Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 1197: You’re So BAD, You Naughty Little Boy

Time passed, slowly but surely.

A month of in-universe time passed in the Nineshores Heaven. That month was relevant to the universes in the Nineshores Heaven, not the star domains, star whirlpools, and galaxies. The reality was that in the massive Nineshores Heaven, the way time flowed in the endless universes changed depending on what civilizations and species were there, and how they recorded history.

In the end, that wasn’t important. Any given species in the Nineshores Heaven would usually have multiple ways of recording the passage of time. After all, they would have records of their own planet, but also records of the galaxy they were in. Some large species would have records of the star whirlpools, star domains, or even of the entire universe.

The month that passed for Xu Qing in the Inkland was different for the species that lived in the multitude of other locations. To them, it might have been dozens of years or even hundreds. More time would pass the smaller the galaxy was. It could also reflect incomplete or damaged natural and magical laws, or low levels of immortal energy.

The beings that lived amidst such slow passage of time would often be incomplete or damaged in some way. It could be their soul, or their bloodline, or their karma. Because of that, such species might not develop much even after the passage of hundreds of years. Things were always balanced out in some way.

Xu Qing got a clear sense of all that as he sat in the same spot as Kun Wu had occupied in the Inkland. He was also fishing. By means of his space-time canon, he had come to a much deeper understanding of his universe during the last month.

He had attempted to enter the black hole, but could only descend about 30 meters. After that, a terrifying power of rejection stopped him. He had eventually given up, sat down cross-legged and started using the fishing pole.

Although his divine will couldn’t go very far inside, and given how difficult it was to get the ringsource out, Xu Qing felt like he was sitting on top of a mountain of treasure, only for the treasure to be extremely difficult to take. That said, he could tell that practicing cultivation here would give faster results to his immortal embryo than anywhere else.

The ringsource doesn’t come out easily, but there are still bits and pieces to be had. At the same time… Kun Wu’s fishing method is worth studying.

He looked at the fishing pole. Over the last month, he had been imitating Kun Wu, only to fail to fish out any ringsource. However, he got the feeling that he was doing the right thing.

Perhaps not enough time has passed. Fishing does require patience….

He looked away from the fishing pole and at the black hole.

That old man from the immortal palace said the Inksun Universe is a strategic resource. There must be something special about it….

Xu Qing had originally assumed that the Inksun Universe was special because of the ringsource it contained. But during the fight the previous month, some of the things Kun Wu said had been very revealing.

First of all, he said that the universe had degraded, and was now considered ordinary. Second, Kun Wu had been unaware of Xu Qing’s ranking. It was possible that was because he had been so immersed in cultivation that he hadn’t been paying attention to news from the outside. But considering that he himself had been an ascendee, there was no way that he didn’t know that 1st place ascendees would be rewarded with universes that were strategic resources.

Based on the clues, Xu Qing had come up with a theory. Kun Wu didn’t think that the Inksun Universe was a strategic resource, not even considering the fact that it had ringsource. In other words, it hadn’t occurred to him that this universe would be given to the 1st place ascendee!

So, he didn’t truly understand this universe. But what exactly is it about the Inksun Universe that’s special?

Xu Qing looked at the Inkland black hole and something suddenly occurred to him. Maybe the answer is in the black hole! What if there’s something inside it other than ringsource…. Unfortunately, I can only go down 30 meters into it. Unless some Quasi-Immortal came along to help, I’m not going to have any luck.

Xu Qing kept on fishing as he planned out what he would do going forward. My short-term goal is to go to the Reception Universe in a year and get an assignment here in the Nineshores Heaven.

But my long-term goal is to gather lots of ringsource. With it, I can form my immortal embryo and become a Quasi-Immortal. After that, I need even more ringsource to complete my immortal embryo. Then, I can gain enlightenment of the tenth extreme and reach immortal ascension! And that’s when I can go back to Revered Ancient! I only have twenty years to work with…. I wonder if that’ll be enough time.

Xu Qing looked off into the distance. It hardly seems like it, but I’ve already been in the Fifth Star Ring for about ten years.

Revered Ancient was a very long way away. In fact, Xu Qing didn’t even know how far away it was. But he felt like he could sense where it was. Regardless of anything, when the time comes, I’ll go back. If I can reach immortal ascension beforehand, great. If not… at least I can lend some strength to the fight!One thing I need to do is fix my Sageheaven Pagoda. Maybe I can use my reward for that.

Having reached this point in his train of thought, Xu Qing cleared his mind and focused on the ringsource. Ringsource was the key to improving his cultivation base.

