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Chapter 522: Fang Cang Lan!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The instant the woman heard that voice, she shuddered. She swiftly turned around and saw another person standing at the spot where the boy had previously been behind her.

That person was dressed in white and looked around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years of age. He looked incredibly handsome, but the scar under his eye added a slight devilish air to his face. The ancient look in his eyes also made him look as if he was submerged in the passage of time.

He stood there and looked at her silently.

His appearance was about a sixth similar to the boy's who had left just now, causing the woman to be caught in a daze for an instant.

The two of them looked each other in the eyes. Time trickled by. The room was quiet. After a long while, the dazed expression on the woman's face disappeared, and a smile appeared on her lips as her eyes twinkled.

"I know that it's not real," she said gently. She lifted her pearly white hand and tugged a lock of her hair. Then, she abruptly lifted her right hand, and immediately, several rays of dark light shot straight towards Su Ming like lightning.

The rays of dark light shone with a chilling presence and closed in on Su Ming in an instant. The woman's attack had caused Su Ming to be momentarily stunned, but an Art of this level was simply nothing to him.

He did not dodge. A faint golden light simply flashed briefly on his person, and banging sounds immediately reverberated in the air. Right before him, three strands of hair gathered together in midair before shattering to pieces.

The woman had stood up at that point and now took a few steps backwards. Her eyes were filled with murderous aura and anger as she glared at him.

"Just who are you?!"

"I am Su Ming." Su Ming cast a glance at the woman, then suddenly started smiling.

"There's no way Su Ming would have your level of cultivation." The woman frowned and took a couple more steps back.

"This is Southern Swamp Island. There are plenty of powerful warriors standing guard in this place. Even if you're good with illusions and I have no idea how you came to know how Su Ming looks like, but this sort of trick is simply despicable!" the woman bit out with a chilling voice.

Su Ming looked at the woman before him and smiled even wider. They had not seen each other for twenty years, and she had changed quite a lot. She might seem as if she was a calm person, but in truth, all those who managed to survive through the calamity would be incredibly alert. They would not believe in others so easily. After all, the things a person heard and the things a person saw might contain some degree of falsehood at times.

Clearly, this awareness existed in the woman's mind.

"Then why do you think I would need to transform into another person to appear before you?" Su Ming smiled and took a step forward.

When he did so, the woman immediately moved back, looking as if she was about to cross over to the exit, but she did not leave. Instead, she glared at Su Ming, and the anger in her eyes burned even stronger.

"If you can transform into him, then you must know him well. Either you met me early on in my life, or this is connected to senior sister Zi Yan." As the woman spoke, she took another step backwards. However, right when she took that one step, Rune light immediately appeared on the ground around Su Ming.

That Rune was filled with a fierce air that instantly turned into nine ice blades which appeared out of nowhere, as the Rune started rotating rapidly. Those ice blades charged towards Su Ming as they spun.

He took a step forward and simply allowed those ice blades to close in on him. Once they exploded with huge banging sounds around him, the inside of the tower was immediately filled with a freezing air.

Yet the instant Su Ming took that step forward, Runes appeared on the ground under his feet once more. And this time it was not one single Rune, but nine Runes that had him completely surrounded!

As their light flashed, the freezing air around the area suddenly tumbled backwards. Once it was swiftly absorbed by the Runes, it abruptly shot out, and the denseness of the freezing air actually managed to make Su Ming feel as if his flesh and blood were turning cold, like he was about to be instantly frozen. That was the power of that freezing air!

Su Ming let out a faint gasp of surprise, then golden light shone from his whole body. He took a step and walked straight out of the freezing air, but right at the moment he walked out, cracking sounds echoed behind him, and a gigantic ice block gathered where he'd been.

The woman's face was incredibly grave, but her heart was filled with shock. She had prepared the Runes in this tower for Yun Lai, and she had been preparing them for years, all for the sake of killing him at the final moment!

In everyone's eyes, killing a powerful Berserker in the middle stage of the Berserker Soul Realm was impossible for a weak woman like her. However, she believed that it was not impossible!

Yet when she saw the person who had turned into Su Ming dodging the first two of her killing Runes without even having a single strand of his hair harmed, her confidence was shaken. By her calculations, while the first two Runes would not be able to kill Yun Lai, they could still cause him to freeze for a moment, and she would have time to execute her next moves.

But the things that happened now filled her heart with shock. Still, she lifted her right hand without any hesitation and pointed forward. Immediately, Runes appeared once again around Su Ming, and this time, there were thirty-six of them, and they practically covered the entire floor in the tower. Freezing air abruptly exploded, and the woman used that momentum as it swept her away to swiftly back away until she left the tower. She seemed to have made precise calculations in her retreat, exactly thirteen steps had been taken.

The instant she took her thirteenth step, she felt a bump under her foot. Once she stepped on it, light circled around the tower's courtyard, causing the entire area outside the tower to become a gigantic Rune!

It started rotating with loud rumbling sounds and turned into numerous black flames. They surrounded the tower and gathered together to turn into a black fire dragon that charged straight inside.

