Beyond the Timescape

The desert wind blew down from the sky. It was almost as if there was a big hole in the dome of heaven, out of which would pour endless wind and sand to fill every nook and cranny of the desert. It was omnipresent, and reduced visibility to nothing but a blur. The wind sounded like the wail of countless mourners, piling together to create a howl of anguish. The souls of mortals wouldn’t be able to endure that sound for very long, and even cultivators would have a hard time, unless they were natives who were born and raised in the desert.

Xu Qing walked calmly through the desert, the hat on his head and the ancient artificial sun at his waist. The sand beneath his feet was soft, yet he walked atop it as if it were hard ground, without even leaving footprints behind him. He now had perfect control over every aspect of his strength. Normally, the wind would make it hard for anyone to walk around steadily, but it didn’t affect him at all.

A few days later, Xu Qing reached the border. Standing there, he looked over his shoulder at the desert behind him.

It’s been a year, but I hardly noticed the time passing....

The only person he’d informed of his departure was the Heir Apparent. He didn’t tell anyone else. As for Ling’er... he decided that, in order to make sure she wasn’t worrying about him constantly, it was better not to say anything.

Clay fox....

Thinking back to the previous encounter, he frowned slightly, then started walking, quickly moving across the border. His destination was that strange valley he’d passed through on his way to the Yin Sacrifice River.

Three days passed in a flash.

Late in the night of the third day, as Xu Qing sped through the canopy of heaven, he caught sight of a valley in the distance.

From above, it was a line running from east to west. As it reached the west, the terrain grew rough, and the lone valley became a host of smaller hills and valleys.

The truth was that no one really knew exactly how long the valley was. It stretched east into some dark mountains, going so far into their depths that it wasn’t possible to see where it ended. The valley didn’t really have a name, considering that the population in the area was so sparse. Not even the maps Xu Qing had dug up of the area listed any name for it.

The sky was currently as red as blood, making the valley seem like a ghastly trough of gore.

Staying on guard, Xu Qing dropped to the ground and walked into the valley. This was indeed the same place where they had rested back on that journey. Standing there, he looked around and then waited quietly. It was still and quiet except for the wind, which rustled the weeds on the ground and stirred Xu Qing’s hair. Coldness spread through him, creating an unhealthy yin sensation.

Xu Qing just stood there waiting quietly. Based on what he and the Captain knew, that clay fox had to be extraordinary. Therefore, there was no way Xu Qing could show up here without the clay fox noticing. And she had previously mentioned for him to come back and visit.

As it turned out, he was right. Before even waiting for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he heard the sound of drums and gongs off in the distance, as well as the music of a suona piercing through the night wind. The sound grew louder.

Xu Qing looked up and saw the mist swirling at the end of the valley as a group of figures approached. There were well over a hundred, and all of them were clay people. They carried a shrine made of stone, and as they played their music, the mist rolled across the ground with them. The entire area got colder, and the plants and leaves stood on end and writhed.

The moment Xu Qing’s gaze landed on the procession, the clay people cut through the air almost as if by teleportation to appear right in front of him. They stopped there. The moment they stopped moving, the drums, gongs, and suona music all stopped as well.

As the sinister wind blew, the clay people turned to look at Xu Qing. As for the dozen or so that carried the shrine, they squatted down and tilted the shrine in Xu Qing’s direction, as if to invite him inside.

Face completely expressionless, Xu Qing looked at the clay people and then the shrine. There was no fox inside, only a stone prayer mat.

Xu Qing got the message. The clay fox wanted him to get in the shrine. After a short moment of thought, he looked up into the sky briefly, then stepped into the shrine.

Everything inside the shrine was crafted from clay. However, it was beautifully decorated. There were also a host of designs on the sides. The designs were strange and unique. They depicted people from numerous species bowing in worship to a six-pointed star totem. There was something profoundly ancient about the totem, and also holy, as if it were a god.

Xu Qing examined the designs closely, eventually coming to focus on the one right in front of him. It was the six-pointed star itself, and he had just noticed that there was an image of a fox inside.

Xu Qing sat back quietly. He had already put some thought into how things would play out. As for the unexpected developments, if you can’t do anything about the situation, you might as well sit back and enjoy it. Therefore, Xu Qing just sat down cross-legged on the stone prayer mat and closed his eyes to wait.

The moment he sat, the shrine lurched downward. The dozens of clay people beneath it shivered. However, the shrine had unique properties; it flared with pink light, allowing the clay people to easily shoulder the shrine and stand up straight.

