out of time

Chapter 960 Why
This day, the sun has set.

The empress's deification was a shocking event involving many parties.

This includes the Empress' own rituals among the human race, the arrangements made by Prince Ziqing in the Heaven-Swallowing Realm, and the plans of the Three Gods of Sun, Moon and Stars for the future.

It also includes the attitude of the Holy Land.

It also includes those who have not descended but have transactions with the Empress.

For example, the woman in wedding dress in the ghost cave.

As such, one can imagine how complicated the process is.

Not to mention, among these numerous causes and effects, there is also the fate of the emperor.

The Sword-Wielding Emperor has killed countless gods in his life, and even more have been severely injured by him. Therefore, naturally, many gods were drawn by the cause and effect after they predicted his imminent demise.

As a result, the already multi-faceted situation became even more complicated.

The extent of this disturbance is rare in history!

Attracted the attention of the entire Wanggu!

But until this moment, the legendary final sword of the Sword-wielding Emperor has still not been launched.

This sword seemed to be hanging over the heads of all parties. Many powerful tribes and gods were afraid of it, and no one was willing to be the unjust ghost who died under the sword.

So even someone as strong as Yu Liuchen finally chose to retreat.

He seemed to be blocked by the Questioning Immortal Bell, but in the final analysis, what he feared most was the Sword-wielding Emperor.

He didn't want to risk his life to explore!
However, if no one continues to test, then this ceremony has now come to an end, and it won’t be long before the empress succeeds.

At that time, it would obviously be impossible for the empress, who had reached the peak of dominance and become a god, and cooperated with the divine bodies of the five human emperors, to explore the truth about the sword holder.

Therefore, at this time, it depends on which side is most unwilling to allow the empress to become a god.

then……

In the human race's imperial capital, when most of the people were nervously staring at the Sky Curtain Empress outside, a sigh was heard from a bookstore on Jiu Luo Street in the East District that had been run from generation to generation for many years.

In the store, on this special day, no one came to buy books.

Only a few guys were sitting on the doorstep, gazing at the sky and whispering to each other.

Behind them, at the counter of the shop, the shopkeeper Zhao Youde, who was wearing a yellow robe, closed the bamboo slips in front of him and raised his head.

A sigh came from his mouth.

Zhao Youde's appearance was not unusual, but his hair was already gray. The wind blew into the shop and fell on his body, making his hair sway in the wind like reeds in autumn.

Perhaps it is because he is old. Although the years have left crisscross wrinkles on his face, they have also brought a kind look to his face.

His eyes were not bright, but they were somewhat deep, but at this moment, there was a hint of helplessness.

"Why bother?"

Zhao Youde is the 17th generation owner and boss of this bookstore. He lives here and also in the backyard of the store.

Apart from his wife's early death due to illness, he seemed to have no regrets in his life. His parents were still alive, his children were very filial, and his shop business was good.

As a mortal, such days are enough.

He likes reading very much, especially ancient classics.

Through reading and thinking, he seems to be able to understand many life philosophies. He often uses these philosophies to guide his own behavior and is more willing to share this wisdom with people around him.

Most of his neighbors maintain a certain respect for him.

And he also likes this kind of life.

But today, he knew... everything was about to end.

So, with this sigh, he walked out from behind the counter with his hands behind his back and his back hunched.

After taking a lingering look at the bookstore, he shook his head and walked towards the door.

When he passed the threshold, several guys sitting there looked at him in surprise.

"Shopkeeper, there are a lot of people outside and it's very chaotic. What are you doing..."

Zhao Youde paused, looked at these guys, and his expression was a little nostalgic.

"Er Gouzi, you look more and more like your grandfather."

"And little grasshopper, you need to read more in the future, okay?"

"You two... your ancestors have followed me for generations. I'll give this shop to you two."

Such words stunned the two assistants. They quickly stood up and were about to say something else, but the next moment, their boss had disappeared in the store.

On Jiuluo Street, under the setting sun, Zhao Youde's figure walked out from nothingness and headed towards the imperial capital.

He sighed as he walked.

"Why do you want to..."

Zhao Youde sighed again. He liked this world and the human race in this world. For countless years, he had run a bookstore here in different identities, interacted with the human race who came to the bookstore to buy books, and also made many friends regardless of age.

I thought life would go on like this.

"Although the Holy Land has passed, there is no need to rebel... Alas."

Amidst the sighs, there was the backyard of his bookstore, his parents, his children, all his family members, people who seemed alive on normal days.

At this moment, their bodies suddenly stiffened, and then they all let out the same sigh as him.

Then, all the bodies blurred and dissipated, turning into tiny points of silver light, blending into nothingness, appearing on Jiuluo Street, and merging into Zhao Youde's body.

His hunched back slowly straightened.

His old face gradually became younger.

A terrifying force of cultivation is surging in his body, from foundation building, to Nascent Soul, back to the abyss, until finally to the Soul Condensing... and then to domination!

