Outside of Time

In the dim cave, Duanmu Zang was floating in the air, looking back at Xu Qing.

Its voice echoed, turning into lingering sounds all around.

Xu Qing stood up, bowed to Duanmu Zang, and nodded.

"Thanks."

Duanmu Zang thanked him before because he beautified the outside world and gave people here hope.

He thanked Duanmu Zang because of his trust.

Duanmu Zang waved his hand, and a vortex appeared in front of him. He stepped into it and waited for Xu Qing inside the vortex.

Xu Qing took a step forward and stepped into the vortex.

This was the first time in a month that he had left the first level of the tomb. As he entered the vortex, a mundane world came into Xu Qing's eyes.

It was still underground, but the area was much larger than where he was before. It was an underground city.

The bustle, laughter and laughter floated out from the city at this moment, floating in Xu Qing's ears. Ling'er also exposed his head and looked in the direction of the city.

The city was filled with humans, numbering over 100,000.

This is the first time Xu Qing has seen a human city since he came to the Moon Festival Territory, and it is also the first time he has seen so many of his own race.

Even though he was prepared in his heart, Xu Qing still felt disturbed at this moment. He even saw that the earth dome here was covered by a huge blue curtain.

This curtain is very big, spreading on the sky, like a blue sky.

There are also some white clouds painted on it, full of beauty.

On the ground, although there is only such an underground city, there are green plants inside, and crops are growing in the open space further away.

Between heaven and earth, there is a huge light group, which actually contains sky fire, which was sealed in a bottle using a special method, turning it into the sun.

The light fell, and a feeling of prosperity filled the cave along with the sound of children reading aloud.

Along the way, Xu Qing saw that the human race was either numb or just food, and its status was extremely humble.

Therefore, Xu Qing knew very well that being able to build such a human city here and protect the survival of so many of his own race required courage and a broad mind.

After all, not all strong people are willing to protect the common people. For many strong people, living a good life is often more important than anything else.

"This is my home." Duanmu Zang said softly.

Xu Qing felt respect rising in his heart and bowed again.

His sense of Duanmu Zang changed with the passage of time, especially at this moment, what he looked at and felt in his heart caused earth-shaking changes in his senses.

Duanmu Zang looked at the city with a gentle expression, with a touch of light refracted by the sky fire in his eyes, and a smile on his face.

Like a kind old man looking at his descendants.

"In the Moon Sacrifice Territory, due to some historical reasons, the human race's life is extremely difficult and their life is miserable. It was the same when I was a child."

"What you see in front of you are mostly the poor people who are suffering from torture and pain in the alliance between the two races."

Duanmu Zang spoke softly. At this moment, he looked completely different from the way he looked when Tian Huo Hai was fighting with the alien race.

It was as if all his cunning, all his viciousness, all his ruthlessness had instinctively disappeared when he returned here.

All that's left is warmth.

"My ability is limited and I cannot save them all. I can only try my best to help. I can save as many as I can. Gradually, that's all."

Duanmu Zang's words and the scene in front of him shocked Xu Qing greatly. He also understood that in the Moon Sacrifice Domain, such a shelter for the human race would undoubtedly survive in a crack.

For strong people, this is often a bond.

With ups and downs in his heart at this moment, Xu Qing followed Duanmu Zang and walked into the city together.

Most of the buildings in the city are simple, most of the people's clothes are simple, there is no luxury, and there are no shops around.

There is no transaction here, just mutual help.

Smiles filled the faces of every human Xu Qing looked at. He saw middle-aged people, young people, and children.

Only there are no old people.

"Old people are willing to choose death. They don't want to waste food."

When Duanmu Zang said this, there was a hint of sadness in his expression, but this sadness was soon hidden in the excitement of everyone around him.

"Lord of the country!"

"Greetings to the King!"

"It's Grandpa, the ruler of the country. Hello grandpa."

"Grandpa, Lord of the Kingdom, I have been looking at the clouds in the sky for a long time, why are they still motionless?"

