Outside Of Time
chapter-1630

1630 Fishing!

Xu Qing's goal was simple.

These outsiders had all hidden themselves well, and none of them were simple individuals; each was quite cunning.

Unless due to some unavoidable circumstances, like heaven's chosen Li, who had no choice but to act at the risk of being exposed, finding them would have been like searching for a needle in a haystack

After all, each of them had different objectives, which made it very hard to discern any clear patterns or distinctive traits among them.

As for the descent of consciousness, if they had the intention to remain hidden, it would be even harder to distinguish.

Among them, those whose objectives would cause ripples in time were easier to handle; Xu Qing had some confidence that he could slowly find them, because in this segment of history, his identity was like a torch in the night.

It would naturally draw attention.

Like heaven's chosen Li's approach, Zhong Chi's following, and the appearance of Nine Shores' daughter.

They were all using his identity as an anchor point.

However, this would require time.

Moreover, among these outsiders, it was uncertain how many had chosen a path contrary to disrupting the flow of history. For instance, some of them were likely order-keepers, opting to let history unfold as it was meant to.

If such individuals continued to remain low-profile, merely acting as spectators, they would leave almost no flaws to exploit in the short term.

They would be almost impossible to find.

If that was the case…

"Since I can't immediately locate those hidden outsiders, I'll use the first rumor to inform them to be more cautious in their actions going forward."

"This way, even though I may not be able to find them, it will also make it harder for Star Ring to find them and attempt to correct the history."

"As for the second rumor…"

In the Junior Aurora Hall, Xu Qing raised his head and looked at the sky.

"Let those in the light become even more visible. Through the spread of rumors, I will directly expose his identity."

A dark glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes.

As for whether the people of this era believed it or not, it wasn't important.

What was important was that those outsiders like him would evaluate this rumor.

This was a signal sent to them.

At the same time, it was also a ripple in this segment of history.

"During the first round with heaven's chosen Li's matter, I won the first half, while the Fourth True Monarch claimed the second half."

"Now, as for this second round, I wonder how the Fourth True Monarch will respond. If he falls into a cycle of self-verification, that would be ideal."

Xu Qing pondered.

He knew that what he needed to do now was to hide himself and quietly observe.

He wanted to see what kind of upheaval the Immortal Palace would experience amidst the storm of rumors.

"Other than my advantage of being in the dark, I have another advantage in this game of history…"

Xu Qing looked at the Hundred Flowers Palace.

The clay fox wasn't within anyone's understanding!

Everyone who entered the fourth realm left traces. In the eyes of those who were attentive, careful observation could reveal clues to follow.

Only the clay fox was different.

There were no traces of Her before this, so Her existence was quite useful to Xu Qing.

…

Several days later.

The effect of rumors varied from person to person.

Although they spread throughout the Immortal Palace, the people of this era just smiled at those so-called rumors and dismissed them.

After all, this was the Aurora Immortal Palace!

Although the Immortal Lords of the Fifth Star Ring were not entirely harmonious due to their origins from different small worlds and had some conflicts, they shared a common ideology in the larger context.

Moreover, there was the Venerable Immortal who was high and mighty, so it was impossible for there to be too many problems between the Immortal Lords.

Hence, it didn't matter much whether there really were outsiders or not.

Moreover, in the eyes of smart people, there must be a motive for the rumors, especially since the Fourth True Monarch was mentioned.

Hence, most of the cultivators from the Immortal Palace were watching.

Compared to them, the outsiders hidden in the crowd were all abnormally vigilant.

The difference in their understanding naturally allowed them to guess the reason immediately and see the issue.

At that moment, among a group of cultivators in the Immortal Palace, Zhong Chi, who was curiously listening to everyone's discussions about the matter, nodded in agreement while also feeling vigilant in his heart.

"There is a sense of competition… The Fourth True Monarch is indeed an outsider, but I don't know who spread this news to remind everyone…"

"Also, I wonder if Xu Qing saw the message I asked Earth Spirit to transmit and whether he came to the fourth realm."

In the guest hall in the southern part of the Immortal Palace, the daughter of Nine Shores was meditating. As she listened to the report from the maid beside her, she appeared indifferent on the surface, but a sense of caution arose within her heart.

"Fourth True Monarch? No wonder he appeared in the battle between heaven's chosen Li and the Young Lord. Heaven's chosen Li's identity is already clear."

"From the looks of it, the Fourth True Monarch's actions are to prevent changes to history. This doesn't conflict with my goal."

"However, I have to be careful."

The daughter of the Nine Shores pondered.

Similar thoughts appeared in different places in the Immortal Palace.

The sword furnace was naturally no exception.

The concealment of Qianjun and Piyi could be said to be almost flawless. Hence, after being discovered by the Fourth True Monarch, the two brothers continuously analyzed their flaws.

They more or less had some answers.

Now, they had sensed the rumors…

"Someone is targeting that person."

"Let them fight. It has nothing to do with us. We just have to quietly wait for time to pass and the moment the sword embryos completely shine."

