1452 The Fifth Star Ring....
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Almost at the same time as the old man’s voice rang out, ripples of light suddenly appeared in the sky of this dim world of Suix.
It was gorgeous.
It was as though light had refracted on the surface of the water, forming waves that were reflected in the sky.
It was colorful and varied.
Not only that, but the swamp on the ground also underwent a mysterious change at this moment.
Thick fog seeped out of the void and filled the swamp in the blink of an eye, causing the surroundings to be hazy.
Xu Qing and the captain’s expressions changed. However, before they could make a move, an extremely loud sound, like the roar of a behemoth or a god, suddenly rang out from the sky.
Immediately after, a large river appeared out of thin air, churning and surging over with the waves of time.
In an instant, it roared past Xu Qing and Erniu.
Then, it disappeared like it was being swallowed by a black hole in a distant region a hundred thousand feet away.
It was as if the spot where Xu Qing and Erniu stood was just a necessary segment along the river’s path.
The river came from the sky, swept past them, and then vanished in the distance, flowing into another segment of the river of time.
Even more bizarre was that despite the river’s rapid current, it seemed to exist in a different space from Xu Qing and Erniu, its flow appearing like an illusion that intersected with them for some unknown reason.
“River of Time!”
Xu Qing recognized this river.
Wherever there was a passage of time, this river always existed. However, to reveal it required special authority or astounding power.
In Xu Qing’s experience, regardless of whether it was the Third Grandma in the Moon Offering Region or other gods who manipulated time, they mostly actively used their powers to reveal this river of time, and then utilized its power to retrieve moments from within it.
They were all using it.
However, the old man who seemed to be a cultivator from another world standing in front of them wasn’t like that.
At that moment, the old man stood in the River of Time and looked at the source of the river. He was waiting.
Waiting for the little thing he mentioned earlier…
It was as if the river of time held no secrets from him. He could calculate any segment of its flow and understand all causes and effects. Therefore, he could wait within time itself for the prey that was bound to appear.
This level had already surpassed the usage.
Xu Qing’s mind stirred with the flow of the river.
He thought of his comprehension when he obtained the sound authority.
Divine authority, primordial and chaotic, was an ancient force that existed in the world in a mysterious and profound way.
Grasping it was equivalent to obtaining the qualifications to use it, forming an imprint.
However, the qualification was only for usage.
Above it, there was an even higher level, which was control.
Xu Qing looked at the old man in front of him and recalled his comprehension.
The feeling the other party gave him right now… was exactly this!
Although the old man wasn’t a god, he had done something that even ordinary gods couldn’t do.
This was the limit Xu Qing could ‘see’.
However, Xu Qing understood that this was clearly not the other party’s limit.
As for where the limit was, according to different perceptions, it was naturally different.
Perhaps in the eyes of the vast majority of living beings, the word ‘strong’ could only be expressed in general terms.
Beside him, Erniu’s heart was also rumbling.
Just as the two of them were lost in their own thoughts, a golden light suddenly appeared in the long river of time.
This light sped through the river at a speed that was much faster than the flowing river. Wherever it passed, waves of time would collapse.
This scene caused Xu Qing’s heart to fluctuate intensely again.
“Its speed surpasses that of the river of time… Doesn’t this mean that the speed of this golden light surpasses time?!”
After arriving at the outer sea, everything he saw, heard, and experienced broke Xu Qing’s understanding of the world to a certain extent and broadened his horizons.
For example, at this moment, Xu Qing’s heart pounded intensely when he saw with his own eyes an existence whose speed could surpass time.
He wanted to see what that golden light was, but it was clearly impossible for him to do so with his current cultivation.
This lasted until… the golden light that was speeding through the river seemed to have discovered the old man standing there. After that, it suddenly stopped and stopped moving forward, revealing its true body.
The moment he saw it clearly, Xu Qing’s eyes widened. A strange glint also appeared in Erniu’s eyes.
It was a golden rat!
It was very similar to the golden rat Xu Qing and Erniu had seen in the liaoxuan cave back then. However, its aura was different. Moreover, the ancient aura emitted by this one in front of them was even denser.
However, they were certain that these two golden rats were from the same race!
This golden rat didn’t run on all fours but stood on two feet like a human. It held a straw shoe in its mouth and hugged it with both hands.
It was as though it was originally running and chewing at the same time, causing the straw shoe to be a little torn.
The instant it saw the old man, it was clearly frightened. Its body stopped and horror appeared in its eyes. Even its chewing stopped.
After that, the golden rat suddenly turned around and was about to flee by moving against the current.
The old man in the River of Time swept his gaze across the golden rat and a smile appeared on his face.
“Little thing, you stole my thing and escaped for so long, so why are you appearing before me?”
As the old man spoke, he grabbed at the River of Time.
