Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 1004: A Place That Might Not Exist

In the world inside Timeruins, Xu Qing and Erniu looked up at the rift in the dome of heaven, a thousand thoughts running through their minds.

To Xu Qing, this experience in the outer sea had been both freakish and phenomenal. That included the gruish entities they had encountered, and this human old man. All of them were deeply thought-provoking. The words the old man spoke before leaving had truly opened Xu Qing’s eyes to the world, and left him feeling deeply shaken.

Thirty-six star rings... and the Primeval Sea.... There were some things that Xu Qing had come to vaguely sense upon acquiring this body created from Eminent Desolation’s flesh. For instance, he did have a vague impression that there were thirty-six star rings out there. However, this was his first time hearing about the Primeval Sea. I can’t rule out that what he told me is false. But in all likelihood, it seems true....

Off to the side, Erniu slapped his thigh. “Little Ah Qing,” he said in a serious tone, “I’ve finally figured it out!”

Xu Qing looked over. He was curious to hear his Eldest Brother’s thoughts. After all, this elderly human who proclaimed himself to be from the Immortal Capital in the Fifth Star Ring was too shocking, both in terms of his cultivation base and his manner of speaking. ‘Outrageous’ was a perfectly acceptable word to use to describe him.

With a grave facial expression, Erniu looked at Xu Qing and said, “Up on the surface of the sea, all I had to do was say the word ‘safe,’ and we would instantly encounter some really freakish things.... Now that I think about it, it was obviously the doings of that old man! He did it all on purpose!”

Erniu looked a bit disappointed, as if he really had believed that everything which happened was a direct result of the words that left his mouth. Apparently, his thoughts had been focused elsewhere. Unlike Xu Qing, he hadn’t been paying close attention to the old man’s final words, and their astonishing implications. Xu Qing was of course used to the way that his Eldest Brother’s way of thinking differed from that of normal people.

That venerable Senior said that humans rule the Fifth Star Ring. It’s a world of immortals.... Of course, I can’t just automatically trust everything he says.

Xu Qing looked at the distant rift in the dome of heaven. It was hard to say if Erniu had really missed that last bit of information, or if he just wasn’t shocked by it.

As Xu Qing stared up into the sky, Erniu looked over at the spot where the old man had dropped his sandal onto the ground. Leaping over to that spot, he squatted down and started searching the area. Before long, he managed to locate four strips of woven hemp.

Erniu’s eyes gleamed with mad joy as he picked them up, handling them as if they were precious treasures. He immediately put them into his mouth and bit down with his teeth. A moment later, he frowned, as he realized that biting the hemp wasn’t doing anything. As he kept trying in different ways, he noticed that Xu Qing seemed to be lost in thought. He blinked a few times.

“Don’t waste your brainpower, little Ah Qing. Those things aren’t even relevant to us. Besides, we have no way of knowing if that old fellow had good intentions or malicious ones. If you ask me, he didn’t just want to have a look at you. He was probably interested in forming some karmic bonds with us! Otherwise, why would he offer us that skewered meat?”

Xu Qing nodded. “Eldest Brother, just now you said we had no way of knowing if that human Senior had good intentions or malicious ones. You clearly don’t suspect the accuracy of the things he said....” Xu Qing’s eyes glittered. “I guess that means... you already knew about all that stuff he told us?”

Erniu cleared his throat. Little Ah Qing just keeps getting more and more wily. It’s really hard to fool him nowadays.

Erniu laughed heartily, glanced left and right, and then looked at Xu Qing with shining eyes. “There’s no need to get into all of that. Say, did it occur to you that we also have a golden rat like that one we just saw? Remember, Little Jianjian is incubating those eggs. In fact, I wonder if they’ve hatched already. Wait, hold on. This won’t do. Considering how incredible that golden rat was, I’d say we have to get back to the imperial capital post haste. We need to get those little rats back from Wu Jianwu!”[1]

Xu Qing didn’t reply, but he kept his eyes on Erniu.

Seeing that, Erniu again tried to change the topic. Waving the four hemp threads in Xu Qing’s direction, he said, “Look at these hemp threads! Considering that golden rat was so interested in them, they must be treasures! I just tried to take a bite, but these thingies are just too tough! I couldn’t even leave a dent!” Erniu looked down at the hemp threads. “Of course, that old rat was a complete idiot. Just because you can’t bite them doesn’t mean you can’t eat them!”

