Outside Of Time

1782  The Two Sides of Space-Time

Xu Qing raised his hand and pressed it against his glabella.

From his memories, he extracted the experiences of his life, strand by strand, transforming them into streams of light that gathered before him.

This would be his first puzzle piece!

And also the anchor point for comprehending spacetime turbulence.

This point was like a seed, nourished by Xu Qing's life, growing from it.

Powered by fate, it extended from the cocoon of his Ordinance into the spacetime turbulence, drawing what it needed from the chaos within.

What manifested on this puzzle piece was Xu Qing's past.

Within it lay his childhood in Peerless City, the struggles of survival, the trials of the Seven Blood Eyes, the ordeals on the Merfolk Island.

There was also his journey to becoming a Sword Holder, the events of Fenghai County, the great battle against the Crimson Goddess, the rise of the human race…

It contained every event, every thread of Xu Qing's fate and life.

This was a complete tapestry.

"Then, the subsequent fragments…"

Inside the cocoon of his Ordinance, Xu Qing stared at the fate divine aspect before him, sensing the first puzzle piece he had laid down. After a moment of contemplation, he reached a decision.

"Let the people who have crossed paths with me on this journey become the subsequent fragments!"

In the next instant, as the fate divine aspect shimmered, countless figures from his memories emerged upon the fragment that encapsulated his life.

There were kin from Peerless City, enemies from the wilderness…

There was Captain Lei, all the members of the Thunder Team, and also Old Master Seventh.

There was Erniu, Huang Yan, Second Senior Sister, and Third Senior Brother.

Among them were Yanyan, Zhao Zhongheng, and Ding Xue.

There were also Zhang San, Little Mute, Wu Jianwu, and Kong Xianglong.

Qing Qiu and Ning Yan were naturally present, as were Zi Xuan and Ling'er.

Even figures like the Crown Prince, the Empress, and the Sword Holding Great Emperor appeared.

Finally, those he had encountered after leaving Wanggu materialized—

Dense and numerous, including Star Ring, Li Mengtu, Zhou Zhengli, and many more.

Every one of them had crossed paths with him, and the sparks of their interactions manifested here as new puzzle fragments.

The second piece, the third, the fourth…

More and more emerged, guided by the power of fate, drawing upon the spacetime turbulence outside, gathering the nourishment from the disordered spacetime onto these newly formed puzzle pieces.

These fragments continued to spread, growing ever more comprehensive.

Within them lay the entirety of the lives of everyone Xu Qing had ever known.

This was the evolution of fate's power—connections that should have existed, more karmic ties that should have been woven.

Now, all of it manifested on this tapestry of fate, sketched out by Xu Qing through the power of fate.

Time passed.

Xu Qing watched the puzzle before him like an observer, tracing the trajectories of these familiar lives.

This puzzle of fate no longer required his active guidance—it had formed its own cycle, expanding continuously before his eyes.

Its absorption of the external spacetime grew in tandem.

Thus, it grew larger and broader, no longer merely reflecting the life Xu Qing had known, but also revealing unknown pasts and futures.

There were even many people Xu Qing had never met.

It was impossible to distinguish truth from illusion, for here, everything was possible.

"This… is fate."

Xu Qing murmured softly.

From beginning to end, this puzzle of fate contained everything.

He even had a premonition—if he were to place this tapestry of fate into the outside world and empower it with the fate divine aspect, then…

Everything within it would replace the rules, becoming the true weaving of fate.

And it would dictate all living beings.

"The power of Desolate…"

Xu Qing fell silent.

For a fleeting moment, he considered altering his own Ordinance. Through this process of wielding fate's power, his understanding of it had deepened, and he had glimpsed its terrifying vastness.

But in the end, Xu Qing dismissed the thought.

"Fate is profound, but its source already belongs to Desolate…"

"For me, it can only serve as a tool—a means to help me see through the spacetime turbulence, to find my own path!"

"And with it as my guide…"

Xu Qing raised his head. With a wave of his hand, the cocoon of his Ordinance surrounding him dissipated instantly, and his figure reappeared within the spacetime turbulence.

Yet this time, as the tapestry of fate continued to spread, Xu Qing stood within the turbulence, gazing outward. He could still retain his human form, his thoughts still flowed unimpeded.

Because the puzzle of fate was ordered, while the spacetime turbulence was chaotic.

Standing within order, Xu Qing used fate as his ruler, gauging spacetime. And in this moment of clarity, his perception was unlike anything he had experienced before.

"Next, I must verify one more thing."

Xu Qing lifted his gaze, staring into the distance.

After a long silence, resolve flashed in his eyes. He withdrew the divine aspect, raised his right hand, and slammed it down onto the tapestry of fate he had woven with fate's power.

He would strip away the empowerment of fate, shattering the puzzle.

Then, by observing how the spacetime turbulence tore apart the puzzle's cause and effect, how it inverted and distorted, he would gain insights of his Ordinance!

In the next instant, the puzzle trembled.

Without the support of the fate divine aspect, this tapestry of fate could not endure for long within the spacetime turbulence.

The power of the spacetime turbulence surged, sweeping in with chaotic time and space, scrambling the lives of all within, twisting their timelines, tearing apart every moment of their experiences.

Then, it mashed time and space together in disorder.

For example, the moment of a person's birth might be placed after the death of their descendants.

Or events that should have happened to one person were misplaced onto another.

Thus, spacetime turbulence was born.

Thus, cause and effect was overturned, and logic was violated.

And Xu Qing, standing amidst it all—

His mind blazed with clarity.

In this process, countless revelations flooded into him, imprinted upon him, understood by him.

Though he still could not fully grasp it, his comprehension expanded significantly.

This newfound understanding made him realize: from beginning to end, what appeared to be chaos here was, in truth, still the same spacetime.

Only, because time and space had been scrambled, this place seemed to contain everything.

It produced an effect akin to the power of overlapping universes.

But in reality, it remained one spacetime—it had not transcended.

Xu Qing understood.

"My Space-Time Ordinance is right, while the spacetime here is wrong…"

"Yet right and wrong are inseparable—two sides of the same coin."

"Only when combined do they form completeness, like a single point."

Xu Qing's brain roared with revelation, as if enlightenment had been poured into him.

His eyes grew even brighter.

This realization was crucial—it was a validation of his Ordinance from a new perspective, a supplement to its foundation.

"Then, the next step…"

Xu Qing lifted his foot and took a step forward!