The moment the freezing air in the tower erupted, it turned into a humongous ice block. When it touched the fire dragon, cold and heat crashed into each other, and an astonishing power was born. A loud bang shot into the air. It should have echoed in all directions, but was strangely contained within the mountain and did not spread out.

The tower crumbled and the ice block exploded. The black flames had devoured everything, but the woman had still yet to let down her guard. As the ice tower exploded, she retreated once again until she was a hundred something feet away, as if she was swept away by the impact. She lifted her hand, and a jade skull appeared in her hand. She sat down cross-legged, pressed her palms on the skull, and a dark light appeared in her eyes.

The instant it started shining, the color of the jade skull she had her hands on instantly changed from white to black. At the same time, the entire mountain shuddered with a boom.

From ninety-nine spots in the mountain, ninety-nine rays of black light shot up. Bringing with them a powerful presence, they charged towards where the tower had been. Each of those ninety-nine rays of black light contained power equivalent to a Berserker in the initial stage of the Bone Sacrifice Realm. When they got closer, the dark light on the skull in the woman's hands shone once again, and immediately, the imposing presence of the rays of black light instantly increased exponentially, becoming equivalent to the power of a Berserker in the middle stage of the Bone Sacrifice Realm. They then instantly charged to the spot to the center of the previous explosion.

Su Ming had just walked out of the ice as it collapsed around him with a resigned expression on his face, when a serious look appeared on his face. The ninety-nine rays of black light were not strong in his eyes, but their speed and the spot where they were charging towards had sealed off all the possible spots where he could dodge.

However, that was not what made Su Ming serious. The reason behind that expression was because he had sensed a threat… from the sky!

Almost the instant Su Ming discovered that threat, killing intent shone in the woman's eyes, and she softly said a word.

"Su!"

The instant that word tumbled out of her lips, the setting sun in the sky that she had been watching serenely just moments ago and the one she had been looking at for most of her time every single day, gazing at it as if she could never get enough of it, suddenly grew much brighter!

The hundreds of spirit stones in the setting sun instantly shattered, and a powerful blast of light abruptly shot out right after the sun darkened. It shook the world, causing all the Southern Swamp Islanders go slack-jawed in shock!

That strong light seemed to have absorbed all the rays of the sun. It charged down swiftly, and with an incredibly fast speed, it rushed towards the mountain where the woman was, straight towards… Su Ming, who was in the Rune and among the ninety-nine black rays of light!

An intense bang caused the entire mountain to tremble. Thick fog surrounded where the tower had previously been, and people could only see a big sunken hole there. Everything else was unclear.

This was Han Cang Zi's true killing move. Everything beforehand was simply for the use of confusing her enemy, even the ninety-nine black rays of light had been used to achieve the same effect!

Perhaps this strong ray of light could still not kill a Berserker in the middle stage of the Berserker Soul Realm, but the woman still had other tricks up her sleeve. At that moment, she formed a seal with both her hands, and just as she was about to bite the tip of her tongue, suddenly, the jade skull under her right hand started shining with a dark light. Her body disappeared instantly and she appeared a hundred something feet away from where she had been previously. Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but she appeared right where Su Ming had previously traversed.

Su Ming took a step forward, right to where she had moved. There was a wry smile on his lips, but his gaze as he looked at the woman was filled with praise.

He did not expect that the meek woman from the past could lay out such a shocking murder plan while being only in the initial stage of the Bone Sacrifice Realm. If a Berserker in the initial stage of the Berserker Soul Realm stepped in here, then the slightest mistake could cause them to be grievously injured. Even a Berserker in the middle stage of the Berserker Soul Realm would find some trouble with this.

Every single one of her moves were calculated precisely and were all connected to each other. Su Ming could even imagine that if this woman continued executing her moves, then perhaps the entire Southern Swamp Island would be used as part of her plan, and an unimaginable change might happen to the island.

When he saw the woman standing a hundred something feet away and looking as if she was about to continue, Su Ming took a step forward, thinking of closing in on her, but right at the instant he was about to move, that woman gave up on casting her Art and instead brought out a black knife, placing it directly against her neck.

"Take one more step and I will kill myself! There's venom on this knife!" Han Cang Zi glared at Su Ming coldly as she declared coolly.

"Your level of cultivation has exceeded my expectations. I can't kill you, but since you turned into him, then you must be thinking of capturing me alive. If I died, then you will gain nothing!"

"I'm really Su Ming…"

Su Ming laughed wryly, but before he could finish speaking, the knife in Han Cang Zi's hands fell to the ground where she sat on the ground. Tears spilled from her eyes and she looked at Su Ming, stupefied. The aloofness in her eyes turned to gentleness.

"Su Ming… it's really you…" Su Ming saw pictures flashing in her pupils, and those pictures contained all of Su Ming's memories from the past twenty years!

This was Han Cang Zi's unique Art. As long as someone had touched an item or walked past a place before, she could use these to see everything in the person's past.

"Of course it's me. We haven't seen each other for twenty years, and you seriously left a deep impression on me this time. Are you really not scared that you'll die of poison?" Su Ming laughed wryly.

"If you aren't Su Ming, then I'd rather die. If you are Su Ming, you will naturally not let me die." Fang Cang Lan winked at him and smiled happily as she spoke.

