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Chapter 395: He is Destiny!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The man and the dragon came and brought Wan Qiu away with them. Besides the strength of his power, the red-haired Su Ming also brought with him a domineering presence that could not be found on the usual Su Ming.
That domineering presence caused Wan Qiu to revere him while harboring mixed feelings within her heart, even though he left in silence.
As dawn was about to be over, the red-haired Su Ming stood on a remote mountain far from Autumn Sea Tribe. The blood dragon hovered in the sky and would protect the area when Su Ming casted that Secret Art.
Wan Qiu stood behind him and watched the red-haired man before her with a complicated look. Besides a slight similarity in his appearance, this person was completely different from the Su Ming in her memories.
"I am going to use you to cast a Secret Art. You can be as unwilling as you like, but if you control yourself and do this willingly, then you'll be in less pain." Once the red-haired Su Ming finished speaking, he turned around and his gaze fell on Wan Qiu.
"Are… you Su Ming?" Wan Qiu remained silent for a moment before she bit her lip and asked in a bare whisper.
"Yes!" As Su Ming answered, he lifted his right hand and swung it before him. Immediately, a layer of red fog spread out and covered Wan Qiu within. He took a step forward and walked into the fog.
Time passed by slowly. The sky gradually brightened up. Noon came, and the sunlight brought down scorching heat onto the ground. However, it was freezing cold in the remote mountain where the blood dragon was. As the cold wave of air crashed into the heatwave, distortions appeared in the air.
The noon sun weakened, the entire afternoon, too, passed by. When the setting sun dyed the sky red and started disappearing slowly, the red fog at the peak of the remote mountain also started slowly thinning out.
When midnight arrived and moonlight illuminated the land with its gentle rays, the fog at the peak of the mountain disappeared completely. The red-haired Su Ming walked out from within. His lips were no longer purple, but had already returned to a pink hue. However, his long hair was still in that strangely captivating bright red shade. Once it was set against his red robes, it made him seem as if he had turned into another person.
"Di Tian…" Su Ming mumbled. He stood at the peak of the mountain and spread out his divine sense swiftly. This time, his divine sense had become even greater than it was a day before yesterday. Once it covered the area, Su Ming closed his eyes.
A moment later, he opened his eyes and looked towards the south.
"I don't know where that is, and there's no need for me to know where that is either… I only need to know that I can leave from that place and go to the Realm of the Immortals.
"There is a large amount of Immortals' presence in the mountain to the south. I can go back to the Realm of the Immortals from there." Su Ming looked at the south and took a step forward. Immediately, the blood dragon moved with him as if it wanted to follow him.
"Acknowledge her as your master. You were a dragon vein [1] that existed on earth, but once you manifested I imbued you with my divine sense and you gained your intelligence from there. Now, I am going to leave. Stay here and become her guardian beast."
Su Ming did not turn his head back. With one step forward, his body gradually turned invisible and he disappeared in midair. The blood dragon was momentarily stunned and lingered around in midair for a moment before letting out a broken-hearted howl.
It could not bear to part with this master of his, whom it had only been with for two days, because in its memories, the blood dragon was born because of its master.
As the blood dragon let out its broken-hearted howl, Wan Qiu opened her eyes at the peak of the mountain. She looked in the direction Su Ming had left. She had heard his words, and she fell silent.
All her clothes were left intact and not a single article of clothing was missing on her, and in fact, she felt as if she had just fallen asleep and had had a dream. Her expression turned incredibly complicated. She had an indescribable feeling towards this Su Ming. She should hate him, but she could not find a reason for her to hate him deeply. She should be confused, but she could not find the source.
That mixed feeling of hers made Wan Qiu lie on the mountain for a very long time before she stood up, exhausted, then walked down the mountain in a daze. The blood dragon followed behind her in accordance to Su Ming's will.
This was the third day. Su Ming knew that he did not have much time left. He could feel the signs of slumber rising once again within him, but he still had yet to kill Di Tian. He could not find it in himself to accept wasting his time like this, not after he woke up through so much difficulty.
He walked in the sky, towards a destination that could not be seen with his naked eye but could be detected with his divine sense - a mountain located to the south of the land.
The Immortals' presence was strong in that mountain. It was also the spot with the highest amount of dimensional cracks Su Ming could see with his divine sense. He was very certain that he could return to the Realm of the Immortals over there, and once he went back, he would use the shortest amount of time possible to find Di Tian and fight against him once more!
'It's a pity that the woman only fulfilled certain requirements for the Secret Art and couldn't bring out the full potential…' Su Ming shook his head. This was already the woman who best fit the requirements among all those he could find.
As he moved forward, he came closer to the mountain he could not see in his eyes. Gradually, the killing intent in his eyes grew stronger. His long red hair and red robes caused his entire person to look as if he had stirred up a sea of blood that was closing in rapidly on the mountain.
However, as Su Ming continued charging forward, he came to a sudden halt. His body was revealed in that sea of blood, and as he stared at the quiet emptiness before him, a chilling glint appeared in his eyes.
At the same time, the space in the distance distorted and out came two people. They were a man and a woman, and one of them was old, while the other young.
The old man wore a Daoist robe. His expression when he appeared was grave, and he was staring at Su Ming with brightly burning eyes.
The woman beside him had long hair, and she was the female Immortal Su Ming had run into previously in Sky Mist City's battlefield!
The instant she saw Su Ming with his current appearance, the woman's eyes widened and her breathing quickened. Disbelief appeared on her face.
"Sir, which sect did you come from? I am Bai Er Yuan from Hidden Dragon Sect…"
"Begone!" The red-haired Su Ming said coldly and cut off the old man's words. He walked forward. He did not have much time and did not want waste it over here.
The old man stared at Su Ming with a dark face, but did not attack. He could feel a strong sense of danger from Su Ming, and that sense of danger was rarely found ever since he came to the land of the Berserkers.
"Heh heh. My fellow Daoist, are you in a hurry? If that is the case, then I won't try to stop you." The old man had lived for a long time and had already learned how to be adaptable. If he did not have full confidence, he would not easily strike. Even if he had come on orders and brought that woman along, if he really needed to release the seal on his own power, then he could use that woman to stall time.
Besides, he could tell from the direction Su Ming was going to that there was only one possible thing that could attract his attention - the Mountain of Descending. Once he recalled that the sect's powerful warriors were in the mountain, the old man took a few steps back and cupped his fist as a show of respect before bowing with a smile.
Once that old man moved back, Su Ming walked past him, and right when they looked as if they were not going to fight against each other, the long-haired woman suddenly spoke quickly with an ashen face.
"He's Destiny! He wants to go back to the Realm of the Immortals!"
Right when the word 'Destiny' fell out of the woman's mouth, the red-haired Su Ming's footsteps suddenly came to a halt. At the same time, once that old man got over his momentary shock, his expression changed drastically.
"What did you say?!"
"I saw Destiny before. He's Destiny!" A complicated and terrified look appeared on the long-haired woman's face. As she spoke, she moved back.
Su Ming frowned, then took a swift step forward, but right at the instant he took that one step, the old man behind him let out a low growl.
"Fellow Daoist, stop!" The old man's white hair floated in the air, and a strong wave of pressure erupted forth from his body.
The instant Su Ming turned around and looked over coldly, the old man had already finished forming hand seals with his right hand and pointed at the sky. Immediately, the wind and clouds moved, and a large runic symbol appeared above. The runic symbol shone with a golden light and charged towards Su Ming with a howl.
At the same time, as the old man swung his arm forward, and a large amount of runic symbols appeared around Su Ming. These runic symbols shone with a strange light and started spinning rapidly around Su Ming.
"Cover up the Berserkers' heavens for me. I'm going to release my seal to make him stay in this place for a while. Once I release my seal, all our fellow sect members will immediately notice and come to kill him!" The old man's anxious words fell into the long-haired woman's ears.
The long-haired woman looked at Su Ming with a complicated expression as she retreated with a pale face. She had originally not wanted to speak, but after a moment of hesitation and after she thought about the terrifying disaster that will appear in the Realm of the Immortals once Destiny returned, she still chose to reveal his identity.
As she moved back, she brought out a small white bottle from her bosom, and with a complicated look on her face, she poured out a drop of blood from within. Once that drop of blood fell out, she formed some seals with her hands and opened her mouth to suck in that drop of blood. That droplet was instantly sucked into her mouth, and the woman's gaze turned even more profound. She lifted her hands and pointed at the sky, and immediately, darkness appeared in the sky above, as if it was covered up by a layer.
The old man's hair started moving even without wind. His presence grew increasingly stronger. In an instant, he had already surpassed the state of End among the Shamans and reached an unknown level. Yet even so, he was still incredibly wary of Su Ming.
Once the seals suppressing the old man's power were broken, the invisible layer in the sky distorted. Bolts of lightning started swimming about in those distortions, and the air around them started tumbling about like fog. It was as if there was something in the air.
A mighty pressure enveloped the world and started spreading rapidly towards the surroundings.
"Since you're seeking death, then I will grant you your wish!" The red-haired Su Ming spoke coldly, and once he swept his gaze past the old man, whose presence increased explosively, he looked at the long-haired woman.
"As for you, you fulfill the requirements. You'll be able to let my power recover a little more." As Su Ming spoke, a hint of brutality appeared on his lips in the form of a smile. That smile was strangely captivating, and when that smile entered the old man's eyes, it made his heart thump. When that smile entered the long-haired woman's eyes, it made her think of something, and a hint of absent-mindedness appeared on her face.
