Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 1195: Inksun Universe

How big was the Inksun Universe…? Xu Qing wasn’t actually sure. True, he was the paramount entity in the Inksun Universe, and could destroy the entire system with a thought. Unfortunately, the range of his divine will wasn’t sufficient to encompass the entire universe.

That said, when being teleported inside, he was able to see it in its entirety on the approach.

The Inksun Universe resembled the two curved horns of a goat, composed of innumerable galaxies and whirlpools of stars. They were connected at the bottom, so that the entire structure looked like an irregularly shaped ellipse. Taken as a whole, it also looked like a fish. To be most precise, the Inksun Universe looked like a big fish with the horns of a goat.

It was majestic. When it came to the planets, star systems, star whirlpools, and star domains, they were densely packed…. And there was shining light everywhere. They were… suns. Some places had life, some had death.

That was all Xu Qing could take in before he got too close to take in its entirety.

The teleportation abilities in the Nineshores Heaven surpassed anything Xu Qing could perceive or comprehend. Clearly, they were the result of extensive research carried out in the cultivation system in the Fifth Star Ring. These teleportations could cover multiple universes to send a person to a specific starry sky. It definitely surpassed the normal limitations of space. It was something beyond description.

This is what civilization feels like…. It’s a civilization of immortals.

On the way inside the Inksun Universe, Xu Qing wondered what was special about it. Given what the reception elder had said, he needed to explore it to find out. Considering that the Inksun Universe was of special strategic significance, he got the feeling that the high-level living beings inside it would probably have a good idea of its unique nature.

It was still getting bigger and bigger from his point of view. Galaxies flowed past him like rain water, until he saw his destination!

It was an immortal hall! Crafted from a pitch-black asteroid, it looked big, but compared to the starry sky in general, it was minute. That said, the size of a structure in this universe was unrelated to the power and status it represented. It could be tiny, and all living beings would still prostrate in worship to it!

In the Inksun Universe, this was the most holy location in existence. It was ancient, archaic, and magnificent.

Surrounding it… were countless figures, all of them bowing. Most of them were humanoid in appearance, although there were small differences between them and ordinary humans. There were some that were very obviously nonhuman. There were even some that emanated terrifying beastly auras. There seemed no end to them, and when it came to their cultivation base, there were Smoldering Gods and even Imperial Sovereigns. These were the lords of the various star domains in the Inksun Universe.

The Fifth Star Ring was huge, and though humans had started out as a minority there, considering it was a civilization of cultivators, it was little surprise that they had proliferated so dramatically. But compared to a magnificent conglomeration of many universes, it was like a drop of water in the ocean.

And yet the humans that made up that drop of water had ultimately become the rulers of all the other species in the Fifth Star Ring!

These nonhumans were really the progeny of the gods. That was where they had come from. But they had been forced into servitude, and after many generations had passed in the Fifth Star Ring, the blood of the gods in them had long since been sealed. As a result, there was a limit to how much they could grow, and they had to treat humans as their lords.

In other words, they had no choice but to walk the same path as the cultivators. Because of their blood being sealed, they could rise no higher than the Imperial Sovereign level. People who were not human could not become immortals!

The only exception… were individuals of strategic importance. Only then could the seals be removed, allowing them to fight and die for the Fifth Star Ring.

The end result was that the ascendees who had just come from the original homeland were like royalty to these nonhumans! Xu Qing was the lord of this universe, so when he came, all its servants would come to worship.

As the powerful experts prostrated, the immortal hall atop the asteroid began to shine with dazzling immortal light. All nine colors shimmered, creating a flowing sea of light that swept throughout the surrounding starry sky.

The starry sky trembled. All heads were bowed. The door of the immortal hall opened.

Xu Qing stepped out. At the same time, he absorbed the immortal slip that had just teleported him here. Of course, that slip didn’t just function as a teleportation device. More so… it was a symbol of the highest level of power in the Inksun Universe. It created a resonance with the immortal hall, with the starry sky, with all the countless star domains, and with the entire universe.

The countless nonhuman cultivators all bowed lower.

“Greetings, Your Majesty!”

“Greetings, Your Majesty!”

“Greetings, Your Majesty!”

A chorus of voices swept out into the starry sky with mountain-toppling, sea-draining force. The momentum of the combined voices grew more and more intense.

Xu Qing looked around with a calm expression. As he stood at the door of the hall, he closed his eyes. After arriving, opening the door of the immortal hall, and absorbing the immortal slip, he became recognized as the lord of the Inksun Universe. After that, the entire universe existed in his mind.

And thus, he sent his thoughts out like an unstoppable wave through all the star domains, galaxies, and planets. The entire place was full of strong immortal energy. Some of that immortal energy was emanating from the planets. Surprisingly, some of it… existed in the living beings, and came from their life force. This was what it meant to use a universe to nurture a chosen!

Xu Qing opened his eyes. He retracted his divine will, and then over a thousand of the nonhumans flew up to the immortal hall and lined up to speak respectfully to him.

“Your Majesty, the Inksun Universe contains 700,000,000,000,000 galaxies. Every galaxy contains….”

“Your Majesty, the total number of species in the Inksun Universe is….”

“Your Majesty, there are many resources in the Inksun Universe, but the most abundant are the black suns….”

“Your Majesty, there are a number of pocket realms and treasure lands in the Inksun Universe. Specifically….”

Xu Qing received a full report of everything in the Inksun Universe.

As he was listening, he suddenly turned his head to look off into the distance. Interrupting the report that was being given, he pointed and said, “There’s a cultivator right there. Who is it?”

He was pointing in the direction of the spot where the two fish horns connected at the fish’s head. By means of divine will, Xu Qing could see that there was an area of darkness there, a spot cut off from divine will that contained terrifying mightiness. Though it was cut off from senses, it seemed like there was an incomparably massive black sun there, emanating infinite black light and fire. Either that, or it was a black hole inside that could devour anything and everything. It was extremely unique.

But when he sent his divine will to examine it further, the stream of divine will vanished. What made it vanish wasn’t the strange heavenly body that resembled a black sun or a black hole. It was a figure hovering cross-legged next to the black hole. That person seemed to be emitting Quasi-Immortal cultivation base fluctuations, and was able easily crush Xu Qing’s divine will out of existence.

In response to Xu Qing’s question, the cultivators who had gathered outside the immortal hall exchanged awkward glances.

Then one of them spoke in a trembling voice. “Your Majesty, that area is the Inkland, which formed after this universe’s very first sun was extinguished. It’s also been named a restricted area by the immortal palace. We’re not allowed to even get close to it. As for the person guarding it….”

The cultivator hesitated. Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed.

Bowing his head, the cultivator continued, “It’s the exalted Kun Wu. Just like Your Majesty, he’s human. Before you came along, the exalted Kun Wu was the acting lord here. He’s the only one who has the right to practice cultivation in restricted areas.”[1]

“Acting lord?” Xu Qing’s gaze turned cold.

1. Kun Wu. Kun is not a common surname. It’s most commonly known as the Chinese character from Kun Lun. Wu is an obscure word that means, among other things, “I, my.” Kun Wu is actually a real person. Or maybe it’s a mythological person. Or maybe a clan. Even in Chinese, the information I could find about it wasn’t very clear. In any case, it’s an obscure name that sounds sort of mythical and ancient. Madam Deathblade said it’s a very unusual name that she had never heard of before (she’s not exactly interested in or versed in ancient/mythological stuff off the top of her head). ☜