Translator's Thoughts

Mogumoguchan Mogumoguchan

Preview to next chapter: She Said She Doesn't Want To

Su Ming and Fang Cang Lan have a bittersweet talk.

Yun Lai comes.

Badass moment for Fang Cang Lan.

Chapter 523: She Said She Doesn't Want To

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

As the sky darkened and the sun lost its rays, even the blue sky turned dark. Only starlight flickered in the sky, causing the land to also fuse into the obscure darkness.

This change along with the powerful ripples spreading out from Fang Cang Lan's mountain was like a bright flame burning in the darkness. All the people in Southern Swamp Island could feel it clearly.

The tower was no longer around at the top of the mountain, having turned into rubble. There was a deep pit on the ground. In fact, there were also faint and indistinct waves of freezing air around the area that were spreading in all directions.

Fang Cang Lan was sitting cross-legged on the ground and looking at Su Ming with a delighted smile on her face.

Su Ming took a few steps forward and sat down before her. His gaze fell on the woman's face. He had a vague feeling that he had returned to the past, it was just that the darkness around them caused his memories to also be faded and unclear.

"It's been a while." After a long time, Su Ming spoke softly.

"It hasn't been that long." Fang Cang Lan smiled softly and twirled a lock of hair. She put away the jade skull in her hand.

Su Ming looked at Fang Cang Lan. As he looked at the joy in her eyes and the face that existed in his memories, he suddenly did not know what he wanted to say. In this darkness, on this Southern Swamp Island that existed in the depths of the sea, the things that had happened in the past appeared before his eyes.

Time trickled by, and a long time seemed to have passed by. The smile on Fang Cang Lan's face gradually disappeared and turned into serenity. She sighed in her heart and gradually lowered her head. Just like Su Ming, she stayed silent.

"How is Han Mountain City?" Su Ming asked softly.

Fang Cang Lan closed her eyes and mumbled, "It's no longer there."

"Your tribe…"

"Has dispersed." Fang Cang Lan opened her eyes and looked at Su Ming, at the face she had never been able to forget for the past twenty years. This amount of time might not be long, but it was not short either. Besides, far too many things had happened during these twenty years.

The two of them fell silent once more in the darkness, as if they had nothing to say to each other.

After some time, Su Ming broke the silence. "Zi Yan told me the things the two of you went through during the past few years…"

Fang Cang Lan bit her bottom lip and whispered softly, "Senior sister Zi Yan has given up a lot for me, but I can't repay her."

"That's why you set up the murder plan just now to kill this person called Yun Lai?" Su Ming looked at the seemingly meek and gentle woman before him. She was just as he had seen her in the past. There was a tough attitude hidden under that meek demeanor of hers.

"It's a pity it's all wasted. I can't use it anymore." Fang Cang Lan lowered her head and looked at her hand. She suddenly lifted her head, and her glittering eyes fell on Su Ming's face.

"If I didn't have the divine ability that allows me to see other people's pasts and I didn't know the things that had happened to you over the past twenty years, would we have more to say to each other?"

Su Ming opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end chose to remain silent. This woman before him had loved him in the past, and she still loved him now, but he did not know how to respond to her. In fact, his impression of her in his heart was frozen as well, to that image of the past.

"We got to know each other when we were in Han Mountain City.

"We went to Freezing Sky Clan together.

"The seed of love Si Ma Xin planted in me was destroyed all those years ago thanks to you. You… don't owe me anything," Fang Cang Lan said softly. Her gentle voice echoed in the air around them, and it gave off the same feeling as the woman herself—they were both meek and delicate.

"We're friends." When Su Ming heard Fang Cang Lan's words, he spoke softly.

"Friends…? We're friends," Fang Cang Lan mumbled, and a smile appeared on her face once again, but that smile was a whole lot different compared to the smile she had showed him when she recognized him just then.

That smile was not one of joy but held a hint of anguish.

"I already know why you came here…

"Either you will take me away, or… don't bother about me." Fang Cang Lan closed her eyes again.

Su Ming fell silent.

"Since you won't take me away, then why did you come here? Isn't it better to just let me immerse myself in the world of my memories? Su Ming… go!" Fang Cang Lan still had her eyes closed, but there was a firm edge to her soft voice.

"I can't take you away from this place, but I can kill the person who is forcing you against your will." Su Ming looked at Fang Cang Lan and spoke with a low voice.

"I don't need it. Why would I be unwilling? If you're not taking me away, then I'll need to choose how I will survive." Fang Cang Lan's face was calm and her words were still as gentle as ever, but within that gentleness was grief. Su Ming could sense it.

He remained silent for a moment, then cast a complicated glance at Fang Cang Lan and stood up silently, walking away into the distance.

He could not accept Fang Cang Lan. It was not that this woman was not good enough. The problem lay with Su Ming himself. He did not want to have too many concerns tying him down. Love was something he had buried in Dark Mountain all those years ago. The women's words and actions during treasure gambling event in the World of Nine Yin had also let him see through even more things in the world.

"I'm really envious of Bai Su… I want to know, Su Ming, during all these years, which woman was the hardest for you to erase from your heart?" Fang Cang Lan's soft and gentle voice traveled from behind Su Ming.