Crowds of people came around, the middle-aged people looked respectful, the young people looked excited, and the children, as if they had seen their relatives, ran over quickly and played in circles around Duanmuzang.

With a smile on his face, Duanmu Zang picked up a little boy and spoke with a smile.

"Of course the clouds in the sky will move, but they are asleep now. When they wake up, they will move. They will definitely move."

Amidst the laughter, everyone's eyes fell on Xu Qing. They were a little nervous, but mostly out of goodwill. It seemed that as long as Duanmu Zang brought him, he was a relative to them.

Xu Qing followed silently and walked with Duanmu Zang in the city. He saw a lot of such situations along the way, and he also saw that there was a school in the city.

"History must be passed on, and civilization must continue. Even if the human race is miserable and difficult in this Moon Festival Domain, I think we still need to let more human races understand our past glory."

"Can't forget."

Duanmu Zang looked at the school and spoke with emotion.

Xu Qing looked up at the school, where a voice was reading aloud, talking about the history of the human race.

Many of them were wrong and embellished.

In addition, there were some places in the city that taught cultivation and knowledge of plants and trees, which could give ordinary people the opportunity to master extraordinary powers.

There were more children there.

When he walked there, Xu Qing heard the voice of a little girl coming from inside.

"Teacher, I know the seven-leaf clover you mentioned, but I looked in many places before and couldn't find it, and there was also the Tengniu wood, which I couldn't find either!"

Duanmu Zang also heard the voice and spoke softly.

"Some of the cultivation techniques and knowledge of plants and trees here are known to me, and some are stolen or traded from outside. Most of them are ancient books and no longer have any meaning. For example, most of the plants and trees are not available in the current Jiyue Domain."

"But it is still knowledge after all. Maybe... it can be used in the future."

Xu Qing nodded silently after hearing this.

The two left and walked around the city. Xu Qing also saw many low-level cultivators like Shi Pangui. They were all guards in the city, responsible for going out to trade necessities needed by the city when there was no sky fire.

Time passed slowly.

When the blue curtain of the sky gradually turned black with the dimming of the sky fire, and many things that flickered like starlight appeared, Xu Qing walked around the city.

Those starlights were the mirrors of the Mirror Shadow Clan.

Under the night sky, Duanmu Zang stood outside an empty house, turned his head and looked into Xu Qing's eyes, looked for a long time, and spoke hoarsely.

"How is my home?"

"Senior, great virtue!"

Xu Qing said solemnly.

"Not worthy of the word great virtue." Duanmu Zang shook his head.

"What you see is that I am protecting them, but in fact... they are also accompanying me."

"So, I said this is my home."

Duanmu Zang spoke softly and walked away. Just as Xu Qing was about to follow, Duanmu Zang's voice echoed.

"It will take two months for the sky fire to pass through the sky. You can live here temporarily."

Xu Qing paused. He knew the weight of this sentence, because for Duanmu Zang, it was equivalent to letting him live in his home.

So he looked solemn and bowed with his fists.

Duanmu Zang went away, and he also lived in this city until his figure disappeared from his sight. Xu Qing turned his head and looked at the houses behind him.

The simple building, in his perception, revealed a warmth that was not found in the Jiyue Realm.

In this way, Xu Qing lived here.

Ling'er also chose to temporarily transform. Her little face was happy, decorating the small house, as if trying to tell Xu Qing with her actions that she could do housework.

Looking at Ling'er's busy figure, Xu Qing smiled, and the whole person slowly relaxed and tried to integrate into this city.

The process of integration was not difficult.

The kindness from everyone can melt all the gaps and make Xu Qing's state of mind more stable.

The sky alternated between black and blue, and the sky fire went back and forth between light and dark. Half a month passed.