In the sword furnace, the two sword embryos collided slightly and emitted divine sense.

"I wonder what that person is thinking at this moment."

Qianjun and Piyi sneered.

…

"There's a certain possibility that this was done by that heaven's chosen Li. There's also a possibility that it was done by Xie Lingzi, whom we haven't found yet!"

"No matter what, we are in a passive state."

In the Fourth Hall, Zhou Zhengli spoke in a low voice and looked at Star Ring, who was sitting cross-legged not far away.

When Star Ring heard this, he spoke calmly.

"There's no need to panic. Your current state is exactly what the person behind this rumor wants. Also… you still missed out on someone."

"This matter does not align with the positions of the others; it must be the actions of that person."

Zhou Zhengli fell silent as the figure beside Li Mengtu outside the Immortal Palace appeared in his mind.

"You're talking about the person at the entrance of the Immortal Palace who isn't a star but still has an Ordinance?"

"Yes."

Star Ring raised his head and his gaze followed the entrance of the hall to the sky outside. A cold glint appeared in his eyes.

"If one pays too much attention to the rumors, it is inevitable that they will end up incriminating themselves."

"With my current status, there's no need to care about this."

"So, the main thing isn't the rumors but to find this person!"

"Moreover, this person's actions have revealed something about their identity, and I already have a rough direction in mind."

Star Ring's gaze landed on… the Junior Aurora Hall in the east!

"I hope it's the identity I guessed. This will be interesting."

As he mumbled, Star Ring stood up and walked out with a calm expression.

"Lord, how should we deal with this matter?"

Star Ring didn't turn his head. The moment he walked out of the main hall, his voice rang out.

"I originally planned to intimidate those people in the near future. It's naturally better to use this opportunity."

"And you don't need to hide your abilities in front of me all the time. With your intellect, you surely know how to handle this matter properly, so you can go ahead and do what I instructed you to do earlier."

As he spoke, Star Ringzi's figure disappeared.

In the main hall, Zhou Zhengli smiled slightly.

"Rumors belong to the realm of conspiracy, and the way to counter a conspiracy is through straightforwardness."

"However, when dealing with someone so overtly sharp, it is only wise to keep one's strengths hidden."

…

It was noon.

Star Ring appeared outside the sword furnace and calmly spoke.

"Since someone is restless, then tonight I'll expel one person to serve as a warning to others."

His calm tone contained powerful confidence. After he said this, he didn't care about the waves in the sword furnace. He turned and left.

When he appeared again, he was already in the academy's seclusion area, where heaven's chosen Li was.

He said the same thing in a calm tone.

Next was the hall where the daughter of the Nine Shores was at. The two of them didn't meet. The Fourth True Monarch only stood outside the hall and calmly spoke.

The voice couldn't be heard by others but it clearly entered the mind of the daughter of the Nine Shores.

As her heart shook, the Fourth True Monarch had already left.

It wasn't just these few people. On Zhong Chi's way to the Junior Aurora Hall, the Fourth True Monarch appeared from thin air and his cold gaze landed on Zhong Chi.

Zhong Chi's heart sank and he revealed a respectful expression. Just as he was about to greet him, the Fourth True Monarch's voice echoed.

After that, he left and headed to other places.

In a short period, everyone in the entire Immortal Palace who had their identities confirmed by Star Ring heard this sentence one after another and sensed the killing intent in it.

This was clearly telling others what he, the Fourth True Monarch, wanted to do.

It was going to be tonight!

Noon passed and the sun set.

Amidst the peace, there were undercurrents moving.

Finally, night fell.

The stars in the sky shone and a bright moon slowly rose, scattering gentle silver light.

It was like a thin veil that enveloped the Immortal Palace.

In this deep night, it added a hint of mystery and ethereality to the Immortal Palace, making it faintly discernible, like a phantom in a dream.

Amidst this illusion, the immortal music from within the Junior Aurora Hall floated in the air and fairies danced gracefully.

In the sword furnace, Qianjun and Piyi remained vigilant.

In Southern Guest Hall, the daughter of the Nine Shores was on guard.

In the Junior Aurora Hall, Zhong Chi didn't return to his residence tonight but waited in front of the hall.

The night gradually deepened.

The bright moon became even more luminous, the intricate carvings and jade tiles of the Immortal Palace shimmered, resembling countless brilliant stars.

In the Thunder Punishment Palace, a punishment enforcer who was meditating slowly opened his eyes.

His face was stern and authoritative, and as he stood up, he flipped his palm, revealing a jade token.

This jade token contained information on the operations of the Immortal Palace, the guard rotation schedules of the various halls, intelligence on the Immortal Palace's formations, and most importantly, the specific movements of the first three True Monarchs.

Staring at the jade token, a dark glint flashed in the punishment enforcer's eyes as he muttered.

"Having this information is enough for me to create ripples from the act of betraying the Immortal Palace."

"Once I betray this palace, the ensuing turmoil will surely satisfy the broken sword within me even more."