Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 1155: That Sea of Flowers

Mother…? As Xu Qing walked along behind Immortal Lord Aurora, he looked at the desert and listened to the story.

Perhaps it was some sort of resonance with his host’s body, or perhaps it was the word ‘mother’ itself. Either way, he suddenly found himself thinking about his own past.

In his mind’s eye, he saw Peerless City in the Revered Ancient mainland. He remembered his dad and mom there in the city. Those were good times. But then the blood rain fell.

He thought back to his father and mother. Perhaps he had traveled too far and experienced too many things, because all of a sudden he realized that all that remained of his parents in his memory was an outline. However, that outline exuded warmth. It didn’t matter how far he traveled or what he experienced, that impression would never go away. It would always be there in his mind.

People can’t determine who it is that they will see last in life. But the first people to accompany them are always the parents.

Mother….

At the same time, his host was also wrapped in such thoughts. In the memories of his host, he could see only the vague outline of a mother…. It was just like Xu Qing thinking about his past.

As of this moment, the two of them were in complete resonance. The resonance turned into ripples, flowing through the sea of the heart, stirring time and spreading out into the desert. It became part of the desert.

Immortal Lord Aurora’s voice drifted across the Desert of Time.

“Your mother and I got to know each other back in our hometown. She was my Junior Sister, in other words, the seventh apprentice of your grandfather. Back in those days, there was a sun and moon, but they looked different than they do now.”[1]

Immortal Lord Aurora was talking to Xu Qing, but also seemed to be simply recalling the past. As he spoke, he seemed to get older, and to sink further into reminiscence. “Back then, our hometown was just one of many captive minor worlds in the Fifth Star Ring that belonged to the gods. It was a life in which you worshiped gods, were enslaved by them, and had nothing to look forward to except death.

“Naturally speaking, the sun and moon overhead were both gods. I guess it’s most accurate to say that the light of the sun and moon came into our minor world. Their names were the most paramount godly names in the entire minor world. Clearbright and Fyreblaze. Those times were full of pain and bitterness. But with your mother there, I was happy.”

Immortal Lord Aurora spoke softly, and Xu Qing followed, listening quietly. He knew that now was a moment in which he should pay attention respectfully.

“We furthered our cultivation together. We grew up together. And eventually we ran into Nineshores.”

Immortal Lord Aurora shook his head as he sank further into memory. “His personality back then was much the same as it is now. He was quiet. He liked to observe things and keep records. Your mother called him the Great Scribe. He actually liked that, and it’s what we called him for many years. So stupid.” Aurora smiled.

“And so, time passed…. What happened later is there in the history books. You know all about that. In Dao Finale of the God Epoch, your grandfather led our minor world in a great war against the gods. It was a desperate war. More desperate than you can imagine….

“You were born during that time. But your mom didn’t want you to see all the chaos, so she sealed you away. We agreed that we would wait until the war was over and the world had become magnificent before we unsealed you. Then you would be able to see lands full of beauty and peace. With no gods. We wanted you to have the most wonderful life possible.”

Aurora’s voice continued to echo in the Desert of Time, full of both reminiscence and grief. “The war lasted for many years. But eventually it ended, and we cultivators had fully risen to prominence. We crushed all of those high and mighty gods. The sun and the moon in the sky perished, and we replaced them with our own versions.

“Unfortunately… I lost someone forever during that time. Your mother died.”

Xu Qing listened quietly. This was someone else’s story, yet for whatever reason, perhaps the resonance that had sprung up, Xu Qing could feel his host’s sorrow, a well as Aurora’s grief.

“For certain reasons, I fell into a deep slumber that lasted for 10,000 years. By the time I woke up, it was impossible to change what had happened. The canon of space-time had reached its limit…. 3,333 years. That’s the ultimate limit of space-time in this star ring. When you were sealed away, your mother and I were both there. But when it came time to unseal you, only I was left.”

Aurora suddenly stopped walking.

Xu Qing saw a sea of flowers. It was an illusory sea, filled with endless gorgeous orchids blooming in the middle of the desert. It was consummately beautiful. It was hard to imagine how there could be a sea of orchids in the middle of a desert. At the very least, Xu Qing knew that when he visited this desert far in the future, there had been nothing like it. Apparently, this was a secret buried in the depths of the desert.

The exquisite orchids were of different shapes and sizes. Some looked like fluttering butterflies. Others resembled soaring immortal cranes. All of them had unique fragrances.