In the past half month, Shi Pangui came seven or eight times, each time with delicious food. His wife is a good cook, and Ling'er likes the food she sent. However, Ling'er did not appear in front of people at the beginning, but later she became familiar with him and appeared in Shi Pangui's eyes. After noticing Ling'er, Shi Pangui was stunned for a moment, and then when he came again, he was no longer alone, but with a woman of the same age and a little girl. "Senior, this is my wife and my sister." Shi Pangui spoke respectfully, and the woman and the little girl beside him were obviously very nervous and bowed to Xu Qing. Xu Qing showed a gentle look on his face. He had asked Shi Pangui why he went out that day, and the other party told him truthfully that he went to buy medicine for his wife. His wife was weak and often sick. Two months ago, her condition worsened. Shi Pangui was anxious, so even if he knew that the sky fire was coming, he still took the risk to go out to the other two tribes to buy medicine. This behavior was very dangerous, but he had no choice. "The old king protects more than 100,000 people. It's impossible for everyone to go to the king when they have something to do." Shi Pangui answered Xu Qing's question like this. The people here are grateful and respectful to Duanmu Zang, so they don't want anything to distract him. They can take care of themselves. Xu Qing has not encountered many kindnesses here in his life, so after he glanced at Shi Pangui's wife, he pondered for a moment, took out some pills from the storage bag, and gave them to Shi Pangui. "Your Taoist partner is due to the accumulation of the evil of the underground cave and the evil of the sky fire, which has formed a situation where water and fire cannot coexist. These pills can neutralize it. If you take them continuously, although they cannot completely resolve it, they can suppress it to a certain extent." Shi Pangui was excited, and his wife was also grateful. The couple was about to kneel down to thank Xu Qing, but Xu Qing waved his hand to help them up. "After eating your snacks so many times, these pills are also a matter of course, there is no need to do this." Shi Pangui and his wife were more and more moved, and the little girl next to them secretly looked at the storage bag where Xu Qing took out the pill bottle, thinking. Soon, the family left, and they were going to send the little girl to class.

After they left, Ling'er picked up the snack and ate it happily, then looked at Xu Qing, her eyes became crescent-shaped, and she was proud in her heart.

"My brother Xu Qing is the most upright person. He will not be proud of his status just because the other person's cultivation is low. He is warm."

Seeing Ling'er looking at him like this, Xu Qing was surprised.

"What's wrong, Ling'er?"

"It's nothing." Ling'er blushed, ran to Xu Qing, took his arm, and said softly.

"Brother Xu Qing, how about we go out for a walk."

Xu Qing raised his head and glanced at the sky. It was noon in the outside world, so he nodded, walked out of the house with Ling'er, and wandered around the city.

Ling'er was jumping for joy all the way, jumping around Xu Qing like a child, and her cute appearance also made the residents in the city smile after seeing her.

Some other people brought out their own food, and Ling'er walked all the way, happily greeting everyone, and enjoyed eating.

Looking at Ling'er's innocent look, Xu Qing laughed.

They walked, crossed the street, crossed the long street, until they reached the school.

Today's class in the school was also about vegetation. As the sound came out, Xu Qing paused and looked over.

The school is open, and children in the city can come and listen to the class. The one who explains the vegetation is a middle-aged woman. She has no lower body, sitting in a wheelchair, and explains with a serious expression.

The children around him ranged from seven to eight years old to thirteen or fourteen years old. They all listened attentively, especially a little girl among them. Her eyes were wide open. She was listening and recording at the same time, completely forgetting herself.

This little girl is Shi Pangui's sister.

Looking at these children, Xu Qing thought of himself in the scavenger camp. At that time, he also had the inner desire and was extremely serious after getting Master Bai's consent.

He looked at it for a while and then left lightly.

Time passed day by day, and it was another half month.

Three months of sky fire passed through the sky, Xu Qing spent one month in the tomb on the first floor, and one month in this city.

He doesn't like liveliness, so he spends most of his time meditating silently in the house, but Ling'er can't rest. At first, she begged Xu Qing to come with her. Later, she got to know the residents of the city, and every day was full of excitement. ran out.

Although he wasn't too worried about what would happen to Ling'er, Xu Qing still arranged for the King Kong Sect ancestor to follow him.

