Chapter 1001: The Fifth Star Ring

Almost simultaneously with the old man's words, shimmering waves suddenly appeared across the dim sky of this Ruin of Ages world!

It was a magnificent sight!

It was as if light had refracted off water, creating ripples that were reflected onto the celestial dome!

Vivid and vibrant!

Not only that, but the swamps on the ground also underwent a mysterious transformation at this very moment!

Thick mists of water overflowed from nothingness, quickly engulfing the swamps and making the surroundings hazy!

Xu Qing and the Captain's expressions both changed, but before they could react, a sound of creation, as if the heavens were being sundered and the earth cleaved, suddenly echoed from the sky.

It was like the roar of a giant beast, yet also like the low growl of a deity!

Immediately after, a great river emerged from thin air, swirling through the sky.

Its waves, made of time, surged and roared forward!

In an instant, it swept past Xu Qing and the Captain!

Then, tens of thousands of feet away, it vanished instantly, as if pouring into a black hole!

It was as if the spot where Xu Qing and the Captain stood was merely a necessary segment of this great river's flowing path.

The river water descended from the sky, swept past them, then disappeared tens of thousands of feet away, flowing towards another segment of time.

What was even more bizarre was that although the river was turbulent, it seemed to exist in a different space from Xu Qing and the Captain. The river water flowed like an illusion, merely revealing a projection due to some unknown reason, intersecting with them.

"The River of Time."

Xu Qing immediately recognized the river!

This river, in fact, existed wherever time flowed, but revealing it required special authority or astonishing power.

In Xu Qing's experience, whether it was the Third Grandmother of the Moon Sacrifice Domain or other deities who displayed control over time, they mostly actively summoned this river. Suddenly, within the roaring River of Time, a golden light appeared!

This light raced through the river water, seemingly much faster than the flow itself. Wherever it passed, the temporal waves actually began to collapse!

Witnessing this scene, Xu Qing's mind once again intensely fluctuated. "Its speed within the River of Time surpasses the river's flow... Doesn't this imply that this golden light's speed transcends time itself?"

After arriving in the outer sea, everything he saw, heard, and experienced had, to some extent, shattered Xu Qing's previous understanding of the world, broadening his horizons.

At this moment, personally witnessing an existence whose speed could surpass time made Xu Qing's heart pound intensely.

He wanted to discern what the golden light was, but clearly, with his current cultivation, it was difficult to achieve.

Until... the golden light speeding through the river seemed to notice the old man standing there. It suddenly paused, stopped advancing, and revealed its true form!

The moment they saw it clearly, Xu Qing's eyes widened, and the Captain's eyes also shone with an odd light!

It was a golden rat, very similar in appearance to the golden rat Xu Qing and the Captain had seen in the Liaoxuan Holy Liquid Cave. However, its aura was different, and the ancientness emanating from this one was far more profound!

But it was certain they belonged to the same species.

As for this golden rat, it wasn't running on all fours but standing on two feet like a human. It held a straw sandal in its mouth and embraced it with both hands!

It seemed that originally, it had been running and gnawing on the sandal simultaneously, which had left the sandal somewhat tattered!

But now, the instant it saw the old man, it was clearly startled. Its body suddenly unfurled, revealing the River of Time, and then using its power, it pulled out years from within! They were all merely *using* it!

However, the old man standing before them, who was suspected to be an external cultivator, was different!

At this moment, the old man stood within the River of Time, gazing at the river's source. He was waiting!

Waiting for the "little thing" he had mentioned earlier!

It was as if the River of Time held no secrets for him. He could calculate the flow of any segment and knew all its causes and effects. Therefore... he could wait in time for his inevitable prey!

This level had already surpassed that of a mere user!

Under Xu Qing's divine sense, his mind surged along with the river water!

He recalled the insights he gained when he obtained divine authority!

Divine Authority, primitive and chaotic, was an extremely ancient power that existed invisibly in the world!

Merely grasping it equated to gaining the qualification to use it, forming a mark.

But it was only a qualification to *use*!

Above that, there was an even higher level: *control*!

Xu Qing looked at the old man in front of him, and his own understanding surfaced in his mind. The feeling his opponent gave him at this moment... was like

...although not a deity, he achieved things that even ordinary deities couldn't!

This was the limit of what Xu Qing could perceive!

But Xu Qing knew this was clearly not the old man's true limit!

As for the true extent of his limit, it would naturally vary based on different understandings.

Perhaps for most beings, only the word "strong" could vaguely describe it.

Beside him, the Captain's heart was also pounding with awe.

And just as both their minds raced with countless thoughts, the golden light that had been speeding through the sky suddenly paused, its eyes revealing shock, and even its gnawing on the straw sandal ceased!

Then, the golden rat abruptly turned, attempting to flee upstream!

The old man in the River of Time swept his gaze over the golden rat, a smile appearing on his face.

"You little rascal, you stole my things and have been on the run for so long, but how is it you still ended up right in front of me?"

As the old man spoke, he raised his right hand and grabbed towards the River of Time!

