Outside Of Time
chapter-1558

1558 Fighting a Ruler

"Spirit mine?"

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed.

He had expected there to be a guardian here. Hence, Xu Qing wasn't too surprised by the appearance of this Ruler.

He had also expected the cultivation base of the guardian.

After all, this place was suspected to be the fifth star ring and could suppress flawlessness gods.

What really surprised him was what the guardian called this place.

Mines generally referred to resources. From Xu Qing's previous understanding, spirit mines should be mineral veins formed by spirit stones. However, looking at it now…

The mine in question was a process of refining gods. The essence of the gods was extracted, and then absorbed by the beings of the minor worlds. The essence was filtered by these beings, and then further filtered by the cultivators themselves…

As such, the spiritual energy extracted became extremely pure.

From this perspective, it indeed matched the theory of the spirit mine.

"Combining the information from the previous cultivators about the clan and the implication from this one, it seems that this place… belongs to the clan they are associated with."

"A clan that has a Ruler overseeing its spirit mines—what level of cultivation would the ancestor of this clan have? What status does this clan have in their world?"

A sharp glint appeared in Xu Qing's eyes. He was increasingly certain that he hadn't taken the wrong path and had indeed arrived at the fifth star ring.

"However, I came through the Primordial Sea. Why did I appear in that minor world? Are there other unknown situations and interferences?"

"I should be able to obtain some answers from this Ruler."

At the thought of this, Xu Qing stared at the sky where the sonic booms were coming from.

Although the Ruler was powerful, Xu Qing was well-prepared for this trip. He also had a trump card that could kill Rulers. Hence, against the Ruler…

"It's not that I can't kill him, but the Ruler won't stand there without struggling. So… I need an opportunity to ensure that my killing move doesn't miss."

"Of course, it would naturally be better if I can resolve it without making a move."

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. The rumbling sounds in the sky were deafening, and the barrier that enveloped this place also distorted.

At the next instant, the void was directly torn apart by the other party's extreme speed. From afar, it looked like an eye had opened in the air.

In the eye formed by the crack, a figure suddenly appeared.

He stood in the air.

He was a middle-aged cultivator with a stern appearance. His gaze was cold and his body was thin, not particularly imposing.

Dressed in a black long robe, he exuded an aura of gloom, with a red mist swirling around him like a river, creating a terrifying sight.

What was most astonishing was the aura on his body.

It made the heavens and earth change color, suppressing the void in all directions. The surroundings echoed with the sound of thunder, and the persistent rumbling only highlighted his majesty.

Even the muddy water from the ground was drawn into the air, swirling around him.

It was as though the appearance of this middle-aged cultivator was like a black hole that could pull everything.

Even the light that fell upon him was distorted.

At that moment, when Xu Qing looked at the middle-aged Ruler, this person's gaze also landed on Xu Qing. He sized him up and calmly spoke.

"You are not of the slave races within the spirit mines nor a god, and there are no signs of intrusion from outside."

The middle-aged cultivator looked down at Xu Qing from above. As he watched, a strange feeling suddenly rose in his heart.

He then glanced at the minor world that Xu Qing had slashed open. He narrowed his eyes and suppressed his killing intent as his deep voice echoed.

"It seems that you appeared out of thin air in the spirit mine due to some accident. As for killing a few spirit refinement slaves, that's of no consequence."

"However, what I need to know is your identity, goal, and how you appeared here!"

His voice carried an inexplicable sense of oppression that enveloped the surroundings.

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed slightly. To be able to see through the way he arrived at a glance, it could be seen that the other party's insight was sharp.

"This person's words contain some clues, as they are probing for information. In this case, I can also indirectly investigate," Xu Qing thought, and after a moment, he slightly cupped his hands in salute.

"I'm Flame Mystic. I appeared in your distinguished land due to a special accident…"

"What accident?" The middle-aged cultivator interrupted Xu Qing. A dark glint flashed in his eyes as he asked.

Xu Qing frowned slightly and his voice remained calm.

"Exploration of the spatial fissure."

When the middle-aged cultivator heard this, he suddenly laughed. The way he looked at Xu Qing contained a strange glint.

"Exploration? I don't believe so."

"The minor worlds where the spirit mines are located drift outside the large world and are not on the same spatial plane, so the probability of arriving here through a fissure by accident is extremely low."

"With your Soul Accumulation Seven Worlds cultivation, it's logical for you to slay those slaves who couldn't recover in time, but… to be able to slash open the boundary of the world from within…"

"Such a thing is rare. Only some peerless heaven's chosen can do it."

The strange glint in the middle-aged cultivator's eyes grew denser.

"However, how can a heaven's chosen… not understand the rules regarding the spirit mines and how sensitive such matters are? So, under my previous inquiries, they would inevitably reveal their background."

"But you don't seem to understand anything."

"In addition, the aura of the foreign star ring on your body hasn't completely dissipated. From the looks of it… you're not a local cultivator, right?"

The middle-aged cultivator's words echoed. Xu Qing was expressionless as he looked at the other party and continued to speak.

"I have heard… that since this place was once the Primordial Sea before it dried up, occasionally, cultivators from other star rings, while traveling through the Primordial Sea, come to my Fifth Star Ring."