Erniu suddenly looked very proud. “It’s not like I’ve never encountered unbitable things before. In situations like this, I know exactly what to do!”

He gritted his teeth. Considering that he really wanted to distract Xu Qing, he decided to throw caution to the wind.

As Xu Qing watched, Erniu placed his hand on his belly, then shoved violently. Unexpectedly, blood sprayed everywhere as he ripped his abdomen open. Then, he placed two of the hemp threads directly into his stomach. Having done that, he pulled the flaps of ripped belly flesh closed like a garment. Then he used the black fur growing off his skin to tie the pieces together. He tossed the other two hemp threads to Xu Qing.

“I might not know what they taste like, but as you can see, I still managed to get them into my stomach.” Looking very pleased with himself, the Captain patted his belly.

Xu Qing sighed. His Eldest Brother hadn’t directly answered the questions, but his actions gave Xu Qing the information he sought. And he was confident that there was a good reason for his Eldest Brother not wanting to say such things out loud....

With such thoughts in mind, Xu Qing decided not to ask any more questions. Taking the two hemp threads, he studied them before putting them into his bag of holding. Then, looking very calm, he said, “Let’s go.”

Erniu sighed inwardly in relief when he saw that Xu Qing wasn’t asking any further questions. Nodding vigorously, he flew with Xu Qing up into the air and toward the rift. When they passed through the rift, they left the world inside Timeruins, and found themselves on the surface of the outer sea.

Even upon leaving Timeruins, Xu Qing didn’t get a good look at the thing’s true features. It was as if the moment they flew out, Timeruins melted back into the sea like an ink painting, ultimately vanishing in very gruish fashion.

Xu Qing’s eyes glittered profoundly. He finally took out his dreadnaught, boarded, and looked off into the depths of the outer sea, all the while thinking about the Fifth Star Ring that old man had mentioned.

The surface of the sea was as calm and silent as death.

Erniu stood next to him, and when he noticed what Xu Qing was looking at, he sighed inwardly again.

“Seriously, little Junior Brother. Stop thinking about it. When you asked me if I knew about that stuff, I didn’t answer your question. Not because I didn’t want to tell you, but because I just can’t say the name of the place you’re thinking about. That name is taboo. Inauspicious.

“I’ve never seen that old man before, neither in this life nor in any of my past lives. But as soon as he mentioned the name of that place, I got an idea of who he might be.

“This isn’t his first time appearing in Revered Ancient. Master probably knows something about the old man. In fact, Master is the one who told me about the taboo and inauspicious nature of that name. Countless years in the past, Master ran a very thorough investigation and told me that the old man actually showed up in Revered Ancient two times in the past.

“The first time was when he appeared to the Summer Immortals and told them about the Fifth Star Ring. Later, the Summer Immortals left, presumably to go to that place, except they’ve never returned.

“The second time, according to Master’s suspicions, was before Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity left. Incidentally, both Master and Empress Summer Departure believe that Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity is no longer with the holy lands. So where is he?

“Today was the third time, and he came either for you or me.

“As for the place he came from, that name... at least according to Master... doesn’t actually exist. However, when people hear it spoken of, it gains foundation in reality. In other words, the more people talk about it, the more real it becomes.”

Xu Qing turned to look at Erniu. Erniu looked at Xu Qing.

After a moment of thought, Xu Qing said, “And what do you think, Eldest Brother?”

Erniu looked off into the distance for a long moment. He shook his head. “Master’s theory makes sense, and I agree with part of it. But there’s part of it I’m not sure about. After all, Master has never been there.

“I have the feeling that the place is real. The question is whether it’s good or evil. In this universe of gods, there are many, many fantastic things. Anything can exist. Everything is possible. A good example is me.”

That last sentence struck Xu Qing like a bolt of heavenly thunder, filling his mind with rumbling sounds and causing him to breathe heavily. In fact, compared to that bit of information, everything else didn’t seem very important to Xu Qing. Xu Qing still didn’t know who his Eldest Brother really was. However, given everything they had been through, and all the gruish things he had seen his Eldest Brother do, Xu Qing had some speculations.