With that grab, the golden rat immediately let out frantic squeaks. Its entire body erupted with dazzling golden light, staining the surrounding river water gold, and its speed increased even further!

It was about to go against the current and disappear into the celestial dome!

But the next instant, with the old man's grab, the River of Time was severed at its source in the celestial dome and at its vanishing point tens of thousands of feet away on the ground!

Both ends were directly sealed off!

This prevented time from flowing here and blocked the golden rat's path!

As for the middle section of the river, it was intercepted and fell!

The golden rat trembled, about to tear through the void, but in a flash, the segment of river water trapped there rapidly churned, forming a line of water that shot directly towards the golden rat!

Ignoring its struggles, it tightened fiercely around its neck like a rope, pulling it towards the old man!

In the blink of an eye, it landed in the old man's hand, caught firmly, and dangled, swinging back and forth!

Perhaps the water-line formed by the river was too tight, containing a terrifying power, causing the golden rat's legs to twitch, its squeaks to abruptly cease, white foam to appear at its mouth, and its eyes to turn white.

Its life force rapidly faded, and the aura of death spread throughout its body!

It became motionless, as if dead!

The Captain blinked, then suddenly spoke loudly, eager to show off.

"Senior, this little thief is faking death! Hmph, faking death in front of me? I can tell at a glance whether it's real or fake. This little thing is too naive."

The old man faintly smiled, glancing at the golden rat dangling in his hand.

"Even a hairy monster like him could tell your act of faking death is clumsy! If you want to continue, I can help you with that!"

The golden rat shivered all over, instantly opened its eyes, and first shot a fierce glare at the Captain, then quickly looked towards the old man, showing a fawning expression!

With both hands, it held up the straw sandal, raising it high, as if returning it.

The old man took the straw sandal, examined its tattered parts, then shook it a few times to dislodge some loose straw before tossing it onto the ground and slipping his foot into it.

Then he shook his head.

"Worthless creature! Last time you stole my clothes, and your ability to speak was sealed. Then you coveted these straw sandals for tens of thousands of years, and after finally managing to steal them, you only ate this little bit!"

"It just goes to show your lack of good fortune!"

Having said that, he held the temporal thread that was looped around the golden rat's neck and began walking towards the sky!

The golden rat, swinging pitifully, cast another look at the Captain when its gaze fell upon the ground, its expression unfriendly, clearly holding a grudge.

Xu Qing paid no attention to the golden rat. He looked at the old man's retreating back, hesitating internally, as he had a question he wanted to ask.

As for the Captain, seeing the golden rat actually glare at him, he inwardly sneered, thinking, "Grandpa was right, this thing really lacks good fortune. It didn't even eat a few bites of a straw sandal! If it were me, I'd stuff it all down!"

So he looked on disdainfully.

The golden rat grew even angrier and suddenly let out a series of squeaks!

Hearing this, the old man chuckled.

"You sense the aura of your descendants' bloodline? Of course, otherwise, they wouldn't have been swallowed by this Ruin of Ages, which I captured specifically to wait for you!"

"Alright, stop complaining. It's time for us to go home!"

As the old man spoke, he walked towards the horizon, raised his right hand, and gently waved it towards the sky.

Instantly, the celestial dome rumbled with an earth-shattering sound. Then, with a crack, the entire sky directly split open, revealing a colossal rift...

Outside the rift, it was pitch black, yet the aura of the outside world permeated through!

It was above the sea surface.

The old man took a step, about to exit!

Xu Qing suddenly looked up, bowed towards the sky, and spoke loudly!

"Senior, this junior has a question. If you are willing to clarify, please enlighten me!"

"Senior, you mentioned earlier that this is the Primal Sea, and that the world my senior brother and I come from has limited understanding of it. So... what exactly is the Primal Sea?"

"And why is it that here, my aura can be perceived by all star rings?"

Xu Qing bowed, awaiting the answer.

In mid-air, the old man turned and looked at Xu Qing.

"As one who possesses the flesh and blood of the Desolate, you should have a vague understanding. This universe, where both you and I reside, contains thirty-six star rings!"

"Each star ring is vast and boundless, encompassing multiple domains!"

"The Primal Sea, however, is peculiar. Wherever it exists, it is both a strategic location and a prosperous place, because the Primal Sea can connect all star rings within the universe!"

"This is also why your aura emanated once you arrived here!"

"But you don't need to worry. I have already masked your presence, and the Primal Sea here is extremely special. It is currently sealed, with only a rift, so even outsiders who enter cannot stay for too long!"

"After all, the star ring you hail from once held immense prestige!"

"And since we have met by fate, if one day you can reach the level of a Lower Immortal, you will then possess the most basic qualification to pass through the Primal Sea. You might even be able to leave this place through it. Should you be willing, you can use the Primal Sea to seek me in the Immortal Capital of the Fifth Star Ring!"

"That is a world dominated by humans, a world of Immortals!"

After speaking, the old man turned and took a step towards the celestial rift, vanishing from sight.