At the same time these extreme changes appeared, the middle-aged man wearing an Emperor's cloak and crown walked out of the air, right above Sky Mist City, at the part connecting the land of the Shamans and the land of the Berserkers. That man was expressionless and his eyes were cold. Once he appeared, he did not look at the land underneath. Instead, he took a step towards the land of the Shamans, and his body instantly faded away before he disappeared into nothingness.
Translator's Notes:
1. Dragon vein is a concept in Fengshui. Apparently dragon veins create the formation of mountains because a dragon's Qi is almighty and all that, so for a good afterlife, the Emperors and members of the royal family were buried in these places.
Chapter 396: Hidden Dragon Dao
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The red-haired Su Ming smiled coldly and simply looked at the old man while his presence continued growing stronger. Even as he was facing the numerous runic symbols floating around him and the gigantic golden runic symbol charging towards him in the sky, he turned a blind eye towards all of it and was completely not bothered.
"Hidden Dragon Sixth Dao, Fire in Sleeves!"
Ever since the old man heard the word 'Destiny', his expression turned incredibly grave, along with a slight hint of nervousness. At that moment, as he spread out his arms, his hair started moving without wind and his robes started fluttering about. Once the long-haired woman formed an invisible barrier with an Art using a drop of blood from the bottle to cover up the Berserkers' heavens, the old man revealed a large part of his power, and he immediately attacked with one of the great divine abilities of Hidden Dragon Sect.
The moment the last three words fell out of his mouth, the old man lifted his arm. His face instantly turned red. He had his lips shut tight, holding in a breath of his Primordial Qi, and he waved his arm at Su Ming.
With that one swing, huge banging sounds instantly rang in the air before the old man, then right before their eyes, a sea of fire appeared as if the air itself was burning. The sea of fire continued spreading out, and in the blink of an eye, it had already covered up the entire area.
At that moment, the old man opened his mouth, and he breathed out that puff of Primordial Qi contained in his previously shut mouth. That one puff caused a violent gust of wind to stir and swept through the area, and it gathered up the sea of fire around them to charge towards Su Ming!
From the distance, it looked as if the sky was burning, and the sea of fire looked as if it wanted to swallow Su Ming. Rumbling sounds reverberated in the air, and the sea of fire enveloped Su Ming in an instant. It was also at that moment that the golden runic symbol in the sky and the other runic symbols around Su Ming charged towards him along with the sea of fire to kill him.
Those thunderous rumbling sounds shook the sky and earth. The red-haired Su Ming stood in the air with a cold smile and did not move a single inch, simply allowing those runic symbols around him to attach themselves to his body, the gigantic golden runic symbol from the sky to stick to his head with a huge bang, and gave permission to the sea of fire around him to drown him in flames.
Those divine abilities struck Su Ming, but not only was there not a hint of happiness on the old man's face, his eyes also went so wide that it looked as if they were about to fall out of his eye sockets. He sucked in a sharp breath with disbelief on his face.
The sea of fire that had enveloped Su Ming shrank swiftly from its previously grand and flashy state in the span of a few breaths until it eventually disappeared completely. Su Ming continued standing there and only opened his mouth to suck in a breath.
The sea of fire that had spread around him was completely sucked into his mouth, as if his body itself was a bottomless pit. At the same moment, all the golden runic symbols on Su Ming's body became dimmer and eventually disappeared from his skin as if they had melted. The gigantic golden seal on his head also faded out at a rapid pace and eventually turned into a wisp of golden air that crawled into Su Ming's jugular notch.
Su Ming's face was as calm as ever. As he continued smiling coldly, a hint of derision appeared in his eyes, and he said languidly, "Too weak. I will give you two more chances to attack me."
The old man's expressions kept changing as he stared at Su Ming and he started groaning in his heart. He might have heard about some of the rumors about Destiny, but he had never expected him to be so terrifying. That Fire in Sleeves he casted just now was enough for him to fight against those in the Berserker Soul Realm, but this Destiny was completely unharmed.
'Damn it, why is he Destiny? If he wasn't, then I wouldn't have to risk my life trying to stall him here. The celestial phenomenon has appeared now, so the others from the sect should be coming soon…' The old man's eyes sparkled and the desire to retreat appeared in his heart. Yet at that moment, Su Ming's smile turned even colder before him.
"If you don't attack within three breaths, then I will let you have a taste of my divine abilities." As Su Ming spoke, he lifted his right hand and curled his fingers into a fist, then swiftly unfurled them. Once he did so, he pressed his palm against the air.
That one push immediately caused the ground beneath him to tremble, and cracks suddenly appeared. At the same time, a vast amount of earthen aura shot up with a loud rumble like a wave of air, sealing up a circular area of five thousand lis, turning the place into a cage.
Not a single shadow of a person could be seen if anyone looked from the distance. They would only be able to see an indistinct wall of air that surrounded the place and was linked to the sky.
This sort of divine ability, this sort of Art that used earthen aura caused the old man's pupils to shrink. He instinctively took a few steps back and shock appeared in his eyes. Sweat broke out on his forehead, and as he groaned in his heart, he also grew to hate that long-haired woman whose face had turned equally pale. If the woman had not revealed his identity, there would be no need for him to attack.
He was stuck. When Su Ming spoke, the old man remembered what he said about three breaths and knew he did not have any time to think more. The old man's hair danced wildly in the air and veins popped up on his face. He lifted his right hand and started forming seals before him so quickly that in the blink of an eye, numerous after images flashed before him as if they were connected together.
As the old man made those seals, the veins that had popped up on the his face started twisting and moving, turning into a pattern that looked like the stripes on a tiger's face!
An incredibly powerful presence erupted forth from his body. The power of that presence caused wind to stir and clouds to tumble in the sky above the land of the Shamans and beyond the invisible screen of light casted by the long-haired woman to serve as their cover. The sky became indistinct, and muffled whistles could be heard traveling forth.
It was followed soon after by a bolt of lightning charging forth with a thunderous crackle from that dull and indistinct sky. A large crack formed above, and when it appeared, an indescribable pressure stretched out, descending on them.
Su Ming lifted his head and stared at the crack. A rarely seen look of seriousness appeared on his face. As for the old man, his heart was trembling in fear at the moment. When he saw the crack above him, he gritted his teeth and continued forming seals to cast another Art.
As for the long-haired woman, there was a layer of blood-red light surrounding her, and it shone from within her. It seemed like it had yet to become bright, but it had an incredibly powerful defensive ability. As the person chosen by the sect to cover the sky of Berserkers, her safety was usually the most important thing in a battle of Arts.
Yet at that moment, her face had turned pale. Blood flowed out of the corner of her mouth. Clearly, maintaining the Art to cover the sky of Berserkers was something she could not do for long.
More importantly, there was something off about her expression. She was not looking at the old man, but kept her eyes trained on Su Ming. There was a complicated look in her eyes. Occasionally, she would look as if she was in a daze, as if she was not sure whether revealing his identity had been the right thing to do.
She would never forget. When she was just an Outer Sect disciple of Hidden Dragon Sect, she became part of a team that was given a secret mission due to a selection. There were nearly a hundred girls in that team. At that time, she had been cowardly, and she was only at the sixth level of Qi Condensation. She was also very weak. She did not want to become a Cultivator, and only wanted to go back home and be with her parents.
It was not her wish to be an Outer Sect disciple of Hidden Dragon Sect either. It was simply because she was the only one in the family that had the physique to become a Cultivator. For the sake of her family to continue the line of Cultivators, she had to enter Hidden Dragon Sect.
Once she joined that team, she was sent to a strange place along her other fellow sisters. Only seven from among the one hundred something people remained over there, and the others were all not chosen. She… was one of the seven chosen.
It was also in that strange place that she lived for one hundred eighty years…
The long-haired woman bit down on her lip. With a dazed look in her eyes, she looked at Su Ming blankly, as if she had forgotten about everything.
As the crack appeared in the sky and the terrifying pressure appeared, the old man continued forming those seals with his right hand, then suddenly lifted his hand and pointed at Su Ming.
"Hidden Dragon Third Dao, Crouching Tiger!"
That one finger caused the twisted tiger stripes on his face to float before him in the form of an illusion of a tiger's head. That tiger roared, and as it charged out, its body and limbs appeared to give it complete form, turning it into a semi-transparent tiger. As it charged out, its body lengthened in the face of wind, and its body stretched out to about several hundreds of feet long. It charged towards Su Ming with a roar.
"Hidden Dragon Third Dao, Hidden Dragon!"
Cloud and fog seeped out in a circular area of five thousand lis, as if the area had turned into a sea of clouds. As the sea of clouds tumbled about, a python like body would occasionally show up inside, making it seem as if there was a gigantic python swimming about in the fog.
Almost at the moment the tiger pounced on Su Ming, a gigantic head shot out from the fog of clouds behind him. When that head appeared, a gust of wind filled with a bloody stench swept through the area, and two long whiskers shook in the air. That was not a python, but a ferocious dragon head.
That dragon only revealed its head, and most of its body remained hidden in the clouds. Once it appeared, the dragon roared at Su Ming and charged towards him.
Before him was the semi-transparent tiger, and behind him was the ferocious dragon hidden in the clouds. Su Ming stood in the middle with a strange glint in his eyes. He did not dodge, but turned his body sideways and lifted his left hand to grab the tiger pouncing towards him. Then with two fingers pressed together, he pointed towards the dragon closing in from behind him.
"Complete Manifestations of Crimson Net, Reincarnations of the World!" Su Ming spoke slowly.
The instant he opened his mouth, his voice drowned out the tiger's howl and the dragon's roar. He turned his left hand into a claw and pressed it on the incoming tiger's head. When he did so, a hint of ghastliness appeared on Su Ming's lips. No one knew what sort of method he used, but with one swing of his left arm, a burst of energy was sucked into his body through his left arm from the tiger's body, and that energy was then transferred to his right hand. Immediately, Su Ming's right hand and his entire arm turned into a tiger that was the exact same tiger as the one before him!