His footstep halted for a moment, and the faces he had seen appeared in his eyes. There were some which were clear and some faint, but eventually, all of them faded away, none remained… If he had to say that there was one, then perhaps the girl called Bai Ling who had made his heart flutter when he was still a boy was the one who was still difficult for him to forget even to this date.

But that was already in the past.

"You are a heartless man… Su Ming…" Fang Cang Lan seemed to have already guessed what was in Su Ming's mind, and she spoke softly behind him.

'Perhaps,' Su Ming answered quietly in his heart. Besides Bai Ling, there were two other women who had left the deepest impression in his heart. One of them was Bai Su, and the other Tian Lan Meng.

However, Bai Su had not taken the path of return Su Ming had provided for her. While Tian Lan Meng's avoidance of his gaze and her subsequent silence in the World of Nine Yin had also caused that deep impression to gradually turn back to something normal.

When Su Ming left and Fang Cang Lan was the only one on the mountain, she quietly opened her eyes while sitting there. Tears fell down her face, causing the world in her sight to turn blurry.

"I can see other people's past, but not my own future…"

She whispered softly, and in her anguish, more tears fell from her eyes. When the person who she had always found hard to forget even during these twenty years appeared before her once again, their end was the same as before. Nothing much had changed.

'Perhaps forgetting is the best choice.' Fang Cang Lan lowered her head, but at the instant she dipped her head down, another person appeared on the mountain some distance away from her.

It was a man in a large robe. He was bald and his eyes shone with a dark light. He was filled with a devilish air, and he seemed to have fused together with the mountain under his feet.

He stared at Fang Cang Lan and the wreckage around her coldly before walking towards her.

His body was like an illusion. When he walked closer, the air around him started distorting, and it continued twisting until the man was a hundred feet away from Fang Cang Lan.

"This was prepared for me, right?" The man was naturally the person Zi Yan had spoken of, Yun Lai. Once he swept his gaze through the area, he cast a glance at the spot where the sun should have been, and his pupils shrank.

Fang Cang Lan lifted her head and looked at Yun Lai with a detached expression. She did not speak.

"The tower here before and the waves of ripples from the Runes within it should have been able to make me freeze for a moment when I was caught in them," Yun Lai stated calmly, and his gaze landed at the pit.

"After I walked out of the tower, I would step into another Rune. This Rune could freeze me, and even with my level of cultivation, I would be sealed for a moment." A hint of admiration appeared on Yun Lai's face, and he took another few steps closer.

"And then would come the ninety-nine sword aura from the mountain. Once it covered the entire area, it would make me be unable to find your true killing move falling from the sky." Yun Lai stood thirty feet away from Fang Cang Lan, and his gaze landed on her body.

"You must have other methods that you would continue executing until you killed me, too. Not bad! Not bad indeed! As expected of the woman I fancy. You have a calculative heart and a forbearing soul. But that b*tch Zi Yan should be involved in this as well, no?" Yun Lai suddenly laughed.

"I don't understand. Where does your hate towards me come from? If it wasn't for me, you would have met a miserable fate, and that b*tch Zi Yan would have been the same as well. If it wasn't for me, you would have become a ghost by now.

"The both of you just needed to pay a price for this. You'll simply become my concubine, that's all. This is a trade, why would you hate it? The strong prey on the weak, this is the law set by heaven itself. If you want to survive, if you want to obtain the protection from those who are powerful, then how could you not give up something in return?

"And I have been different to you compared to all the other women. If you are unwilling, I won't force you. Several years have passed since then, have I ever forced you into anything?" Yun Lai shook his head and asked slowly.

"Why are you asking when you already know the answer? The thing that you value in me is my skills and my divine abilities. I have also seen your memories, all those involved when you seemingly ran into me and my senior sister by pure coincidence.

"I've already helped you many times in the past. I won't even mention your ulterior motives and your schemes, but the times I've helped you are already enough for me to have repaid for your protection," Fang Cang Lan retorted calmly.

"It's not enough. I can't bear killing you like this. But I've changed my mind about that b*tch Zi Yan, I will take her back… As for you, I can forgive you, but you have no choice. You must come and become my concubine!" A glint appeared in Yun Lai's eyes. He took one step forward again, and there was now less than twenty feet between them.

"He has already left, you don't need to waste your time testing and explaining yourself." A hint of derision appeared in Fang Cang Lan's eyes.

"Also, the word 'must' does not exist in my dictionary. If I, Fang Cang Lan, am unwilling to do something, then I would rather die. And. I. Do. Not. Want. To. Be. Your. Concubine!"

Yun Lai narrowed his eyes and let out a cold harrumph. He lifted his foot and took another step forward, thinking of closing in on Fang Cang Lan.

But right at the instant he lifted his foot, suddenly, an incredibly aloof voice so cold that it felt like biting, freezing wind sweeping past his skin came from behind him.

"She said she doesn't want to, didn't you hear her?"

The instant that voice spoke up, Yun Lai turned around swiftly, and the first thing he saw was a person who had appeared behind him at some unknown point of time. He was dressed in long robes with a head full of black hair. He had a handsome face, but his expression was as cold as winter.

