Chapter 1115: The Direction of the Eighth Pole

**Chapter 1120: The Direction of the Eighth Extreme**

"Time is not just about accelerating its flow, reversing years, or freezing moments. It also has deeper manifestations..."

Xu Qing gazed at the vast desert before him. The moment he understood its essence, despite possessing control over time, his heart was still stirred by the way time manifested here, filling his mind with numerous thoughts.

"Time can be macroscopic, encompassing all star rings, or rather... affecting all beings and everything that exists, falling within its scope. The river of time is omnipresent. However, it's not fixed; external forces or other changes can alter its flow. What this desert reveals are branches of time."

Xu Qing took a deep breath, his understanding growing clearer. "Each movement of a single grain of sand creates a timeline, and on that timeline, a second grain of sand appears. The first and second grains of sand are essentially identical, but their timelines differ. This continuous process generates an increasing number of timelines, leading to chaos, much like this desert. If one could unify them, it would be akin to moving within time while remaining independent of it, achieving true mastery."

A peculiar glint appeared in Xu Qing's eyes. "Unfortunately, I currently cannot unify them; I can only cause them to proliferate chaotically. And these chaotic timelines, generated by the object's inherent changes, in a way seem to create... different fates? Each new timeline produces a grain of sand based on it, and the trajectory of that sand grain from then on is independent of the original, forging its own distinct path."

Xu Qing recalled the divine authority over fate that his divine body possessed, and a strange sensation gradually arose in his heart. He realized that authority and divine power, at this moment, seemed to share a similar remarkable effect. "However, there are subtle differences. My divine authority over fate involves carving new threads of destiny with a carving knife, allowing them to stand out and become dominant. But time branches cause the object itself to evolve into many different timelines... The specific distinctions should become clearer once I return to Wanggu and my immortal and divine bodies merge. For now..."

Xu Qing's eyes glowed faintly as he pondered how to manifest this time-branching ability in combat. He simultaneously took out a bottle of Liaoxuan Sacred Liquid and drank it in one gulp. He had already consumed two bottles in recent days; this was his third. As the Liaoxuan Sacred Liquid spread, Xu Qing's thoughts began to boil.

"I can apply this to myself, forming different timelines with every action, even every heartbeat. While I cannot unify them, I can use my life sundial to unleash them outwards all at once, creating a chaotic sea of time! Whoever enters my chaotic sea will endure the power of time, sinking into disarray amidst countless timelines, destined either for death or madness! If applied to an enemy... the same would hold true! Every action they take would generate a chaotic timeline, and as these proliferate, the enemy, unable to control such changes, would be forced to passively confront them, bringing havoc upon themselves! It could even evoke a sensation similar to what a deity might experience: a glance causing all their flesh and blood to feel independent. Even a Sovereign would find this divine ability difficult to escape!"

A cold glint arose in Xu Qing's eyes. "All who enter this sea suffer, leading to tribulation, with no cessation of time, hence it is called... Boundless!" Xu Qing formed hand seals, channeling his power to envelop the entire desert. He condensed his thoughts into a concept, forged it into a dao, and imprinted it within the Seventh Extreme. After completing this, his thoughts continued to expand. The effects of the Liaoxuan Sacred Liquid also continued to manifest, further enhancing Xu Qing's already astonishing comprehension.

"Furthermore, regarding the ability of time branching, there should be other, better ways to manifest it, which I need to thoroughly ponder later. For instance... perhaps combined with spatial power?" Xu Qing mused, then suddenly his mind stirred. "An extra timeline, combined with a space unique to that timeline, would create... a destiny that is identical to my origin but different in the future...?" Xu Qing's breathing quickened instantly. He vaguely felt as if he had grasped something profound. "Or, more precisely, should it be called... spacetime? Spacetime based on me? Within countless spacetimes, countless versions of me..." Xu Qing suddenly looked up, his mind churning intensely at that moment. He immediately began to experiment.

Time passed, and three days went by. Xu Qing remained immersed in his comprehension, exploring methods for integrating time and space. During this time, he mentally deduced some of his ideas and physically attempted others, but without exception, all failed. He then decided to shift his focus to the chaotic formation of timelines, attempting to transform his spatial power into a box to contain the timelines. This process was very slow, but Xu Qing paid no mind to this; his entire energy was absorbed by it.

However... for Yunmen Qianfan, her shock grew daily as Xu Qing cultivated! Although her cultivation was at the Void Return stage, whether she could break through to the Divine Concealment stage depended on destiny. Yet, as one of the family's core members, she possessed considerable insight. Even with her impressive knowledge and experience with other Sovereigns, the scene of Xu Qing's cultivation still stirred an endless storm within her over the past few days. This storm escalated in Yunmen Qianfan's mind in a tiered fashion as Xu Qing comprehended the desert. In the initial days, she noticed all the grains of sand in the desert gradually shimmering, until the entire desert, in her eyes, transformed into a dazzling starry sky. This stirred her deeply. Next, all the sand grains trembled, and for a brief period, everywhere Yunmen Qianfan looked, all the sand grains actually rose into the air. That dreamlike, ethereal sensation impacted her understanding, and the ripples in her mind became raging waves.