From the distance, the tiger before Su Ming had not changed. Once the right hand turned into a tiger, his hand crashed into that dragon, but at that moment, a similar sight appeared. Su Ming left hand, pressed against the tiger's head, twisted and turned into the dragon!
This scene made it seem as if a dragon and a tiger shot out of Su Ming's body. The dragon and tiger fought against each other, and right in midair, the tiger and dragon formed from the old man's divine abilities crashed into each other.
Chapter 397: Heaven's Halbert!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"I remember that there is an ancient Art in Hidden Dragon Sect called Hidden Execution of Justice. Do you know that Art?"
As thunderous rumbles shook the sky and earth, the old man coughed out a mouthful of blood. He staggered a few steps back, and Su Ming's calm voice appeared by his ears.
Right before his eyes where the dragon and tiger fighting against each other. He saw the dragon shattering and the tiger letting out a piercing howl before they disappeared. Su Ming walked out slowly from within.
His expression was as calm as ever. Not a hint of change could be seen on him. He stood there and looked at the old man coldly.
"You still have one chance. As long as you cast that style and let me see Hidden Dragon Sect's ancient Art, I won't kill you."
"Do you really mean it?!"
The old man's face was pale. He could tell that this Destiny knew that he was stalling for time and was completely not bothered by it, and it made him slightly terrified to realize it. The two clashes of divine abilities between them had also made the old man realize in shock that the power of this Destiny surpassed his imagination.
He could not understand how this person could have such power and the crack in the Berserkers' heavens only locked down on him while not causing even a hint of trouble or interference for this person.
He was deeply regretful at the moment. In the face of this Su Ming, who did absolutely nothing to counter his attacks, he felt deep fear. When he heard Su Ming's words, he fell silent for a moment before he gritted his teeth and asked.
Su Ming frowned and answered languidly, "You just need to believe it."
A variety of expressions flitted through the old man's face. He had spread out his divine sense around the area previously and knew that everything around him had been sealed away. The power of that seal alone made it difficult for him to flee. He had no other choice. It did not matter whether what Su Ming said was real, he could only believe that there was that one chance. After a moment, he gritted his teeth.
"With your power, surely you will not degrade yourself to deceive me, senior. Since you want to see it, I will cast that Art, but it is difficult for me to completely cast the Hidden Execution of Justice. I can only cast it somewhat…"
As the old man spoke, he lifted his hands and tapped at his chest a few times in succession. Immediately, a red flush appeared on his face. He made some seals with his right hand and pointed before him.
"Hidden Dragon Sixth Dao, Fire in Sleeves!" The old man swung his arm, and the seals in his right hand changed before he tapped his right eye. Immediately, a yellow light appeared in his right eye. In fact, the moment the fire appeared, some of the fire that appeared on the old man's sleeve was sucked in straight into his right eye.
"Hidden Dragon Third Dao, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon!"
The old man changed the seals on his right hand once again. A large amount of after images formed by hand seals appeared before him. Fog surrounded the area, and a dragon seemed to swim inside. Veins popped up on his face and the tiger's stripes appeared once again. The yellow light in his right eye flashed, and the old man's veins started swimming about on his face as if they were sucked into his right eye.
The moment they disappeared, a large amount of blood capillaries appeared in the old man's right eye. The instant the red in his eyes formed tiger stripes, the fog around them also rushed to him rapidly. Once it was absorbed into his right eye, a roaring and moving dragon appeared in the old man's right pupil!
"Hidden Dragon Ninth Dao, Autumn Harvest Winter Storage!" The old man shuddered, and as he gritted his teeth, blood trickled out of the corners of his mouth. His left hand worked to form the hand seals, and he pointed before him once again.
"Hidden Dragon Eighth Dao, Hidden in Secret!"
"Hidden Dragon Seventh Dao, Covering Tracks in Shadows!"
"Hidden Dragon Second Dao, Concealment... in the Void!" The old man had cast a large variety of divine abilities in one go. Right at the moment these divine abilities appeared, they were immediately absorbed into his right eye.
After casting those six divine abilities, the old man's right eye appeared opaque. However, if anyone took a closer look, they would find that his eye seemed to be split into Yin and Yang, and the picture of the Eight Trigrams appeared vaguely in his eyes.
It was also at that moment that the mighty pressure from the giant crack in the sky became stronger. With a boom, an object slowly descended from within the crack!
It was a bronze-colored halberd! There was an arc at the tip of the halberd, and when it let out a chilling presence, the entire sky darkened as it descended. The clouds disappeared, and cracks indicating that space was shattering appeared, as if the world could not withstand this item descending upon it and was about to crumble.
A powerful divine sense spread from the halberd. In an instant, that divine sense enveloped the entire area. The halberd turned about slowly, as if it was searching for something.
Almost the instant that halberd appeared, all the clouds in the sky of the entire Land of South Morning started tumbling about, no matter where in South Morning they were. A strange howl resounded and echoed through the sky.
That old man in the Great Tribe of Freezing Sky in the land of the Berserkers opened his eyes at that moment. A hint of reticence appeared in his eyes as he stared fixedly at the sky.
There was a handsome middle-aged man within the sixth gate in Freezing Sky Clan's Heaven Gate. He was smiling and talking to the eight disciples of Heaven Gate before him. Occasionally, laughter could be heard ringing in the air. Those disciples would also laugh along with him respectfully. They looked to be in incredible harmony, but suddenly, the instant the strange howl reverberated in the air and the clouds tumbled about in the sky, the middle-aged man's expression changed and his smile disappeared. He lifted his head, and his pupils shrank. He stared at the sky, and there was a hint of anxiety in his pupils.
Within Western Sea Clan was a sea floating in the sky, an illusion formed by the powerful warriors in the clan. There were many islands on the surface of the sea, but that sea was in the sky, looking like a mirage, creating a huge clash to the eyes.
At that moment, there was an old man whose body looked like that of an ape on one of the islands above that sea. He wore a straw hat and had a fish bone sticking out of the corner of his mouth. He held a fishing rod in his hands and leaned against a big rock. He was fishing without a shred of worry at a sea underneath a cliff. Occasionally, he would hum a tune, and he looked incredibly relaxed.
Yet very soon, he swallowed that fish bone and looked towards the sky with one swift movement. A variety of expressions flashed through his face, and after a long while, he stood up as if he was deep in thought. After a moment, he let out a long sigh and shook his head with a wry smile before crouching down once again and resuming his fishing. However, from the complicated look in his eyes, it could be seen that he no longer had any desire to fish.
The three people in the underground palace in Sky Mist City, including Sky Mist's ancestor, looked up at the same time. A cold smirk formed on Sky Mist's ancestor's lips. As for the other two, looks of shock appeared on their faces.
"This is what happens to Immortals who reveal their power. Now, my fellow Daoists, do you understand?" Sky Mist's ancestor asked slowly.
The same sight appeared in several locations in the land of the Shamans when the phenomenon appeared in the sky. The Immortals were not the only ones who sensed this in the Land of South Morning. Some of the powerful warriors in the older generation of the Shamans and Berserkers also noticed this strange change, and all of them harbored different thoughts in their minds…
The long-haired woman's face turned pale underneath the halberd. As she looked at the halberd beyond the barrier, panic appeared in her eyes. Once she saw it form beyond the invisible barrier, she immediately shone with a red light, and that flash of red allowed them to hide themselves away from the halberd's divine sense. The halberd might be turning around and sweeping through the land and sky with its divine sense, but it did not seem to be able to see the Immortals beneath it.
The old man was feeling very nervous. In his fear, he formed those hand seals with his right hand, and once he tapped his right eye, he looked towards Su Ming.
"Senior, I can only fuse in six divine abilities and only cast a shred of Hidden Execution of Justice's power. I won't be able to maintain the Art for a long time either…"
As the old man spoke, he saw Su Ming walking towards him. Conflict appeared in his heart. The moment Su Ming arrived less than five hundred feet away from him, killing intent rose in the old man's heart. He was still used to having control in his heart.
"Hidden Execution of Justice!" With that growl, blood poured out of the old man's lips. Light shone from his right eye and illuminated an area of 100,000 feet. It shone brightly, like a sun, and within the Eight Trigrams in his right pupil, Su Ming's reflection appeared.
Yet the moment the old man let out that low growl, he suddenly let out a shrill cry of pain. Right before his eyes, he saw Su Ming taking a step forward and disappearing, and when he reappeared, he was already beside him.
Without any expression on his face, Su Ming lifted his right hand, and before the old man could dodge him, he seized the old man's right eye, and with one pull, he dragged out that right eye.
There was even some threads of blood and flesh connected to that eyeball. Once Su Ming pulled it out, those blood threads shattered. The old man's cries of pain shot out right after and he quickly retreated.
Su Ming did not bother himself with the retreating old man. Instead, he simply dipped his head down to look at the bloody eyeball in his right hand, and a pleased smile appeared on his lips.
"Not bad. With this inferior Hidden Execution of Justice, my chances of returning to the Realm of the Immortals has increased." Su Ming did not lift his head as he mumbled, he just raised his left hand and tore at the sky.
That casual rip caused the blood-red barrier covering the Berserkers' heavens to shudder and let out banging sounds. At the same time, it started shattering inch by inch, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into an innumerable amount of fragments that disappeared into nothingness. At the instant the barrier disappeared, the divine sense of the halberd in the sky swept towards them abruptly and locked onto the old man.
"You said you wouldn't kill me!"
