Beyond the Timescape [Wuxiaworld]

After Xu Qing sat down, there wasn’t a sound to be heard in the entire hall. About a dozen breaths of time passed.

Eventually, the Whitemarsh and Saia representatives got back to their feet and returned to their table. Their attitudes were now the opposite of before. They seemed to be astonished by Xu Qing, but at the same time hate and fear him. Of course, the latter two emotions were the most prevalent.

There were a few of the representatives who had personally witnessed the slaughters he carried out in the Mountain and Sea Region during the second round of the Great Hunt. Back then, if it weren’t for Xu Qing killing Master Stillwinter, none of them would have had any chance of making it out of the situation alive. It was really only by chance that they actually survived.[1]

When you added in everything else Xu Qing had done among the Firemoon Darkheavens, you could say that he had crushed an entire generation of cultivators. To a certain extent, it was correct to say that the Firemoon side of the room understood Xu Qing better than the human side.

But the real nail in the coffin was the fight with Sir Firedark. Before that fight, there were still some among the Firemoons who weren’t convinced that the rumors about Xu Qing were true. That fight ended such suspicions. The Whitemarshes and Saias knew all of that, and it was bolstered by what they had picked up on from Fan Shishuang. Fan Shishuang was obviously hiding from Xu Qing.... Therefore, it was very distressing to the Whitemarshes and Saias to have Xu Qing just sitting there.

Obviously, the humans felt the opposite. Every single human cultivator present felt very excited. And that was especially true when they realized that the previously aggressive and overbearing nonhumans across from them had changed their attitude.

Grand Prince was no exception. He was already sighing with relief in his heart. If it wasn’t for the fact that he outright revered Xu Qing, he would never have personally gone to the emperor to suggest calling him in. If anything, he wished he hadn’t waited so long to recommend the imperial tutor for the job. Now that he had some of his courage back, he stuck his jaw out and looked across the room. He didn’t speak.

I should let them stew for a bit. Once the pressure has really ratcheted up, and the negotiations are about to end for the day, that will be the best point to start talking.

Having reached the conclusion that this was definitely the best idea, Grand Prince respectfully walked over to Xu Qing and poured him a cup of tea. Then he sat down next to him, looking very much like a student sitting in the presence of his teacher. Truth be told, he was a student. Because Xu Qing was the tutor for imperial princes, that meant he was their teacher. All imperial princes and princesses were required to defer to him.

Grand Prince bowed his head.

Xu Qing didn’t say anything. However, based on his experiences, he could tell what Grand Prince was thinking. Xu Qing picked up the tea and took a drink.

About an hour passed.... The people on the human side were obviously not fools. All of them could tell that the tables had turned. And all of them knew the best way to take advantage of that reversal. All of them kept their gazes down and didn’t say a single thing.

King Wildmist was just meditating.

The Whitemarshes and Saias felt the pressure mounting until they were screaming inside. They knew what was going on, and they knew that they weren’t in the position to simply ignore the developments.

Xu Qing’s mere presence caused the pressure to increase with every moment that passed.

About two hours later, the Whitemarsh heavenly king sighed.

At that point, Grand Prince decided that the time was just about right. Looking at the nonhuman representatives, he said, “Your two species will have half a month after the treaty is signed to return all the territory you took. All of it needs to be in perfect condition. Any damage inflicted on the landscape or resources plundered must be reversed.

“I already agreed to your offer to sell human captives back to us. We won’t be going back on that point. As for the exchange of secret magics, it will be as I said before. Thirty-for-one. If you agree to these terms, we can sign the agreement today and be done with this matter. It’s already been a month, after all.”

The Whitemarshes and Saias sighed inwardly. The reality was that because orders had been given by the Firemoons, the war couldn’t go on. However, based on their understanding of the Firemoons, they also knew that they wouldn’t be stopped from trying to extract as much benefit from the humans in the ceasefire negotiations. If they failed to extract any benefit, they wouldn’t be able to blame anyone. It was a delicate affair to balance, but also very important. As of right now... they could tell they wouldn’t be getting any benefits at all.

Xu Qing was the Grand Darkheaven, and Fan Shishuang was obviously scared of him. If they kept dragging things out, then eventually Fan Shishuang would want to leave, and they might end up getting a worse deal than they already had. After all, in the past few days, Fan Shishuang had been urging them to hurry up.

With such thoughts in mind, the Whitemarsh and Saia representatives exchanged glances. Then they gritted their teeth, stood, and clasped hands to Xu Qing.

“Fine. We agree!”

“We’re ready to sign right now!”

Grand Prince exulted in his heart that things were going so smoothly. So did the other human cultivators. And thus, they got down to work finalizing the details of the treaty.

Xu Qing just sat there with his eyes closed, contemplating matters and seeking enlightenment.

After enough time had passed for an incense stick to burn, they signed the agreement. Then the Whitemarshes and Saias bowed to Xu Qing and hurried away.

At that point, Xu Qing opened his eyes and politely declined the invitations from the other humans to join them in celebration.

Just as he was about to leave the Foreign Affairs Pavilion, King Wildmist suddenly stepped forward.

“Please wait a moment, King Skycrusher.”

