OUTSIDE OF TIME

397 Separated by a Muslin

Xu Qing was silent. He stood at the bow of the ship and looked at the night sky. After a long time, he took a deep breath and kept the magic ship before moving toward the Mystic Nether Sect’s mountain.

He didn’t move fast.

As he moved forward, he recalled the secrets he had exposed during his battle with Saintly Star. Although his master had analyzed and told him that he was safe, Xu Qing still thought about the mistakes he might have made during this period of time.

“The Alliance Master has the Golden Crow and I also have the Golden Crow. This itself sets us opposite to each other. It’s just that I’m weak right now, so my Golden Crow cultivation is no use to him.”

“Other than that, the Alliance Leader’s Golden Crow’s clone has fused into Saintly Star’s right eye, so he won’t die easily. In that case, will the future Saintly Star still be Saintly Star?” Xu Qing pondered silently.

“It’s indeed a man-eating world.”

As he walked on the road, a gust of wind blew over, causing Xu Qing’s long hair and clothes to flutter.

Xu Qing looked at the night sky.

“Master is right. I’m still too weak.” Xu Qing mumbled. He didn’t want to be eaten one day. Even if he couldn’t do it, since the world was like this, he still had to struggle and rebel.

“I’ll do my best. If I really can’t do it, I’ll try to make those who eat me suffer a heart-wrenching pain!”

In reality, this world didn’t change in essence from when he was in the slums and scavenger campsite. What changed was that the human heart was displayed in a crueler and higher level.

The joys, dislikes, and plundering in the scavenger campsite were mostly direct. Killing was the goal.

After one’s cultivation reached a certain level and they came into contact with a higher-level environment, killing was no longer the goal but a method to achieve what one needed.

In the past, Xu Qing wasn’t used to this. Now, he could accept it and quickly learned from it.

As he pondered, time slowly passed. Xu Qing finally arrived outside the Mystic Nether Sect’s mountain.

Although the Mystic Nether Sect was also pitch-black in the night, the lights on the mountaintop flickered, as though they wanted to scatter the light and dispel the darkness of the night.

Xu Qing stood at the foot of the mountain and took a deep breath. Just as he was about to step onto the steps, his eyes suddenly narrowed. He lifted his head and looked into the distant stairs. There was a figure walking over step by step.

This figure gradually walked into the moonlight, revealing the face of an old woman.

Xu Qing cupped his fists and bowed politely.

“Xu Qing, don’t you have any decency? The ancestor summoned you, but you actually arrived so late! If there’s a next time, this old woman will definitely punish you!”

The old woman let out a cold snort. Her expression was solemn and her voice was cold. After she finished speaking, she turned and walked up the steps. Xu Qing glanced at the old woman’s neck from behind and walked up the steps.

“If you glance at my neck again, do you believe that I’ll dig your eyes out?” The old woman spoke coldly without turning around.

Xu Qing still didn’t speak. In his opinion, arguing was meaningless, especially when facing powerful people. Hence, his footsteps were normal and his expression didn’t change at all.

He could sense the terrifying cultivation base fluctuations from this old woman’s entire body that was at a similar level to Lord Sixth.

Seeing that Xu Qing didn’t speak, the old woman turned her head and glanced at him before continuing forward.

The two of them walked in silence. A while later, they arrived at the top of the mountain. There was a residence made of purple jade here. The area was very large and one could see a tall tower in the center of the residence from afar.

The light came from the tower.

After entering through the gate, there was a limestone path. There were clusters of flowers in the surroundings and pavilions could be seen everywhere. There were also many maids walking past. Every one of them had a graceful figure and a pretty appearance. They were young and had fair skin.

When they passed by Xu Qing, most of them swept their gazes over with curiosity. After noticing Xu Qing’s appearance, they even whispered to each other and laughed.

Xu Qing turned a deaf ear and didn’t even glance at them.

The old woman frowned and glared fiercely. Only then did the maidservants hurriedly leave.

There were also many multi-colored mountain rocks arranged in an orderly manner. This caused the residence to give off a refined feeling.

Even a small river course had been opened up. Its source was unknown, but it meandered here and flowed down the mountain.

One could occasionally see small golden fish in the river. They had long whiskers and it was obvious at a glance that they were not ordinary fishes.

In fact, Xu Qing even saw snakes in the woods. Moreover, there weren’t just one or two but many. Some of them crawled away from the small path, some coiled around the surrounding trees, and some curled up in a corner.

However, no matter what they were doing, the moment they saw Xu Qing, a strange scene appeared. They actually lowered their heads one after another, as though they were submitting to him.

This scene caused the old woman to be stunned. She once again turned her head and cast a deep glance at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing was expressionless but he was also puzzled. He didn’t know the reason for this.

Just as this doubt grew increasingly deep in Xu Qing’s heart, he was brought to the east wing of the residence. There was an immortal pool there.

From afar, one could see fog rising from it and changing into various appearances in the air, emitting waves of auspiciousness. There was a curtain of white muslin surrounding the pool. Outside the white muslin were dozens of maidservants with their backs facing the immortal pool and their heads lowered.

Each of them held a jade plate with accessories, clothes, and fruits on it. The accessories were exquisite and the clothes were folded neatly. The fruits were all spiritual items.