The old man was already scared out of his wits and was madly suppressing his power, trying to hide his presence as an Immortal. At the same time, he let out a roar and his body turned into a bloody shadow, charging towards the distance at a shocking speed. He was so fast that he seemed to have turned invisible, as if he was piercing through space itself.
The halberd in the sky was completely not bothered by the old man's escape. It slowly turned its body and pointed itself in the direction where the old man left, then with a buzz, the halberd disappeared into the sky.
When it reappeared, it was already in the air ten thousand lis away. It tapped at the area underneath gently, and there was an immediate shrill scream. The old man's body was revealed in the air, and when he coughed out blood, madness appeared in his eyes. He no longer tried dodging, but in a fit of insanity, he chose to self-destruct. He knew that he was going to die, but the grudge he held before his death made him choose to self-destruct without care of the consequences!
With a bang, the old man's body exploded, but the halberd seemed completely not bothered by it. It tapped down once again, and the old man's exploding body was bizarrely frozen in midair. It was as if his time was frozen and he could not continue with his own destruction. Instead, once he was touched by that halberd, his entire body melted and turned into a pool of blood that scattered to the ground...
Chapter 398: Berserker Tribe's Sacred Vessel!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Once the old man died, the bronze-colored halberd slowly turned its body and spread its divine sense swiftly in all directions around it. The light instantly covered Sky Mist City, and to the south, east, west, and north - the four corners of South Morning.
It covered the entire Land of South Morning.
At that moment, almost all the outsiders in the Land of South Morning felt their hearts trembling in fear no matter what level of cultivation they had. Even the old man in the Great Tribe of Freezing Sky felt the same.
There was no point to the Immortals being powerful. At that moment, when the halberd descended, they did not dare reveal even a hint of their presence. All their eyes were filled with terror and anxiety, and that emotion was clear proof of the power of the person who left that halberd behind in the past. It was enough to prove that all outsiders in the land of the Berserkers… were in the end, outsiders!
The halberd in the sky moved forward slowly. Once it spread out its divine sense, a buzzing sound suddenly appeared from its body, and that buzz instantly covered the entire Land of South Morning, reverberating in its sky. That sound… was like a provocation!
It was as if the halberd was provoking all the Immortals hidden in the Land of South Morning to see who would dare to reveal their presence!
"So strong…" There were four old men standing on a plain of grass beyond the Immortals' Mountain of Descending, the mountain which the Shamans could not see with their naked eye and which Su Ming was headed to. The four old men all looked at the sky with terror ridden, pale faces.
Once they had noticed the strange sight in the sky, they immediately moved, but when they walked out of the place, they had no choice but to descend. They did not dare continue fly in the sky.
"This is the Berserker Tribe… the terrifying, mysterious Berserker Tribe!"
"No wonder the Sect Leader yearned for the Berserker Tribe so much and even told us not to reveal our presence as Immortals too much. If we truly have to reveal our presence, we must have Celestial Maidens by our side to cover the Berserkers' heavens…"
"This is the third time I saw it appear. You appeared later, but I saw it twice before. Every single time, it would come due to a fellow Daoist not believing in the mysteries of the place and revealing his power, bringing his own death on his head."
Even Sky Mist's ancestor looked nervous under Sky Mist City. The other two people's faces were drained of blood, and they quickly suppressed all their power and presence. Shock and terror could be seen in their eyes.
"The Berserkers actually have such a powerful item..? That one strike from that weapon is already equivalent to the peak of the Second Step. Even if the Sect Leader or the others come, they will have trouble preventing this weapon from killing them!
"This… This… This Enchanted Vessel completely defies logic!"
"Just what is this place? This is just a vessel, and it already contains such insane power?! The Berserker Tribe is weak and the Shaman Tribe is insignificant, so why does a weak world like this have such a vessel!"
"Could it be that this is the reason why the Sect Leader and the Sect Elders place so much value on the land of the Berserkers? This is simply too terrifying. I just can't imagine the weak Berserker Tribe possessing such an Enchanted Vessel that doesn't even belong to their league! That Enchanted Vessel also clearly has Spiritual Sense. Who… who left it behind? Who… does it belong to?"
"Could it be… the first God of Berserkers?! That person who wrote down a humiliating part of our history, who enslaved us Immortals, who caused the death of a seventh of our people, who made the powerful Immortals prostrate to the Berserker Tribe if they wanted to form their own sects and could only do so if they were given approval..? The first God of Berserkers?!"
"Fellow Daoist Tian Lan, if the Land of South Morning has this thing, then does it mean that there are other Enchanted Vessels like this in the other continents in the land of Berserkers?!"
The people in the underground palace were plunged into shock when that halberd appeared. After a long time, Sky Mist's ancestor spoke in a low voice.
"The other three continents have these so called sacred vessel of the Berserker Tribe lying around as well. However, compared to them, the truly terrifying one is the tribal vessel of the Berserker Tribe in Great Yu Dynasty… The Great Barren Cauldron. If this thing can be considered a tribal vessel, then you can only imagine just how powerful that one is!"
Besides the underground palace in Sky Mist City, all the other Immortals in the land of the Berserkers fell into silence as the halberd continued letting out that provoking buzz. They did not dare let out a shred of their presence as Immortals.
In the face of the Berserker Tribe's sacred vessel that could kill them in one hit, fear would rise in the people's hearts. Such a powerful Enchanted Vessel was rare even among the Immortals, and trying to subdue an Enchanted Vessel like this was so difficult it was practically impossible.
As buzzing sounds reverberated in the sky, all the Immortals in the Land of South Morning fell into dead silence, except… a middle-aged man wearing an Emperor's robe and crown walking in the sky from Sky Mist City.
That person had an expressionless face and there was not a hint of the presence of an Immortal on him. He did not have any intelligence either, only a natural instinct, and because he did not have any intelligence, that was why even if he heard that provocative buzz and felt the pressure in the sky, he was not bothered by it.
Since he only had his natural instincts, that was why even as he moved, his presence as an Immortal was not evident. Besides, there was something on his body that caused the halberd to ignore him once it scanned through him with its divine sense like it did the deceased old man when he was shielded away by that barrier previously.
The halberd floated slowly in the sky for a distance before it stopped letting out that provocative buzz. It returned to the crack in the sky and slowly disappeared inside. Once it did so, that crack recovered and the pressure disappeared. The world returned to normal.
Yet even so, all the Immortals in the Land of South Morning felt their hearts trembling in fear, and most of them will, for a long time into the future, act extremely cautiously.
Su Ming had his head lifted and kept his gaze trained on the halberd right until it disappeared. There was a spark of curiosity in his eyes, before it eventually turned into regret and he sighed.
"It's a pity… that I can't subdue this weapon, or else…" The red-haired Su Ming shook his head and turned his gaze towards the long-haired woman nearby.
Right up till the end, the woman did not reveal too much of her presence as an Immortal. Casting the Art to cover the Berserkers' heavens mostly required the blood in the bottle, which was why even if the halberd appeared and killed the old man, it ignored her.
At that moment, she also looked towards Su Ming. Her petite body shivered in midair, and when Su Ming cast a glance at her, she averted her gaze.
With an aloof look, Su Ming walked towards her. The long-haired woman's face was pale and she took a few steps backwards, but she had already made her decision in her heart. She stopped retreating, lifted her head stubbornly, and looked at Su Ming.
Su Ming walked up to the woman and once he sized her up, he lifted his right index finger and used his fingernail to touch the center of the woman's brows.
After a long while, he lifted his finger.
"I should kill you, but you fit my requirements, so I will spare you." The red-haired Su Ming spoke slowly, and with a swing of his arm, a gust of red wind appeared out of nowhere, lifting up the long-haired woman along with him to charge towards the horizon. In the blink of an eye, they disappeared.
Several hundreds of thousands of lis away from the Mountain of Descending in the land of the Shamans that still could not be seen with the naked eye was an incredibly famous forest. And it was famous due to its beauty.
It was a fiery red forest. The red maple leaves there were special because no matter the season, they would always remain in their fiery red hue. From the distance, when the red leaves in the forest swayed in the wind, they would look like blazing flames.
At that moment, a gust of wind blew through the red leaves in the forest, causing sashaying sounds. The wind brought with it a cool breeze, and there were some leaves that twirled about in the air, dancing with it.
Fallen leaves covered the entire ground. Most of these leaves were red, though some of them had already started showing colors of withering. These leaves covered the entire ground, causing the people to feel as if they were walking in fire when when they stepped on it.
The red-haired Su Ming had brought the long-haired woman here two hours ago. Amidst the wind and the sashaying sounds of the leaves, the leaves around the area were like red fog that swirled in the air, forming a gigantic ball of maple leaves that existed quietly in the center of the forest.
When the sun set in the horizon, the light at dusk caused the fiery red hue in the place to be dyed in gold, giving it a different sort of beauty. At the same time, the ball of maple leaves in the forest slowly dissipated. When it did so and the leaves fell down, Su Ming walked out from within.
His hair seemed to have fused together with the maple leaves in the place. Even if some of them fell on his hair, no one would be able to notice it at first glance, and it was the same for his red robes. He, who walked out of the maple leaves, looked as if he was born in the fire-red forest.
His face was no longer pale and had a hint of red. His lips had already recovered to the normal shade of pink. However, the mark of peach blossoms at the center of his brows had become much more brilliant.
There was a woman sitting cross-legged among the scattered maple leaves behind Su Ming. The woman's long hair spilled on her shoulders. At that moment, she opened her eyes and looked at the leaving man. The complicated look in her eyes became even more prominent. Her robes were fully intact and not a single article was missing, but her face had become much paler.
