Outside Of Time

1591  Dao Erosion Flower

In the sky of the Western Starfield, the flower that was reflected in Xu Qing's eyes seemed to have taken root in nothingness. As it swayed, a chilling wind, reminiscent of weeping, could be faintly heard.

It was eerie and unsettling.

Its stem twisted like a serpent, covered with sharp, glimmering thorns that cast a mysterious and terrifying aura over everything around it, as if its malevolent presence could be felt even in the darkness.

The leaves were narrow and deep purple, with edges jagged as if scorched by flames, marked by dark veins that seemed to flow from the abyss.

The flower itself was even more unnerving—its petals were a deep crimson with blackened edges, resembling a bloom straight from the underworld.

Twelve petals adorned the flower, each one bearing the face of an extraordinarily beautiful woman.

Some smiled, some wept, some teased, and others scowled…

Each one was an exquisite beauty, almost otherworldly.

Their long hair spread across the petals, extending from the edges into countless fine tendrils.

They swayed and writhed as if searching for prey.

As the flower bloomed, it exuded a fragrance reminiscent of a woman's scent, but prolonged exposure to this scent would transform it within the body into a nauseating stench, thick and putrid.

Gazing at the flower, Xu Qing's eyes glimmered with a dark light.

…

At that moment, across the entire Fifth Star Ring, the skies of the east, south, and north each shone with their respective totems, which were the manifestations of their inheritances. These totems became the sole sources of light in the sky.

For those who lacked the necessary qualifications, no matter how hard they stared, all they would see was darkness. Only the cultivators holding the qualifying tokens could perceive them.

As a result, every bearer of a qualifying token, whether through their own power or by relying on magic treasures, elixirs, or other methods, began to bolster themselves and attempt to comprehend the totems.

They knew this was the most crucial part of the second phase of the Immortal Capital's trial.

This segment was a gift for the participants.

. After this stage, the differences in strength among the participants would widen dramatically based on the insights they gained.

Even grasping just a fraction of the essence of the inheritance would lead to significant personal advancement, and truly comprehending the core would be akin to a carp leaping over the dragon gate—a sudden, massive rise in power.

After all, these inheritances contained a trace of Ordinance!

Though not everyone in the Fifth Star Ring was aware of the significance of Ordinance, those possessing the qualifying tokens were not ordinary individuals. They might not know all the details, but they had certainly heard of it.

Thus, the desire of all the token holders grew overwhelmingly intense at that moment.

Even knowing that in past trials, these inheritances were almost always successfully acquired by disciples of orthodox sects—and that there were rumors of predetermined successors for this stage—could not diminish their eagerness.

Accidents could always happen.

Hence, they naturally had to fight.

However, while the token holders in the Eastern, Southern, and Northern Starfields fiercely competed to gain insights, the Western Starfield remained peaceful and serene.

The sky over the Western Starfield was pitch black.

Here, for those cultivators without a token, there was nothing to see when they looked up. Even for those who did possess a token, the result was the same.

They couldn't see anything.

Blackness had overtaken everything.

Despite the frustration, confusion, and some dissatisfaction, the overall lethargy of the western region meant that most of the cultivators there lacked the fighting spirit to push forward.

Except for a few who were unwilling to give up and continued to try, the majority had already resigned themselves to their fate.

Since the immortal of the Dao Immortal Sect didn't allow outsiders to comprehend during this phase, then they simply wouldn't attempt it.

After all, they couldn't see anything anyway.

As for Xu Qing, standing on the Main Dao Cliff, he gazed at the pitch-black sky. His eyes were fixed on the strange flower that had appeared in the sky, and the dark light in his gaze grew even more intense.

To him, this flower wasn't just a vague image…

It was fully clear!

After Xu Qing stared at it, he immediately understood and his expression changed.

This was because on this flower, he sensed an aura that was even more supreme than authority Dao marks.

"That is…"

Xu Qing's pupils contracted and his breathing became slightly hurried.

But as his divine sense spread out, he noticed that the few cultivators around him on the Main Dao Cliff, who were also meditating there, only glanced at the sky before withdrawing their gaze. Seeing this, Xu Qing hesitated.

"Among these people, two have tokens, but their perception range isn't as large as mine, so they can't sense me."

"The others didn't stare. It's the same for the two of them…"

"Can't see it? Or is there something strange about this flower?"

As he pondered, Xu Qing spread out his divine sense and permeated the surroundings of the cultivators who couldn't sense his existence, carefully observing their expressions.

This was especially so for those cultivators who weren't alone but were in groups of two or more.

Soon, he found the answer from the expressions of these people and the conversations they had.

"Inheritance segment!"

"All those with tokens can comprehend it!"

"They can't see…"

Xu Qing's thoughts raced. Suddenly, his heart stirred and he raised his head to look at the flower again.

In his eyes, a thin strand of deep red rose from the eerie and sinister flower, drifting toward the eastern horizon.

It was as though there was an existence in the east absorbing it!

According to this absorption speed, it should take ten days for the flower to disappear.

Seeing this, determination appeared in Xu Qing's eyes.

"Although I don't know the details, it will be a pity if I give up on this flower of inheritance like this!"

At the thought of this, Xu Qing no longer hesitated. He stared at the flower in the sky and focused all his attention on it.