“Eldest Brother, you....” Xu Qing trailed off.

Erniu didn’t say anything for a long moment, and his eyes shone with uncharacteristic confusion. “Little Junior Brother, there are some people who call me a god bastard. Some people call me a monstrous freak.... As for what I really am, Master doesn’t know, and neither do I. The truth is that I’ve been searching for an answer all along.[2]

“I can remember time passing by and being resurrected over and over again. And there are some things about my past that, when I recall them, I forget things from the present. In truth... there are already some things about this life, even habits, that I’ve forgotten. I truly fear that the day could come, little Junior Brother... that I don’t recognize you. Or Master.... It wouldn’t be until the following life that, in a sudden flash, I remember all of you.”

Erniu’s voice grew softer and softer as he spoke. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Meanwhile, an indescribable feeling built up in Xu Qing. He wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but it felt bitter and painful.

Erniu noticed Xu Qing’s facial expression, and for a brief moment, a look of pride flashed across his face. Little Ah Qing, oh, little Ah Qing. No matter how wily you are, I’m always going to be your Eldest Brother. I can pull a fast one on you without any effort at all. Now, to wrap things up all neat and tidy.

With that thought in mind, Erniu cleared his throat and said, “Let’s not talk about such painful things. Don’t be too sad, little Junior Brother. Just remember that, whatever amazing things you come across in the future, you should always save a portion for me. For example, the flesh of gods, cultivator authority, godly authority, et cetera. And of course, spirit stones and other mundane items count as well. Naturally, the more you set aside for me the better. It’s not that I’m greedy! No! Rather, the more things you give me, the more deeply my memories will be rooted.”

Xu Qing nodded, rummaged around his bag of holding, and took out a spirit stone which he handed to Erniu.

Erniu quickly took it. However, he didn’t sound very pleased when he said, “Just one?”

Xu Qing’s expression became one of bitterness. “Eldest Brother, in the past when you ate spirit stones, you would always eat one stone at a time. You... forgot that habit already?”

Stunned, Erniu looked at Xu Qing. Xu Qing looked back at him very sincerely.

Erniu hesitated, glanced at the spirit stone, and gave another look at Xu Qing. Suddenly feeling very ferocious, he put the spirit stone in his mouth, crunched it to pieces, and swallowed it.

Then, just as he was about to say something, Xu Qing pulled out a sword and performed a quick bit of magic. Rust instantly covered the sword.

“Huh?” Erniu said suspiciously.

“Eldest brother, whenever you eat spirit stones, you always say that they lack flavor. So you follow them up with a rusty sword....”

After a moment of silence, Erniu laughed heartily. “Oh, you! I was just joking around, little Junior Brother! How could I lose my memories! I’m completely fine!”

Eyes glittering, Xu Qing looked at Erniu and softly said, “Eldest Brother, I’m not sure how much of what you said just now was true, and how much was false. But I can tell that you care very much about that certain name.... Therefore, I have something I need to tell you. I’m going to work hard so that, in the future, nothing bad happens to you or anyone else I care about. If I can’t do that... then I’ll suffer with you.”

Xu Qing’s words entered Erniu’s ears and resonated in his heart. Looking at Xu Qing, he suddenly felt the impulse to throw caution to the wind and tell him everything. He opened his mouth to speak.

Xu Qing shook his head. “You have your secrets, Eldest Brother. I have mine. Master has his.... When an appropriate time comes, then you can tell me. Okay?”

Erniu thought about it, then laughed and nodded vigorously. “Sure!”

***

Almost there....

Beyond the world of Revered Ancient, out in the starry sky, a host of holy lands had stirred up a starry tempest. A terrifying aura pulsed around them as they sped toward Revered Ancient. Behind all those holy lands was a statue with eight arms. The area around the statue’s head was full of oscillating distortions. It was just barely possible to see a figure seated cross-legged there.

My home. My apprentice. And also... the Primeval Sea.

1. Xu Qing and Erniu gave the eggs to Wu Jianwu in chapter 932. ☜

2. The term god bastard came up previously in chapters 621, 629.1, 630, and 686. ☜