Yun Lai narrowed his eyes and circulated his power as a middle stage Berserker in the Berserker Soul Realm through his entire body, causing the air around him to start distorting so violently that it seemed like it was about to be to ripped apart. He stood there and stared at Su Ming, then suddenly smiled.

"It's rare to find a fellow powerful Berserker. If you like this woman, then I'm afraid I have been rude towards her."

Chapter 524: Unreasonable

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

As Yun Lai smiled, he even moved back a little and left the spot where Fang Cang Lan was to avoid any misunderstandings. In truth, he had already made preparations before he came to this place.

After all, he had already sensed the presence that swept through the entire Southern Swamp Island before seeing the change in the mountain where Fang Cang Lan was. Once he made the connections, he could guess what had happened pretty easily.

When he saw the layouts of the Runes and felt the remaining ripples in the air once he came over, he became wary of the mysterious person who had suddenly come to Southern Swamp Island.

Yun Lai had always been a cautious man and would not attack easily, especially in the face of an enemy he could not see through. Su Ming, who was standing before his eyes right then, was one such person.

Even if he thought that Fang Cang Lan was very important, the woman was too fierce and her divine abilities were strange. She might not have a high level of cultivation, but it was still enough to make it difficult for Yun Lai to make her submit to him. That was why he had chosen to be kind to her to win her heart. However, compared to offending the person before him, his cautious nature had made him choose to put this on hold.

In his mind, he had already humbled himself despite his level of cultivation, then this person should not choose to stir conflict with him. Then Yun Lai would have enough time to understand him. He had plenty of time in his hands for that.

This decisive surrender was why he could become the chief of an area before and after the calamity, and also the main reason why he could survive till now. If he came face to face with a fight he had no confidence in winning, he would try his best to not engage in battle.

It was just that he ran into Su Ming…

Su Ming's expression remained aloof. Almost at the instant Yun Lai spoke with a smile, he took a step forward, then like an arrow that left the bow, he arrived before him.

He was so quick that he closed in on the man in the blink of an eye. Yun Lai's expression changed, and he immediately took a few steps backwards, then lifted his right hand and waved his arm. Immediately, the distortions around him spread forward, charging straight towards Su Ming and crashing into the finger Su Ming had extended as he closed in on Yun Lai.

A loud bang echoed in the air. Su Ming's expression remained calm and golden light flashed around his entire body. In the midst of the rumbling sounds, his body did not move back even a single inch, and he simply bore through the rebounding waves with raw power before he continued moving forward.

As for Yun Lai, he felt a huge power tumbling backwards and crashing into him, and his body shook. It made him retreat a hundred something feet as rumbling sounds reverberated in the air. His face turned stark white, and he immediately lifted his head to glare at Su Ming, who was walking over.

"You're going overboard. I've already given up and handed over the woman to you! There are no grudges nor any form of enmity between us, why do you do this?!"

"I do not need a reason to kill," Su Ming said calmly. In his eyes, this Yun Lai had to die. Even if it was not for Fang Cang Lai, Zi Yan's words alone had already convinced Su Ming to kill this person.

If he really had to provide a reason, then it was because he wanted to be able to say that he had not turned a blind eye towards Zi Yan to his second senior brother. He believed that if his second senior brother was here, he would do the same.

With one move, he lifted his right hand and swiftly hurled his fist forward. That punch landed in the air, and shocking booms immediately rang out. Yun Lai let out a low growl and lifted his hands to form a seal. A layer of red fog immediately appeared before him.

The fog tumbled about and turned into numerous shadows. Each and every single one of them were women, and with piercing screeches, they pounced on Su Ming from all sides.

Once they were struck by Su Ming's fist in midair, the entire Southern Swamp Island trembled furiously, and all the shadows crumbled. Yun Lai's expression changed continuously, and he started charging back.

Su Ming walked out of the crumbling red fog and looked towards Yun Lai, who was already in midair and leaving this place. He lifted his right hand and seized the air. A gigantic vortex immediately appeared in the fake sky. That vortex rotated and charged towards Su Ming's right hand with loud, rumbling sounds. In the blink of an eye, it arrived in his right hand as if he had caught hold of it, and he swung it towards the sky.

The instant he swung his hand, it was as if the vortex of wind exploded and turned into a violent gust of wind that lashed out in all directions. It caught up with the fleeing Yun Lai, and the moment it swept past him, light spilled out from Yun Lai's whole body. Once he bore through it with raw power, blood trickled down from the corners of his lips, and he paused for a moment.

At the same moment, Su Ming took a step forward with an expressionless face and disappeared. When he reappeared, he was already standing right before Yun Lai. Terror appeared in the man's eyes. When he had attacked just then, Yun Lai had immediately felt a strong offensive power erupting forth from Su Ming's body. It was such that he could not hope to stand against it. In fact, when he had thrown that one punch and one jab, Yun Lai had the impression that he had come face to face with the calamity that had fallen on South Morning all those years ago.

In his eyes, this person was completely unreasonable. He had already humbled himself, but this person still attacked. This made Yun Lai seethe in anger, but he could do nothing about it.