"I've always been waiting for this day… I wasn't sure of it myself… I just wanted to see this Su Ming… You are him, but just a part of him…
"You aren't awake yet…" she mumbled softly. There was an absent-minded look on her face. In her mind, she seemed to have returned to 180 years ago when she was still a coward and a weak girl from a small family who possessed the physique to become a Cultivator.
Under the guidance of her fellow sect members, she went to that place with over a hundred fellow disciples, and over there, she saw a person...
As that long-haired woman continued letting her mind wander, the red-haired Su Ming had gone further away. Gradually, he walked out of the fire-red forest and moved towards the evening sky. The wind sent him off, and there were a few maple leaves dancing in it… It was a truly… beautiful sight.
It did not matter whether it was Wan Qiu or the long-haired woman, the red-haired Su Ming never truly touched their bodies. The Art of the Dragon Subject, Yin Simurgh only required their aura of Yin.
In fact, even if he had killed a lot of people on the way here, he did not feel that there was anything abnormal about it. However, if the old man in the Great Tribe of Freezing Sky learned about it, he would definitely be able to find a few terrifying clues in his actions. In fact, he would definitely do everything he could without care of the consequences to notify his Master once he discovered this.
Chapter 399: Di Tian!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Di Tian
The red-haired Su Ming walked in midair and looked in the direction where the Immortals' Mountain of Descending was located. He took a deep breath, and his eyes shone with a red glare.
"Di Tian, I'm coming!" He took a step forward, and the instant his foot landed, his body distorted, and in the blink of an eye, that distorted body started gradually disappearing.
Three breaths after Su Ming disappeared, ripples appeared in the air at the spot where he had been previously, and a middle-aged man wearing an Emperor's robe and crown walked out from within those ripples. His face was as expressionless as ever. He cast a glance at the spot where Su Ming had been, then took one step and disappeared once again.
There was a mountain in the land of the Shamans that could not be seen with the naked eye. Even if the person stood before it, they would still be unable to see it. In fact, even if they ran straight into the mountain, not a hint of impact would be felt. Their bodies would pass straight through it as if there was nothing but air in the mountain.
That mountain was where the mysterious God of Shamans Temple was located in the land of the Shamans. It was also the spot where the Immortals on the Shamans' side chose to descend every single time.
When Su Ming walked out of thin air, there was a long and fierce river beneath him. The water was very quick and splashing sounds could be heard coming from it. If anyone looked down from the sky, they would find that the river was not too wide, but if that same person looked from one side of the river on the ground to the other, they would find that the river was severals tens of thousands of feet wide.
The water was not very clear but slightly murky. No one could see how deep it was. If they placed their hands into the river and grabbed some of the water, they would find their hands filled with a lot of black sand.
Su Ming stood with his eyes closed and his divine sense spread around him. He saw a gigantic mountain that reached the clouds right in the middle of the long river. It stood erect in the river, causing the river to seem as if it was cut off, but in truth, the river's waters simply passed through the mountain and continued flowing downstream.
The entire mountain was black and shrouded in fog. There were black halls built in some corners of the mountain, and these halls looked closely packed to each other at first glance. No one knew just how many there were. There were several winding trails built on the mountain, and they were all covered in stone. It was a great contrast to the black hue on the mountain.
The highest number of halls were found near the peak of the mountain, and they surrounded the mountain in a circle. Some of them were even built in the mountain itself, as if someone had simply dug a hole to turn it into a hall.
Su Ming scanned through the mountain with his divine sense and eventually gathered it at the top. There was a tall tower at the summit, and it had eighteen levels. The top was not sharp, but built in an octagonal shape. Those corners were spread out like a person spreading out his fingers, and that person had his hand lifted with his palm turned towards the sky as if he was trying to push against heaven itself.
At the center of the octagonal peak of the tower was an altar like structure. It was flat, and there was a rectangular object placed at the very center of the altar.
That item was built entirely out of black stones and was connected as one with the altar. It looked like a coffin… perhaps more accurately speaking, it was a coffin.
Occasionally, rays of black lightning would spread from the coffin and they would be absorbed by the octagonal peak of the tower. When sizzling sounds started, the bolts of lightning would then shoot out and charge towards the sky, eventually being swallowed by the clouds in the sky.
It could be vaguely seen that the clouds in the sky were very thick and floated heavily up there. However, that was the sight detected by divine sense. If anyone opened their eyes to look, they would find that there were no clouds in the sky, merely stars glowing faintly at dusk.
Su Ming retrieved his divine sense and opened his eyes to take a step forward in the air before him. The instant his foot landed, a layer of ripples suddenly appeared in the air before him. Those ripples fluctuated violently as if they wanted to prevent him from entering, but it only lasted for a moment before Su Ming took a step into those ripples, and his entire being disappeared from above the long river.
Almost the instant Su Ming disappeared, the man wearing the Emperor's robe and crown appeared in the sky. Without even a hint of hesitation, he took a step in the same direction as where Su Ming went.
When Su Ming reappeared, he was still standing in the sky, but there were now clouds swirling about above his head, and the fiercely running river was no longer beneath him. What laid under him now was the mountain that could not be seen with the naked eye.
The instant he appeared, he found the mountain enveloped in a state of silence, but he noticed multiple anxious sounds of breathing existing within the mountain. He did not bother himself with any of these, instead, with one move, he turned into a long arc that charged towards the tall tower at the peak of the mountain. However, right when he flew over, ripples appeared once again behind him, and the man with the Emperor's crown, the man who had been chasing him down all this while, walked out with one step.
Su Ming was still standing in midair at that time, but he came to an abrupt halt and turned his head back swiftly to stare at the man with the Emperor's robe and crown walking out from thin air. His pupils shrank, his red hair danced in the air, and killing intent appeared in his eyes.
"Di Tian!" The red-haired Su Ming's heart thumped against his chest. He had his divine sense spread around him all the way as he traveled here, but he had never noticed anyone following him. When he saw the appearance of his pursuer clearly, his heart lurched within him, and he was instantly filled with monstrous killing intent.
This person was the one he wanted nothing short but to kill - Di Tian!
There was nothing that was more important to the red-haired Su Ming than the person he wanted to kill suddenly appearing before him. Even if this was just Di Tian's projection, if he was to compare finding Di Tian in the Realm of the Immortals within a few days to fighting against his projection right at this moment, without a moment of hesitation, Su Ming would choose the second choice!
Even if his logic would not allow him to make such a decision, all his power erupted forth from his body at that moment, causing booming sounds to reverberate in the world around him as if it could not withstand his power.
At that moment, due to Di Tian's appearance, the red-haired Su Ming did not notice a ray of light flashing through the cracks of the coffin on the altar at the octagonal peak of the tower, located on the tall tower at the peak of the mountain behind him…
Di Tian, who was dressed in the Emperor's robe and the crown, had an aloof expression on his face, as if he was made of ice itself. There was not a shred of emotion in his eyes, and from the moment he appeared, he did not stop for even an instant and simply walked towards the red-haired Su Ming.
A shocking presence spread from his body. He was like a sovereign descending upon the world, and no matter where he was, the place would end up as his territory. There was no one in the world, no power that could make him stop.
If he wanted to kill someone, then with just one command, that person would definitely die!
If he wanted someone to stay, then he would similarly just need one command, and the world would obey him!
As long as he was there, all the living would tremble, no matter whether they were Shaman or Berserker. That domineering presence was one of utmost dominance and majesty.
"When I lift mine hand, I can repair the defects of the sky and earth. What right dost thou have to call mine name? When I swing my arm, I can submerge the sun and moon. What right dost thou have to not kneel before me?!"
Di Tian spoke flatly. His voice was not loud. However, when his words tumbled out of his mouth, they sounded like thunder and spread in all directions, sounding as if the heavens itself was speaking.
Chapter 400: Battle Against Di Tian!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Hearing Di Tian's calmly spoken domineering words was like facing the might of heaven itself. When he spoke, it felt like the heaven itself was interrogating all the living. And Di Tian, especially dressed in that cloak and that unique crown, looked as if he ruled over all realms and was in control of all the lives in the universe.
With that supreme majesty, he looked down on Su Ming. His voice was not loud, but there was a will within them that allowed no dispute, no disobedience. The world had to obey.
It was as if all the living had to tremble once they heard his words and must kneel down to worship. Endless respect and fear must appear in their hearts.
"What a load of bull!" The red-haired Su Ming's answer to Di Tian's domineering words were merely those five words! His hair burned in that fiery shade of red and the crimson light in his eyes was extremely bright when he stared at Di Tian.
He said languidly, "What does it have to do with me whether you can repair the defects of the sky and earth? Repairing things is a task given to laborers, why are you bragging about it?! What does it have to do with me whether you can submerge the sun and moon? Do the sun and moon need to bath? Is that supposed to make you mightier than the others?
"But since you like this sort of status, then I will fulfill your dreams!" The red-haired Su Ming looked at the incoming Di Tian and lifted his right hand swiftly to form a seal before he connected his index finger with his thumb. Once they formed a circle, he seized at the ground through the air.
Following his actions, the earth immediately started trembling violently.
At that moment, Di Tian lifted two fingers of his right hand and pointed casually at Su Ming. The instant he did so, Su Ming's body jolted, as if an invisible force had just crashed into him, pushing him so he instantly tumbled backwards. He was forced back several thousands of feet and cast out of the mountain.
Su Ming's vision blurred. The mountain disappeared, replaced by the flowing river on the ground. Everything returned to the sight he'd seen when he was outside the mountain's barrier.
Su Ming's face darkened. As he fell back, he began forming seals with both hands. He seized at the ground once again through the air and veins popped up all over his face. He let out a low growl.