Actually, there’s another way to get ringsource….

Xu Qing’s narrowed eyes glittered with a mysterious light. And that’s gods…. Gods are in the majority in the higher star rings, and ringsource forms the basis of thēir life force. Thēir entire growth is based on gathering ringsource.

Because thēy are born in the higher star rings, it’s much easier for thēm to gather ringsource than it is for cultivators. Thēy are essentially collections of ringsource!

Devouring gods is that other way! The downside is that they aren’t pure, so devouring them is dangerous and can have side effects. But, it’s the fastest method. That’s especially true considering I have a god clone with me. In other words… I can probably get around some of the downsides.

All of a sudden, Xu Qing thought back to the god prison he had ended up in when he first arrived in the Fifth Star Ring.[1]

In that prison of gods, there were spell formations that would extract and purify thēir spirit energy. In that manner, it could be used for cultivation purposes by low-level cultivators. The more cultivators that were part of the process, the more spirit energy would be produced, in an endless cycle.

Once there was enough spirit energy, it would be converted into immortal energy. I bet that’s the same function served by the nonhumans in this universe. The nonhumans are used as nutrients for the path of the cultivators. Meanwhile, the further a cultivator gets along that path, and the longer they live, the stronger they get.

Xu Qing felt like he was experiencing sudden enlightenment.

But the god prisons in the four great planetary systems all contain low-level gods. But the high-level gods… must have special prisons of thēir own. And I bet those prisons are used to extract ringsource. If I pursue this path further, I need to find an opportunity to do some tests of my own. But right now, my most important focus is right in front of me. The Inkland!

Xu Qing looked down at the black hole in front of him. As for the ringsource in there….

Xu Qing looked hesitant, but he had an idea, so he closed his eyes to think.

When he opened them again, they shone with determination. Waving his left hand, he produced a green bottle. Within it was a fist-sized clump of clay. It was crimson.

This was the gift that Sir Vilespirit had given him recently. It was god clay! Fifth Star Ring cultivators had different ways of controlling gods, and in this one, they formed the clay into the image of a god that they could control. The blood-red clay floated out in front of Xu Qing, and then he used his divine will to change its shape.

Slowly but surely, he molded it into the shape of a fox!

Having accomplished that, he said, “Get out here!”

A very sweet voice replied to him. “Hmph! You rogue! You used to call me High God! What happened to that, huh? Well, it doesn’t matter what you call me. You always refused to give me your primal yang, and now you want to control me? You really are a rogue! I’ve done so much for you! Hmph!”

“I said get out here.” Xu Qing’s expression remained the same as ever as he flicked his sleeve, causing a medicinal pill bottle to fly out. Within it was a drop of blood!

When it appeared, the starry sky trembled, and the void roared as if with thunder. The surroundings rippled and distorted, and everything blurred. This was the blood of the God Lord whose authority was so similar to Starfire’s.

Starfire gasped excitedly.

“Gods are outlawed in the Fifth Star Ring,” Xu Qing said. “Since you’re only in the Godfire level, you don’t attract much notice. But if you absorb this blood and become an Altar God… well, I don’t know what would happen. They could very well clamp down on you instantly. Even though you got an identity in the Aurora Immortal Palace to serve as your foundation, I don’t know if that’s enough to earn you approval.

“Therefore, I shaped this god clay to look like you, so I can control you. That way, if anything unexpected happens, I’ll have an explanation ready to go. That will ensure that your breakthrough is as safe as possible. Sorry for the trouble.”

Starfire was clearly moved, but still let loose a cold snort. “Call me big sis. Then I’ll obey.”

Xu Qing thought for a moment. Starfire had been keeping him company for a long time, and had helped a lot in the Aurora Immortal Palace…. After a long moment, he sighed. “Fine, Big Sis.”

Starfire was clearly pleased, as shē laughed coquettishly. Then shē became manifest. Starlight streamed out toward the clay fox floating in front of Xu Qing. The light merged into the fox.

The clay fox was an inanimate object, but an instant later, it came to life. It filled with color, then transformed into a bewitchingly charming young woman. The woman walked toward Xu Qing.

There were few other words that could describe hēr other than: perfect. Hēr skin was so fair it was almost translucent, and hēr curvaceous body was so attractive that anyone who looked at hēr would be overwhelmed with the desire to be with

Upon nearing, her lovely lips parted, and she flirtatiously said, “You’re so bad, you naughty little boy…. First you rub your hands all over me, and then you don’t even give me clothes to wear?”

1. Xu Qing first saw the “prison of gods” in chapter 1093. ☜