'Damn it. This person's level of cultivation is so high, and he's being completely unreasonable. This is…' When he saw Su Ming getting closer to him, a life-and-death sense of danger filled Yun Lai's heart and body. As he retreated hastily, he quickly spoke once again.

"Sir, let me speak! I may have protected this Fang Cang Lan for many years, but I've never touched even a single strand of hair on her head!

"As for that Zi Yan, if it wasn't for me, she would have died a long time ago in the chaos of the calamity. This is a trade, I didn't do anything wrong!"

Yun Lai's words did not make Su Ming stop for even a single moment. He simply continued calmly moving forward, and when he closed in once again, he waved his right hand, and bolts of lightning instantly swam in the air as thunder roared, and a dozen something balls of lightning appeared in the air. As they swam about, they fused together with the balls of lightning and charged straight towards Yun Lai.

"Sir, how could you be so unreasonable?! Do you really think that I'm afraid of you?!"

When Yun Lai saw that Su Ming had completely ignored his words, his pupils shrank. With a low roar, he stretched his arms apart, and immediately, his statue of the God of Berserkers appeared behind him. That statue had nine arms and three eyes at the center of its brows. Once it manifested itself, it swiftly grew larger. Dark light started flashing on its body, and it lifted all nine of its arms at the same time to press down on Su Ming.

At the same time, Yun Lai bit the tip of his tongue and coughed out a mouthful of blood. It immediately exploded and turned into a layer of blood fog. Yun Lai stretched his right hand inside and seized at something. Then, an impressive, long, and blood-red blade was pulled out of the fog.

Once Yun Lai lifted it up, he sat down in the air and a string of incantations spilled out from his mouth. The long, blood-red blade hummed and murderous aura shot into the sky before spreading out. About a hundred souls of women surrounded that long blade, and it sliced down toward Su Ming.

Su Ming's expression was as calm as usual. The instant the statue closed in on him, he lifted his right hand and seized the air in its direction. The seemingly simple grasp immediately caused booming sounds to come from the entirety of the incoming statue. Cracks appeared on it, and the instant they spread out, Su Ming closed his hand into a fist, looking as if he had gripped something.

The statue immediately exploded with a loud bang, and red threads of aura spilled out from its body, charging towards Su Ming's right hand. That seize and grip was one of the divine abilities born of a binary opposite, which Su Ming had mastered in the Undying and Imperishable World.

At that moment, red aura surrounded Su Ming's arm. It looked like fog, and it was formed when Yun Lai's statue of the God of Berserkers shattered. There was also a large layer of red fog tumbling about before him. Within it was a long, blood-red blade, and it was charging straight towards him.

"Nine Transformations, Ten Transfigurations, One Voice!" Su Ming said calmly.

His Nascent Divinity spread out abruptly and enveloped him before turning into his own Nascent Divinity's body. This Nascent Divinity stared at the long blade and a brilliant flash appeared in its eyes. The shadow of the incoming blade gradually appeared in his eyes. At the same time, the red aura tumbled about around Su Ming's right arm and also turned into a long red blade!

This was the Immortal's divine ability which Su Ming had obtained - Hong Luo's Nine Transformations Art, which was a part of the Nine Transformations, Ten Transfigurations, One Voice Art.

This Art was activated in an instant and turned into the long red blade in Su Ming's right hand. He lifted it up and sliced up towards the same long red blade that was coming down from the sky.

Rumbling sounds spread out, and the two long blades shattered completely together, but before the shards disappeared, Su Ming let out a breath, and that breath turned into a violent gust of wind that swept up the blood-red blade fragments to charge towards Yun Lai.

"Zong Ze! If I die, Southern Swamp Island will return to the surface of the sea! Are you still going to standby and do nothing?!"

Shock and terror appeared on Yun Lai's face. Su Ming's strength had far exceeded his expectations, and he was also shocked by the divine abilities Su Ming possessed. When he saw the blood-red blade fragments charging towards him with a sharp whistle, he hastily fled and immediately started shouting.

Almost the instant he let out that roar, a sigh echoed in the world, and Zong Ze took a step out of the air beside the retreating Yun Lai. The instant he walked out, he looked at Su Ming with a complicated gaze. Yun Lai continued fleeing behind him, charging straight towards his cave abode as his heart roared madly. He still had one killing move left, but he had to return to his cave abode before he could execute it with the help of the offerings there.

Zong Ze stood face to face against the incoming shard storm in the midst of all his mixed feelings. He lifted his right hand, formed a seal, and pushed forward. His body instantly touched the shard storm that was sweeping towards him, and booming sounds reverberated in the air.

Another person appeared behind Zong Ze. That person looked a little old, and judging by his looks, he was Zong Ze as well. Immediately after, another person appeared, and that person was also Zong Ze, but he looked even older.

Eight of these increasingly older figures appeared and stood in a line to resist the wind before they eventually fused together, turning back into Zong Ze. He spread his arms wide open, and a presence belonging to an End Shaman instantly turned into a screen of light that separated Su Ming and the rapidly fleeing Yun Lai.