Ling'er's popularity far surpassed that of Xu Qing in this city, especially under the introduction of Shi Pangui's wife, she met many sisters and aunts.

These people all liked her and were curious about her relationship with Xu Qing.

Every time at this moment, Ling'er would blush shyly.

So the sisters and aunts began to teach her some methods. Some people told her that in order to learn to cook and stay in a man's heart, she must first keep her stomach.

Ling'er was tempted and studied seriously.

Someone also told her that as a woman, she must sew and mend, and her man cannot wear clothes mended by others, so Ling'er became even more tempted.

She planned to make all of Brother Xu Qing's clothes by herself in the future.

In this way, on the fifth day after Ling'er learned to cook, Xu Qing tasted Ling'er's cooking for the first time in her life. She was busy for more than an hour and finally cooked a few dishes for Xu Qing.

Looking at the dark vegetable leaves, Xu Qing looked up at Ling'er's expectant and anxious eyes, and took a bite.

Chew it slowly and put it into your stomach after a while.

"How is Brother Xu Qing? Is it delicious?"

Ling'er was nervous.

Xu Qing was silent, then smiled after a while.

"delicious."

Ling'er was immediately happy.

"Brother Xu Qing, please eat more."

Xu Qing hesitated, but finally ate them all. Just as he was about to meditate, Ling'er spoke excitedly.

"Brother Xu Qing, I will continue tomorrow."

Xu Qing was silent for a few more breaths and nodded.

In addition, it is not just Ling'er who is popular in this city. After the ancestor of the King Kong Sect transformed, he was gradually recognized by everyone, and even surpassed Ling'er when he came from behind.

The reason for all this was that when he was protecting Ling'er, he passed by a storyteller place and listened to the storyteller inside talking incessantly. He felt disdainful in his heart and simply transformed into a storybook and told a story he had read.

For the people of the Moon Sacrifice Domain, the words spoken by the King Kong Sect Ancestor were extremely fresh, especially because the King Kong Sect Ancestor also included some stories that happened to Xu Qing.

In this way, it will be more expressive and the applause will continue.

There were a lot of people listening at the beginning, but the number grew day by day. The ancestor of the King Kong Sect has always been frightened around Xu Qing, and it has been a long time since he was so popular.

So he felt itchy, and while Ling'er was learning to cook and sew, he secretly went to tell stories many times.

For example, right now, he was sitting in a pavilion, surrounded by hundreds of people.

Looking at the crowd, the Vajra Sect coughed and spoke calmly.

"The last letter said that tens of thousands of Seven Blood Boys' Dharma Boats all launched together to surround the Mermaid Island."

"And the ancestor of Mermaid Island is definitely not a kind person. This cultivation..."

While everyone was mesmerized, the ancestor of the Vajra Sect spoke eloquently, with a mellow voice that easily made people immersed in it. Even Duanmu Zang, who was in mid-air, was hiding there, nodding while listening.

Until dusk, when the blue curtain of the sky was dark, the ancestor of the Vajra Sect stopped talking and coughed lightly.

"If you want to know what happened, please listen to the next episode. I will continue here tomorrow at this time."

Everyone was hearing the critical moment. When they heard the words, they immediately became anxious and started to boo.

"Hai, please finish this paragraph."

"Short, extremely short!"

"What did you say this afternoon? Why don't I remember anything!"

"No, let's do another section, how can we stop here!"

The ancestor of the King Kong Sect smiled when he heard this.

"I have read thousands of volumes of stories. This paragraph may seem dull, but in fact it contains a secret. You can't just swallow it all, you have to savor it carefully to feel the taste."

After saying that, amidst the laughter all around, the ancestor of the King Kong Sect hummed a tune, walked away with his hands behind his back, and continued to protect Ling'er secretly.

Both King Kong Sect and Ling'er have their own wonderful things. Shadow is very envious. It also wants to go out to play, but it doesn't dare. It can only lie on the ground every day, looking longingly at Xu Qing who is meditating like a log.

