Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 630: Daybreak Light Dazzles the Sky

Looking at the exuberant Captain, Xu Qing nodded.

“Okay, gotta go now!” the Captain said. “I put a lot of work into preparing for this big job, most of it on the intelligence side. And now, all I need is one last report. Wish me luck!”

He excitedly prepared to leave the back room and get familiar with Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior. Before he walked out, Xu Qing mentioned wanting to borrow a patch of the Captain’s skin.

The Captain didn’t mind at all, and without any hesitation, tossed over a patch of his skin. It was as if his attitude was, ‘I might lack some things, but skin isn’t one of them!’

“Enough? If not, I’ve got more!” The Captain looked at Xu Qing with a gleam of generosity in his eyes.

“It’s enough....” Xu Qing said. Looking at the patch of skin, he noticed it had a bellybutton on it. An odd expression overtook his face.

Grinning proudly, the Captain strutted off.

Xu Qing watched him leaving, all the while sighing inwardly. This wasn’t the first time the Captain had announced an impending big job. Given that, it seemed to Xu Qing that he should have long since grown accustomed to situations like these. And yet, after the Captain was gone, he sat down cross-legged and realized that his heart was racing.

Truth be told... whenever the Captain planned big jobs, it was very exciting. And the more Xu Qing’s cultivation base improved, the more exciting the jobs tended to be. Oftentimes, Xu Qing didn’t really understand why the Captain was so willing to crazily risk his own life.

It’s like he wants to put himself in deadly situations.... Then he thought back to what Eighth Sib had said when he met the Captain. ‘God bastard.’

Don’t tell me that Eldest Brother really was a god bastard in the past.

He considered all the things he’d witnessed his Eldest Brother accomplish, including stealing things from the Seazombies, from Nethersprite, and from the Ten Entrails Tree. Although, in reality, it wasn’t so much ‘stealing’ as it was ‘eating.’

After a short time, he looked in the direction of the Captain’s room, from where he could sense excited fluctuations coming from Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior.

Based on what he said just now, it seems this job involves some sort of performance. Could it be that he’s not going to steal something this time?

Acting on instinct, he opened his bag of holding and checked all of his teleportation items. After confirming that he had plenty of spares, he felt a bit more at ease.

We definitely need to bring the parrot along.

With that, he put aside thoughts of the Captain’s big job and focused on studying daybreak light.

As a matter of fact, by the third day, he had already reached the point of being able to use the seven-colored transformations of the daybreak light to create some images from his imagination. Unfortunately, those images remained stuck in his mind. Although he could imagine them, and even try to form them with daybreak light, the end result was very different from what existed in his mind. Light was still light. He still couldn’t use it to form an image.

A few days after that, however, he started doing more serious research using the recording jade slip as a basis. The general principle wasn’t very complex, especially after he had personally witnessed the Captain using his patch of skin to capture a projection of a palm print. That alone gave Xu Qing a good direction to pursue in regard to understanding the magical transformations of light.

The reason light can form an image is because it reflects off things. My previous method of utilizing the daybreak light isn’t necessarily incorrect, it’s just that the light inherently contains a myriad of magics. Therefore, what I need to do is find a way to gather the daybreak light. Then, because of its unique properties, I can use it, not just to light up things, but to reveal the magical techniques of my enemies!

What will follow are some reflections that I can’t actually see.... So what I need to do is take those invisible reflections and use them to form an image!

Eyes glittering, he took out a recording jade slip.

The difference between an ordinary jade slip and a recording jade slip... is that the former is sensitive to divine sense, and can be used to record information with divine will. The latter is sensitive to light, and can thus record images. Both the recording jade slips and the Captain’s patches of skin are items extremely sensitive to light.

He put down the recording jade slip and then picked up the patch of skin. After some examination, he confirmed the results of his recent experiments.

The Captain’s patch of skin was obviously a very extraordinary item. It was incredibly tough, and if you looked closely, the palm print really does remind me of magical symbols. This must be a special property of the Captain’s body. Thanks to me being an ordinary person with a normal cultivation base, I couldn’t do something similar.

However, I could use other methods to peel off some of my own skin and make it extremely sensitive to light.... In that way, I could stimulate this very unusual god body of mine. If I do that, then converge and reflect the daybreak light, then I could use the sensitive nature of my skin to reveal the things I can’t see!

As countless thoughts ran through his mind, Xu Qing lifted his right hand and opened his fingers.

There were many options at his disposal to make his skin sensitive to light, but he was most familiar with those related to plants and vegetation.

There are a lot of medicinal plants as well as poisons that make your skin more sensitive. Although such methods are technically harmful, if you use them correctly they can be considered assets to support divine abilities.

In fact, I have a lot of poison medicines in my bag of holding that have that specific medicinal effect. Princess Brightblossom was right. Imagination is definitely one of the big limitations on the strength or weakness of divine abilities.

He took a deep breath and put even more thought into his theory. After a while, he was convinced that he should give it a try. Opening his bag of holding, he took out a handful of poison medicines that could make the skin more sensitive.

