Outside of Time

Blood flowed out of the corners of his mouth.

This was the first time Xu Qing was injured in the past five months!

"The might of a Ruler!"

A hint of surprise appeared in Xu Qing's eyes.

His goal in coming to the Forbidden Sea was to temper himself. However, the defense of his physical body was too strong, making his journey seem smooth but leaving him unsatisfied.

This mysterious bubble caused Xu Qing's emotions to fluctuate for the first time in five months.

Hence, he observed the heavenly vine and confirmed that his actions wouldn't affect the other party. Moreover, it looked like the heavenly vine's inheritance process would take a while to complete.

Xu Qing made a decision. He took out a feather of the Flame Phoenix and transmitted his divine sense, telling Huang Yan that he wouldn't be returning for the time being and would be cultivating at the bottom of the sea.

Although Huang Yan had received Old Master Seventh's request to protect Xu Qing, this was the inner sea and there wasn't much danger. Moreover, with Xu Qing's current combat strength, he didn't really need a Dao protector.

Hence, Huang Yan thought it over and agreed. In the following days, he stayed by his senior sister's side.

Thus, time passed, and three months quickly went by.

During these three months, Xu Qing simply stayed in this trench.

Every day, other than cultivating the immortal light, he would head out to hunt sea beasts. After his warm-up ended, he would circulate his qi and blood and make use of the repulsion from the mysterious bubble to temper his body.

Although he was injured many times, these injuries recovered very quickly. The effects of this tempering were also astonishing.

Xu Qing could sense that his control over this body was even more exquisite than before.

Moreover, the repulsive force of this bubble was controllable as it changed based on how many steps he took.

As such, to the current Xu Qing, it could be said to be the best whetstone.

As for the outside world, the Seven Blood Eyes' competition had long ended. Huang Yan also accompanied his senior sister back to the Nanhuang Continent. Occasionally, he would use the feather to communicate with Xu Qing. Knowing that Xu Qing was fine, he felt even more at ease.

As for the heavenly vine's inheritance, it gradually came to an end during these three months.

On this day, Xu Qing was tempering his body in front of the mysterious bubble. He took a few steps and was about to continue. However, at the next instant, he sensed something and looked at the broken pagoda in the bubble.

The withered vines there actually turned into ashes and dissipated.

It meant that Xu Qing's heavenly vine had absorbed them.

It surrounded the broken pagoda as though it had just woken up from a deep sleep. After a while, it moved and flew out of the broken pagoda, breaking through the bubble and heading straight for Xu Qing.

It circled around Xu Qing and gently rubbed him. The emotions it emitted were filled with sorrow, as though its close ones had passed away.

Xu Qing patted it gently. He had experienced such emotions before.

"Can you take me in?"

A long time later, after the heavenly vine's emotions stabilized, Xu Qing transmitted his divine sense.

When the heavenly vine heard this, it immediately responded with confirmation.

Xu Qing nodded and released Little Shadow.

"You keep watch outside and pay attention to the changes in the outside world."

Little Shadow perceived aggrieved. It felt that ever since that damn vine appeared, its status had lowered.

It had finally surpassed the Diamond Sect's ancestor but a new pet had descended from out of nowhere.

In fact, it, which had gradually perfected its intelligence, even thought of the Diamond Sect's ancestor back then. Did he feel the same way?

Xu Qing didn't bother with Little Shadow's emotions. He gestured to the heavenly vine.

The heavenly vine coiled around Xu Qing's entire body and brought Xu Qing straight to the bubble.

It was different from when Xu Qing barged in. This time, the mysterious bubble didn't reject him at all and allowed the heavenly vine to bring Xu Qing in.

This was the initial time Xu Qing had stepped into this mysterious bubble.

"There are no anomalous substances. The aura here…"

In this mysterious bubble, Xu Qing immediately sensed that this place was different from the outside world.

"It's not spiritual energy but a sense of the starry sky."

After Xu Qing used his perception, his gaze landed on the broken pagoda. He took a step forward and appeared in front of the pagoda's gate.

He gently pushed.

The gate of the broken pagoda silently opened. As the gate opened, an ancient aura spread out, as though it had transformed from time into mottled light.

There were three crystal coffins in the pagoda.

The corpses in the coffins weren't humans. They had tails and dull horns on their skulls.

As for the exact appearance, it could longer be seen clearly. Only bones were left.

Obviously, even the most powerful force, in front of time, seemed to wither gradually.

Other than that, there was also a high platform in the center with a black jade the size of a human head embedded on it. It was filled with cracks.

On the surrounding pagoda walls, there were pictures of the starry sky.

It was like a map of the sky. There was nothing else.

Looking at these and recalling the withered heavenly vine from before, Xu Qing guessed that this pagoda should be a flying magic artifact that could cross the starry sky.

Due to some accidents, it landed in the Wanggu's Forbidden Sea.

As for how ancient it was, Xu Qing judged from the remnants of time here that it might have appeared before the Ancient Sovereign Mystic Nether.

In other words, it had arrived before the fragmented-face descended.

"Moreover, there's a high chance that there are still survivors!"

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes.

Otherwise, this place wouldn't be so clean. Although the arrangement of these three coffins might have been completed before they died, it was more like the result of someone settling them properly.

"If my judgment is correct, then the survivor left the Forbidden Sea after burying his companions."

He lacked details and couldn't accurately pinpoint the precise era, so he couldn't tell where the survivor had left afterwards.