"If my friend Yun Lai dies, then Southern Swamp will face a great change. There are thousands of Shamans and Berserkers on this island, please…"

Before Zong Ze could finish speaking, his pupils shrank and he immediately took a few steps backwards. His presence as an End Shaman shot up in his body once again, and at the same moment, he formed a seal with both his hands and tapped a few spots on his body before a dark light flickered in his eyes.

The reason behind his actions was because violet light had started flashing on Su Ming's body as he continued walking towards him. That violet light was like flowing water. Once it covered Su Ming's entire body, it turned into a set of violet armor. At the same time, Su Ming lifted his right hand, and during that process, that violet light spread out, and a long violet spear of several dozens of feet appeared in a stunning manner right before Zong Ze's eyes.

Power. Madness. Slaughter. These sensations ripped into Zong Ze's heart, causing a dazed expression to appear briefly in his eyes. It felt as if his heart and soul had been dragged into a vortex called the abyss.

The instant clarity returned to his eyes, he found himself facing a sight that he would never forget - a violet hue that filled the entire sky. He saw Su Ming rising his hand and tossing that long spear swiftly outwards. With a hum, it shot through the isolation light screen Zong Ze had placed up, and the light screen could not fight back even for a single moment. It exploded into pieces, and during that instant, the long spear turned into a purple shadow that surged into the sky and charged straight towards the clouds. It was so quick that it seemed like it had sliced through the world to pierce through the utterly shocked and terrified Yun Lai.

As he let out screams of pain, he exploded, and that long spear stabbed into an empty mountain in the distance with a bang. That mountain shuddered and was reduced to ashes...

Su Ming stood in midair. The violet light covering his entire body quickly faded away, and the armor changed to fine threads that seeped into his body. The long spear he had thrown out just now into the distance also turned into a ray of violet light that returned to Su Ming's hand. In the span of a breath, he returned to his normal self, and he wrapped his hand in his fist towards Zong Ze in an apology.

"Sorry, my hand slipped."

Translator's Thoughts

Mogumoguchan Mogumoguchan

Preview to next chapter: I'll Do One Thing

Zong Ze tells Su Ming about Scour Sieve Island

Chapter 525: I'll Do One Thing

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Zong Ze sighed, and his gaze when he looked towards Su Ming became even more complicated. When they had first met in the past, Su Ming was still very weak, but even then, he had managed to attract his attention.

When they met again, that shocking power of cultivation and the strength that could seal the whole world with just a wave of his arm had shocked Zong Ze, but he had been able to tell vaguely that Su Ming was not himself when he was in that state!

Then there was their encounter this time. He met Su Ming once again, but this time, the shock Su Ming had brought to him had surpassed those two previous times. That was not because Su Ming's level of cultivation had surpassed Hong Luo's, but because Zong Ze could tell that this Su Ming who was standing before him was the real man himself!

They had met three times, and each time, he was different. Among all the people Zong Ze had met in his life, only Su Ming had been able to give him such intense feelings.

"Your carelessness this time has caused Southern Swamp Island to no longer know peace… From now on, the islanders who have survived through the calamity will have to face life threatening dangers once again and be hunted by Eastern Wastelanders…" Zong Ze did not look at the torn pieces of flesh left behind him, but let out a sigh instead.

Su Ming was silent. He did not speak. Almost the instant he killed Yun Lai, he sensed a faint tremor traveling through the ground of the entire Southern Swamp Island.

Those tremors did not start off strong, but quickly turned into booming sounds. The man-made sky started flickering non-stop, flashes of brightness followed quickly by darkness. When Su Ming lifted his head to look, the man-made darkness let out a brilliant flash, and then the entire Southern Swamp Island was instantly illuminated. However, that light was like a flash of lightning that sliced through the sky before it disappeared without a trace.

Banging sounds came from above, and as the light faded away, the stars in the man-made sky started dimming in a manner as if they were all connected together. Eventually, they became dark once again, but the darkness at this moment and the darkness just moments ago were different in their very nature!

The darkness just moments ago was due to the man-made sky that had lost all the spiritual Qi needed for its operations, but the darkness right now was because of the change that had appeared in Southern Swamp Island. The man-made sky exploded. Although the protective screen still existed, the screen had become transparent, and the intense darkness that fell into Su Ming's eyes was… the color of the Dead Sea outside!

As he saw the darkness of the Dead Sea, Zong Ze too saw it, and Fang Cang Lan, who was standing on the mountain on the ground, did as well. All the Shamans and Berserkers living in Southern Swamp Island, too, saw it clearly.

Some of the people who had survived through the calamity had been lucky, but a lot more of them had experienced different trials and tribulations. These experiences varied, but there was one shocking similarity between all of them, and that was the unswerving determination that was born out of these experiences!

If they did not have determination, then it would be difficult for them to struggle and survive in this chaotic world. If they did not have determination, then it would be difficult for them to crawl out of death. If they did not have determination, it would be difficult for them to still be able to open their eyes after countless people had died in the Land of South Morning!

That was why even though this change had appeared in Southern Swamp Island, even though more than a few people had seen Yun Lai's death and Su Ming's appearance, they only had shock on their expressions. There was little panic evident in them, much less any form of commotion traveling out of their mouths.

Instead, they looked at the sky quietly and silently felt the tremors shaking the ground beneath their feet as Southern Swamp Island slowly rose to the surface of the sea.

