OUTSIDE OF TIME

410 Faceless Ghost Mountain

“Forget it. He is still young. It’s good for him to run into a brick wall.”

“How can the Dao charm of the Ghost Emperor be copied just like that? This Fourth… is too ambitious.” Old Master Seventh sized up Xu Qing a few times before turning to leave.

At that moment, Xu Qing had already forgotten everything outside his body and the passage of time. There was only one thing in his mind, and that was to completely move this Ghost Emperor into his sea of consciousness.

This was because his master had said that only then could he cultivate the Bizarre Nether Dao Snatching Art.

Xu Qing felt that this cultivation art was very suitable for him. He wanted to cultivate this art the moment he stepped into the Golden Core Realm. Hence, he felt that… he had to move the god properly.

Xu Qing was worried that just moving the outline wouldn’t be enough. Hence, he went deeper and deeper and became increasingly immersed, trying his best to comprehend every detail of the Nanyue Ghost Emperor.

Xu Qing didn’t know what charm was. His thoughts were very simple. He wanted to make this god in his sea of consciousness as lifelike as possible and be as similar to the Ghost Emperor Mountain to the greatest extent.

It was like copying an original painting and drawing it perfectly in his mind.

Hence, after he drew the outline, he began to enrich the details and colors inside. However, the difficulty of this process was much higher.

It was just like a person with no foundation in painting. If you asked him to picture an outline, he could do it. However, there would often be many mistakes when filling in the details.

Right now, a mistake appeared when Xu Qing copied the details. This mistake happened when he filled in the details of the body. He had clearly copied it to the greatest extent but the body he copied was still filled with a strange feeling.

Hence, at the next moment, Xu Qing instinctively erased it and started again.

This scene happened in Xu Qing’s sea of consciousness. It originated from his comprehension and was very difficult for outsiders to notice. However… Old Master Seventh’s cultivation allowed him to see some clues.

It was also this clue that caused Old Master Seventh, who was about to leave, to suddenly stop in his tracks. He abruptly turned his head and stared fixedly at Xu Qing again.

“What’s the situation?”

“Why did I feel a hint of Dao charm just now!!” Old Master Seventh took a closer look with a puzzled expression.

“The charm is gone? Also, why is the outline he carried in his mind also gone?”

“What is Fourth doing?”

Old Master Seventh was curious. After observing for a long time and discovering that everything had fallen silent, he walked out in confusion. However, after a day of strolling, even though having Ding Xue by him gave him some joy, he was still curious about Xu Qing’s state. Hence, after he returned at dusk, he hurriedly went to look at Xu Qing.

Old Master Seventh was stunned.

“The outline has appeared again! So fast?”

“There’s also that hint of charm, also… Hmm? It’s gone again!”

Old Master Seventh glared at Xu Qing. He wanted to slap him awake and ask, but he had no choice but to hold it in.

Just like that, days passed and the second month passed.

In the second month, Old Master Seventh was already feeling helpless from Xu Qing’s changes. Almost every day, he could sense that Xu Qing had successfully formed the outline before it dissipated.

In the end, he naturally saw some clues.

“I only asked you to carry the form. Fourth, you… There’s no need to be like this.”

“What are you doing? Showing off your comprehension ability!” Old Master Seventh smiled bitterly. However, the admiration in his eyes grew increasingly dense during this month. He also gained a more comprehensive understanding of his fourth disciple’s comprehension ability.

“This kid… is actually the most suitable for the Dao Arts of the Grand Affairs Immortal Sect, and the inheritance of the Grand Affairs Immortal Sect comes from this Ghost Emperor. To a certain extent, this kid is very suited to cultivate the Dao of the Nanyue Ghost Emperor.”

“Perhaps this is also the reason why he can comprehend the Ghost Emperor to such an astonishing extent.”

While Old Master Seventh was deep in thought, Xu Qing’s comprehension had also reached a critical moment. He used his sea of consciousness as a drawing board and his comprehension ability as a brush. He drew the Ghost Emperor Mountain again and again and erased it again and again.

Just like that, the body of the Ghost Emperor Mountain in his sea of consciousness gradually became more and more lifelike. Some details also became richer as Xu Qing adjusted and copied them again and again. Only… this Ghost Emperor body had no face.

However, Xu Qing was not satisfied with the face. In reality, he wasn’t very satisfied with the body either.

If outsiders knew about this, they would definitely be shaken. This was because it was rare for someone at the Foundation Building realm to accomplish this.

This had an extremely high requirement on comprehension.

However, Xu Qing felt that he was far from even accomplishing 10%. Although the Ghost Emperor Mountain in his sea of consciousness looked lifelike, he was very clear that it was just an empty shell.

At most, it was a very exquisite empty shell.

Compared to the truly perfect copying, Xu Qing judged that he had probably not even completed one percent.

He wanted to try his best to copy it, but his mind was already unable to hold on. His sea of consciousness was completely stretched after the appearance of this Ghost Emperor Mountain, and it was difficult for him to continue maintaining his consciousness.

Hence, on the 67th day, Xu Qing opened his eyes. The deep charm in his eyes filled the air, containing sharpness that surpassed the past.

However, Xu Qing sighed softly.

After that, he sensed something and turned his head. He saw Old Master Seventh sitting behind him with a calm expression.

“Master, I can’t continue comprehending.”

“There’s no need to be discouraged. Although you couldn’t finish moving the god in three days like Master back then, I know that you’ve done your best.”

