Chapter 980: Time's Edge

Ethereal music echoed deep beneath the sea!The breath of death drew near! From behind, from in front – it was everywhere! But Xu Qing, transformed into a Golden Crow, now had determination burning in his eyes. Clasping the severed hand, he surged forward at full speed, guided by the ethereal melody. As he rushed, his gaze flickered, igniting his Golden Crow flames! Instantly, flames erupted around Xu Qing, blossoming like a fiery flower in the deep sea! They swept in all directions! This made him a blazing beacon in the deep, like an arrow of fire, instinctively drawing all eyes. He sped towards the approaching bronze dragon carriage! At this moment, Xu Qing's mind was utterly clear; all extraneous thoughts were shut out. He was entirely immersed in his Golden Crow form and the music from the severed hand. Like a true Golden Crow, he drew ever closer to the bronze dragon carriage!

Mud spread across the seabed, and the dark water grew murkier. As Xu Qing's body blazed with flames, he became conspicuous in the turbid depths, and Fu Xie's gaze immediately fell upon him. The instant that gaze landed, Xu Qing’s Golden Crow form shuddered all over! He once again felt the power of the Dominator’s gaze—or rather, the immense weight of the authority within it! It was erasure, and it was severance! Erasing traces, severing existence! Under this gaze, the black flames radiating from his body abruptly extinguished, cut off. His body violently shook, cracks spread wider, and blood gushed forth. It was at this precise moment that a terrifying presence, faintly discernible in the distant water, finally entered the sight of Xu Qing's Golden Crow form! It was a colossal giant… Its body was immense, covered in constantly swaying tentacles. On its shoulder, it bore a thick iron chain! The chain stretched into the distance, its end dimly visible: a bronze dragon carriage! The carriage was dilapidated, covered in verdigris and etched with the marks of time. Yet, its towering frame, exquisitely carved with a sense of grandeur, exuded an imperial aura! Currently, this giant was pulling the bronze dragon carriage, striding through the seabed. With every step, the ocean churned with currents, drawing waves outward! Accompanying its appearance was a terrifying grinding sound: "crk-crk." The instant the sound reached Xu Qing’s ears, a sense of dread rose in his mind. Even with his current cultivation, encountering this carriage-pulling giant again, the oppressive aura emanating from it still made his entire body instinctively tremble! But Xu Qing’s speed did not slow in the slightest; instead, it grew even faster! In an instant, he broke through the rapids, pierced the mud, and appeared before the colossal carriage-pulling giant! Compared to the giant, Xu Qing’s Golden Crow form was insignificant! Yet, the Golden Crow’s aura and the music emanating from the severed hand, at this moment… formed a unique karmic link that could not be severed! Thus, the giant paused its steps and lifted its head! It allowed Xu Qing’s Golden Crow form to appear before it, until he whizzed past its head! He used its massive body to block Fu Xie’s path! Xu Qing’s gamble had paid off!

However… almost the moment Xu Qing neared the carriage-pulling giant, Fu Xie withdrew his gaze from Xu Qing! “He made himself shine, causing me to instinctively fix my gaze on him, then used this carriage-pulling giant’s body as a shield, making my murderous gaze collide with the giant, thereby triggering unknown conditions and causing trouble?” “The needle, that Great Emperor’s relic from my son, is also with you, isn’t it? You cannot link it to my karma yet!” “A bit cunning, but not overly so!” Fu Xie spoke lightly, and with a single step, he moved to bypass the carriage! This was not difficult for him. After all, no matter how astonishing the carriage-pulling giant was in life, it was now merely a corpse. Even if some instincts remained, as long as they weren’t triggered, there would naturally be no obstacle. However, Xu Qing’s methods, even if seen through, could not be limited to what Fu Xie had just stated, especially in this life-or-death crisis!

Thus, the very next instant, as Xu Qing’s Golden Crow form whizzed past the head of the colossal carriage-pulling corpse-giant, the eye in the palm of the severed hand he clutched instantly turned crimson! A hundred ghosts materialized instantly! The original ethereal melody abruptly changed, becoming a direct wail! The tune was the same, but the sound was shrill and agonizing! It became the sound of a hundred ghosts wailing in the night! It was also the sound previously exhibited by the severed hand when it faced Xu Qing and summoned the Rotten Moon! In the blink of an eye, the seabed churned, and a rotten moon shadow suddenly appeared before the giant, beside Fu Xie! A hideous maiden’s face on it opened and closed its eyes, gazing towards this place, towards Fu Xie. A divine prohibition, akin to a curse, soared to the heavens at this moment! Its divine might was vast! The carriage-pulling giant trembled all over, its head lowered, and its murky gaze instantly locked onto Fu Xie! Fu Xie’s brow furrowed, his body paused mid-air, and a strange light flashed in his eyes! Simultaneously, Xu Qing risked everything, using this opportunity to burn the soul threads within him, and his Light Escape flashed once more! In an instant, his figure vanished behind the giant! When he reappeared, he was already ten thousand miles away! On the sea surface! Xu Qing’s figure abruptly appeared, blood gushing continuously from his mouth, and even more immortal silver flowing from the cracks in his body, mixing with blood as it spilled into the sea! His steps faltered, as if he could barely remain standing! The aura of death was spreading, accompanying the distortion and decay of his soul! That was the cursing power of the Rotten Moon! Although the curse released by the moon shadow’s appearance earlier was not directly aimed at him, its lingering power still caused Xu Qing’s soul to decay! However, Xu Qing knew the method to resolve the curse. So, the moment he appeared, he immediately controlled the severed hand, playing the true ethereal music that welcomed the moon! This melody drifted, settling into his soul, finally dispelling the decaying sensation from Xu Qing’s spirit! Next, he immediately sent a telepathic message, but the very next instant… Xu Qing’s expression… grew even gloomier! “Still within his range.” Xu Qing murmured, gritting his teeth fiercely without hesitation, and continued his Light Escape! In an instant, his figure vanished!

