Chapter 1178: The Ninth Extreme

The river surged, its roar rising with the waves and echoing in all directions.

Xu Qing sat cross-legged on the river surface. Around him, the fourth-level world, transformed into swirling dust, was dissipating, spreading out like falling snow.

However, this world had not shattered or vanished.

Although all structures of the Immortal Palace, including the heavens and earth, had vanished into nothingness, the world itself still existed.

Because Xu Qing was there!

Now, thanks to the Aurora Young Master's gift, he possessed the authority of the Immortal Palace and the status to wield its power.

His Space-Time Decree had fully matured, manifesting as a long river of space-time that supported this fourth-level world, which should have shattered.

At the same time, he understood that he could now leave at any moment, or even, with a single thought, return to any of the first three levels: the present reality of the third level, the images of the second level, or the lines of the first level.

He could arrive instantly, whenever he wished.

However, moving upward was restricted.

The restriction wasn't due to his authority or status, but the level of his Decree.

Entering the fourth-level world was possible for someone with a materialized Decree or a Decree artifact, but the fifth-level world required more.

To reach it, one needed to elevate the Decree's level significantly, making its power surge to the battle strength of a Quasi-Immortal Emperor. Now, Xu Qing could feel that he was only a hair's breadth away from entering the fifth level!

"To elevate the Space-Time Decree one more level would allow him to break through everything! This higher level is my Ninth Extreme!"

A strange light shone in Xu Qing's eyes.

He had a strong intuition that the moment his Ninth Extreme appeared would be when his Ninth Soul-Cultivation Realm formed.

And by leveraging the level of the Ninth Extreme, he would be able to enter the fifth-level world, which was accessible only to Great Emperors or those whose Decree's laws had reached a certain degree. Once there, by absorbing the power of the fifth-level world, he was confident...

"One step to mastery, capable of fighting Great Emperors!"

Xu Qing took a deep breath, his thoughts turbulent as he murmured.

"As for my Ninth Extreme... after space-time... it is parallel..."

The Aurora Young Master's parting words had an unparalleled impact on him; the thunderous realization still reverberated. The sense of enlightenment grew increasingly strong.

Finally, Xu Qing, still sitting cross-legged on his own long river of time, lowered his gaze to the river's surface. There, his reflection lay.

He gazed at the reflection for a long time... Then, the Xu Qing on the river surface closed his eyes. But at that very instant, the reflection in the water opened its eyes!

Subsequently, the reflection sank, descending to the riverbed, to the sand, to the very bottom, until it vanished. Only Xu Qing on the river surface remained, still cross-legged and motionless.

Wind blew from afar, carrying thick immortal mist that surged and flowed past numerous cultivators, spreading over the stone tablet of the Immortal Palace's Welcoming Platform. The tablet was black, covered in moss, emanating an ancient aura and the passage of time.

The faded inscription on it detailed the three paths one could choose upon entering the Immortal Palace.

This was clearly the entrance to the Immortal Palace, the first sight for all cultivators upon arrival, where they would choose their route into the palace. At this moment, Li Mengtu and the Earth Spirit Patriarch, along with a blurry figure, were soaring in from a distance.

The moment they stepped onto the Welcoming Platform, most of the cultivators already present were rushing towards the left.

That was the first path into the Immortal Palace. The mist within wasn't thick, but the space seemed different, much darker than the Welcoming Platform. A gentle drizzle was moistening the ground, making it muddy.

As for the second path, directly ahead, dense mist obscured everything, revealing only a vague glimpse of what appeared to be a bridge. On the bridge, a figure seemed to be moving away in the distance.

"That's Xing Huanzi. The moment he appeared, I saw him head towards this bridge," Li Mengtu said solemnly. "I wonder what Brother Xu will choose. If he picks the small path, we can go together."

After Li Mengtu finished speaking, the Earth Spirit Patriarch beside him also turned, looking at Xu Qing with anticipation. Standing right beside them was Xu Qing!

The current time had, astonishingly, rewound to the moment the Immortal Fallen Land opened and everyone first entered. But strangely, neither Li Mengtu nor the Earth Spirit Patriarch showed any signs of abnormality.

It was as if they had no recollection of ever having been here before.

Or, to be precise, their counterparts in different timelines had been here.

Even more bizarre was that Xu Qing, who appeared here, had no awareness of this either. He seemed to be truly entering for the first time, looking up and gazing at the three entrances.

The small path, the wooden bridge, the river.

"I want to walk across this bridge," the Earth Spirit Patriarch said, glancing at Li Mengtu.

Li Mengtu nodded, cupped his fists respectfully to Xu Qing, and flew straight towards the small path on the left.

The Earth Spirit Patriarch hesitated for a moment, but ultimately offered no persuasion. Instead, he bowed to Xu Qing and chose the same small path as Li Mengtu. Soon, their figures vanished.

On the Welcoming Platform, only Xu Qing remained. He stood there, first turning his head to look to the right.

After a moment of contemplation, he finally withdrew his gaze, looked at the bridge ahead, swayed his body, and stepped onto it. Time flowed.

The world beyond the bridge was the second level. The moment he appeared in that vision, Xu Qing became immersed in it, experiencing many events, but... he did not encounter the sword-wielding midget. Instead, he fell asleep in the Great Demon King's bucket.