As Xu Qing and Immortal Lord Aurora arrived, the sun shone through the scattered clouds onto the sea of orchids, and the golden beams of light added a further sense of mystery and romance.

A faint breeze stirred the flowers. It all seemed like a dream. And then it almost seemed like an immortal fairy had appeared in the flowers, and was looking at the two of them. A faint murmuring sound could be heard, like gentle laughter.

Immortal Lord Aurora looked at the sea of flowers, and the immortal fairy from his memories. He also laughed softly. Striding to the edge of the sea of flowers, he knelt down and produced a handful of seeds from within the fold of his robe. As of this moment, he wasn’t the soon-to-be most respected person in the Fifth Star Ring. He was not a ruler of countless immortals, with an astonishing cultivation base. He was just an ordinary person thinking about his deceased wife.

He was now planting the seeds in the desert. They would definitely bloom eventually. “Your mother’s name had the character ‘orchid’ in it, and her favorite flower was always the immortal orchid. It’s a flower that cannot be tainted with the aura of gods, otherwise it withers…. And yet, that type of flower never disappeared from our minor world, despite the proliferation of mutagen. Because after it withers, it can bloom again.

“We had always hoped that, after the war was over and everything was beautiful, we could find a place to plant some immortal orchids, and turn them into a sea that bloomed year round. Over the years, I’ve always made sure to plant some more when I come here. Gradually, they’ve turned into a sea.”

Smiling, Immortal Lord Aurora patted the soil over the seeds he had just planted. Then he sat down and looked out at the flowers. He said nothing, yet the warm smile remained on his face.

Xu Qing quietly walked over, sat down next to Immortal Lord Aurora, and joined him in looking out at the flowers.

Time passed.

When evening approached, Immortal Lord Aurora spoke again.

“You’ve grown up,” he said softly. “And you’re about to get married. In the future, I’ll be very busy, so remember to come back here every year and plant some more orchids for your mother. Let’s make sure there’s always a sea of flowers here.”

Mixed emotions filled Xu Qing. He was fully aware that in a month, Immortal Lord Aurora was going to die, as was his host body.

Years in the future, there would no longer be a sea of orchids here. Perhaps that was why he had not seen any flowers when he passed through this desert. The sea of flowers had long since withered up as time passed.

But he still nodded.

Aurora smiled, and in uncharacteristic fashion, reached out and tousled his son’s hair. “I want you to remember something. Your mother wasn’t able to accompany you through life, nor will your own children be able to stay with you all the time. Only your daoist partner… will keep you company forever. You have to take care of her. Don’t be like me…. Don’t lose the person you love.”

With that, Aurora stood up and looked at Xu Qing. “Do you remember that story I used to tell you when you were young? About the night?”

Xu Qing nodded and quietly said, “When night falls, don’t go to see you.”

That saying was implanted firmly in the memories of Young Lord Aurora. It was something that Immortal Lord Aurora had told him many times. It made Xu Qing think about the reflection beneath the ice lake…. Based on his memories, Immortal Lord Aurora always came to him during the day….

Aurora smiled and nodded, then looked at the deepening evening. “It’s about to get dark. Let’s go back.”

With that, Aurora took a step forward. Everything blurred. A moment later, the desert was gone, and so was the sea of flowers.

Xu Qing was back in Young Aurora Hall, in the exact spot where he had left it. It was almost as if everything that had just happened was an illusion. Immortal Lord Aurora was nowhere to be seen.

As for the sky… when Xu Qing left, it was bright. Right now, night was falling. Darkness covered the lands.

The moon rose.

***

Deep beneath the immortal palace was a secret chamber, brightly lit with lamps. Immortal Lord Aurora was there, striding forward. As he passed, the lamps behind him went out.

Night fell outside and his white clothing began to turn dark. Before long, his robe was pitch black. The kind look on his face became replaced with something vicious and wicked. He started trembling, and his pace faltered. However, he managed to walk all the way to the end of the cave. There, he entered a prison cell.

The moment he was inside, countless magical symbols formed chains that wrapped around him, both blessing him and sealing him. All of the light went out, and everything became pitch black.

Within that darkness, groans echoed out, along with the clink of chains.

1. Specifically this is the paternal grandfather, so that would be Immortal Lord Aurora’s father, who we know is the Immortal Paragon. ☜

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