There was also a faint fragrance that permeated the surroundings. As Xu Qing got closer, the fog, the sound of water, and the fragrance all fell into his five senses. It was as though he had stepped into paradise.

As he got closer, Xu Qing’s nervousness surfaced once again. This was because… he saw a graceful figure bathing in the immortal pool behind the white muslin in front of him.

This scene caused Xu Qing to immediately retract his gaze. He stood there and didn’t continue approaching.

The old woman in front didn’t bother with Xu Qing. She neared the white muslin and bowed.

“Ancestor, I’ve brought him.”

“You were disrespectful to the kid I invited. Just punish yourself with three slaps.” Purple Mystic Fairy’s lazy voice came from beyond the white muslin.

Without any hesitation, the old woman slapped herself three times ruthlessly. Her slap was extremely heavy and one side of her face was puffed up with blood flowing out of her mouth.

However, there was no resentment in her eyes. She lowered her head and remained quiet.

All of this made Xu Qing even more vigilant. He could only stand there and lower his head as he cupped his fists and bowed in the direction of the white muslin.

“Disciple Xu Qing greets Senior Purple Mystic.”

The sound of bathing water echoed and laughter rang out.

“Kid, why are you so respectful today? In the note you gave me with the gift, you didn’t address me as senior.” Purple Mystic Fairy’s voice was accompanied by the sound of water, carrying an invisible charm.

Xu Qing’s heart shook and he made a mental note of the captain. He felt that with the captain’s personality, it was possible for him to address Purple Mystic Fairy as anything on the note.

However, he couldn’t explain now, so he could only brace himself and speak in a low voice.

“Thank you for saving me, Senior.”

“So that’s why you’re so respectful. Actually, even if I didn’t make a move, Xue Lianzi would have done it.” Purple Mystic Fairy’s voice contained a hint of laziness that fell into one’s mind, causing one to instinctively feel an itch.

Xu Qing did not know what to say. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation. The figure behind the white muslin gave him an indescribable feeling, especially when her voice combined with the sound of water. It was like beads landing on jade, and every sound echoed in his mind.

“However, no matter what, it can indeed be considered that I’ve helped you. In that case, can you do me a favor too, little kid?” The sound of water rang out again and Purple Mystic Fairy seemed to be about to get up.

Xu Qing hurriedly averted his gaze.

The moment he shifted his gaze away, the graceful figure stood up from the pool. The shadow reflected through the white muslin was peerlessly perfect.

It was as though the heavens made an exception for her and placed all the beauty of women on her. Just this shadow of her silhouette alone carried a soul-stirring temptation that was enough to make anyone’s heart race, regardless of gender.

She gently lifted her jade-like legs and walked out of the immortal pool. The white muslin fluttered and wrapped around her body, forming a long dress.

Her jet-black hair draped over her shoulders and her slightly red face further increased her charm.

The maidservants in the surroundings all knelt down and raised the jade plate in their hands.

Purple Mystic Fairy smiled. With a wave of her hand, she picked up a bunch of spiritual grapes from a jade plate and walked toward Xu Qing. Even before she neared him, a fragrant wind blew into his face.

Purple Mystic Fairy was wearing the white muslin. Her body was graceful and her footsteps were elegant, like a fairy from the heavens. She was peerlessly beautiful and elegant.

Seeing that Purple Mystic Fairy was getting closer and closer, Xu Qing’s forehead was covered in sweat and he took a few steps back. However, Purple Mystic Fairy’s figure blurred and when she appeared, she was already in front of Xu Qing. She placed a grape at the corner of Xu Qing’s mouth.

Xu Qing’s mind went blank.

“Little kid, you call me senior every time. Am I that old? You can call me Big Sister Xuan1 next time.” Purple Mystic Fairy chuckled. Her beautiful eyes were filled with anticipation, and her every frown and smile revealed an indescribable charm.

Xu Qing’s heart raced. He felt as nervous as when he had encountered a terrifying ferocious beast in the forbidden zone many years ago.

Seeing Xu Qing like this, Purple Mystic Fairy smiled again. Her laughter was as sweet as honey, making one feel comfortable and relaxed. She didn’t continue to provoke Xu Qing but turned and walked into the distance, her voice lingering in the air.

“Kid, are you afraid of me because you’re worried that I’ll eat you up?”

“Last time, I heard that when you were patrolling the river, you encountered a Mystic Nether Sect. That’s the sect of my old friend. Since you’ve encountered it, bring me there in a few days. I want to take a look.”

Purple Mystic Fairy left elegantly with all the maidservants following behind. The old woman was the same.

From afar, Purple Mystic Fairy, who was among the women, looked like a peony flower in full bloom. She was extraordinarily beautiful and charming.

Xu Qing stood on the spot for a long time before he took a deep breath and left the Mystic Nether Sect with indescribable emotions. The moment he walked out of the Mystic Nether Sect, Purple Mystic Fairy laughed as she ate grapes in the tall tower.

“A blockhead who hasn’t been enlightened. There’s even a thread of vital love silk wrapped around his right wrist. It’s a nonhuman technique. Which race’s silly girl actually left her vital love thread like this? Moreover, it’s one-sided. Once this kid dies, she will also die from it.”