Old Master Seventh calmly spoke with a look that said, ‘You’re alright.’ However, at this moment, his mind was stirring quite a bit. He could sense a hint of the true charm of the Ghost Emperor Mountain from Xu Qing.

Although it was only a trace, if this matter was spread, it was enough to make the Grand Affairs Immortal Sect go crazy.

“Master, it’s my comprehension ability that’s limited… I’ve already reached my limit.”

Xu Qing lowered his head. He knew that he couldn’t compare to his master. In his mind, his master’s strength was like a deep pool whose depths could never be seen.

He only felt regret that he had only comprehended for more than 60 days and couldn’t continue.

At that moment, the Ghost Emperor Mountain that appeared in his mind emitted a dense black light that emitted waves of astonishing fluctuations. However, it was still far from what Xu Qing thought was perfect.

He could only try his best to show its outline.

Old Master Seventh looked at Xu Qing and sighed inwardly. In his eyes, the instant Xu Qing woke up, not only did he have a hint of true charm, but the aura on his body was also greatly different from before. There was also a hint of ghost aura.

This ghost aura wasn’t an aura of death but a mysterious and unfathomable sensation. Although this wasn’t much to Old Master Seventh, he was very clear that this meant a lot to cultivators below his cultivation level.

In fact, it could even vaguely form a deterrence against bizarre entities. If others looked at Xu Qing and they had weak wills, they would feel their minds buzzing.

Not only did Old Master Seventh sense this, but the shadow felt it even more intensely. Old Master Seventh was beside it, so it didn’t dare to show anything. However, the horror in its mind spread throughout its body as Xu Qing woke up.

It faintly felt that at this moment, Xu Qing… seemed to have the ability to eat it.

Old Master Seventh’s face twitched but he instantly returned to normal and spoke with a smile.

“Although your comprehension ability is average compared to mine, it’s not bad in our human race.”

“Master, I wonder if my current state of comprehension can allow me to cultivate the Bizarre Nether Dao Snatching Art.” Xu Qing was a little nervous as he lifted his head and looked at Old Master Seventh.

Old Master Seventh looked at Xu Qing and saw his worried expression. He suddenly didn’t want to speak. He felt a little mentally tired, so he stood up and calmly spoke.

“Barely.”

When Xu Qing heard this, he heaved a sigh of relief. However, he was also thinking about how he would add copying the Ghost Emperor Mountain to his daily cultivation plans in the future. He would try to comprehend it day and night and strive to truly move it into his sea of consciousness one day.

With this thought in mind, Xu Qing hurriedly stood up. Just as he was about to walk out of the house, Ding Xue came in with snacks. When she saw Xu Qing, her eyes lit up.

“Brother Xu Qing, you’re finally awake.”

As she spoke, Ding Xue hurriedly ran to Xu Qing and handed him the snacks.

When Xu Qing saw the snacks, he felt a sense of hunger in his stomach. Although his cultivation had reached the level where he could stop eating ordinary food, Xu Qing still liked to eat.

This was because when he ate, he would feel a sense of satisfaction. To him, who had grown up in the slums and lived in the open, this was an instinct that was engraved in his bones.

Hence, Xu Qing picked up a piece and ate it. After some thought, he picked up another piece.

The smile in Ding Xue’s eyes was about to overflow. She was in an extremely good mood. She then took out a bottle of medicinal liquid brewed from fruits and added medicinal herbs before placing it in front of Xu Qing considerately.

Xu Qing glanced at Ding Xue and smiled.

“Thank you.”

This caused Ding Xue to become excited. Just as she was about to speak, Old Master Seventh’s snort rang out from outside the door.

“Since you can’t comprehend it anymore, we have to leave.”

Ding Xue pouted, feeling a little dissatisfied. However, she didn’t dare to say anything else. When Xu Qing heard this, he followed Ding Xue out of the house.

At that moment, it was already dusk outside. The afterglow scattered outside the house and also landed on Old Master Seventh, who was standing in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, reflecting the dissatisfaction on his face very clearly.

Ding Xue blinked and hurriedly ran over to take out another box of snacks. Only then did Old Master Seventh’s expression relax and reveal satisfaction.

That expression made Xu Qing feel that it was a little familiar. After recalling, he thought of the old man from the inn on Panquan Road…

Xu Qing then thought of the white snake in the inn.

While Xu Qing was recalling, Old Master Seventh took a bite of the snack. After that, he took out a white token and threw it to Xu Qing.

“Go and give this token to the little boy from the next door who is about to return from school.”

“It’s rare for me to go out. Let’s see if I can find Fifth on the way back in this Yinghuang Province.”

“Master will wait for you outside the town.” As Old Master Seventh spoke, he summoned Ding Xue. Ding Xue reluctantly left with him.

The orange afterglow of the setting sun spread across the ground. Xu Qing’s body swayed and he sat on the low wall at the side. He lifted his head and looked at the setting sun as he waited silently.

He chose a location which intersected with the streets and the neighbor’s house.

Not long later, a little boy carrying a school bag and wearing clean clothes bounced back. When he met the neighbors on the way, he would politely bow. When he lifted his head, the smile on his face was filled with joy and satisfaction.

When he was about to reach his house, he saw Xu Qing sitting on the low wall and stopped in his tracks.

“Big Brother.” The little boy hesitated for a moment. The smile on his face was a little forced, hiding some fear.

However, in Xu Qing’s perception, although this fear was real, there was a ferocity hidden in the depths that was being suppressed.