Outside Of Time
Chapter 1801: Behind the Scenes!

Chapter 1801: Behind the Scenes!

Editor: Atlas Studios

For an immortal, their Ordinance was their essence.

When their Ordinance collapsed, it was as if the character for "immortal¹" (仙) lost its "mountain" radical (山), leaving behind...

Only the "human" (人).

Such was the state of the Ancient Immortal now staggering across the sky.

He gazed at his disintegrating palm, watching the causal patterns that had once granted him omnipotence flow like dying sunlight across his crumbling flesh—their final radiance containing countless luminous butterflies, each embodying fragments of his past causality and fate. Now, these butterflies struggled mid-flight, their essence dissipating.

Witnessing this, the Ancient Immortal smiled bitterly.

All vitality drained from him as decay reclaimed his form. The cracks on his face reopened, his substituted causality erupted anew, his silver hair curled and fell strand by strand!

Even his colossal immortal form behind him began destabilizing.

His aura—which had peaked moments ago—collapsed like a breached dam.

Foul-smelling streams of golden immortal blood sprayed uncontrollably from his mouth, vaporizing into crimson mist that dispersed across the heavens.

This scene ignited hope across Wanggu’s myriad races.

The Empress breathed rapidly. Old Master Seventh’s heart clenched. Zhou Zhengli and others’ eyes blazed with astonishment.

For such Ordinance-level confrontations—attacking an opponent’s foundational principles—were rarely seen among immortals unless mortal enemies.

Only Erniu licked his lips while watching the immortal showdown, muttering to himself:

"Isn’t this just verbal sparring? That’s my specialty! If this is how immortals fight, I’ll be invincible when I ascend!"

As Erniu fantasized, Xu Qing’s meaningful voice echoed from above:

"You still have one choice remaining."

The Ancient Immortal slowly turned, his weathered eyes filled with complex emotions. He didn’t look at Xu Qing, but at Wanggu below—

At this familiar-yet-alien world, its myriad races, its humans...

Finally, his gaze settled on Old Master Seventh.

Old Master Seventh remained silent.

Closing his eyes, the Ancient Immortal allowed cracks to spread across his colossal form. Just as fissures threatened to consume him completely—

His eyes snapped open with newfound resolve.

Silver immortal flames erupted from his core, flooding his body and pouring through the cracks into the void—

Transforming him into a miniature sun!

In his left fist, he clutched his dying immortal source.

In his right palm, he cradled 100,000 years’ accumulated causality.

Feeling both hands, he took a deep breath and, without further hesitation, fed his immortal source as kindling and his causality as fuel into the conflagration!

In that instant, the immortal source scattered, the causality vanished.

The silver flames from his immortal body surged violently, erupting from his form and rising endlessly toward the heavens, their force overwhelming.

As this happened, thunderous booms echoed between heaven and earth, carrying a sense of finality that surpassed ordinary thunder, shaking the world.

The sound resonated in the bloodlines of all living beings across the myriad races!

When the immortal flames finally reached Wanggu’s heavenly seals at the apex of the nine heavens, the entire sky was dyed silver.

Yet this silver carried a sickly pallor, as if mourning the Ancient Immortal’s final path.

For he was burning not just his immortal power, but also the merit earned when leading the Profound Earth to conquer Wanggu in ancient times!

These once-glorious achievements now became sacrificial offerings -

Trading the destruction of his Ordinance for the preservation of his life!

When the flames finally burned out, the silver light retreated into his body, filling the cracks and making him appear normal again - just an old man.

Only, no trace of immortal majesty remained about him.

As the flames dissipated, the first light of dawn pierced the thinning clouds in the distance, illuminating the old man’s tattered robes.

"Fallen from immortality at last."

"From now on... this old man has no connection to Wanggu..."

The Ancient Immortal murmured.

Then the light in his eyes focused once more as he looked at Xu Qing.

"Young one, I have granted your wish!"

"Now, I too have one wish!"

"That swordsman who left his mark in the sky all those years ago - his sword was extraordinary."

"You stood by his side then. Did you learn his sword?"

Xu Qing looked at the Ancient Immortal and nodded.

The light in the Ancient Immortal’s eyes grew brighter.

"Draw your sword!"

Xu Qing suddenly raised his right hand, pressing it lightly toward the earth below as his deep voice spread in all directions:

"The Sword Holding Great Emperor’s entire Dao was embodied in his sword."

"He created five moves in total."

"The first move is called... Earth Depository."

As he spoke, the land of the human race trembled. With the infusion of Xu Qing’s immortal will, the trembling grew until it swept across all of Wanggu, shaking the heavens.

Xu Qing’s voice echoed amidst the earth’s rumbling:

"Earth Depository stimulates the earth’s energy, using sword intent to replace earth intent, transforming earth energy into sword energy."

"After gathering, it will condense into an earth sword!"