Time slowly passed. The Forbidden Sea was turbulent with waves. The dark sea surface stretched endlessly, indistinguishable from its usual state. Whether it was the tribes on various islands or the boats traveling at sea, all living things, everything was as usual. Those who practiced practiced, those who hunted hunted, and the bustling sounds echoed in the twilight on various islands. Only the setting afterglow slowly dispersed into the dark waves. The sky gradually darkened. Night was approaching. No one noticed, no one sensed, that at this moment, an intense chase was ongoing over the Forbidden Sea. “All traces have been erased!” Fu Xie’s authority of erasure could make cultivators weaker than him unable to sense anything. And the ancient emperor who followed Emperor Xuan You and founded the Xie Sheng Holy Land, whose cultivation reached the peak of a Great Emperor, left behind a supreme treasure: a pair of scissors. This was a clan artifact within the Xie Sheng Holy Land, intrinsically linked to authority! It was originally held by the Old Ancestor. A century ago, when Fu Xie entered seclusion to attempt to break through to the Dominator realm, it was bestowed upon him by the Old Ancestor. For a hundred years, it had floated above his head, cutting away the misfortunes of his repeated failed breakthroughs. At the same time, its greater significance was to allow Fu Xie to gain enlightenment, thereby acquiring the unique authority of erasure belonging to the Dominators of their clan. The moment Fu Xie succeeded, with the blessing of these supreme scissors, his power of erasure reached its peak! Even if a Great Emperor’s senses were difficult to sever, this treasure could temporarily erase them for a short period. Its range was, moreover, infinite! Thus, it caused Xu Qing, though clearly appearing before people, to be unnoticed; though in one space-time, he became invisible. And so it was now. And this chase, from beginning to end, was utterly silent.

Until twilight was completely consumed by night, the number of soul threads within Xu Qing was reduced to just over three million! He had given his all. But his telepathic messages remained ineffective! It was as if the heavens and earth were all within Fu Xie’s range. Although he knew this was impossible, this feeling, with the arrival of night and the extinguishing of hope, completely overwhelmed him. “Only one more Light Escape left…” In the darkness, on the sea not far from the Hai’ao tribe, Xu Qing’s face was pale. At this moment, both his body and soul had reached their limits! But his heart remained calm. Even being pursued by a Dominator, even facing a life-and-death crisis, he had experienced similar trials several times in his life. This time, though more dangerous, the more perilous it was, the less he could allow negative emotions to sway his perception! So Xu Qing took a deep breath, allowing the humanity he had actively suppressed along the way to completely fade, causing absolute rational divinity to fully rise within him. His eyes grew deeper, and he looked back behind him. A rational analysis emerged in his mind. He knew that even if the carriage-pulling giant could affect a Dominator, it probably wouldn’t be able to hold him back for long. After all, both the carriage-pulling giant and the Rotten Moon were inanimate objects. “The reason this person let me escape is likely a deliberate act!” “It seems he’s using this method to further erase my existence!” “Looking at it now, he has largely succeeded!” Xu Qing glanced at a sea beast slowly swimming in the water below him. In the past, such sea beasts would tremble and flee after sensing Xu Qing’s aura from a distance, but now, they seemed to detect nothing at all! It must be the karma on me that made him wary, so he didn’t choose to kill me directly. “Continuing to escape is meaningless!” Xu Qing pondered calmly. Regarding the opponent’s authority, Xu Qing couldn’t be omniscient; it was difficult to analyze the truth and principles, so he could only use the known clues to deduce actions. After a few breaths, Xu Qing’s gaze fell towards the seabed. “He needs time to erase me, and I also need time for the outside world to indirectly sense my disappearance!” “But theoretically, his time will be faster!” “So, what I need to do now is slow down his time, thereby increasing mine… In that case, there’s a place that’s very suitable!” Xu Qing indifferently sensed the remaining soul threads within him, and without hesitation, as if they weren’t his own, he directly burned them! This bought him his last Light Escape, and his figure vanished in an instant! The moment he reappeared, he was deep within the sea, in an ocean trench! But the continuous injuries at this moment broke through a critical point! His body seemed to scatter outwards, countless flesh and blood appearing about to tear apart. Fortunately, the immortal silver and seals connected his body like fine threads! But looking at him, at this moment, Xu Qing was no longer in human form! His soul was also shattering! Even his consciousness, supported by the rationality of his divinity, still succumbed to unconsciousness! However, before losing consciousness, he calmly issued a decree to the divine vine within him! So, the instant he lost consciousness, the divine vine flew out, wrapped around his body, and headed straight for the ocean trench, swiftly entering a bubble and flying towards the ruined tower!

Half an incense stick later, above the ocean trench, Fu Xie’s figure emerged from the blur, gazing at the location with a strange light in his eyes! “Is this child’s last reliance?” Fu Xie spoke lightly, took a step, appeared outside the bubble, and stepped inside! The bubble’s inherent repulsion suddenly erupted, surging towards Fu Xie with overwhelming force! After more than ten steps, Fu Xie’s pace faltered. He looked at the ruined tower, only a few dozen steps away through the bubble, and his brow slowly furrowed! He could not proceed further!