At the same time, Di Tian took a step forward in Su Ming's direction, walking out of the area of the mountain in the land of the Shamans as well. His expression was as calm as ever, and not a hint of emotion could be seen. He looked at Su Ming and lifted his right hand once again. This time, he did not use just two fingers but sliced down with four.
That one slash caused the sky before Di Tian to suddenly let out cracking sounds. Four gigantic cracks abruptly split the sky. It was dark inside those cracks, and a great chill spread out from within.
When the sky was cut down by Di Tian's four fingers, it was unable to bear it and was ripped apart. Those four cracks were like four twisting black dragons that charged towards Su Ming at incredible speed.
The instant the four cracks arrived less than a hundred feet away from Su Ming, he lifted his head swiftly, and the hands seizing the ground through the air swiped upward along with his head's movements.
"Earth, Rise!"
A strange glow appeared in Su Ming's eyes, and the instant he brought his hands upward, the ground underneath started trembling violently, and cracks swiftly appeared, causing the long river to look as if it was about to crumble. A large amount of water surged into those cracks, but that was nothing compared to the illusions that formed once the ground started trembling.
Once those illusions started overlapping with each other, the earth's soul seemed to have escaped its body and started floating outwards. This sight appeared all over the ground in a circular area of ten thousand lis around them.
It did not matter whether it was the river or the plains, the instant their illusions started overlapping each other and the moment Su Ming lifted his hands, the earth's soul floated up and appeared before him, turning into a gigantic mass of land. That mass of land stood straight, like a gigantic shield blocking the four cracks!
It might have been a simple illusion, but from the distance, that erect mass of land was a shocking sight to behold!
Once the earth lost its soul, the long river dried up and a large amount of cracks formed on the ground. The soil started showing signs of crumbling away, and it seemed as if anyone took even one step there, they would sink into the earth.
The grass on the plains withered away and died, and a dismal atmosphere overtook the land.
Almost the instant the shield, formed by the earth's soul, rose in front of Su Ming, a loud crash rang in the sky. The four cracks rammed into the earth's soul, turning into an endless amount of rumbling that spread in all directions.
The four cracks might have seemed like ordinary cracks, but in truth, the power contained within them was incredibly shocking. Once they crashed into the mass of land formed by the earth's soul, three of them disappeared. The final crack imprinted itself on the earth's soul, causing the illusionary mass of land to be repeatedly forced back as loud rumbling sounds rang in the air, pushing Su Ming's body to also continuously move back as well.
However, the red-haired Su Ming did not show a hint of panic on his face. Instead, with a dark smile, he shouted out two words with a voice akin to thunder.
"Sky, Shatter!"
The moment those words fell out his lips, the illusionary mass of land formed by the earth's soul increased its speed as it moved back, and once it pushed Su Ming several tens of thousands of feet back, a shocking boom reverberated behind him.
The appearance of those rumbling sounds made it seem as if Su Ming had crashed into air itself while being pushed back by the illusionary mass of land. It was as if the air itself was not limitless but contained a barrier, and that crash caused a big hole to appear in the sky!
Right when the hole appeared, the earth's soul let out a whistle and charged into it, tearing at it and destroying it, causing the hole that had appeared in the sky due to the crash to widen swiftly to nearly ten thousand feet in size. From the distance, it seemed as if the sky was leaking and a large amount of freezing air spilled out from within to spread through the land.
An endless amount of suction force came from within the hole, causing a large amount of soil to immediately fly up and be swallowed up. In fact, the mountain in the land of the Shamans that was originally hidden and could not be seen with the naked eye started distorting where it was hidden away. Clearly, it was only barely hanging on under the power of that suction.
'With my current power, I can't cause the sky to shatter, but with the power of the earth, I can use its soul to crash into the sky's spirit, so I'm still able to tear the sky apart somewhat. Since you want to repair the sky, then go on and repair it!
'Since you left your projection in this unknown world, then this place must be incredibly important to you. If that's the case, let's see whether you'll repair it!'
With one move, the red-haired Su Ming appeared in another place. He seized at the ground with both his hands once again, and as the ground rumbled, another illusionary mass of land formed by the earth's soul appeared in midair. As Su Ming moved back, he used its power and rammed it against the air, causing it to let out a ripping sound, and the second gigantic hole of ten thousand feet wide appeared!
An even stronger suction force spread out, and the area hiding the mountain in the land of the Shamans crumbled. The space around it continued distorting, causing the mountain that had remained hidden from the naked eye for numerous years to reveal itself!
That suction force caused the mountain to tremble, as if it was about to be pulled off the ground and sucked into the hole.
Di Tian remained expressionless. As he stood in midair, he lifted his right hand and formed a seal before clenching his fist. The instant he did so, Su Ming's robes immediately started dancing in the air, and his red hair was also swept up by a violent gust of wind.
He immediately noticed that the power of the world from afar started charging towards where they were with a shocking speed. This was not due to the holes in the sky absorbing them but was brought towards them by Di Tian's action of clenching his fist.
The power of the world came towards them from such a wide area that it made Su Ming's pupils shrink.
'It's just a projection, and he already has this amount of power..? Damn it! Just how many years have passed? The Di Tian in my memories is definitely not this strong!
'Just… how many years have passed by..?' A dazed look appeared on the red-haired Su Ming's face, but he instantly snapped out of it and a glint appeared in his eyes.
'Whatever, if I can't even kill his projection, then I can forget about killing his original body!' Su Ming lifted his right hand swiftly and seized at the air. Immediately, a bloody eyeball appeared in his hand.
This was naturally the eye containing the Hidden Execution of Justice, which he had just obtained from the old man from Hidden Dragon Sect!
When Di Tian was about to unfurl his fist and press his palm against the first hole in the sky to make the power of the world to gather together to charge towards it in an attempt to mend it, Su Ming tossed up the eyeball in his hand. He rapidly started forming seals with his hands, continuously creating new seals to fuse with the eyeball. His expression was incredibly grave and the variety of seals was so diverse that it surpassed the amount of seals the old man from Hidden Dragon Sect had been able to form.
The revealed mountain on the ground started trembling even more furiously. A large amount of soil was sucked into the sky, and the base of the mountain had also floated several inches from off the ground as the mountain continued trembling.
At that moment, as Di Tian pressed his palm at the first hole and the power of the world continuously surged in, the first crack in the sky started closing up rapidly, shrinking swiftly. While Su Ming was pushing in that large amount of seals into the eyeball, the first hole disappeared, completely mended. Not a hint of it could be seen; the sky looked completely normal.
Soon after, the expressionless Di Tian used the same method to point at the second hole. As the power of the world surged towards it, Di Tian turned his head around and looked at Su Ming, then lifted his foot to take one step towards him.
He disappeared, and almost the instant it happened, a glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. Without even the slightest hint of hesitation, he immediately moved back with that eyeball. When he had retreated ten thousand feet away, a bang rang at the space he'd stood previously. Numerous cracks formed at that spot, as if an invisible fist had crashed into that space.
Those cracks disappeared soon after they appeared, and Di Tian walked out from within, then he took another step towards Su Ming once again.
However, this time, the instant Di Tian took that one step, Su Ming, who was ten thousand feet away, suddenly lifted his head. Killing intent flashed in his eyes, and he pushed his hands forward, pushing that eyeball towards where Di Tian was.
"Hidden Execution of Justice!"
Chapter 401: Execute Heavenly Punishment!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
When Su Ming spoke, the eyeball grew larger, continuing to move forward, and swiftly became the size of a fist. Red capillaries spread all over its surface, and the Eight Trigrams appeared faintly on it. Due to its unique appearance, the eyeball gave off a strange and savage presence.
The instant Su Ming flung that eyeball forward, a faint glint appeared in Di Tian's eyes, but he did not stop even for a moment. He simply continued with his actions, as if there was no one and no power in the world that could make him stop even for a single moment if he wanted to continue advancing forward.
Even the ancient art of Hidden Dragon Sect could not do so!
Besides, even if the ancient Art had a great reputation for its power, the old man from Hidden Dragon Sect had only been able to cast a shred of that Art. Even if the red-haired Su Ming could push it slightly closer to perfection, it still could not compare to the true form of the ancient Art. Yet even so, since it was an ancient Art, it was of an incredibly high level among all the divine abilities and Arts. The power it contained was enough to destroy the sky and earth.
Once that eyeball swelled up, the Eight Trigrams within flashed, and a dark power shot out from inside. At the same time that power spread out, the originally bright sky suddenly darkened. Mumbling sounds could be heard echoing in the air, causing people to be unable to hear what was being said clearly.
The sounds grew louder and the number of voices increased. Eventually, they reached a volume so shocking it could shake the sky and earth, deafening the ears. It was as if there was an endless amount of invisible people in the area mumbling at the same time. Right then, the Eight Trigrams in the eyeball started turning slowly, increasing in speed, and in the blink of an eye, the eyeball could no longer be seen clearly.
With his ever calm face, Di Tian walked over, as if he was completely unconcerned by the strangeness of the eyeball and the endless mumbling voices around him. He merely formed a seal with his right hand, and as he moved forward, he pointed at that eyeball with it.
"I am the heavens. All manner of living exists beneath the sky. Under my rule, all the living are given different souls. If I am unwilling, I can retrieve those souls… Heavenly Deprivation of Souls."
The moment Di Tian calmly said those words, without a shred of emotion, he pointed at the eyeball in the air with his right index finger.
The instant he did so, the turning of the Eight Trigrams in the eyeball started slowing down, and the mumbling voices around them that had just reached a certain volume instantly showed signs of weakening, becoming much softer.
