Outside of Time

The sun had already set.

The Empress becoming a god was a monumental event involving many parties.

This included the Empress' own ritual in the human race, Crown Prince Purple Green's arrangements in the Sky Devouring Region, and the plans of the Sun, Moon, and Star gods for the future.

It also included the holy land's attitude.

It also included people who had traded with the Empress even though they hadn't descended.

For example, the woman in the wedding dress in the ghost cave.

The complexity of the process could be imagined.

Needless to say, among the many karma, there was also the fate of the Great Emperor.

In his life, the Sword Holding Great Emperor had killed countless gods and injured even more. Hence, after predicting that he was about to die, there were naturally many gods attracted by karma.

Hence, the already diverse situation became even more complicated.

Such a degree of change was rare in Wanggu!

It attracted the attention of the entire Wanggu!

However, even now, the legendary final strike of the Sword Holding Great Emperor still hadn't been used.

This sword strike seemed to hang above the heads of all parties. Many powerful races and many gods were therefore apprehensive; none of them were willing to become the unjust victim to bear the brunt of this sword.

Hence, even the powerful Jade Flowing Dust chose to retreat in the end.

He seemed to be stopped by the Immortal Inquisition Bell, but at the end of the day, what He was most afraid of was still the Sword Holding Great Emperor.

He didn't want to risk his life to probe!

However, if no one probed, then this ritual would be coming to an end, and it wouldn't be long before the Empress succeeded.

At that time, with the Empress, who had become a god at the peak of the Ruler Realm, and the five human emperor gods, it would be impossible to probe the Sword Holding Great Emperor.

At this moment, it depended on which side didn't want the Empress to become a god the most.

Hence…

In the human capital, when most of the commoners were anxiously gazing at the Empress in the sky, a soft sigh rang out from a bookstore on Nine Sieves Street in the eastern district. This bookstore had been operated by generations of the same family.

There were no customers in the store on this special day.

Only a few staff members sat beside the door and looked at the sky, whispering to each other.

Behind them, at the counter of the store, the owner, Zhao Youde, who was dressed in a yellow robe, closed the bamboo slip in front of him and looked up.

The sigh came from him.

Zhao Youde's appearance wasn't strange. His hair was already graying. The wind blew into the shop and landed on his body, causing his hair to sway like reeds in autumn.

Perhaps it was because he was old, although time had left wrinkles on his face, it also brought about a benevolent look.

His eyes weren't bright but they were a little deep. However, at this moment, there was a hint of helplessness.

"Is it worth the trouble?"

Zhao Youde was the 17th-generation owner of this bookstore. He lived here and resided in the backyard of the store.

Other than his wife's early death from illness, he didn't seem to have any regrets in his life. His parents were still alive and his children were filial. The business was also good.

As a mortal, such a life was enough.

He liked to read, especially classic books from ancient times.

Through reading and thinking, he seemed to be able to comprehend many philosophies of life. He often used these philosophies to guide his own actions and was even more eager to share this wisdom with those around him.

His neighbors also maintained a certain level of respect for him.

He also liked such a life.

However, today, he knew that… everything was about to end.

As he sighed, he walked out from behind the counter with his hands behind his back.

He looked at the bookstore longingly and shook his head as he walked toward the entrance.

When he passed by the threshold, the few staff sitting there looked at him in surprise.

"Boss, there are many people outside and it's very chaotic. You…"

Zhao Youde stopped in his tracks and looked at these staffs with a reminiscent expression.

"Buttface, you are starting to look more and more like your grandfather."

"And Little Grasshopper, you have to study more, understand?"

"You guys… have followed me for generations. I'll leave this store to the two of you."

These words left the two assistants stunned. They hurriedly stood up, about to say something, but in the next moment, their boss had already disappeared from the store.

On Nine Sieves Street, under the setting sun, Zhao Youde's figure walked out of nothingness and walked toward the Imperial City.

As he walked, he sighed.

"Is it worth the trouble…"

Zhao Youde sighed again. He liked the mortal world and the human race in this world. Over the countless years, he had run a bookstore here with different identities and interacted with the humans who came to the bookstore to buy books. He had also made many friends despite the age difference.

He had thought that his life would continue like this.

"Although the holy land is the past, there's no need to rebel… Sigh."

Amidst the sighs, in the backyard of his bookstore, his parents, his descendants, and all his family members, these people who usually looked alive.

At that moment, their bodies suddenly stiffened. After that, they sighed like him.

After that, all of their bodies turned blurry and dissipated, turning into specks of silver light that fused into the void. They appeared on Nine Sieves Street and fused into Zhao Youde's body.

His back slowly straightened.

His aged face gradually became younger.

A terrifying cultivation power was churning in his body. Foundation Building, Nascent Soul, Nihility, all the way to the Soul Accumulation… and then the Ruler!