The first thing he saw was the faces of the women on the flower petals. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

At the next instant, waves of murmurs filled with bewitchment echoed in his ears and fused into his mind.

Moments later, a purplish-red hue spread across Xu Qing's entire body as his flesh began to writhe, uncontrollably bulging into grotesque faces.

 These faces were twisted and menacing, as if they were trying to devour him.

 Xu Qing's body trembled violently, and the power of his authority erupted from within, surging through him and pulling him out of his trance.

The moment he opened his eyes, he spat out a large mouthful of blood.

As the blood splattered on the ground, it blossomed into flowers identical to the one on the night sky, only to quickly wither and crumble into ash.

Comprehension failed.

"My method is wrong. I tried to understand the essence of this flower, but that exceeds my current capabilities. Moreover, this inheritance is different from the legendary places I've visited along the way."

Xu Qing pondered. After about fifteen minutes, the five elements circled in his body and time and space rose. The erase authority and immortal art authority in his eyes were all shining.

He used the power of his authorities to augment himself and stared at the flower again.

This time, he used different authorities to simulate this flower.

An hour later, Xu Qing's body suddenly trembled and withered, turning into skin and bones. After that, blood spurted out from the pores of his entire body.

After landing, it formed a sea of flowers.

The sea of flowers quickly withered. Xu Qing barely opened his eyes. He had a splitting headache and his body was extremely weak.

He failed again.

"The method is still wrong."

"Then… I can only use the method I used to imprint the Ghost Emperor Mountain back then."

"Move this flower into my sea of consciousness!"

Xu Qing wiped away the blood and swallowed some medicinal pills. After a few breaths of silence, he took out the liaoxuan holy liquid and drank several bottles in one go. His gaze gradually became ethereal.

Time flowed by. After fifteen minutes, Xu Qing was as usual. An hour later, he was still normal.

Two hours later…

In the sky, the swaying flower, which initially only released a single thread drifting toward the east, suddenly produced a second thread. This one headed straight toward the Main Dao Cliff where Xu Qing was located.

Xu Qing's forehead suddenly shone; vaguely, there seemed to be a mark of a petal slowly forming on it.

At the same time, in the eastern part of the Western Starfield, within the restricted area of the Li family, at the center of the 9,000 towering towers, Li Mengtu sat cross-legged. A similar glow shone from his forehead.

Flower petals had also formed there, and since his enlightenment began earlier than Xu Qing's, the first petal had already fully appeared.

The second petal was also forming.

However, at the next instant, his expression suddenly changed. He instantly opened his eyes and looked into the distance.

"Someone is plundering!"

"This is impossible!"

Li Mengtu's breathing became rapid, and his face darkened significantly as he fixated intensely on the direction of his perception.

Previously, his comprehension of the flower had been in a state of solitary absorption, progressing swiftly

However, at that moment, his absorption rate suddenly slowed, and through his own petals he sensed the emergence of another sharer in that direction.

When this happened, his first reaction was disbelief.

This was because before this inheritance segment, his master had told him that this time… although the inheritance in the Western Starfield couldn't directly specify him due to the rules of the Immortal Capital, some specific conditions could be added.

These were three special conditions crafted specifically for him.

Only those who met these three conditions could see the Dao Erosion Flower!

In theory, it was impossible for there to be a second person who perfectly met these three conditions like him.

"How could this be!"

The appearance of the sharer caused Li Mengtu's emotions to instantly tense up. Killing intent rose in his eyes.

He was determined to obtain this Dao Erosion Flower's inheritance and couldn't allow any accidents to happen.

This was because he was well aware how precious and powerful the inheritance his master had specially given him was.

This Dao Erosion Flower transformed into a powerful Dao art once successfully comprehended. Its effects were extraordinary, capable of corroding others' authorities, representing a high-level form of poison.

If it had been merely this, it would still have been remarkable but not excessively rare.

After all, there were many methods to counteract corrosive Dao marks.

However… after the Ordinance was added, it became a different story.

If the origin was compared to local administrative regulations, then authority was akin to the six ministries' laws, while Ordinance… stood above everything, like an imperial decree!

This Dao Erosion Flower contained a trace of Ordinance!

Its manifestation was not just the corrosion of authority Dao marks, but rather… cutting the Dao!

It would permanently sever the opponent's authority and Dao marks. With the Ordinance in place, this severance was irreversible!

Unless the opponent also possessed spells and arts with Ordinance, it was unstoppable!

Li Mengtu was naturally anxious about such a precious opportunity. However, in this crucial moment of comprehension, he couldn't afford to be distracted. So, he immediately messaged his master through voice transmission.

…

Western Starfield, Dao Immortal Sect.

Within this area lay vast fields of fertile land, filled with countless plants, each one a rare and extraordinary specimen.

 Any one of these would incite fierce competition in the outside world.

At that moment, the Poison Lord, dressed like an old farmer, was meticulously watering two particular plants with precious Nine Heavens Immortal Elixir.

His expression was focused, entirely ignoring any transmissions from the outside world.

The two plants he was tending to were positioned closely together, and both possessed a certain level of sentience. They were fiercely competing for the nutrients from the soil and the immortal elixir that was being poured upon them.

"Interesting…"

"Who among you is my karma?"

The Poison Lord muttered in a hoarse voice.