With this grab, the golden rat immediately let out an anxious squeak. Golden light erupted from its entire body, dyeing the surrounding river water golden and increasing its speed.
It was about to disappear into the sky.
However, at the next instant, as the old man grabbed, the source of the river of time in the sky and the point of its disappearance 100,000 feet away were both severed.
The two points were directly sealed.
This caused time to not flow here!
It also sealed the golden rat’s path.
As for the part of the river in the middle, it was cut off and fell.
The golden rat trembled and was about to break through the void. However, in an instant, the river water that was intercepted here churned rapidly and transformed into a water beam that headed straight for the golden rat.
Ignoring its struggles, it tightened around its neck like a rope and dragged it toward the old man.
In the blink of an eye, it fell into the old man’s hand. He grabbed it and dangled it, swaying it back and forth.
Perhaps it was because the waterline formed by the river was too tight and the mighty power contained in it was too terrifying, the golden rat’s legs trembled and the squeaking sounds from its mouth stopped abruptly. It started foaming and its eyes rolled back.
The vitality in its body rapidly dissipated and the aura of death spread throughout its body.
It was motionless, as though it was dead.
Erniu blinked and suddenly spoke loudly to show off.
“Senior, this little thief is pretending to be dead! Hmph, 1 can tell at a glance, this little thing is too inexperienced!”
The old man smiled and glanced at the golden rat.
“Even the Fur Monster can see through your pretense. It’s obvious that it’s clumsy. If you want to continue, I can help you.”
The golden rat’s entire body trembled and it instantly opened its eyes before glaring fiercely at Erniu. After that, it hurriedly looked at the old man with a fawning expression.
It held the straw sandal with both hands and lifted it high, looking like it was returning it.
The old man took the straw sandal, glanced at the worn-out parts, then shook it a few times to shake off some remnants of straw, and finally threw it on the ground and put his foot into it.
He then shook his head.
“Useless thing, last time you stole my clothes, I sealed your ability to speak. Then you coveted these straw sandals of mine for tens of thousands of years. Finally, you managed to steal one, and you could only eat this much?”
“It’s also because your luck isn’t good enough.”
With that, he held the time rope that was around the golden rat’s neck and walked toward the sky.
As the golden rat swayed, it looked pitiful. When its gaze landed on the ground, it looked at Erniu again with an unfriendly expression, looking like it was holding a grudge.
Xu Qing didn’t bother with the golden rat. He looked at the old man’s departing back and hesitated. He had a question he wanted to ask.
As for Erniu, when he saw that the golden rat was actually glaring at him, he sneered inwardly and thought to himself that the old man was right. This was a thing with no luck. It couldn’t even eat a few mouthfuls of the straw sandal. If it were him, he would have stuffed it into his stomach.
Hence, he looked over disdainfully.
The golden rat became even angrier and started squeaking.
The old man laughed.
“There’s the aura of your descendant? Of course, otherwise, they wouldn’t have been swallowed by this Suix I captured to wait for you.”
“Alright, stop complaining. We should go home.”
As the old man spoke, he walked to the horizon and waved his right hand gently at the sky.
Immediately, the sky rumbled and an earth-shattering sound rang out. After that, with a cracking sound, the entire sky split open, revealing a huge rift…
Outside the rift, it was pitch-black but the aura of a foreign world gushed in.
It was above the surface of the sea!
The old man took a step forward and was about to walk out.
Xu Qing suddenly raised his head and bowed to the sky, speaking loudly.
“Senior, this junior has a question. If Senior is willing to clear it up, please answer.”
“Senior previously said that this is the Primordial Sea and that the world Senior Brother and I are in has a limited understanding of the Primordial Sea. Then… what is the Primordial Sea?”
“Why would my aura here be sensed by all the star rings?”
Xu Qing bowed and waited for an answer.
In the air, the old man turned and looked at Xu Qing.
“With the flesh and blood of Desolate as your body, you should have a vague understanding. Regardless of whether it’s yours or this old man’s, in this universe, there are thirty-six star rings.”
“Each star ring is vast and endless, containing many realms.”
“The Primordial Sea is mystical; wherever it exists, it’s both strategic and prosperous because it connects all star rings within the universe.”
“This is also the reason why your aura spread out after you arrived here.”
“However, you don’t have to worry. I’ve already helped you cover it up. Moreover, the Primordial Sea here is extremely special. It’s sealed now and there are only gaps. Even if outsiders enter, they won’t be able to stay for long.”
“After all, the space ring you’re in used to be famous.”
“Meeting is fate. If you can reach the Lower Immortal realm one day, you will have the most basic qualifications to pass through the Primordial Sea and leave this world. At that time, if you’re willing, you can come to the immortal capital of the fifth space ring to find me.”
“That place is a world dominated by humans and also a world of immortals.”
After the old man finished speaking, he turned and took a step toward the rift in the sky, disappearing..