Xu Qing’s divine sense swept over it, the sleeping lizard’s eyes snapped open.

Their gazes met.

Invisible shockwaves erupted throughout the Spirit Abyss.

An endless tide of curse power manifested as the golden lizard awoke, churning in all directions.

It was none other than the behemoth—one of the four Venerable Gods beyond Wanggu!

However, what appeared here was merely a wisp of Its divine sense.

Yet even so, the mere act of locking eyes with Xu Qing caused the void to shudder, showing signs of collapse. Cracks spread rapidly, covering the entire Spirit Abyss.

Xu Qing paid this no mind. His expression icy, he stared at the lizard.

The golden lizard returned his gaze with equal coldness.

”Hand over the Ancient Spirit behind you, and I shall depart.”

After a long pause, the golden lizard’s divine voice echoed forth, carrying the weight of divine decree—affecting will, soul, and all existence.

Even Xu Qing’s Ordinance trembled under Its words.

After all, this was the divine sense of a Venerable God!

Yet Xu Qing was no stranger to Venerable Gods. The instant his Ordinance was affected, a flicker of light ignited before him.

Then, a lantern materialized in his grasp.

He raised it high.

Within the lantern, the Venerable God’s eye that had been refined into it suddenly opened wide.

A sea of golden light, tangible and vast, poured forth from that eye, directed at the golden lizard.

That single glance caused the void to collapse and the surroundings to crumble, heralding annihilation.

The golden lizard’s body quaked violently, showing signs of fracturing as It was forced backward. Its expression darkened as It swept Its gaze over the lantern, then gave Xu Qing one final look.

Retreating, It tore through the void.

In the end, It chose to abandon Its probing and prepared to leave the ancient lands, returning to Its main body.

But...

Had It departed when Xu Qing drew his boundary line, he wouldn’t have intervened. Yet having made Its choice, allowing It to leave unscathed now...

Would undermine the credibility of his earlier proclamation.

For reasons spanning all considerations, Xu Qing had no choice but to act—to show all external forces the consequences of lingering here.

Thus, holding the lantern aloft, Xu Qing watched the retreating golden lizard and spoke calmly.

”Entropy.”

The moment the word left his lips, the lantern in his hand trembled violently. A hoarse, ancient breathing sound seemed to echo through the collapsing void.

The residual breath of a Venerable God from the Fifth Star Ring.

As the breathing reverberated, the golden light radiating from the Venerable God’s eye within the lantern intensified exponentially, dyeing the entire void gold in an instant!

Then, everything within this realm began to transform under the golden hue.

The void, the mist, and naturally... the golden lizard attempting to return to Its main body!

The lizard shuddered.

It had sensed... a Venerable God’s divine authority!

Entropy—the process of all things descending from order into chaos. This divine authority could alter the very nature of all existence through increase or decrease.