It rose all the way and finally stopped at the peak of half-step domination!
Incredibly strong, but not a single bit of it was revealed in his body.

It’s just a back view, but in the afterglow of the setting sun, it looks particularly lonely.

He walked forward silently, recalling his life.

He was born in the Holy Land and came to Wanggu for a mission.

The mission is to kill the Emperor of Daoshi!

After his success, he was unable to leave, so he lurked among the human race for a very long time. During this period, he never took action again.

Always hiding.

Because he was afraid of the Sword-wielding Emperor.

Zhao Youde sighed again and took a step forward.

This step directly crossed the imperial capital, crossed the imperial palace, and stepped onto the Ancient Emperor Star. Its target... was the sacred fire on the Ancient Emperor Star!

He didn't want to fight with the Empress, nor did he want to test the Sword Emperor himself. He followed his own beliefs and just wanted to... extinguish the divine fire.

The moment it appeared, it was silent.

There was no roar of thunder, no huge waves, just like he had been hiding all along. The moment he appeared, he raised his hand, and the moment the empress noticed it, and everyone looked over at him.

His hand fell towards the divine fire, and was about to extinguish it!
But at this moment, a calm voice echoed around Zhao Youde.

"Manager Zhao, this fire cannot be extinguished."

Along with the sound, a slender figure appeared.

She wore a purple robe and had long purple hair. Her facial features were as exquisite as if they were created by nature. Her eyebrows were long and powerful, like the outline of a distant mountain.

Especially the eyes, wise and deep.

It's the national master!

Prince Ziqing.

He appeared in front of Zhao Youde with his back to the divine fire, but even the fire could not conceal his brilliance.

In that flame, his whole body was like a bright star, shining in the ancient sky.

With the corners of his mouth slightly raised, with a faint smile that seemed to exist forever, he spoke gently and raised his right hand and waved it forward.

Zhao Youde raised his hand, but couldn't put it down.

The appearance of the National Master made many cultivators of the human race feel relieved.

Although the national teacher is mysterious and unpredictable, it is precisely because of his mystery that he seems to contain infinite possibilities.

Xu Qing was silent.

He was not surprised by the other party's arrival.

So he looked over calmly.

He wanted to see the true strength of Prince Ziqing.

Noticing Xu Qing's gaze, Prince Ziqing, who was facing Zhao Youde, also shifted his gaze to Xu Qing, and his smile became even gentler.

"Brother, did you receive the gift?"

Xu Qing had no expression on his face.

Prince Ziqing smiled again, his gaze returned to Zhao Youde, and he spoke lightly.

“I saw your time.”

As soon as these words came out, Zhao Youde's face darkened.

As a half-step master at the peak, he is a hegemon even in the holy land.

Among the human race in this Wanggu Continent, he is not afraid of anyone except the Empress and the Sword-wielding Emperor. Until this moment, facing this national teacher, he suddenly realized that his understanding of this person had always been vague before.

Unfortunately, he hadn't noticed it before.

"Since A-di wants to see it, I will be more careful. Next, I will divide your time and make them independent."

Zi Qing continued to speak, and as his words echoed, Zhao Youde's surroundings suddenly became empty and distorted. His life and his past were no longer under his control. They unfolded like a picture with him at the center.

In the picture, we can see him killing Dao Shi, everything that happened when he hid in the bookstore, and all the changes he made when he became a family member, being both a ancestor and a son.

His life in Wanggu Continent was thus revealed between heaven and earth.

Then, when his face darkened, Prince Ziqing fiddled with time with his right hand, and in the blink of an eye, countless Zhao Youde in the past in those pictures, no matter what they were doing, suddenly looked up.

From the past, looking to the present.

Then, they all raised their feet and took a step forward.

The heaven and earth roared, the sky changed color, the breath of the Tao descended, and the long river of time came from nothingness and spread across the world.

Xu Qing's eyes flashed with a dim light. This was not the first time he had seen the Long River of Time. Back then in the Jiyue Realm, his Third Grandma, who was good at the laws of time, had also attracted the Long River of Time.

But compared with the scene of Prince Ziqing in front of him, Third Grandma's place was like a stream.

What now appears between heaven and earth is like the eternal Milky Way.

It permeated the imperial palace, covered the imperial capital, and affected the entire region.

The entire world visible to the naked eye is covered by the long river of time.

And in this long river, countless past Zhao Youdes jumped up like fish in the river.

From the past, stepped into the present, and appeared in mid-air.

The moment they appeared, they rushed towards Zhao Youde.

"Brother, have you seen clearly? Each of these statues is Shopkeeper Zhao's past. If they killed Shopkeeper Zhao, he would no longer exist. If he does not exist now, his past would be nothing but a mirage."

"And if Shopkeeper Zhao kills them, it is equivalent to killing his past. Without the past, there will be no present."

"Brother, if it were you, what would you do?"

Ziqing spoke gently.
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First update

(End of this chapter)