Chapter 1116: The Floating World

22 Aug, 2024

Chapter 1116: The Floating World

The blue sand dune shone with countless resplendent lights, as if every grain of sand within it was a gem.

They converged together in an endless stream.

It was as if the huge waves of the sea had been frozen in the silent world.

The blazing heat from all directions spread out in the silence, causing everything to become even more hazy.

Only the sand scattered with resplendent light, like stars, but also like endless time interweaving here to create countless dreams.

It was like a dream.

Looking at it, one could see an illusory brilliance.

"Senior, this place is the Time Desert. After we cross this desert, we will be able to arrive at that Ancient Teleportation Formation."

"Through the teleportation portal, we can teleport to an area near Black Cloud City."

At the edge of the Time Desert, on the wooden boat in the air, Qian Fan of the Cloud Gate's eyes were filled with the figure of Xu Qing who was reading a book in front of him.

At this moment, she was kneeling at the side, peeling the skin of a fresh fruit for Xu Qing as she spoke.

To her, this journey was like the waves in the desert. Her heart was constantly pounding, and her thoughts were like a dream.

Every time he thought about it, he felt that it was incomparably wonderful.

He could kill the cultivators of the Seven Worlds with a single glance.

To be able to kill four Elders in a few breaths.

He could suppress Divine Spirit with a single hand.

These scenes allowed her to clearly see that this Senior Yan Xuanzi before her was definitely a Sovereign!

She'd seen other Sovereigns before, be it the patriarchs of her clan or the chosen of her clan, they were all Sovereigns.

In addition, she had seen a few Sovereigns from the other races from afar.

But all of them were high and mighty.

No one had ever been so close to her and accompanied her all the way.

This feeling of being protected in the face of all dangers was a rare experience in her life, and it was deeply engraved in her soul.

At the same time, in the past few days, she would occasionally take the opportunity to ask Xu Qing questions about her cultivation while he was drinking. Xu Qing was not stingy with his guidance.

These pointers had benefited her greatly. Many of the questions she had regarding her cultivation path had also been resolved in these few days.

In fact, in her opinion, there were many problems that this senior before her could see through even more than her own Patriarch.

As for why a Sovereign Realm cultivator would become a guest elder of her clan and hide his cultivation, she didn't want to think about it, nor did she care.

After all, the clan was already in such a state. Everything had nothing to do with him anymore.

"Senior Yan Xuanzi must have his own difficulties and secrets that he doesn't want outsiders to know."

Qian Fan of the Cloud Gate thought to himself. Then, he picked up another immortal fruit and continued to peel it. At the same time, he noticed that Xu Qing's wine jug was almost empty, so he skillfully replaced it.

There were many items in her storage bag. Food and drinks were only a part of it, but it was still quite abundant.

Naturally, this was not a result of divination. Instead, after she made her choice, she had precisely positioned herself to be an all-rounded maid. She would do her best to make Xu Qing comfortable on the journey and increase her chances of survival.

Xu Qing didn't care about her thoughts.

However, it had to be said that Qian Fan from the Cloud Gate had indeed done an outstanding job as a maid.

Moreover, this woman was very smart. Especially when she took the initiative to inform him at the beginning and undid the seal of the spatial soil in advance. She was very decisive.

Therefore, Xu Qing was willing to fulfill his promise.

At this moment, he picked up the wine flask and took a sip. His gaze also fell on the desert in front of him.

He looked at the resplendent, looked at the hazy, looked at the countless years here.

Nearby, the desert was like a painting, as if the heavens were writing down the laws.

In the distance, the silhouettes of sand dunes were blurry, as if they were hiding ancient secrets.

Other than that, there were very few plants in the desert. Occasionally, there would be a few, and their leaves would degenerate into needle-like shapes. This kind of change was to reduce the evaporation of water and slow down the loss of life.

The tenacity of life was reflected here.

Everything was like this.

It was the same for all living beings.

In the sky, a few eagles were soaring. Their figures were particularly eye-catching under the illumination of the aurora.

The silence of the desert was also broken by the eagle cry that came from the sky. However, it was not abrupt. Instead, it added a sense of mystery and desolation.

"Why is this place called Time?"

As the wooden boat flew into the desert, Xu Qing spoke slowly.

Qian Fan of the Cloud Gate, who knew everything along the way, hesitated at this moment.

After a long while, she said in a low voice, somewhat uneasy.

"Senior, the reason behind this desert's name is not recorded in any ancient books. It is passed down by word of mouth by the people who live in this desert."

"So why they called it that, I don't even know."

Xu Qing nodded. He glanced at Qian Fan from the Cloud Gate and spoke softly.

"The places you've chosen along the way are all very interesting. For example, the Celestial Water Lake and this desert of time. How many places with special names or ancient legends do you know?"

When Qian Fan heard this, he quickly took out a bamboo scroll from his storage bag and respectfully placed it in front of Xu Qing.

"Senior, it's all here. I usually like to record stories of different landforms and environments, so I've always been collecting them."

"Apart from some places within the clan's sphere of influence, which I've seen with my own eyes, I've only heard about the rest from others. I've never had the chance to actually go there."

"So there might be truth and falsehood."

