Beyond the Timescape-Chapter 1118: We Don’t Have To Be Enemies

The Desert of Time was fundamentally a very old place. But the network of teleportation portals in the west was even older. The western region was a sprawling place. Without the teleportation portals, traveling within it would have been taxing even for top experts. Because of that, after the starry sky was converted into land, and the western region was compacted, the Immortal Capital ordered the Dao Immortal Sect to set up a system of 108 teleportation portals in various locations. That was why no clans or organizations in the west would dare to damage the ancient teleportation portals.

Xu Qing was currently looking at one of those 108 portals, which was made of 36 enormous stone gates that stood tall in the wilderness plain.

The complex magical symbols carved into the gates were dark. But when Yunmen Qianfan took out some pieces of immortal jade and fed them into the proper place, the symbols glowed and the portal powered up. Fluctuations began rolling, not outward, but into the portal!

The ground trembled as an ancient power seemed to wake up. It was almost as if the lands had opened their mouth to devour the world. Deep rumbling sounds then emanated from the portal. The sound wasn’t loud at first. But soon it became thunderous.

And then it mixed with a piercing sound coming from the horizon. The air pressure built up.

Xu Qing looked off toward the horizon. Someone was about to arrive at their destination.

Yunmen Qianfan didn’t seem to notice what was happening. She inserted the final piece of immortal jade, and the symbols flared with bright blue light. The light seemed to distort Xu Qing’s perceptions. Even the aurora overhead was affected, as it began to twist and ripple.... It was as if the area where the teleportation portal was located had become a depression in the land that dragged everything toward it. Anything in the area was being distorted in the same way. The five elements, space, time, and even light. None were exceptions. Nature itself was standing aside for this mysterious ceremony.

This portal surpassed any portal Xu Qing had seen in Revered Ancient. That said, when comparing it to the vortex in the Primeval Sea, it was a case of a minor magician pales into insignificance in the presence of a great one.

They work the same, though, Xu Qing thought. He was no amateur when it came to these things, as he already had a much deeper understanding of space and time than before. And right now, he could tell that this portal was emanating the power of both space and time. He was gradually able to see the substructure.

These so-called long-distance teleportations rely on the overlapping of space to shorten the distance to the destination. It’s like putting two holes in a piece of paper and then folding the paper so the holes touch. In that manner, it’s a simple thing to cross through the holes.

If I have sufficient enlightenment of space and time, then doesn’t it mean that I could easily teleport anywhere in this heaven and earth. In fact... I could go anywhere in the planetary system or the star ring.

Unfortunately, because of the development on the horizon, Xu Qing wasn’t able to spend more time contemplating the subject.

Even Yunmen Qianfan, who had been preparing the enchantment to activate the teleportation, now noticed that something was going on. She looked over at the horizon.

Though even the aurora was distorted because of the teleportation portal, there was a rift being opened up in the air that tore through the distortions. A crashing sound filled the area as a figure stepped out from the rift. The arrival of this person caused wild colors to flash in heaven and earth. Great winds blew. The terrifying might of a mid Imperial Sovereign spread out, weighing down with mountain-toppling, sea-draining force.

An old man appeared, his robe black, his hair a cascade of white. He looked ancient and withered, with a face lined with deep wrinkles. His eyes were sunken like two black holes, and his gaze was icy cold. Hovering in the air, he glared at Xu Qing.

“P-Patr... Patriarch Diling...” Yunmen Qianfan said, her voice trembled as she cowered behind Xu Qing.

Xu Qing looked up at the patriarch, his expression the same as ever.

When their gazes locked, the air seemed to rip. A deafening rumbling exploded out, as if countless lightning bolts were crashing in the area. Pressure erupted from both of them. The two pressures slammed into each other destructively!

Xu Qing took a step back. Up above, the ends of Patriarch Diling’s sleeves crumbled into ashes. It didn’t seem that either was superior to the other.

“You’re not here to fight, are you?” Xu Qing said coolly, shaking his head. He had not previously fought any mid Imperial Sovereigns. In fact, before coming to the west, his own assessment had been that his battle prowess was sufficient to fight anyone under that level. However, after coming to the west and recovering from his injuries, he had come to a deeper understanding of his dao. Though he had not yet formed his eighth extreme, he had achieved enough success that his battle prowess had improved. And yet he didn’t get any sense that this person had the desire to do battle.

Patriarch Diling turned to look at the ice mountain on the other side of the desert. Then he looked at Xu Qing and spoke in a raspy voice.