Eventually, amidst an unknown upheaval, the Great Demon King roared in anger, spilling everything from the bucket, which then spread everywhere. And he, too, narrowly escaped that inexplicable chaos, surviving against all odds.

He arrived in the third-level world.

There, he met Li Mengtu and, collaborating with him, obtained the qualification to enter the fourth level. Subsequently, they both stepped into the fourth level.

He was no longer the Aurora Young Master but became a guardian disciple of the Scripture Repository.

He tried to alter history, to create ripples, achieving minor success, but no great waves formed because Xing Huanzi was there, maintaining order. Thus, the grand wedding occurred, the catastrophe descended, and everything aligned with history.

Consequently, the starlit bubble shattered, and all beings in the Immortal Palace vanished, including him. The moment he vanished, Xu Qing opened his eyes.

Around him flowed a gentle stream, and in the distance, seemingly across space and time, he saw another version of himself. That self was surrounded by a vast and astonishing long river.

"So, that's how it is..."

This Xu Qing murmured, sat cross-legged on his gentle stream, and closed his eyes. The reflection continued to sink.

Then... on the Welcoming Platform, the previous scene reappeared.

This time, Xu Qing, who appeared there and was still unaware of its nature, chose to enter the rainy small path with Li Mengtu and the Earth Spirit Patriarch, prioritizing safety due to the perceived danger of the place.

Walking this path, he did not experience the first and second levels of the world. Instead, he encountered conflicts and entanglements with Xie Lingzi there, eventually befriending Zhou Zhengli.

Together with Li Mengtu, the two found a way to enter the fourth-level world and ultimately experienced historical changes there. When everything concluded, as the fourth-level world dissipated, Xu Qing opened his eyes and saw... two versions of himself.

After a long silence, he seemed dazed. "So, that's how it is..."

Then, he closed his eyes. The river water around him was very, very sparse. But the reflection continued to sink.

It stirred up a series of undercurrents, echoing with layers of ripples, transforming into one Xu Qing after another, appearing at the Immortal Palace's entrance in different timelines, each heading towards their own choice.

Just like the primordial grain of sand in the desert of time, each shift caused by the wind created different space-time lines, giving rise to different experiences. Consequently, some figures died en route!

Their respective timelines turned into nothingness.

Some figures handled problems in ways that subverted Xu Qing's framework: slaughter, bloodshed, plunder...

They were all different.

Their experiences were naturally based on this. Some befriended Xie Lingzi, some befriended Qian Jun Piyi, and some didn't even choose to enter the fourth level. Furthermore, some Xu Qings became friends with Xing Huanzi and chose to maintain order with him.

All these changes and experiences ultimately manifested as Xu Qing on the vast long river, surrounded by an increasing number of long rivers. Though some rivers had more water and some less, each river carried a version of himself.

Ultimately, they were mighty and numerous.

Countless Xu Qings, countless long rivers, occupied the entirety of the void.

Until, the wind blew, the primordial grain of sand stirred, and the primordial Xu Qing opened his eyes. He murmured softly.

The moment his eyes opened... the instant his words emerged...

In countless timelines across all directions, countless versions of him suddenly opened their eyes, all... looking towards him! All gazes converged at this instant, intertwined at this moment, and at this very second... merged.

Immediately after, countless long rivers instantly churned, also converging towards the primordial Xu Qing! Consequently, the river water grew more turbulent, and an intense, endless roar resounded within Xu Qing's mind.

As if his heart had been opened! As if his eyes were no longer veiled!

Countless selves became the true self. Countless rivers became a great ocean! The Ninth Extreme was born at this moment! The Extreme Parallel!

As if heaven and earth were being created, with the world shaking, Xu Qing's Ninth Realm also appeared, reaching completion in an instant. His cultivation likewise soared!

From the Eighth Soul-Cultivation Realm, he stepped into the Ninth Realm, reaching the peak of Soul Cultivation. And his Decree, in terms of level, broke through directly!

The moment he broke through, Xu Qing stood up on the sea of space-time, looked up into the distance, lifted his foot... and took a step into the void! He was going to the fifth-level world, accessible only to those with Quasi-Immortal Emperor battle strength, to complete his final breakthrough!

The instant his foot landed, his surroundings blurred and distorted, as if he had transcended shackles and passed through barriers. He stepped into... the fifth-level world!

Looking in all directions, it was a spectacular sight.

Swirls of varying sizes, like galaxies or strange eyes, stretched boundlessly.

Yet, the moment he looked, despite its vastness, Xu Qing's perception allowed him to discern all the intricacies of every vortex. Amidst the profound wonders, he also saw figures sitting cross-legged in a few of these vortices.

Among these figures was Xing Huanzi, along with other cultivators he had never seen before; their auras clearly indicated they were Quasi-Immortals. Around each of them, fantastical and distinct illusions flowed.

Xing Huanzi, in particular, seemed to be undergoing a breakthrough.

After being gazed upon by Xu Qing, Xing Huanzi seemed to sense something, suddenly opened his eyes, and swept his gaze around.

The moment he saw Xu Qing, his expression abruptly changed, an uncontrollable look of disbelief emerging. "How did you get here?!"