Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 89: An Unbreakable Alliance

Some words did not need to be spoken; actions alone dictated a person’s stance.

Xu Qing sat cross-legged in the tree canopy. His posture and expression were identical to when he had left, yet to the cultivators surrounding the basin, he was a completely different entity.

Those they once feared, they now dreaded.

Those they once ignored, they now watched with absolute vigilance.

The atmosphere in the basin grew suffocatingly oppressive. The tension only broke late into the night, when heavy rumbling echoed from the foot of the mountain. Two Sea Lizards, exuding spiritual fluctuations comparable to the eighth level of Qi Condensation, staggered into view.

Their arrival drew the intense gazes of every cultivator present. Yet, even as the beasts crawled into the basin and roared through their molting process, no one dared to make a move. They could only watch as the five members of the Sea Ghost syndicate stepped forward to harvest the shed skins.

Only Xu Qing acted differently.

He opened his eyes. The instant the two Sea Lizards finished molting, he stood.

His movement immediately drew every eye in the vicinity.

Ignoring the stares, Xu Qing calmly leaped from the canopy. He blurred into a shadow, plummeting straight toward the basin at breakneck speed.

He didn’t spare a single glance for the Sea Ghost cultivators. His trajectory was locked onto one of the freshly shed skins. A non-human cultivator from the syndicate stood beside it. Seeing Xu Qing’s rapid approach, the creature’s expression darkened.

With a flicker of malice in his eyes, the non-human raised his right hand. His fingernails rapidly elongated into razor-sharp blades, slashing viciously at Xu Qing.

“Friend, this lizard molt belongs to my Sea—”

Before the cultivator could finish, Xu Qing’s hand shot out, clamping down on the swinging wrist. He yanked the arm violently forward, using the momentum to drive his knee squarely into the non-human’s chest.

A sickening crunch echoed across the basin. The cultivator’s chest caved in instantly. Fissures spider-webbed across his entire body until, with a loud boom, he shattered into pieces, collapsing into a heap on the ground.

However, it wasn’t flesh and bone that splintered, but wood.

The non-human cultivator was merely a puppet.

The expressions of the remaining Sea Ghost members shifted. As their hostility spiked, Xu Qing calmly scooped up the lizard molt and leveled a cold stare at them.

Not far away, the rest of the syndicate who had been meditating stood up in unison. Wariness mingled with a spreading, ferocious bloodlust.

The two sides stared each other down in silence.

In the center of the Sea Ghost formation, the flesh on a bare-chested, burly man’s sternum began to writhe. A grotesque face pushed its way out from beneath his skin.

The face resembled a newborn infant. Though heavily wrinkled, it pulsed with an eerie vitality. Its crimson eyes locked onto Xu Qing, and it spoke.

“Friend, you destroyed my toy, but that’s a minor expense. We, Sea Ghost, will take half of the Sea Lizards here… that’s a fair transaction, isn’t it?”

Xu Qing glanced at the parasitic face. He didn’t reply. Securing the lizard molt, he turned, leaped back into the tree canopy, and resumed his cross-legged meditation.

His objective was clear. He had come to Sea Lizard Island to harvest skins, not to slaughter. Naturally, if anyone obstructed his harvest, the penalty would be death.

Furthermore, he understood the value of restraint.

The current equilibrium was highly advantageous. The Sea Ghost syndicate served as a deterrent, terrifying the other Rogue Cultivators into submission and preventing them from competing. This ensured Xu Qing could secure a larger share of the resources.

While he was confident in his combat prowess, these desperadoes surviving on the edge of the Endless Sea undoubtedly harbored lethal trump cards. Engaging in unprofitable slaughter was a waste of energy.

Since his quota could be met, he tacitly accepted their terms.

Three days passed in this manner.

During this time, Xu Qing acted only once more, smoothly claiming his half of the newly shed Sea Lizard skins without any conflict. Yet, a lingering suspicion gnawed at him. Why had the Sea Ghost syndicate mobilized here, and why were the other cultivators refusing to leave?

His suspicions peaked on the third night, when a massive vessel materialized on the distant horizon, cutting through the black waves straight toward Sea Lizard Island.

The ship was nearly a hundred zhang long and pitch-black. Unlike the sleek, predatory Dharma Boats of Seven Blood Eyes, its hull was shaped like a broad maple leaf. More unsettling was the aura it projected; merely looking at it sent a bone-deep chill through the observer, as if the vessel itself harbored the bizarre, corrupting horrors of a Forbidden Zone.

The source of this dread was the ship’s coating.

The pitch-black hue was not natural wood or lacquer. It was stained with layers of coagulated blood. It was this very blood that triggered Xu Qing’s threat assessment.

“The Departed Path Sect!”

“They actually came too!”

The basin’s elevation offered a sweeping view of the ocean. Like Xu Qing, the other cultivators had spotted the rapidly approaching black ship. Hushed, fearful exclamations rippled through the camp.

The dozen Sea Ghost cultivators also wore grave expressions, whispering among themselves as they braced for a formidable enemy.

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. He was not entirely unfamiliar with the Departed Path Sect.

Back in the Scavenger Camp, the little girl’s older brother had been a captain of the Departed Path Sect’s law enforcement team, and he had eventually taken her away.