As he spoke, the trembling of Wanggu’s land was like countless earth dragons erupting. Waves of terrestrial energy rose into the sky, rapidly converging...

Forming a colossal sword!

Its color was the yellow of earth, towering between heaven and earth!

But it did not descend.

"The second move is called Space Split!"

Xu Qing raised his right hand and pressed lightly toward the sky.

The heavens darkened at this moment, the void becoming indistinct.

A terrifying power seemed to descend from nowhere, enveloping all the void in Wanggu, drawing out all its intangible essence!

"This sword was created by the Emperor for the Ancient Sovereign’s conquest of the myriad races."

"It can shatter the void, and the traces of that shattering become sword marks."

"These sword marks are boundless and, when gathered together, they form the Space Split Sword!"

As Xu Qing’s words spread, the void suddenly collapsed.

Countless spatial fissures continuously appeared across Wanggu’s sky.

Dense and boundless.

These were both fissures and sword marks!

With a fierce clench of Xu Qing’s raised right hand, these innumerable sword marks converged from all directions, forming a second awe-inspiring sword before him!

Sword light spread, sword energy destroyed all in its path, sword intent suppressed heaven and earth.

Seeing these two swords, humanity was moved, especially the Empress, whose eyes revealed nostalgia.

The myriad races reacted similarly.

After all, the Sword Holding Great Emperor’s swordplay back then had bought Wanggu’s beings thirty years of time. Without that time, the cataclysm of Wanggu would have been impossible to alter in the slightest.

As for the Ancient Immortal, his expression held a trace of melancholy.

Though he knew that Sword Holding Great Emperor back then had used the threat of Desolate’s awakening, he had to admit - that sword... even now, remained extraordinary.

"Continue."

The Ancient Immortal spoke solemnly.

Xu Qing’s eyes held deep meaning as he waved his hand.

"The third move is called the Heavenly Palace."

"This technique focuses on killing, targeting only cultivators... which is why after the gods descended, the Emperor only used it once."

"The so-called Heavenly Palace draws from the Heavenly Palaces formed within every cultivator at the Golden Core level and above!"

Xu Qing spoke calmly, then suddenly lowered his raised right hand.

Every cultivator from the holy lands at Golden Core level and above, no matter where they were, felt their minds tremble at this moment.

The Heavenly Palaces within their bodies shook violently as if controlled, and from each palace condensed an ethereal sword that pierced through their bodies!

Gathering into a sea of swords that roared across heaven and earth, coming like a tsunami from all directions.

From afar, the sight was awe-inspiring. Finally, before Xu Qing, they condensed into a third world-shaking great sword!

"The fourth sword is called Starlight!"

As these words were spoken, the heavens trembled. Day instantly turned to night.

In the darkness, countless stars shone.

Innumerable beams of starlight transformed into streaks of sword light, becoming longswords that rained down from the starry sky onto the world.

Forming a fourth world-shaking sword!

The gods of Wanggu watched silently. The Ancient Immortal in the sky gazed intently.

The Empress’s body trembled slightly.

At this moment, amidst the starlight, within the radiance of the four great swords, Xu Qing’s figure blurred, and for an instant... in Her eyes, he seemed to become the Sword Holding Great Emperor.

"The final sword..."

Amidst the sword radiance, Xu Qing’s mind echoed with the Sword Holding Great Emperor’s voice from years past as he spoke softly:

"This sword was created by the Emperor to protect humanity, hence its name... Human Realm!"

The struggling human realm after Eastern Triumph’s defeat.

The striving human realm of the Holy Heaven era.

The reviving human realm under Mirror Cloud’s rule.

The unyielding human realm during Dao World’s reign.

The chaotic human realm during Mystic War’s 10,000 years reign.

The rising human realm after Empress Parting Summer!

"This is the human realm he protected. He is gone, but I remain."

Xu Qing said quietly.

Just like back then, during the Heart Inquisition where his answer gave off boundless light!

Awe-inspiring, it rose.

In the heavens, merging with the previous four swords, forming one true... Human Realm Sword!

It descended toward the Ancient Immortal...

The Ancient Immortal closed his eyes.

However, the sword abruptly veered past him, heading into the void behind!

The void rippled as a drop of golden river water unexpectedly manifested.

When the sword touched it, the water emitted a startling sound, then suddenly erupted, forming streams, forming expanses...

In moments, it had transformed into a mighty divine river that made Wanggu tremble and the starry sky ripple!

This river wasn’t physical, merely a projected illusion, but within it one could see countless stars, all living things, and lotuses blooming.

Upon those lotuses sat countless figures - nonhumans, humans, cultivators, gods...

And deep within the river’s waters, a cold golden eye slowly opened.

It was... the Venerable God Mother River from the northern reaches of the Ninth Star Ring!

"You’re the one I’ve been waiting for!"

In that instant, Xu Qing’s eyes finally released the peerless cold light they had been suppressing all this time!