But Xu Qing also has visitors here. In addition to Shi Pangui, occasionally his sister, the little girl, will come over.

Every time this eleven or twelve-year-old girl comes, she will bring Xu Qing some food like sweet potatoes and put them aside obediently.

Then he looked at Xu Qing, a little nervous, not knowing how to speak, but in the end he didn't say anything.

After several times, she finally couldn't hold it back and asked a question.

"Brother, you...can you make alchemy?"

She remembered the day when Xu Qing gave her sister-in-law the pill.

Xu Qing nodded when he heard this.

The little girl immediately became excited, took out a small notebook, and asked a question about vegetation.

"Aesculus, also known as dispelling grass, is the whole grass of Oryza monotachyon, a plant in the family Spiritaceae. It is a perennial herb that grows in places sheltered from the sun and in moist places in the wilderness. It does not grow where the remaining spirits are directly facing it."

Xu Qingwen informed.

After the little girl heard it, she immediately recorded it and quickly asked a second question, all about the plants and trees she had learned. Many of them she had asked the teacher but had no answer.

Xu Qing was patient and explained carefully, but the little girl kept asking questions one after another. While explaining, Xu Qing also saw the other party's persistence in the grass and trees and her excellent memory ability.

The latter is the basis for learning about vegetation.

The question and answer session ended after lasting for two hours.

After a few days, the little girl came again. This time she took more sweet potatoes, put them aside respectfully, and started asking.

Xu Qing looked at the sweet potato, smiled, and explained it carefully.

Until dusk fell, the little girl breathed a sigh of relief and left happily. However, that night, his brother took her to Xu Qing's place and scolded her not to disturb the senior.

Looking at the nervous family, Xu Qing was about to speak, but noticed a hint of stubbornness in the little girl's expression. He thought for a while, didn't say much, and just nodded.

Xu Qing wanted to see if the little girl would continue to inquire.

A few days later, she came again.

This time she changed her approach and carefully took out an ordinary herb from her arms and spoke timidly.

"Teacher, is this the goldenrod you are talking about?"

Xu Qing looked strange, this is an ordinary little grass.

So he looked at the little girl with deep meaning in his eyes and told him about the defense method of golden button grass and similar herbs.

In the following days, I seemed to feel that this method was effective, so the little girl would come almost every day, holding other herbs and asking questions intentionally.

Every time, Xu Qing explained in detail.

Time passed like this again, and soon the sky fire in the outside world passed through the sky, and it came to an end.

Calculating according to the time, it should take at most ten days before the sea of ​​​​fire will return to its original position. The next time the fire from the sky will pass through the sky will be decades later.

"Going to leave."

Xu Qing murmured, looking at the house, his senses spread out in all directions, and he found Ling'er who was learning embroidery with some aunts, and also found the ancestor of the King Kong Sect who was talking endlessly in the pavilion.

Looking at the human race in the city, Xu Qing was silent for a long time and could only sigh.

"Are you leaving?"

Duanmu Zang's voice echoed in Xu Qing's ears, and his figure appeared silently in the house, looking at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing nodded.

Duanmu Zang was silent and sat down after a while.

"Your wine is good."

Xu Qing smiled, took most of the wine prepared in the storage bag, put it in a storage bag, and handed it to Duanmu Zang.

Duanmu Zang glanced at it after taking it, with a smile on his face, looking at Xu Qing, and suddenly spoke.

"I didn't take your wine for nothing. I think you were running around in the sea of ​​​​fire, and you must have used the fire there to practice some kind of magic."

"I'll lend you a secret treasure. This treasure can avoid fire to a certain extent and allow you to sink deeper into the magma. This way you won't be exposed and you'll be much safer."

With that said, Duanmu Zang raised his right hand and spread his palm.

Inside, there was a brown bloodshot eye, which was staring at Xu Qing with some strangeness.

---

I caught a cold. I managed to finish writing last night and then fell into a fever and fell asleep. I didn’t have time to update. I apologize to everyone.