Beyond the Timescape [Wuxiaworld]

It was only one word, but in the blink of an eye, it became an order that had to be followed. Gentleness descended. The tsunami waves died down, leading to absolute calm. The whirlpools disappeared without a trace, somehow suppressed by some mysterious power.

That specific word, ‘calm,’ referred to the sea becoming calm! As of this moment, the breeze went still, and everything became completely placid!

On the dharmaship, the two deputy directors shivered as they looked up. What they saw, high in the sky, was a trio of dazzling figures approaching.

All of them had seen Huang Yan before. As for the rather ordinary-looking person next to Huang Yan, they had seen depictions of him before, but couldn’t quite place who he was. But the moment they saw the violet figure in the lead, their hearts burst with excitement.

“Fourth Highness!”

‘Fourth Highness’ was the special form of address that Seventh Peak disciples used for Xu Qing. The moment the two deputy directors spoke, the young man with the black hair, whose cold eyes were uncharacteristically emotional in this moment, dropped to his knees to kowtow.

“Mute?” Xu Qing said gently as he looked at the young man with black hair.

The young man’s emotions surged with more intensity. He looked up. “Mil... Milord....”

The rumors about him were true. After joining Seven Blood Eyes, he hadn’t felt much sense of belonging in the sect. However... he felt completely differently when it came to Xu Qing.

Originally, he was scared of Xu Qing. Then Xu Qing saved him, and later on, pointed out a path for him to follow. And when he experienced difficulty in Foundation Establishment, it was Xu Qing who brought him back from the brink of disaster.[1]

Xu Qing had always been like a lamp for him to follow. He had always been trying to walk in Xu Qing’s footprints and prove his loyalty. That was because he had been raised by wild dogs, and had developed that type of personality.

Xu Qing’s eyes were soft as he studied the Mute. Then he said, “Your cultivation base is doing well. You’ve been working hard these past years.”

To the Mute, such words were the highest praise possible, and they filled him with excitement.

“Thank you for helping me find the dragon chariot,” Xu Qing continued. “Just wait here for me.” He looked away from the Mute and dropped down into the sea.

He soon appeared on the seafloor, right in front of the giant and the dragon chariot. The giant continued walking, the chains slung over his shoulder taut as they dragged the chariot along the seafloor, leaving huge gulleys behind.

We meet again. Xu Qing’s eyes shone with anticipation, yet he didn’t take action immediately. Instead, he followed along and waited for the right moment. When day departed and night arrived, darkness spread. The night passed. When dawn was about to break....

Now’s the time!

Xu Qing waved his right hand, and the severed hand of the musician appeared in front of him. As the hand’s fingers danced, Natural Sounds Welcome the Moon drifted out across the seafloor. The giant stopped in place and turned its head, its vacant eye sockets seemingly looking at the hand. And it was apparently listening.

Without any hesitation, Xu Qing burst into motion. Whether it was his past experiences or his recent analyses, he was confident in achieving his aim here. Moving at top speed, he shot past the giant. He encountered no obstruction.

The giant let Xu Qing pass, as it was seemingly completely focused on Natural Sounds Welcome the Moon.

And thus, Xu Qing rapidly got closer and closer to the chariot. Years ago, he had only been able to stay in the chariot for a brief moment. On this, his return, he directly entered the dilapidated chariot and, without the slightest hesitation, sat down... on the chair within the chariot. The moment he sat, the chariot trembled, and the giant stirred as if to turn and look over its shoulder.

But then the golden crow manifested outside of Xu Qing, letting loose a piercing cry. It also sent a sea of flames out around the dragon chariot. Xu Qing simultaneously used the profound sun immortal light to bolster the golden crow. The golden crow radiated dazzling light.

From a distance, Xu Qing in the chariot no longer looked like a cultivator, but rather, like a sun! At the same time, he sent his god perception out, and unleashed his godsource to control the musician’s hand and make the song even more impassioned.

The giant shivered. Under the inspiration of Natural Sounds Welcome the Moon, it already seemed inclined to follow orders. But then the golden crow aura from the dragon chariot appeared, tapping into instincts that hadn’t stirred for countless years. Those two instincts erupted within the giant.

Xu Qing, who was paying very close attention, noticed that immediately, and his eyes burned. This was the moment he had been waiting for.

According to the mythological story, after the golden crow returned to the palace and listened to Natural Sounds Welcome the Moon, the moon would rise. The music would play through the night. When the music ceased, the moon would return to the palace, and the golden crow would sit in the chariot and rise over Revered Ancient.

And now, as the giant struggled instinctively, the light of dawn filled the outside world. And then the severed hand’s song reached its conclusion. The music vanished.

***

Up on the surface, Erniu reclined on the deck of the Mute’s dharmaship, humming a little tune. Huang Yan sat at the prow, yawning. The two deputy directors from the Violent Crimes Division were still feeling very excited as they sat to the side looking at Erniu and Huang Yan. The Mute was at the stern, looking down into the water.

The sky was pitch black.

Eventually, dawn broke, and light slowly filled the dome of heaven.... The light started out at the seafloor, and then broke through the surface like a host of innumerable blades, before shining into the sky.

Erniu stopped humming. Huang Yan’s eyes gleamed. And then an enormous giant burst out of the water, creating a massive wave as it shot upward. As it strode up, chains stretched out behind it.

Then, an even larger wave surged out as an extremely ancient bronze dragon chariot was pulled off the seafloor by the giant. After tens of thousands of years... it was again rising into the sky! Xu Qing sat in the chariot, surrounded by the manifestation of the golden crow, as well as an endless sea of flames and scintillating immortal light.

“Holy crap!” Erniu said, his eyes widening excitedly. He hadn’t been aware of Xu Qing’s plan, as Xu Qing hadn’t explained it to him. He had assumed Xu Qing wanted the chariot for cultivation purposes, and could never have guessed... that he would ride the chariot into the sky. Erniu inhaled sharply. “He’s reliving the myth?”

Huang Yan’s reaction was completely different. He had been aware of Xu Qing’s goal all along. And right now, his expression was very serious, the reason being that Xu Qing wasn’t the only thing he saw in the chariot.

He also saw... a blurry figure in front of Xu Qing, staring out at heaven and earth. That figure was a young man who looked simultaneously like a god and an emperor!

“Brilliant Heaven Godfolk. Crown Prince Golden Crow!”

Revered Ancient was being filled with light!

1. The Mute was introduced in chapter 106, which was when he was initially portrayed as being scared of Xu Qing. Xu Qing saved him in chapter 139. The “pointing out a path” part went over my head until Jeddrick reminded me about Xu Qing giving him advice in chapter 726 about his life flames. It was in chapter 308 that Xu Qing ‘rescued’ him during his Foundation Establishment crisis. ☜

Deathblade's Thoughts

This chapter was about 1000 characters shorter than normal.