Xu Qing noted that thoughtfully. The music struck up again, and the clay people shifted directions and then raced into the depths of the valley with Xu Qing.

They pierced through the mist and fog, surrounded by jarring, metallic music. As Xu Qing looked outside, he could see the surroundings changing as they blurred by. Unfortunately, the shrine was moving so quickly he couldn’t really make out any details. Eventually, he saw suns, moons, stars, and heavenly bodies outside spinning wildly. He saw mountains and rivers rising and falling. He saw what seemed to be worlds interconnecting.

I’m definitely not in a valley!

Shortly after, he experienced a different sensation as the area outside the shrine turned pitch black. The wind vanished. All sound went away. He only felt pressure coming from outside.

Where am I?

Xu Qing looked more closely to confirm that he was right. As he looked out, a massive cave appeared. The place was huge, and scattered boulders and other rubble filled the place like ancient ruins. There was also an inescapable ancient feeling to the place.

Hovering in the air in the middle of the cave was a palace building. Strangely, the palace was hanging upside down. It was constructed from gruish materials, specifically, a mixture of bloody flesh and clay. There were also countless tentacles of the same material that stretched out from its surface and swayed back and forth. From a distance, it almost looked like a ball cactus.

The clay people stopped once they were inside the cave. They lowered the shrine onto the ground, and then prostrated in the direction of the hanging palace. After that, they didn’t move.

Xu Qing quietly walked out and took in his surroundings. As he did, the main gate of the palace slowly opened as if to welcome him.

Looking through the main gate, he could see that the interior of the palace had a starry sky as a ceiling, suns and moons as pillars, and a host of clay people standing in formation. The architectural configuration surpassed anything Xu Qing had ever seen in his entire life.

There was nothing enshrined in the palace other than a huge painting.

Of course, the painting was upside down because of the way that the palace was hanging, but Xu Qing could still see the painting clearly. It depicted a huge sea. Strangely, there was a whole host of fish of varying sizes flying in the sky. Meanwhile, in the water beneath the sky were innumerable birds flying through the water. It seemed like it was the reverse of what should be. The birds that should have been in the sky were now fish in the sea, while the fish had been transformed into birds. Of course, it was hard to say if it was a case of those two roles being reversed or whether it was the configuration of the painting itself that had changed their world.

Between the sea and the sky in the painting was a cross-legged statue. The statue was of a huge clay fox in a red robe, with makeup on her face. Opening her eyes in the painting, she looked out flirtatiously at Xu Qing.

Rising, she swayed forward, looking completely enchanting and seductive as she walked out of the painting.

The moment she stepped out, her appearance changed as she became a bewitchingly charming young woman. Her red robe became gauzy, partially revealing her soft, supple skin. The garment was so fine it seemed like the faintest breeze might cause it to slip down her shoulder. She had a very ample chest, and long legs as beautiful as jade. As she swayed forward, a tail flicked back and forth behind her, making her seem even more flirtatious. Her slender waist was barely visible through the red gauze, making her seem incredibly enticing. Her curvaceous form made her seem consummately beautiful, infinitely enchanting, and charming down to her core.

It only took a few steps for her to emerge into the palace hall, where she walked toward Xu Qing through the rubble.

There was something inherently stunning about the image. The surroundings included rubble, ruins, darkness, and a host of clay people prostrating on the ground.

And then a beautiful young woman walked through all that, becoming the only spot of brilliance therein. Step by step, she approached Xu Qing. Her fragrance swept over him, stirring his insides and becoming a wave of warmth that filled him like a stampede of wild animals.

Xu Qing felt himself breathing heavily. He had experienced this same thing before, except it was slightly different this time. Either way, he knew that it was because of the effects of personhood.

Definitely personhood!

Taking a deep breath, he backed up a few paces then clasped hands and said, “Well met, Senior.”

The clay fox stopped walking. Her hair and gauzy red robe danced in the breeze as she stood in front of him. Her limpid, phoenix-like eyes did not flicker with emotion. Instead, they raged like a volcano, making her seem like she burned from the inside as she looked at Xu Qing and licked her lips. When she spoke, her enticing voice echoed out in all directions.

“Long time no see, young sir.”

She stepped forward, her supple waist shifting in a way that would cause just about anyone to palpitate with eagerness. Seemingly drunk with infatuation, she stopped behind him and breathed, “Your smell makes me quiver with delight. I can hardly wait!”

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