His plan was to use poison to make his right hand vastly more sensitive.

If it works, then this hand will become a hand of myriad magics!

Excited, he started working. Seven days passed in a flash. It had now been about half a month since Xu Qing had begun researching daybreak light.

Princess Brightblossom was very pleased at Xu Qing’s progress. She could sense the transformation magic he was using in his daybreak light. Although Xu Qing couldn’t see what was happening with his naked eye, and believed that he wasn’t successful at forming any images, the reality was that both the princess and the Heir Apparent could see the images very clearly.

The Heir Apparent felt very surprised. Princess Brightblossom nodded in approval.

In fact, the princess felt that he had already made enough progress. The fact that Xu Qing could do this was impressive, and already surpassed what she’d hoped to accomplish.

Given Xu Qing’s cultivation base and powers of understanding, there was no way he could possibly utilize all of the myriad magics that made up daybreak light. Actually, she had never known anyone who could do that.

But it’s a good idea. If he keeps exploring this possibility, then you never know, he might actually accomplish his dream. What young people need to do is dare to come up with an idea, and then work hard to try to make it happen!

Smiling, Princess Brightblossom prepared for Xu Qing to eventually give up, whereupon she would give him some more pointers. Except... she soon realized that Xu Qing was frowning in dissatisfaction. In the following days, she found that Xu Qing was continuing to research recording jade slips, Erniu’s skin, and... his own poisoned hand.

Princess Brightblossom wasn’t sure what to make of that. Eventually, she looked over calmly at the Heir Apparent.

The Heir Apparent didn’t react at first. But eventually, he grinned and said, “Third Sister, this kid’s most freakish aspect isn’t his cultivation base. It’s his powers of understanding. When you told him that imagination limits the power of divine abilities, he was probably deeply moved. And now wants to break out of his cage. I’d say it’s highly possible... that he’ll actually figure out how to use daybreak light to form images.”

Princess Brightblossom didn’t respond.

As for Eighth Sib, he looked at the Heir Apparent, and then his third sister. Over the past half a month, he had noticed that his brother and sister were paying close attention to Xu Qing. As a result, he had also been surreptitiously watching everything that was playing out. Now, he was hoping to have his own chance.

Years ago, I gave a lot of advice to young chosen disciples. Eldest Brother and Third Sister have clearly taken a liking to this Xu Qing. I need to find an opportunity to have my turn.

Having made his determination, Eighth Sib waited in anticipation.

Fifth Sister had spent most of her recent days focused on the chickens in the backyard. All of them were getting very plump.

The chickens were rapidly growing in number. More were added to the collection on just about a daily basis. In fact, a few days ago they got a few dozen new chickens. At one point when Ling’er rushed out into the backyard on a task, she saw all the chickens and clicked her tongue in surprise.

“Grandma Fifth, we have so many new chickens today!” Ling’er said as she scattered worms for the chickens to eat. The chickens raced over to eat, struggling with each other to get the most food.

Fifth Sister smiled and nodded. “Once I fatten them up a bit more, I’ll slaughter them and make a very nourishing meal for you and your Big Bro Xu Qing.”

As the indignant chickens pecked at their food, they trembled, and their expressions transformed into that of fear. That was especially true of the newest batch, who clucked in absolute despair.

Those cultivators actually weren’t from the Bitter Life Mountains. They were members of the Yin-Yang Betwixt Flowers Sect, and had been trying to track down the culprits of the disaster at Mount Heavenly Ox. Upon arriving, they hadn’t caused any trouble. They first went to the Red Moon Cathedral to pay respects to the godherald there. The moment they entered the church temple, and before they could even meet the godherald, they felt the world spinning around them. When their vision grew clear, they had become chickens.

As the chickens wallowed in despair, a deep rumbling sound echoed out from the back room of the medicine shop, followed by streams of seven-colored light. The light swept over the medicine shop, covering everyone, even the chickens. As it spread out, it made a sea of light that caused ripples to flow through the air.

As the winds and clouds stirred, the sea of light rose up into the air, spreading out and constantly transforming at the same time. Eventually, something resembling a nail became visible. The moment the nail appeared, it caused wild colors to flash in heaven and earth.

Ling’er gasped. Ning Yan’s eyes went wide. Wu Jianwu gaped. Li Youfei was dumbstruck. The Captain was moved, Nethersprite looked on with a serious expression, and Patriarch Inkrule’s eyes glittered.

Some of them had seen this nail before, and were thus stunned. Some of them hadn’t seen the nail before, but when they sensed the aura coming off it, they were equally stunned.

The Heir Apparent, Princess Brighblossom, Fifth Sister, and Eighth Sib all looked up at the nail, their expression tranquil. However, if you looked closely at them, you would find their eyes glittering brightly. That was especially true of the Heir Apparent and Princess Brightblossom. The two of them looked very calm, but their hearts were actually racing. Eventually, they looked toward the back room.

That was where the seven-colored light was coming from.

“He did it....”

“The little punk actually made an imitation of our father’s nail!”