Outside Of Time

1679  What Is a God

The scene on the journey back from the Dao Refinement Universe was merely a minor interlude for Xu Qing.

Since Star Ring had stepped in, Xu Qing didn't reveal himself.

Whether it was Qianjun and Piyi or Star Ring, in Xu Qing's eyes, they were nothing more than passersby.

At most, those two swords—when the time was right—he would simply take them away.

As for the three cultivators who had ill intentions toward Qianjun and Piyi, they did catch Xu Qing's attention.

Among these three people, two were sovereigns and one was a Quasi Immortal.

The greed and arrogance evident in their words and actions were unmistakable.

Xu Qing had never believed that those with profound cultivation were inherently noble in character. In this vast world filled with countless cultivators and strong individuals, personalities naturally varied.

People's actions and behavior followed this same diversity.

 There were those with a gloomy disposition, others who were transcendent and extraordinary, some like the Sword Holding Great Emperor with broad-minded magnanimity, and, of course, there were also those with dark, greedy, and malicious intent.

Even those who had reached the Quasi Immortal Realm were no exception.

After all, they were human, and human nature was vast and varied, never identical.

On the Fifth Star Ring, Quasi Immortals were numerous due to differing circumstances and environments.

 It was unlike the Wanggu, where its barrenness made even Rulers extremely rare, let alone Quasi Immortals.

The higher one climbed, the more peaks one would see.

The farther one traveled, the broader the landscape revealed itself.

This was only natural.

Ultimately, however, personality and character were closely tied to time and experience.

Unless they were beings who had lived for thousands or tens of thousands of years, enduring countless cycles of worldly joys and sorrows until they became numb, saw through it all, and returned to simplicity, they could not escape the hues painted by human nature.

Thus, Xu Qing wasn't surprised that these three, despite being powerful—one of them even a Quasi Immortal—would stoop to such acts of plunder.

What surprised him was the identities of these three people.

"Material Procurer… War…"

Xu Qing, who had left the ethereal ribbon, pondered.

The main point was war.

"Preparing supplies for war… Does that mean the Fifth Star Ring is at war?"

"With the other star rings?"

Xu Qing fell into deep thought.

Some matters couldn't be fully understood or viewed comprehensively until one reached a certain position. This truth was particularly evident in this situation.

Before this, Xu Qing didn't know that the Fifth Star Ring was at war.

However, now, from the discussions of those around him, he caught the scent of conflict.

"When the summoning from the Reception Universe arrives, everything should become clear."

With this thought in mind, Xu Qing crushed the immortal token from the Immortal Heroes Tomb. His body dissipated, vanishing as he was transported away.

At the next instant, the starry sky became blurry in Xu Qing's perception.

…

Immortal Heroes Tomb.

It wasn't just the Nine Shores Heaven.

In reality, every Heaven's Beyond had a similar place.

 These were the burial grounds for all the immortals who had fallen in battle throughout history within their respective Heaven's Beyond.

Some were laid to rest as whole corpses, but the vast majority consisted of mere remnants.

Some even existed only as memorial plaques created by descendants.

The Immortal Heroes Tomb of Nine Shores Heaven was located within the Immortal Heroes Starfield in the Immortal Ode Universe.

This place was completely isolated, accessible only through a single ancient bronze gate of immense proportions.

Outside the gate stood a black, weathered stone platform.

On it sat a black-robed elderly man.

Xu Qing's figure appeared outside the giant gate and under the stone platform amidst waves of void distortion.

He raised his head to look at the towering bronze gate, then shifted his gaze toward the elder.

There was a strong sense of death on this old man, as well as loneliness and bleakness.

The moment Xu Qing looked over, the Ordinance in his body actually fluctuated. It was as though it was being guided, allowing him to sense more information.

A peculiar feeling arose in Xu Qing's mind—the impression that this elder should no longer exist, yet somehow, he persisted.

The sensation was faint and fleeting, fading almost as quickly as it emerged.

Xu Qing's heart skipped a beat. He lowered his head and bowed.

After that, he walked past the stone platform and toward the giant gate, disappearing inside.

Only when Xu Qing's figure completely vanished did the elder slowly open his eyes.

"It's been some time since anyone has come."

"It's a good thing, though. Though fewer people come to pay their respects, the absence of visitors means there are no new dead."