By the looks of it, it would only take the span of a few breaths before they would completely disappear!
Su Ming's expression immediately darkened. He was once again shocked by Di Tian's power. As his expression changed, he instantly bit his tongue and coughed out a mouthful of blood, then let out a low shout.
"Hidden, Shatter!"
"Execution of Justice, Explode!"
The instant Su Ming's words were spoken, the blood capillaries in the eyeball shone with a red glare and a large amount of light spread through the eyeball. It exploded abruptly, and the swirling Eight Trigrams within broke away. Once they absorbed the force of the eyeball's explosion, the Eight Trigrams continued swirling. They then charged towards Di Tian with a howl.
At the same time, the volume of the mumbling voices around the area increased exponentially. All of them rushed towards Di Tian, causing a large amount of ripples and distortions to appear around him.
Su Ming knew that it was difficult for this Art to have a great effect on Di Tian. However, it should be able to hold him back for several breaths. Su Ming did not bother looking at the outcome of the ancient Art.
He swiftly moved back, and as he did so, he started forming seals with his hands. His red hair shone with an enchanting glow, and the crimson hue in his eyes was even more brilliant. In fact, his entire body, including his skin, was shining with such a bright shade of red that it seemed to illuminate the sky.
That shade of red was like blood, and it was a terrifying sight to behold.
'I don't believe that I can't even kill your projection!' A ferocious expression appeared on Su Ming's face. As he formed seals, he turned around abruptly, transforming into a red whirlwind. Howling sounds reverberated in the air, and a large amount of bloody spots immediately appeared on Su Ming's skin.
Once those blood spots appeared, a large amount of fresh blood seeped out of his skin, and right at the moment that blood appeared, it was immediately sucked into the whirlwind. After several breaths, a layer of blood fog filled the entire area outside the red whirlwind!
It was Su Ming's blood.
"Blood Art!" Su Ming's voice came from within the whirlwind. At that moment, his face was pale. Most of his blood had been forced out of his body to cast the forbidden divine ability that he could only cast when he was at the peak of his condition!
The moment Su Ming spoke up, the whirlwind, inside of which he was in, came to an abrupt halt, and once the whirlwind froze for an instant, the blood fog used the whirlwind's turning force to spread out. It covered the entire sky, dyeing it instantly red. At the same time, Su Ming stomped downwards with his right foot and threw himself higher, disappearing into the blood fog.
"Purge the Heavens!"
When Su Ming disappeared into the sky, it was as if the sky roared. The instant muffled buzzing sounds spread out, the blood fog started multiplying swiftly. It only took an instant for the fog to increase so much that it turned into a wave of blood.
With the sky as the sea, and with crimson as its color, the entire sky turned into an endless sea of blood. That sea roared and raged in the sky, bringing up a large amount of furious waves. From the distance, this scene was like the apocalypse, and if anyone saw it, their hearts would tremble in disbelief.
From the sea of blood that filled the entire sky, a gigantic face protruded. It covered about half of the sea, and that face belonged to Su Ming!
It was as if the sea of blood was his hair and his body had become so big it could not be measured. He stood in the sky like the might of heaven itself and roared at Di Tian, then, bringing the sea of blood with him, he charged.
At that moment, the distortions and ripples caused by the endless mumbling voices from the Hidden Execution of Justice disappeared around Di Tian, revealing his body within. He lifted his right hand, and on his palm were the Eight Trigrams that had charged towards him while spinning.
Holding the Eight Trigrams in his hand, he lifted his head to look at the sky. He curled his right hand into a fist, and the Eight Trigrams immediately crumbled, turning into an endless amount of fragments that fell and scattered away. They turned into glittering sparks of light that shone for a moment before they faded away and disappeared.
"With a swing of mine arm, I can submerge the sun and moon. How dare thou art use tainted blood to stain the sky ere me?"
With a calm expression on his face, Di Tian spoke with a dull tone, and as he did so, he swung his arm towards the sky, right in the face of the rapidly incoming sea of blood and Su Ming's bloody figure within.
That one swing immediately caused his Emperor's robe to shine, before fading off a little. Some wrinkles also appeared on his skin, but it would be difficult to notice unless someone looked closely.
However, clearly, while this swing of the arm intending to submerge the sun and moon might seem easy to do, in truth, to Di Tian, this was not an ordinary swing of his arm.
Golden light erupted forth from his body. Following the movements of his swing, the golden light appeared and spread swiftly in the sky above him, seemingly turning into a gigantic golden sea under that sea of blood. There was a colossal amount of power contained within that gigantic golden sea.
If the sea of blood gave others a feeling that the red-haired Su Ming was an evil incarnate, then compared to the strangeness of the sea of blood, if anyone was watching by the side, they would feel that Di Tian was filled with righteousness and justice!
A large amount of waves churned in that golden sea, and as it continued closing in on that sea of blood, its appearance changed into that of a sleeve. It was a golden sleeve formed by the golden sea. It swung at the incoming sea of blood.
Both crashed into each other in an instant. A shocking boom resounded in the sky and spread through a small part of the land of the Shamans, causing the ground to tremble. As the sound spread, all the powerful warriors in the land of the Shamans noticed it, all the powerful warriors in the land of the Berserkers sensed it, and they were all shaken to the core.
The booming sounds continued to reverberate in the air, and the sea of blood in the sky was destroyed. When that golden sleeve swung at it, it shattered, and once it turned back into the blood fog, it crumbled once again. Eventually, the fragmented blood-fog gathered in midair and turned back into Su Ming.
Blood trickled down the corners of Su Ming's lips. His face was pale, and that fiery red hair of his had also become dull. There were multiple tears on his robes, and once he formed, he was forced back several thousands of feet. He coughed out a huge mouthful of blood, and a crimson glare appeared in his eyes.
'I can't accept this. It's impossible that I can't even fight against a clone of his!'
Su Ming stared at Di Tian, who stood in the distance. The strength of this Di Tian had surpassed what he was in his faded memories. It made him feel bitter, but at the same time, also incredibly disgruntled.
Di Tian's face was still as aloof as ever. He lifted his foot and walked towards Su Ming.
Since the start, he had been like this, taking his time doing everything, like a king walking in his own world. It was as if even if the sky crumbled and the earth shattered, he would not show a hint of emotion. Perhaps there was truly nothing in the world that could affect him in the slightest bit.
"Since thou art unwilling to be sealed, I wilt grant thy wish. I wilt scatter thy soul and separate thy spirit from this body… Thou has't breathed thy last breath far into the past, yet due to mine seal, I allowed thee to escape heaven's punishment. Now, as thou wilt be scattered away, thou must receive heaven's punishment once again.
"I am the heavens, and I shalt bestow unto thee… Heaven's Punishment!"
Di Tian spoke slowly, and as he walked towards Su Ming, he lifted his right hand and swung it at the sky.
"Thou art not a soul of this land. There is no need for the Berserkers' heavens to execute their punishment unto thee. Times hath changed, and the heavens now belong to the Immortals!" With a swing of Di Tian's arm, a strange change appeared in the sky. It suddenly darkened, and this was not due to the sky being covered up. Instead, the sky which could be seen had turned into night, as if the sun and moon had reversed their positions!
Stars shone in the sky, but those stars grew indistinct, and some of them began moving. In the blink of an eye, a shocking sight appeared in the sky. The stars were enough to make any Shaman or Berserker feel that they were unfamiliar with them when they looked up. This… was no longer the sky belonging to the Berserker Tribe!
The sky caused all the Immortals in the Land of South Morning show expressions of fear and confusion, because this sky belonged to the Immortals!
If the real Su Ming was awake at this moment, he would definitely be able to recognize that the sky was almost the exact same as the illusionary starry sky that appeared above Dark Mountain in the past when his elder had used the flag pole and changed the sky!
Chapter 402: Dragon Veins of Earth!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The sight of Di Tian changing the sky with just a swing of his sleeve fell into the red-haired Su Ming's eyes and great bitterness appeared on his face.
'So his power has already reached this level..? This is the power equivalent to that of a Lord of World Plane… But even so, I won't give up, so what if he's a Lord of World Plane?!'
The red-haired Su Ming sucked in a deep breath and forced down the bitterness in his heart. A determined look appeared on his face.
He did not bother himself with Di Tian casting his Art. Instead, he took a step towards the ground and landed on the land several tens of thousands away. The earth was soft, and since it lost some of its soul, Su Ming felt as if he was stepping on mud once he landed, and half of his body sank into the soil.
He chose to sit down cross-legged. Placing his hands on the earth beside him, he closed his eyes, and mumbling sounds started falling off his lips.
At that moment, Di Tian was looking at Su Ming's actions coldly. Once he swung his right arm and changed the sky, he pushed against the sky with all five of his fingers.
"The heaven's punishment is divided in nine levels of Yang and nine levels of Yin. With thy sins, thou shalt bear the punishment of six levels of Yang and seven levels of Yin… Death is assured at the third day of the six upon seven days of punishment. The first day is the punishment of the Dragon of Yin…"
As Di Tian spoke, the Wind of Yin instantly stirred up in the sky of the Immortals. That Wind of Yin had physical form and contained a faint, greenish hue. As it gathered in the sky, the greenish hue reflected the light of the stars, turning into a long dragon, and it immediately started pacing about in the sky while letting out low, ferocious growls.
Once a Dragon of Yin appeared, a large amount of Wind of Yin gathered together, and gradually, more Dragons of Yin appeared in succession, as the greenish hue of the wind reflected the light of the stars. Eventually, there were nine Dragons of Yin and they started roaring at the ground from the sky. Their voices boomed, and a destructive presence spread out from their bodies to travel in all directions.