"However, their cultivation levels are at least Lower Immortals… Of course, there are occasionally some heaven's chosens who use other means to travel here, and such heaven's chosens often have Dao Protectors by their side."

The middle-aged practitioner smiled and looked at Xu Qing with a hint of greed.

"And you, despite my inquiries, are still concealing your information, indicating that you have concerns and are unwilling to reveal everything, which also means you do not have a Dao Protector by your side…"

"An unfamiliar practitioner from a foreign star ring?"

"The facts you have about your star ring is quite precious to me."

The middle-aged cultivator's laughter grew even louder and the strange glint in his eyes became more intense. He raised his right hand and pointed at Xu Qing.

The moment he pointed, a huge finger formed by rules and laws manifested in the air. The finger was incredibly distinct, with visible fingerprints, and as it descended, the fingerprints grew larger, looking like deep grooves and ridges.

The finger replaced the sky and headed toward Xu Qing with an imposing aura.

The aura of a Ruler erupted completely, forming an astonishing suppression.

Looking at the finger, Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and suddenly retreated.

To be able to analyze so much facts through a few sentences, it could be seen that the other party's intelligence was extraordinary. However, at the same time, Xu Qing also obtained the answer he wanted from this person's reaction.

This was indeed the fifth star ring.

There were no mistakes in his teleportation process.

This was what Xu Qing was worried about previously.

From the looks of it, the answer was that this place used to be the Primordial Sea but now, it was dry.

Then, there was a reasonable explanation for teleporting here.

Other than that, Xu Qing also confirmed another thing through the other party's reaction. That was… other than this middle-aged practitioner in front of him, there was a high chance that there were no other experts from his clan here.

In fact, it was very likely that this place wasn't close to the location of his clan.

Otherwise, the other party wouldn't care so much about whether he had a Dao Protector beside him.

This was because if there were still experts from his clan here or if the spirit mine was in his clan's territory, then there was no need to care so much.

After all, in Xu Qing's judgment, the one guarding the spirit mine was a Ruler, so the clan's ancestor must be even stronger.

These thoughts flashed through Xu Qing's mind and he made a decision. Facing this incoming finger, his eyes erupted with sharpness. The five elements in his body erupted and resonated with the five elements in this god prison. At the same time, he raised his hand and waved it.

Immediately, a rumbling sound rang out from the minor world that had been slashed open below. The Dao of the five elements inside was guided by Xu Qing to rush out through the rift in the boundary.

After merging with the five elements outside the minor world, the hand of the Heavenly Dao appeared.

The instant the Ruler's finger pressed down on Xu Qing, the Heavenly Dao Hand headed straight for the finger and grabbed it.

It ruthlessly broke it.

An earth-shattering boom rang out.

The materialized Ruler's finger suddenly shook as it came into contact with the Five Elements' hand. The laws inside resisted and collided, forming a series of rumbling sounds that swept in all directions.

The middle-aged Ruler wasn't surprised by this. He could tell that Xu Qing wasn't ordinary. At this moment, he raised his right hand and no longer pointed. Instead, his five fingers formed a seal and pressed toward Xu Qing.

With this press, his fingers instantly transformed into nine worlds and the nine worlds turned into nine demons.

The nine monstrous demons had different appearances.

One had an enormous belly and was carrying a colossal mountain on its back, one had two ferocious heads and was holding the sea, one was covered in bone spurs and was standing atop a world, and one was surrounded by the continuous wailing of countless beings.

These nine demons suddenly appeared. They let out menacing roars and rushed toward Xu Qing.

The door opened.

14:25

Greedy dog had entered.

Xu Qing remained unfazed by this. His body, propelled by the previous impact, staggered backward once more. At the same time, he performed hand seals with body hands. The Six Thieves Delusions Dao mark appeared in his eyes and the Five Dogs Sheltering Immortal Art in his body circulated.

He was using the forbidden arts of immortals from the Ancient Sovereign Mystic Nether era, unique to the cultivation system of Wanggu!

Moreover, he was using them with his extreme immortal body. In Xu Qing's nine days of research in the minor world, he had realized that the might of the immortal arts was more powerful and bizarre when used by the immortal body than by the divine body.

After all, this was a terrifying technique specially developed by the Immortal Art Great Emperor for cultivators.

The instant they were used, the six desires were no longer illusory emotions. Instead, they formed a sea of six desires in front of Xu Qing!

The sea formed by the six desires directly covered all the range, forming a vortex that spun rapidly.

The six desires inside alternately overlapped and erupted completely.

Humans had desires, and demons had even more intense desires.

Hence, in the blink of an eye, the nine demons trembled as they were drowned by the six desires sea. At the same time, Xu Qing's Five Dogs Sheltering Immortal Art was also instantly activated.

With an invisible intent, it landed in the middle-aged man's sea of consciousness.

It tampered with his memories and hid inside, hiding itself from his perception. After that, white hair appeared in his sea of consciousness, forming a vortex.

The door opened.

Greedy dog had entered.

All of this caused the middle-aged Ruler's heart to tremble and he frowned.

He had never seen such spells before.

"Interesting. Are these special Dao Arts of the Star Ring you came from?"