“I already have the secret key. If you and I fight, one of us will die. But we have no animosity between the two of us. So what’s the point of fighting? The secret key has the capacity to be used by both of us. And therefore... I came here to see if you qualify to join me. We don’t have to be enemies. We can work together.”

Patriarch Diling looked closely at Xu Qing, then turned and stepped back into the rift. From beginning to end, he didn’t look at Yunmen Qianfan a single time.

Xu Qing thought about it for a moment. Unless there was absolutely no choice, he didn’t want to get in a life-or-death fight with someone that strong. Besides, this teleportation portal had given him a lot to think about. He looked back at the portal and continued his previous way of thinking. Right now, dao enlightenment was the most important thing for him.

I wonder if it’s really true that when I form the eighth extreme I’ll be able to teleport to anywhere in the star ring.

A moment later he shook his head. Not necessarily.

He thought back to what the ferry pilot had told him when they were crossing the God Blood River, and the fact that after you passed the Quasi-Immortal level, there was a special kind of power. It was the quintessence of dao lineaments of authority. It was called... canon!

He said that canon exists at a higher level, and because it envelops the thirty-six higher star rings, even the most powerful immortals in the lower star rings can’t compare. At the moment, I don’t have much of a sense of what canon is. But I have the feeling that after understanding space and time even more, I’ll eventually be able to sense its existence.

Meanwhile, Yunmen Qianfan was feeling very calm. She now knew that she really was safe. Taking a deep breath, she walked up to the teleportation and uttered the enchantment.

As her words drifted out into the surrounding plain, the ceremony to activate the teleportation portal reached a critical point. The light from the magical symbols was dazzling, and the distortions grew more intense. Next, all 36 stone gates rumbled simultaneously. Light shone up from them, converging into a glowing pillar that rose up into the clouds. It became a bright streak in the night, connecting heaven and earth.

Xu Qing and Yunmen Qianfan disappeared.

***

The next day....

Darkcloud City was different from most cities. It wasn’t constructed out in the open, but rather, inside a massive mountain. It was like a grotto-heaven.

There was a magical light source inside that operated cyclically to create day and night. The walls of the cave were made of dark stone, the uneven surface of which resembled clouds. Thanks to the light source, those clouds looked dark, which led to the name of the city.

For a certain distance around the city, the aurora was blocked off and out of sight. At the moment, the light source in Darkcloud City was giving off a rosy glow, indicating that it was evening.

The glow from Darkcloud City shone onto Xu Qing and Yunmen Qianfan. Xu Qing was walking at a normal pace, but Yunmen Qianfan had slowed down. It had been a long journey, and now... the end was in sight.

Xu Qing stopped walking. “The Yunmen Clan mission was to escort you here. Presumably your clan has arranged for what happens after you get to Darkcloud City. Therefore, this is where we part.”

Yunmen Qianfan was feeling somewhat emotional. The journey had been terrifying and wondrous, and she knew she should be happy to have reached her destination. Instead, she felt sad, and for some reason, didn’t want to part with Xu Qing.

“Senior, the Yunmen Clan hasn’t done much to prepare here in Darkcloud City. This place actually belongs to my mother’s clan.... Senior, is there any chance you’d like to be a vassal here? Or perhaps... well, if you don’t want to, that’s fine. But you could stay here if you’d like. I—”

Xu Qing interrupted with a shake of his head. “I have other matters to attend to.”

He turned to leave.

Yunmen Qianfan looked at him about to walk away and suddenly felt an immense sense of loss. Biting her lip, she hurried forward a few steps.

“Senior, thank you so much for escorting me on the journey. I don’t have much that I can repay you with. Senior, please, take this. I know my cultivation base is weak, and I can’t help you with battle prowess. But I made this jade slip with my life force. You can use it to perform a single divination. Hopefully you can find some use for it.”

She took a jade slip out of her garment and offered it to him.

He stopped and looked back at her. He looked at the jade slip. Nodding, he took it. Then he continued walking away.

Zither music played behind him. The sunset was like a dream. Wandering the jianghu, living a life full of joy and grief. It ended in a flagon of unfiltered rice wine.[1]

Once beyond the border of Darkcloud City, when the red light of the aurora hit him, Xu Qing took out a flagon. He took a drink. He walked on.

The song ended, and Yunmen Qianfan sighed.

1. Again, the description of the song matches the song in chapter 299. ☜