If anyone took a closer look, they would be able tell that the Wind of Yin that formed the bodies of these nine Dragons of Yin were made of numerous faces. These faces looked as if they were imprinted onto the bodies of the Dragons of Yin. The protruding parts of their bodies were made of struggling hands and feet. Pain could be seen on the faces, and those wailing voices grouped together to form the Dragons' of Yin roars.
Su Ming sat on the ground with a pale face. There were still specks of blood left at the corners of his mouth. As he continued mumbling, gradually, the ground lost its soft texture. An indistinct presence started seeping out of it.
"Earth of this world, I can feel your damage and your grudge. I can feel the ties between you disappearing and fading away once your body was severed… I need to borrow your power… Please, lend to me the power of the dragon veins belonging to you…"
Su Ming's voice reverberated in the air. The presence around him from the ground increased. If anyone looked from the sky, they would find that the ground where Su Ming was had turned into a foggy swamp.
However, compared to the entire Land of South Morning, the earthen aura contained within the small swamp of fog was simply insignificant.
Di Tian started forming seals with his right hand and pointed towards the sky once again.
"The second punishment out of the six upon seven days of punishment is the Illusionary Pus."
Di Tian's voice was calm. When his words traveled out, rumbling sounds immediately rang out in the sky of the Immortals, and gigantic bumps slowly formed in the sky in a descending manner. The insides of each and every one of the boils was murky, and a foul stench spread out, as if these bumps were filled with the most unclean things contained in the world.
This scene would make a person's skin crawl. The entire sky seemed to have turned into a toad's skin. At the same time this happened, a dark light began shining from within. If anyone took a closer look, they would find that these bumps numbered to sixty-seven!
Su Ming's face grew increasingly paler. He opened his eyes, and while the earthen aura he borrowed from around him seemed like quite a lot, in truth, it was not enough. Bitterness appeared on his face.
"Earth of this world, with my name, I call upon you. Earthen aura, turn into a dragon! You have turned into a vein of the earth through ages of nurturing. I need your help. Awaken, dragon veins of the earth! Awaken, power of the earth!
"Upon my name, wake up!"
Veins popped up on Su Ming's hands, which were pressed against the earth. They held onto the ground with a death grip, and instantly, layers upon layers of fog seeped out from around him. As it spread, it came from the earth of a circular area of ten lis, one hundred, one thousand, then ten thousand. Once it began, it turned into a sea of fog that covered ten thousand lis, and that area was still spreading outwards.
However, Su Ming still looked bitter. The earthen aura he borrowed might be plentiful and the area was still spreading outwards, but both were all in fragments. Even if that earthen aura could gain the form of a dragon under his divine ability, it would just be an illusion, just like the earthen aura he summoned a few days prior. It was enough for him to deal with normal people, but using it to attack Di Tian was like striking a stone with an egg.
He would only have a chance of fighting against Di Tian if he awakened all the dragon veins in the Land of South Morning, or else, all those thoughts of defeating Di Tian would remain a dream.
"The third punishment out of the six upon seven days of punishment is the Birth of Spirits!" Di Tian's voice echoed in the sky, and his words were filled with might, along with calmness. It was as if he was not bothered that the red-haired Su Ming might try to escape. Perhaps more accurately speaking, he believed he could control everything in the world where he was at the moment.
When he spoke, the murky insides of the sixty-seven protruding boils suddenly shone with a brilliant dark light, and cicada like creatures appeared inside. These creatures may look like cicadas, but they were entirely black. Their appearances were savage, and once they appeared, they started knocking against the bumps from within. Screeches could also be heard from inside.
There was only one of these creatures in each of the boils, and there were sixty-seven of them!
At that moment, Su Ming was staring at the strange sight in the sky from his seated position. The fog around the circular area of one hundred thousand lis may already be so thick that it looked like a sea and was giving off a shocking presence, but Su Ming knew that this was absolutely not enough.
"Upon my name, Su Ming, awaken, dragon veins of earth!" With his hands holding onto the ground in a death grip, the red-haired Su Ming let out a low growl.
The instant he growled, the dragon veins of earth that he could not awaken even after so long started responding to him!
The earth of the entire Land of South Morning started trembling lightly at that instant. Those tremors affected the entire area of the continent, and there were four spots that shook especially violently.
South Morning contained four and a half dragon veins. Besides that incomplete dragon vein located to the edge of the land to the east, two of the four dragon veins were in the land of the Shamans, while the remaining two were in the land of the Berserkers.
At that moment, the dragon vein that was responding to Su Ming was one located in an area about several tens of thousands of lis away from where he was. It was a dragon vein located in the land of the Shamans. It was not a mountain range… but a long river!
That long river was the now dried up, located not too far away from Su Ming. That part of the river was just a section of its enormous body. In truth, it was heinously difficult for the river to completely dry up. Before long, it would automatically recover.
It was so long that it practically cut through the entire land of the Shamans. As Su Ming spoke, the dragon vein that was the long river responded to him, and at the same time, a large amount of earthen aura instantly shot out from within it, charging towards where Su Ming was.
If anyone looked from the sky, they would find that the earthen aura around Su Ming had become much thicker, especially after the earthen aura from the dragon vein that was the river fused with the rest. It made the area around Su Ming seem as if an azure dragon made of earthen aura had established itself there!
"Thou shalt now receive the six upon seven days of punishment!" Di Tian stared at Su Ming coldly from the sky and lifted his right hand to point at him sitting on the ground.
The nine Dragons of Yin immediately started roaring in the sky and charged towards downwards. The nine Dragons of Yin roared ferociously and the endless faces on their bodies continued wailing, causing the sky to filled with a ghastly air. Even the stars became indistinct.
As they closed in, Su Ming lifted his head and raised his hands from the ground to form seals. He placed his left hand on his right hand, then pointed at the incoming nine Dragons of Yin with one finger.
"Dragon Veins of Earth, Dragon of Earthen Aura, destroy the skies with earth!"
A large amount of blood flowed out from Su Ming's mouth. At the same time, the azure dragon made of earthen aura lying around him lifted its head and let out a howl towards the sky. It did not move its entire body, only lifted its head to charge towards the nine Dragons of Yin.
Compared to the azure dragon, the nine Dragons of Yin could not even be called dragons. They could only be considered as snakes. Both sides collided with each other in midair within an instant. Rumbling sounds exploded from the spot, and they started rapidly spreading outwards, stirring up a large amount of ripples and force, causing cracks that looked like fish scales to appear in the sky, and those cracks continued spreading.
Once the nine Dragons of Yin crashed into the Dragon of Earthen Aura, they started disappearing, turning into nine green threads that charged into the body of the Dragon of Earthen Aura. As they swam in its body, it caused the Dragon of Earthen Aura to let out a pained howl.
A large amount of earthen aura from several hundreds of thousands of lis around Su Ming surged towards him, and eventually, it forced the nine threads to disappear into his body.
Yet at that moment, Su Ming's entire body shuddered violently and he coughed out a huge mouthful of blood. Nine threads appeared on his body, and those nine threads swam under his skin, plunging him into an indescribable pain. Cold sweat broke out on his entire body. That sort of pain that drilled itself into the heart was one that could make the minds of powerful warriors crumble. However, Su Ming only laughed in the face of that pain.
It was not a chuckle. He threw his head up and laughed.
"This pain is nothing! Di Tian, what else can you do? Just bring it all out!"
Su Ming's face was stark white. As he laughed, the pain in his body became even more violent. The nine threads had already disappeared from his skin and had crawled into his body.
Su Ming decided at that point that he would not endure that pain and simply let it spread through his entire body. He struggled to lift both his hands up and pointed at Di Tian. Immediately, the Dragon of Earthen Aura around him let out a roar and charged upwards.
Di Tian's expression remained as aloof as ever. He stood there and did not move even the slightest bit to dodge the dragon. However, before the Dragon of Earthen Aura managed to close in on him, the sixty-seven protruding bumps in the sky burst open simultaneously, and when they did so, a large amount of liquid fell like rain from the sky.
A foul stench filled the entire world, and as the tainted rainwater fell down, the Dragon of Earthen Aura was drenched. It shuddered and let out a shrill scream of pain. Its body shrank continuously, and the earthen aura around Su Ming also started rapidly shrinking.
Translator's Notes:
Nine levels of Yang and nine levels of Yin.
The original RAW version for this, translated word by word and literally, mean Heaven Punishment Nine Nine (天罚九九). Heaven punishment is easy, but the problem comes with nine nine, which has a lot of meanings.
It can mean 9 x 9 = 81.
It can also mean the 81st day of the winter solstice.
It can also mean absolute, since 9 is the peak of a singular number.
It can also mean the Double Ninth Festival.
It can also mean 阳九 and 阴九之灾, which is literally Yang Nine and Nine Yin disasters. So when put together with the context of this novel and how it was used, I thought that this was the closest possible answer. Hence, Nine levels of Yang and nine levels of Yin. It is written as "闵九九,伤牛山,宿心载违徒昔言" which is "The nine upon nine disasters of sorrows harm the mountains, and it will cause us to go against our own words." in 顺东西门行 (Shun Dong's journey to the west, not official translation of the book, mind you. Couldn't find it.) among one of the three books this thing is written in.
Now look at the first phrase "The nine upon nine disasters of sorrows", this one comes with a footnote, which is "闵九九谓闵阳九阴九之灾也", and it is "The nine upon nine sorrows means the nine sorrowful disasters of Yang and the nine sorrowful disasters of Yin." From what I can understand, it means that when the world is about to end, there will be nine disasters coming from both sides of Yin and Yang, most likely because balance is lost, and positive and negative energy is going haywire, and then when all these disasters are over, the world ends.