Outside the grocery store back then, he had overheard scavengers discussing the sect, universally condemning them as a cult of absolute lunatics.

It wasn’t until he joined Seven Blood Eyes and reviewed the intelligence archives in the Homicide Department that Xu Qing gained a clearer understanding of their operations.

The Departed Path Sect was one of the four major human factions on the South Phoenix Continent, standing alongside Purple Earth, Seven Blood Eyes, and Truth’s Word. Their core doctrine revolved around following the ancient Emperor Sovereigns to escape this apocalyptic world.

Their teachings relentlessly preached of a holy land forged by the ancient Emperor Sovereigns—a paradise devoid of famine, freezing cold, or slaughter, overflowing with pure, uncorrupted spiritual energy.

They believed that one day, this holy land would open its gates to the ruined world, ascending all true believers to salvation.

This was their faith. Consequently, anyone who rejected this doctrine was branded a heretic, slated to be penalized and stripped of their right to live.

Such extreme dogma naturally bred an army of zealots.

I wonder how she’s doing now, Xu Qing thought, briefly recalling the piece of candy the little girl had given him. But he quickly shoved the memory aside, his focus snapping back to the black ship cutting through the waves.

What exactly is about to happen on Sea Lizard Island?

As Xu Qing analyzed the shifting variables, the old man from Banquan Road, hiding behind the basin’s rocks, let out a heavy sigh at the sight of the black ship.

“It’s over. Sea Ghost and the Departed Path Sect showing up one after another… they must be here for the exact same thing I am.”

The old man slapped his forehead in dismay. The massive snake coiled beside him gurgled a few times. The old man glanced at it and stroked his chin.

“You make a fair point.”

With a sway of his body, the old man stood up and made a beeline for Xu Qing’s tree. The giant snake slithered closely behind him, its movements betraying a subtle excitement that few would ever recognize.

His sudden movement drew sidelong glances from the surrounding cultivators.

The Sea Ghost members also noticed, but with the Departed Path Sect bearing down on them, they had no interest in intervening.

Soon, the old man and his snake halted exactly ten zhang away. Xu Qing’s eyes were narrowed, his gaze locked onto the old man’s carotid artery, calculating the exact force needed to sever it.

“Kid, let’s talk business. Don’t drop any poison. Clear the air around here, and I’ll share some valuable intel.”

Xu Qing stared at him, roughly deducing his angle. He raised a hand and waved it dismissively, mimicking the motion of dispersing a toxin.

Seeing this, the old man exhaled in relief and crossed the ten-zhang threshold.

He walked a few paces before cautiously halting at the three-zhang mark. He lowered his voice.

“Kid, aren’t you wondering why Sea Ghost and the Departed Path Sect are both here?”

“I’ll cut to the chase. According to seasonal patterns, there’s a high probability that a Foundation Establishment Sea Lizard will molt here soon. The skin of a Foundation Establishment Sea Lizard is incredibly valuable. An early-stage skin is worth 2,000 Spirit Stones, a mid-stage one 5,000, and a late-stage one at least 10,000.”

“This old man is all alone and outmatched. So, I’m here to propose an alliance. Let’s become each other’s most unbreakable allies. We’ll work together to seize this resource and split it fifty-fifty, trusting each other with our backs!”

The Banquan Road old man spoke with fervor, his words rapid. He finished and looked at Xu Qing, but his expression quickly changed. He hurriedly pulled out a handful of Pills and swallowed them, then pointed an accusing finger at Xu Qing.

“You brat, didn’t I tell you not to release poison?!”

“I didn’t release any poison. It’s what was already lingering here,” Xu Qing replied casually, mulling over the information he’d just received.

“Damn it, then why did you wave your hand earlier?!” the old man fumed.

“You told me to clear the air,” Xu Qing frowned.

“…So did you clear it?” the old man glared.

“My poison cannot be cleared,” Xu Qing replied, growing impatient. This old man was on his hit list. If not for the chaotic situation and the inconvenience of making a move, he would have killed him right there.

The old man was speechless. He stared at Xu Qing for a long moment before letting out a deep sigh.

“I don’t think we can communicate! Are you saying you can’t clear the poison, but to reassure me, you made a fake gesture?”

Xu Qing stared coldly at the old man, saying nothing.

The old man’s temples bulged with veins. Seeing this, the big snake beside him quickly gurgled a few times.

Gritting his teeth, the old man swallowed another handful of Pills and glared at Xu Qing angrily.

“The alliance. Do you agree or not?”

“Agreed,” Xu Qing replied without hesitation.

Seeing Xu Qing agree so quickly, the old man sighed and was about to speak when, at that moment, the Departed Path Sect’s ship reached the shore.

Figures emerged from the ship, about seven or eight in total, and stepped into the jungle.

Under the moonlight, their forms were indistinct, only their black robes visible, their heads also wrapped. An aura of solemnity and bloodlust rose from them as they moved swiftly through the jungle, heading straight for the mountain where the basin was located.

“The Departed Path Sect are all lunatics. There have been rumors on the sea that they secretly control some islands, as if conducting some bizarre research, but the locations are hidden, and few outsiders have ever reached them,” the Banquan Road old man said with a grim expression, his voice low.

Xu Qing listened, narrowed his eyes, and looked over.