Xu Qing took the bamboo scroll and scanned it with his Divine Sense. A dark light flashed in his eyes.

On the bamboo scroll, the geography was written in words. It included different landforms, mountains, lakes, rivers, basins, and so on. It also had names and stories, as well as general locations.

"Fallen Evil Pool, Heavenly Wind Cave, Void Fire Mountain Range, Fallen Immortal Plains, Main Dao Cliff, Earth Code Pool, Cloud Mud Basin …" Xu Qing's interest was piqued as he read these names.

"Even if only a small portion of them are truly special places like the Celestial Water Lake and the Time Desert, they will still be of great help to me."

Thinking of this, Xu Qing put away the bamboo scroll.

In his opinion, the value of this bamboo scroll was no less than the soil that contained spatial energy.

Then, Xu Qing looked at Qian Fan of the Cloud Gate.

"Are you in a hurry to go to Black Cloud City?"

"No hurry, no hurry at all."

Seeing that Xu Qing was satisfied, Qian Fan became even more excited. As long as she could help Xu Qing, she felt that she was valuable.

Moreover, the guidance she received along the way made her feel that it would be even better if the journey was longer.

Therefore, when she heard Xu Qing's question, she quickly responded happily.

Xu Qing nodded slightly, then took a step forward from the ship and vanished. When he reappeared, he was on the sand dune in the desert.

Sitting down cross-legged, Xu Qing's eyes shone brightly.

"Time is chaotic here, or rather, there are countless streams of time flowing in different degrees, but as they fuse together, everything returns to normal."

As he muttered, Xu Qing's Divine Sense spread out and enveloped the surroundings.

Cloud Gate Qian Fan was already used to Xu Qing's comprehension. Seeing Xu Qing sitting down, she immediately put away the wooden boat and went to Xu Qing's side. She began to get busy.

Soon, she built a roof around Xu Qing and laid out a mat made of spirit herbs. Finally, she sat at the side and rested her chin on her hand. Her beautiful big eyes were always looking at Xu Qing.

Even though Xu Qing's current appearance was that of a middle-aged man who seemed to have experienced many vicissitudes of life, he still possessed a special charm in her eyes.

"Senior, when you were young, you must have been very spirited and dignified."

"And there are many stories about him …"

"Many times, he looked at the world in the distance. Was he reminiscing?

Reminiscing about his family and his old friends? "

"There's also that song. It's long and drawn-out. It's valiant and unparalleled, but it's also sorrowful. When I was playing it, a woman's back vaguely appeared in my mind …"

"Is that … Senior's Dao companion?"

As she murmured in her heart, a hot wind blew by. Xu Qing's long hair and clothes fluttered in the wind.

This wind also landed on Qian Fan from the Cloud Gate, causing her dress to stick to her delicate body and accentuate her curves. It was very graceful.

The scene was beautiful.

It was as if the work of Heaven in the unseen world was also looking sideways and beginning to write on the desert. As the desert flowed, it formed sand paintings.

Just like that, time passed.

Five days passed.

Xu Qing's Divine Consciousness had already covered an endless area. As it enveloped the entire desert, it also seeped into every grain of sand.

Five days ago, when Xu Qing saw this desert for the first time, he felt the chaos of time here.

As for the specific reason, he wasn't sure at the time. He only felt that his Sundial's needle was spinning at this place, sometimes faster, sometimes slower, and sometimes still.

Moreover, his Extreme Time Dao was more turbulent than usual.

Now, after five days of observation and research, coupled with his understanding of time, he had a faint guess.

"The endless sand here seems to be uncountable, but in fact … I feel like it's all one.

“

"This unity doesn't mean that the desert is a whole, but … the unity of individuals!" Xu Qing muttered to himself.

"More accurately speaking, although there are slight differences in the size and appearance of the grains of sand here, perhaps they were all the same in the beginning."

"No matter how big or small it is, no matter how fine the marks are, they are all the same.

With so many of them, it's as if they've been copied. "

This was the realization he had after five days of observation, research, and exploration.

Xu Qing raised his hand and scooped up a handful of sand as he stared at it.

"It's as if … there used to be only a grain of sand here."

"It's the wind blowing past, or perhaps it's the influence of external objects that caused this grain of sand to move. Every time it moves, the time acting on it changes."

"Every time there's a change, it's like there's an additional timeline, and an additional grain of sand."

"With the passage of time, under the influence of the wind or the mysterious power, there are more and more timelines here, and more and more gravel."

"Every grain of sand has the same starting point, but soon, they all have their own timelines. In their respective timelines, they have different friction and trajectories."

"In the end, this desert was formed."

"This is also the reason why there are so many streams of time in this place, and why they intersect with each other."

Xu Qing raised his head and looked at the end of the desert.

"This place is very magical, or rather … this place itself is actually a supreme treasure related to time."

"But very few people are able to take them away, because the method to take them away is to correct the time of every grain of sand in this place, causing this desert to return from its chaotic state. In the end, the grains of sand will reduce one by one until they become the original grain."

"The current me can't do it either."

"But … here, I can see a deeper manifestation of the power of time."

Xu Qing's eyes flashed.

"Time Branching!"