"Everyone is doing well, still alive… still living well."

The elder raised a flask to his lips, took a swig of wine, and glanced back at the giant gate, his voice rough as he mumbled to himself.

"You all left so decisively, leaving only me to guard the tombs here…"

The old man sighed softly and reminisced.

In the giant gate, when the starry sky in front of Xu Qing turned from blurry to clear, he saw clusters of star systems.

Those were all tombs!

Every star system in the Immortal Heroes Starfield was a burial site.

Each one was marked by a massive stone tablet, upon which were engraved the lives of the buried—some filled with detailed accounts, others with only a few brief words.

The latter often reflected the feelings or thoughts of the deceased, used as epitaphs.

As for the overall number, there weren't many, only a hundred.

However, these were the resting places of immortals.

It represented that since ancient times, a hundred immortals of Nine Shores Heaven had died in battle.

Even though the length of its history could reach countless years, Xu Qing was still shocked when he entered the giant gate and saw these star systems and the towering stone tablets. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

It felt like ancient blessings, immortal even in death.

They had protected their homeland.

They had protected their descendants.

They fought bravely for the human race and for the star ring!

They gave their lives without hesitation, selflessly offering themselves.

Although he wasn't a native cultivator of the Fifth Star Ring, Xu Qing's mood inevitably became much heavier as he stood there.

He felt deep respect for the outstanding heroes here.

The stone tablets before his eyes transformed into enduring symbols of greatness in his heart.

A while later, Xu Qing moved forward silently. He walked past one star vortex after another and looked at the stone tablets.

"I cultivated for 9,000 years and came from the Great Immortal Mountain. I cultivated ethereal arts to achieve the immortal position. I was hailed as the Immortal Lord, slaying seven True Gods in my life—what joy!"

"I was a rogue cultivator, driven by an unyielding spirit to ascend to the immortal position. In the star ring war, I participated in the siege of a Lord God. Though I perished, I hold no regrets."

"Spirits ascend to gods, beasts attain sentience, and ghosts become monstrosities. But… what defines an immortal? To stand as a mountain for humanity, to shield our kind—being human is being immortal!"

"I lived too long, nearly losing my humanity. I couldn't kill True Gods, but I wished to leave a mark. This mission was my hunt. I sought to slaughter countless divine prodigies, striving to sever the lineage of the gods!"

"To future cultivators, do not come empty-handed to pay respects. I delight in god-blood—bring me god-blood as tribute!"

As Xu Qing's gaze swept over the stone tablets, the inscriptions seemed to take form.

Laughter echoed, tears welled, madness surged, and serenity lingered. These figures emerged vividly before him, their indomitable spirits forever engraved in the river of time.

Through this place, the stone tablets, and the epitaphs, the past, present, and future intertwined, forming an eternal mark of their legacy.

This allowed everyone who came here to sense it.

The green hills buried loyal bones, and history recorded their valor.

The spirit of heroes endured in the heavens and earth, and the names of martyrs echoed through eternity.

After some time, Xu Qing finished reading all the inscriptions. He sat cross-legged in the center of the area, gazed at the surrounding stone tablets, and softly murmured:

"Seniors, although this junior, Xu Qing, isn't a native cultivator of the Fifth Star Ring, I promise to uphold the ideals for which you sacrificed."

"If any of you were willing to entrust your relics to me, I promise to remain true to my convictions and your legacy."

Xu Qing took a deep breath and spoke solemnly.

The surroundings were completely silent. There were no ripples at all.

Xu Qing closed his eyes and calmed his breathing, attempting to comprehend it.

After a long time, he didn't gain anything.

Xu Qing frowned. After some thought, he decided not to comprehend anymore. Instead, his thoughts spread out and everything from the past gradually surfaced in his heart.

The hardships of his youth.

The bloodshed as he grew older.

The loathing he felt when he first encountered a god.

The fury when he faced another.

And finally, the complex emotions—tinged with a faint understanding—he experienced when the Empress ascended to godhood.

In the end, he seemed to have returned to heart inquisition.

A voice asked.

What was a god?

In the past, Xu Qing's answer was one sentence.

Now that he thought of the answer again, Xu Qing fell silent. He thought of the Empress and calmly spoke after a long time.

"The vast majority of gods are sons of b*tches!"

"However, among them, there are some who are still humans!"

All the stone tablets shook in unison.