Outside of Time

The world is quiet.

In front of the bright moon in the sky, a few wisps of clouds and mist drifted past, and the ethereal meaning was born with the movement of the mist.

The moonlight on the long street was spreading purple, and its source was Xu Qing. At this moment, he stopped and turned around to stare at the butterfly behind him.

Xia Xian Palace.

Xu Qing heard about this organization more than once. The earliest time was when Princess Anhai mentioned it on the way to the imperial capital.

It has been said that this palace does not only exist in the human race, but also in many ethnic groups in the entire Wanggu Continent.

The ancient history of this palace can be traced back to the beginning of Wanggu's establishment.

Even the ninety-nine ancient heavenly gods in Wanggu Continent were raised by the founders of this palace. It was they who set the rules for this world and drew the boundaries for the gods.

And they come from a place called thick soil, which is the lower realm.

Xu Qing's eyes were deep, and after a long time, he slowly spoke.

"The Xia Immortal Palace of the human race produces a disciple every thousand years to walk outside. So, in this generation, is it you?"

The butterfly's wings flapped, and bright starlight fell from it like dust, then disappeared into nothingness, and the crisp sound echoed.

"I won't tell you. If you want to know, you..."

Xu Qing's face was expressionless, and the soul threads in his body rushed out and poured into the butterfly's body.

With a bang, the butterfly collapsed and quickly formed again, but was destroyed by the soul thread in the blink of an eye.

After repeating the process dozens of times, Xu Qing stopped.

The butterfly formed again, and the patterns on its wings were like eyes, seeming to glare, and then a helpless sound came out.

"You haven't calmed down yet. You've gone too far. Don't do anything!"

"Can't I answer your question? I also want to walk outside, but... the palace master said that my ability is not enough. Alas, it makes sense. Even you can't beat me..."

The voice inside the butterfly sighed.

"So are you going or not? If you don't go, I will follow you all the time. There is no other way. The palace master asked me to invite you. If I don't complete it, it won't work."

"Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you. And haven't you noticed? Until now, the formation has not moved and no one has arrived... You know the reason."

"Because, I represent Xia Xiangong, and Xia Xiangong... in any ethnic group, does not participate in the secular world. We are just recorders of history. We are not enemies of others."

"Although I don't know why the palace wants to invite you."

"Are you going or not?"

Xu Qing was very annoyed when he heard this. He found that after turning into a butterfly, this mysterious woman seemed to have become a talkative person, talking endlessly one after another.

However, Xu Qing is very interested in Xia Xiangong.

In the imperial capital, there were many concerns, and Xu Qing was not worried about the fatal danger of going to Xia Xiangong.

So after pondering, he lowered his head and glanced at the ancient sun tied around his waist, feeling even more comforted in his heart.

"lead the way!"

Xu Qing spoke calmly.

The butterfly cheered and flew forward, colorful and beautiful all the way, leaving a path of stars.

Xu Qing followed behind.

Traveling all the way, we arrived at the direct north of the imperial capital.

The size of the Imperial Capital is the inner ring of the Ancient Imperial Star, so it is very vast.

There are many kinds of landforms here, including mountains and plains.

Distributed in the imperial capital.

Compared with other directions, the northern area is slightly empty and there are fewer buildings. Especially at night, it gives people a sense of desolation.

Until a moment later, the butterfly paused in mid-air on a plain. The bright light combined with the moonlight illuminated the place quite clearly.

In the light, a temple loomed.

There are no other buildings around, and it stands alone on the ground.

The temple is very dilapidated and full of the feeling of passage of time, and the way it exists is also very strange, as if it is built between reality and illusion.

Xu Qing had passed by this location before, and he clearly remembered that there was no temple here.

"Same as asking about the fairy bell?"

Xu Qing was thoughtful.

"There is no need to guess. The Xia Immortal Palace of any ethnic group is like this. It exists and does not exist. When you want to look for it, you can't find it."

"Only if Xia Xiangong takes the initiative to invite me, will I let you see it."

The butterfly in mid-air, after the sound came out, swayed straight towards the temple and disappeared without a trace. As it left, the door of the temple slowly opened.

This door is mottled, and the feeling of time is more obvious. The meaning of vicissitudes spreads from inside and outside the entire temple. Looking at it, it seems to be seeing history.

Xu Qing closed his eyes, and the sundial in his body turned slowly. When he opened his eyes, he vaguely saw a long river of time flowing outside the temple.

This makes this temple even more mysterious.

After a while, Xu Qing took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and bowed outside the temple.

Then he walked towards the temple door and stepped directly into the temple without stopping.

The moment he walked in, Xu Qing's eyes caught the eye of a temple that was as shabby as its appearance.

This temple is ordinary, with the same layout as other temples. It is empty and very quiet, with only the sound of burning candles echoing slightly.

The source of the sound was the altar in front, where nine candles were placed. Three were extinguished and six were burning. The opening of the door caused the candles to sway, and the lights in the entire temple were slightly dim.

There are also three futons made of withered grass under the stage. There are signs of wear and tear on them, as if someone has been meditating and worshiping there all year round.

As for what this temple enshrines, it is not a statue of a god, but nine ancient paintings.

The ancient painting is blurry and cannot be seen clearly. I can only vaguely notice that it is a portrait painting.