It continued to rise and finally stopped at the half-step Peak Ruler Realm!

It was an incredibly powerful energy but not even a hint of it spread out.

His back view looked lonely under the afterglow of the setting sun.

He moved forward silently, recalling his life.

He was born in a holy land and had descended to Wanggu because of a mission.

This mission was to kill the Human Emperor Dao World!

After succeeding, he was unable to leave, so he hid in the human race for a very, very long time. During this period, he didn't make a move once.

He had been hiding.

This was because he was afraid of the Sword Holding Great Emperor.

Zhao Youde sighed again and took a step forward.

This step directly took him across the imperial city, the imperial palace, and stepped on the Ancient Sovereign Planet. His target… was the divine fire on the Ancient Sovereign Planet!

He didn't want to fight the Empress, nor did he want to personally probe the Sword Holding Great Emperor. He followed his faith and only wanted to… extinguish the divine fire.

He appeared silently.

There was no rumbling of heavenly lightning or waves. Just like how he had been hiding all this time, the moment he appeared, he raised his hand. The instant the Empress sensed him and everyone looked over, his hand landed on the divine fire and was about to extinguish it!

However, at this moment, a calm voice echoed around Zhao Youde.

"Shopkeeper Zhao, this fire can't be extinguished."

As the voice rang out, a slender figure appeared.

He wore a long purple robe and had long purple hair. His facial features were like the work of heavens, exquisitely detailed. His brows were long and strong, resembling the outline of distant mountains.

This was especially so for his eyes. They were wise and deep.

He was the State Preceptor!

Crown Prince Purple Green.

He appeared in front of Zhao Youde with his back facing the divine fire. However, even this fire couldn't hide his brilliance.

Amidst the flames, his entire person was like a resplendent star, shining in the Wanggu's sky.

The corners of his mouth curled up slightly with a faint smile that seemed to exist forever. As he spoke gently, he waved his right hand.

Zhao Youde's hand couldn't land.

The appearance of the State Preceptor caused many human cultivators to heave a sigh of relief.

Although the State Preceptor was mysterious and unfathomable, it was precisely because of this mysteriousness that he seemed to represent endless possibilities.

Xu Qing remained silent.

He wasn't surprised by the other party's arrival.

Hence, he calmly looked over.

He wanted to see Crown Prince Purple Green's true strength.

Noticing Xu Qing's gaze, Crown Prince Purple Green, who was facing Zhao Youde, also shifted his gaze away and looked at Xu Qing. His smile became even gentler.

"Brother, have you received the gift?"

Xu Qing was expressionless.

Crown Prince Purple Green smiled again and his gaze returned to Zhao Youde.

"I saw your time."

As soon as he said this, Zhao Youde's expression darkened.

As a half-step Peak Ruler, he was an overlord even in the holy land.

Among the humans in the Wanggu, other than the Empress and the Sword Holding Great Emperor, he wasn't afraid of anyone. It was only at this moment that he suddenly realized that his understanding of this person had always been blurry.

However, he never noticed it before.

"Since Brother wants to see it, I'll be more meticulous. Next, I'll cut off your time and make them independent."

Purple Green continued to speak. As his words echoed, the void around Zhao Youde suddenly distorted. His life and his past were actually out of his control. Just like images, they spread out with him as the center.

In the scenes, one could see the scenes of him killing Dao World, him concealing himself in the bookstore, creating his generations of family…

Just like that, his life in the Wanggu was unveiled to the world.

After that, just as his expression darkened, Crown Prince Purple Green's right hand fiddled with time. In the blink of an eye, countless Zhao Youde from the past in those scenes raised their heads abruptly.

From the past to the present.

After that, they all lifted their feet and took a step forward.

The world rumbled and the sky altered color. The aura of the Great Dao descended and the River of Time came from nothingness, spreading out in the world.

A dark glint appeared in Xu Qing's eyes. This wasn't the first time he had seen the River of Time. Back then, in the Moon Offering Region, Third Grandma, who was proficient with the Dao of time, had also drew the River of Time.

However, compared to the River of Time brought out by Crown Prince Purple Green, Third Grandma's was like a stream.

What appeared in the world was like the eternal heavenly river.

It saturated the imperial palace, covered the imperial city, and affected the large region.

The entire world that was visible to the naked eye was covered by the River of Time.

In this long river, countless Zhao Youde from the past jumped up like fish in the river.

From the past, they stepped into the present and emerged in the air.

The moment they appeared, they rushed toward Zhao Youde.

"Brother, did you see it clearly? Every one of these figures is the past of Shopkeeper Zhao. If they slaughter Shopkeeper Zhao, he won't exist anymore. If he doesn't exist now, the past will only be a dream."

"And if Shopkeeper Zhao kills them, it will be equivalent to killing his own past. Without his past, his present won't exist."

"Brother, if it was you, what would you do?"

Purple Green spoke gently.