Xu Qing turned to look at her, the only female cultivator among the heavenly kings. “How can I help you, King Wildmist?”

“King Skycrusher, I’m going to be leaving the imperial capital after the ancestral sacrifices. I’ll be stationed at the border of Soulwolf Skydemon lands. I’d like to invite you to come with me, King Skycrusher. You can settle down there for a while....”

Xu Qing frowned. Her words sounded like an invitation, yet it was coming out of nowhere. Also, considering King Wildmist’s reputation, there was no way he could agree to such an invitation.

“With my weak cultivation base,” he said calmly, “there seems little point in going there. Furthermore, I have other matters to attend to.”

It was a polite refusal. And yet, King Wildmist seemed to completely ignore his refusal, and just kept talking. “The Soulwolf Skydemons aren’t a very strong species, but they have a lot of resources that will be helpful in humankind’s rise to prominence. My plan is to provoke them into attacking us so that we can send troops into their lands. King Skycrusher, you are both a heavenly king of humankind and the Grand Darkheaven. I don’t need your strength. I need you to use your status as the Grand Darkheaven.”

King Wildmist's words were as unyielding as before. Apparently, she had already made arrangements for Xu Qing before even talking to him.

Xu Qing had dealt with quite a few Smoldering Gods through the years, but it was his first time encountering someone like King Wildmist. That said, he didn’t feel the need to pay any attention to her. He turned to leave.

But then, King Wildmist frowned. “King Skycrusher, this matter relates to the interests of humankind as a whole. Why are you refusing to help? For the moment, stay put so we can talk this over.”

She reached out to grab him. The grasping motion caused magical laws in the area to glitter as a massive restraining force erupted. Behind them, Grand Prince and the others were just making their way out of the hall. When they saw what was happening, their faces fell.

“King Wildmist, what are you doing?” Grand Prince blurted.

“I’m not doing anything,” she replied coolly, her hand continuing to move forward. “I’d just like King Skycrusher to stay and talk things over, that’s all.”

Heaven and earth shook as King Wildmist’s magical laws formed a huge hand. Just when it seemed the hand would reach Xu Qing, a green vine shot out of his palm, moving with blinding speed. A wild, desolate will erupted, along with the aura of a starry sky. It became an astonishing might that barreled toward the huge hand of magical laws.

It was none other than the sageheaven god vine that Xu Qing had absorbed two months ago! After two months of nourishing it, the vine had formed an initial level of battle prowess. It also had other terrifying aspects, such as the fact that when it was lashed out, it could ignore magical laws.

A boom rang out as the hand shattered to pieces.

Xu Qing looked coldly at King Wildmist.

King Wildmist frowned as she looked back at him.

Grand Prince and the others rushed forward to stand between them. Then Grand Prince looked furiously at King Wildmist.

“King Wildmist,” he said, “you might be a heavenly king, but you just attacked the imperial tutor right in the capital! I have no choice but to report this to my father!”

King Wildmist didn’t say anything in response.

Xu Qing stood there with narrowed eyes. He could tell there was some deeper meaning to King Wildmist’s actions, but at the moment, he couldn’t figure out what it was. It was impossible to tell what King Wildmist was thinking as she stepped past Grand Prince and rose up into midair.

“King Skycrusher, I bear you no ill will. I just wanted you to stay behind and talk. And now I’m going to say the same thing again. Stay. I want to talk with you about what I just mentioned a moment ago.”

As the words left her mouth, King Wildmist again waved her hand. Again, her cultivation base surged and more magical laws formed. This time, they made a cloud that resembled a face, which then shot toward Xu Qing.

As it neared, an astonishing sword will shot up from Xu Qing. The Emperor’s Sword appeared, glittering brightly. It slashed the face into two parts which tumbled to the side before collapsing into nothing.

The sword projection didn’t pause for a moment as it continued on toward King Wildmist.

For the first time, King Wildmist’s facial expression changed.

“The Emperor’s Sword!!”

She fell back at top speed. Unfortunately, that sword was like a hammer crushing an ice cube. Not only did it not slow down as it neared, it actually sped up.

Just when it was about to hit, a sigh echoed through the air and King Firecrusher appeared in between Xu Qing and King Wildmist. He had his back to Xu Qing as he used himself to block the sword.

Xu Qing respected King Firecrusher a lot, so he sighed and waved his hand. The sword vanished, leaving behind nothing but a rushing wind.

King Firecrusher didn’t turn around. Instead, he looked coldly at King Wildmist. “It doesn’t matter if you really wanted help from King Skycrusher, or if you actually just wanted to use him as bait to win an advantage in the war. Maybe you even have backers who asked you to probe for information. Regardless, King Wildmist, I’m hereby notifying both you and your backers that, if this happens again, I’ll crush you!”

King Wildmist said nothing. She just turned and left.

Eyes narrowed, King Firecrusher calmly continued, “I said I would crush you next time. But I didn’t say you could leave now without providing compensation. One arm. And you can’t have it back for a hundred years, unless full-scale war breaks out again!”

King Wildmist stopped in midair, reached up her right hand, and then ripped her left arm out of the socket. She threw it down, then disappeared.

1. Xu Qing killed Master Stillwinter in chapter 873. ☜