But compared to these, what happened next was even more beyond her imagination. She discovered that... Xu Qing's body appeared distorted, blurred, as if superimposed. She even wondered if her eyes were playing tricks on her, as for a moment, she seemed to see countless Xu Qings! Though these vanished like illusions in the blink of an eye, they were followed by a tremor in her body and intense dizziness. The world spun around her. What shocked her even more was that during this dizziness, she instantly aged, then became a child, and then returned to normal, all in an instant. Furthermore, illusions frequently appeared, as if she were living through one different life after another. Joys and sorrows, partings and reunions, love and hatred, all were present within them. Fortunately, Xu Qing detected these crucial moments, formed hand seals to stop them, and enveloped her with a gentle force to shield her from the effects. Otherwise, she might already be nothing but withered bones. These scenes made the storm in Yunmen Qianfan's mind incredibly intense.

"'Even the Patriarch hasn't made me feel like this...'" Yunmen Qianfan gasped repeatedly, quickly retreating a distance, afraid to approach Xu Qing. While feeling reverence, a stronger sense of security than before also surged within her. She once again confirmed that her divination path was absolutely correct this time. As for the lives and deaths of other core clan members, she didn't know, but she understood that she should be fine this time. At the same time, she vaguely felt that her divination art seemed to have changed after experiencing those preceding scenes. "'Could the changes brought about by Senior Yanxuanzi's cultivation somehow align with the path of divination?'" Yunmen Qianfan pondered, sitting cross-legged at a distance, carefully sensing.

Just like this, another two days passed. The entire desert grew even more radiant, with countless sand grains continuously rising, pulled by each other, forming a storm within the desert as they whirled. As rumbling sounds echoed in all directions, a person approached on the land outside the desert. The newcomer was a woman. She wore a black gauze gown, held a black spear, and had a beautiful face, yet her expression held a killing intent, and her entire body exuded an icy aura. She stood outside the desert storm, took a step, and entered the desert's range. But it was only one step before she halted. A moment later, she slowly withdrew her foot and stood there, as if transformed into an iceberg. The surrounding air was solidified by her aura, and an invisible pressure spread in all directions. It was as if any living being, upon approaching, would be engulfed by that chilling energy. However, all the momentum of this 'iceberg' only lasted for a few breaths. As she withdrew her foot and gazed at the scene, it began to melt. Everything was swiftly replaced by a sense of solemnity.

"'The Desert of Time... Authority over Time! No wonder the previous elders and guest ministers died so strangely, leading to me being summoned to stop this. This guest minister of the Yunmen family is not only a Sovereign but very likely a mid-stage Sovereign! He's hidden within the Yunmen family; his goal must also be that key fragment...'" The woman fell silent.

As an unparalleled prodigy of the Earth Spirit Clan and the bearer of a Quasi-Immortal Capital Order, she had fought countless battles throughout her life, and her insight surpassed ninety-nine percent of her clan members. She was confident in engaging anyone at the same cultivation level. But now... the solemnity on her face gradually merged with an increasingly intense sense of crisis deep within her heart. With that single step just now, she had felt death. "'I am no match for this person.'" After a brief silence, the woman took a deep breath and slowly retreated.

After three steps, her body suddenly stiffened, and her expression changed in an instant. She realized that her retreat had been too late. She had stood there for a while, and during that time, her heartbeats, inner thoughts, and body movements had been too numerous. Most importantly, she should not have taken that step into the desert. Thus, unknowingly, numerous timelines had already formed on her body, causing her retreating figure to appear distorted, blurred, and superimposed. However, as a Sovereign, she was extraordinary. The moment she detected her abnormality, she unhesitatingly unleashed her cultivation, and with decisive resolve, she instantly shattered her clan's secret treasure at any cost, using its power to augment her own authority, erupting with a bang. In an instant, a colossal, true, and vast iceberg, centered on her, roared into existence in all directions, standing firm outside the desert. It froze everything, congealed all, including herself and time!

Days later, the iceberg still stood. Meanwhile, the storm over the desert slowly dissipated, and the entire desert returned to normal. At this moment, Xu Qing opened his eyes. He didn't look at the distant iceberg; he merely sighed inwardly at his own comprehension. After this period of attempts, he realized that due to his insufficient understanding, he was ultimately unable to merge time and space. "But this is a direction—the direction of the Eighth Extreme!"

Xu Qing took a deep breath, and with a wave of his hand, the desert immediately churned. All the sand grains trembled, countless moments here intertwined, and brilliant, colorful light shimmered. Eventually, they converged before Xu Qing, forming a radiant path. "Let's go." Xu Qing stood up and spoke to Yunmen Qianfan.

At this moment, Yunmen Qianfan was staring at the iceberg that had suddenly appeared in her perception, especially at the figure of the woman sealed within it. As she recognized the woman, she instinctively looked towards Xu Qing. "'Senior, she...'"

"She tried to freeze time, but failed. She's not dead yet, but she's not far from it."

"'Ah, that... the things on her?'" Yunmen Qianfan blinked.

Xu Qing shook his head, saying nothing further. Because the Boundless Sea sealed within that iceberg, though it was instigated by him, he also lacked the ability to unify it. If he were to step into it, he would also become trapped. Naturally, Xu Qing would not reveal this point.

He now took a step forward, embarking on the radiant path before him. As he walked, he transcended time and the desert, appearing before... an ancient megalithic formation. Behind him, Yunmen Qianfan dutifully followed.