In addition, the walls around the temple also have totem carvings, which give people a mottled feeling in the light of candlelight.

Xu Qing's eyes moved away from the altar and fell on the surrounding walls. After staring carefully, his heart moved.

That is the epitome of human history!

On the mural, Xu Qing saw the scene of Emperor Xuanzhan ascending the throne!

The description is very clear, and the grandeur and grandness are vividly expressed. After staring at it, you feel like you are immersed in it.

After a while, Xu Qing's eyes moved to other murals, and he saw another scene of the Emperor ascending the throne.

This emperor looks strange, but there are writings left on his side.

Dao Shi.

Xu Qing looked carefully and continued to walk forward. Wherever his eyes passed, he saw the Jingyun Human Emperor from before the Dao World!

Xu Qing paused in front of the carving of the Jingyun Emperor. He thought of Prince Zi Qing and knew that the Jingyun Emperor was from the same era as Zi Qing.

At that time, it was considered the prosperous age of the post-human race.

After a long time, Xu Qing continued to walk and saw the Shengtian Human Emperor and the Dongsheng Human Emperor who had accomplished such a great feat and destroyed half of the human race.

The scenes of the enthronement of these human emperors vary in their vastness. The most astonishing one is that of Dongsheng Human Emperor. In the scene, it can be seen that the king of heaven is standing tall, dominating many people, with great momentum and rich luck.

The human race at that time had a terrifying foundation, and the ancient emperor's remaining power was still there.

Going back to watch Xuan Zhan ascend the throne... the feeling of human race's decline is extremely obvious.

And this scene is like history turning into a river, flowing in front of Xu Qing, with the help of murals, reflecting the light of the human race after the ancient emperor Xuanyou left.

"So, what about the Ancient Emperor Xuanyou before Emperor Dongsheng..."

With waves rising in Xu Qing's heart, he continued walking around the wall of the temple, until a scene that surpassed all future human emperors appeared in Xu Qing's eyes.

He saw... the ascension of Ancient Emperor Xuanyou to the throne.

The ancient emperor's star shines with brilliance and auspiciousness, the sky and the earth are eclipsed, and the ninety-nine ancient gods of heaven appear, bowing their heads to the palace.

On the vast palace, stood a person who surpassed the power of God.

Under this person, countless emperors from all ethnic groups in Wanggu Continent are worshiping him with extremely respectful expressions.

One person suppresses Wang Gu.

One person, sweeping across the world.

"Xuanyou Ancient Emperor!"

Xu Qing stared for a long time before slowly looking away. After calming down, he walked forward, wanting to see the human race before Xuanyou.

Before Xuanyou, the human race also had emperors. Their reigns varied, some were long, some were short, and their aura was the same.

Thirty-one years later, Xu Qing saw a scene as grand as the ceremony of the Ancient Emperor Xuanyou.

That... is also the ancient emperor.

Xuanyou was not the first ancient emperor of the human race who united in looking at the past. The ancient emperor before him was named Exiled Immortal!

This person is a queen.

Unparalleled in splendor, attracting everyone's attention, with colorful wings stretching across the sky.

Xu Qing's heart was in turmoil. This was history that he had never known before, so he looked more carefully. It wasn't until a long while that he left. After that, more than fifty human emperors...

And at the end of the temple mural, Xu Qing finally saw... the first ancient emperor of the human race.

That was a young man. He was standing in front of the ancient palace. He was not wearing an imperial robe, but a Taoist robe.

He did not look at the worshiping tribes below, but raised his head as if staring at the stars.

His expression was a little melancholy, a little complicated, and a little longing.

The handwriting next to it contains four words.

Ancient Emperor Tianjing.

"The Ancient Emperor Tianjing is the first emperor of the human race and the first ancient emperor."

An elegant voice came from behind Xu Qing at this moment.

Xu Qing turned his head when he heard the sound and looked in the direction of the altar. On the futon in the middle, there was a female figure with her back to Xu Qing.

White plain clothes, long black hair, illuminated by candlelight, like a gray old painting appeared in front of Xu Qing's eyes.

The people in the painting seem to exist in time, and appear in Xu Qing's eyes, making it difficult to tell whether they are ancient or present.

Its breath is like a spirit but not a god, like cultivation but not cultivation.

"Immortal..."

Within Xu Qing's body, the fingers of the god that had been sleeping for a long time began to tremble.

"I just took a nap, how could you... take me to see the fairy..."

The fingers of the god trembled, and he closed his eyes instinctively. He was ready to continue sleeping, and he would not be afraid when he fell asleep.

Xu Qing ignored the awakening god's fingers, but focused his eyes on Su Ying.

Ancient temple, plain shadow, quiet fire.

At this moment, butterflies appeared out of thin air around him, flying around, becoming embellishments, and finally landed on the woman's shoulders. The totems of their wings turned into eyes and looked at Xu Qing.

"Xu Qing, this is my master and the master of Xia Xian Palace."

Xu Qing bowed solemnly.

"I've met the palace master."

The ancient temple was quiet for a long time...

"You have the aura of Xia Xian on your body."

Su Ying's soft voice is like water drops falling on a bluestone slab, emitting an ethereal sound that echoes in the ancient temple, and the lingering sound lingers for a long time.