Zi Yan looked at all of this with a stupefied expression as she stood in the crowd. The things that had happened were entirely within her expectations, but she did not expect that it would end up this way. She might have been Yun Lai's concubine before and believed that she knew a lot about him, but she still did not know that Southern Swamp Island's Rune was linked to his life!

Fang Cang Lan remained silent. She knew about the Rune being linked to Yun Lai's life. This was also the reason why she was confident she could kill or heavily injure Yun Lai through her multiple preparations. She also knew that the Rune in Southern Swamp Island would crumble after Yun Lai died, along with the fact that the island would once again appear on the surface of the sea after his death.

But… Firm resolution appeared in her eyes.

'Zi Yan has already suffered for me for many years. She might be together with Ya Mu now, but she doesn't know that she still has Yun Lai's seal in her body. She might look as if she has regained the freedom to live and die as she wishes, but in truth, her life is still in Yun Lai's hands.

'Zong Ze would not interfere much in this matter either, unless Ya Mu became a Latter Shaman… This is what I saw in Yun Lai's memories…

'If Zi Yan could suffer for me, then I could also bear living in infamy and being ridiculed for the rest of my life for her. Even if the entire Southern Swamp Island had to pay for this, as long as Zi Yan could obtain true freedom, it's worth it!'

This was what Fang Cang Lan had told herself in her heart when she set her plan to kill Yun Lai all those years ago.

There was a second stage to her plans, and she had already made detailed preparations for it. Once she killed or heavily injured Yun Lai, she would leave quietly with Zi Yan and head to other islands to begin a new life.

However, Su Ming's appearance had thrown all her plans into chaos…

Su Ming could feel the tremors in the island becoming more intense under his feet. Booming sounds rolled into the air from beneath him. He noticed Southern Swamp Island rising up, and in silence, he noticed the seawater at the depths of the Dead Sea looking as if it had been split apart. A massive area on the surface of the sea also sank down, and waves started rolling towards the edges of the pit.

In just a moment, with a shocking boom that shook the sky and earth, an island emerged from the very depths of the sea on the originally empty surface. The instant it appeared, a large amount of seawater rolled about, causing booming sounds to reverberate in the air. The people could see an arc shaped screen of light covering this island, and as it appeared on the sea, the light from the world outside instantly shot through and fell on the island!

Su Ming lifted his head and looked at the clouds in the sky outside the screen of light, then listened to the roaring waves of the sea around him. Zong Ze's voice reached his ears.

"The crash of the Eastern Wastelands in our land caused South Morning to be split into pieces… turning into three much smaller continents and the numerous islands around the edges of these continents… The three much smaller continents are protected by Runes, prohibiting all outsiders from entering, as if they are sealed off.

"Besides the three much smaller continents there are numerous islands that vary in sizes. Most of these islands are uninhabited, and only some of them serve as a home for those who survived through the calamity, just like us.

"Compared to the three sealed off continents, those who live on the islands face a whole lot more dangers, and many of these dangers come from Eastern Wastelands instead of from the Dead Sea…

"Once South Morning shattered because of the Catastrophe of the Eastern Wastelands, a disaster also fell on the latter. Their continent also collapsed and many islands appeared, but since there were a lot more powerful warriors in Eastern Wastelands compared to South Morning, that was why the damage to their land was much smaller compared to ours, and their continent was not torn to pieces.

"There were too many casualties in South Morning, and Eastern Wastelands did not suffer much damage. This caused a huge disparity between our strengths. The Eastern Wastelanders hunt those of us from South Morning for entertainment. To them, all of us from South Morning are inferior, be it who are Shamans or Berserkers. Take for example, that Scour Sieve Festival of theirs. It is a bloody festival hosted by Scour Sieve Island, the biggest island located outside the Eastern Wastelands, and their aim is to hunt those of us from South Morning.

"This Scour Sieve Festival is hosted once every two years, and now… it's almost here. If Southern Swamp Island appears on the surface of the sea now, we'll definitely catch the attention of the Cultivators from Eastern Wasteland. Su Ming… you really shouldn't have killed Yun Lai." Zong Ze looked at the sky outside the screen of light, then at the sea around him, and there was a sense of age in his voice when he spoke.

"Sir Zong Ze, do you happen to have a map of the islands surrounding Eastern Wastelands, especially of Scour Sieve Island?" Su Ming turned his gaze away from the sky to look at Zong Ze as he asked calmly.

A brilliant sparkle appeared in Zong Ze's eyes and he looked at Su Ming with a stern expression on his face.

"Do you know that Scour Sieve Island is the biggest island outside Eastern Wastelands and that old Mo Luo1 on the island has already reached the peak of the later stage of the Berserker Soul Realm, and he is already halfway to attaining great completion in the Berserker Soul Realm? I fought against him once, and I lost. This person's divine abilities are unpredictable, and he also has the power of Great Yu Sky Palace. Based on your race's words, he is someone who has gone to Great Yu Dynasty before.

"Once this sort of person attains great completion in the Berserker Soul Realm, then it would be the same as him reaching the pinnacle of being an End Shaman. That stage belongs to those who have the right to explore becoming Hollow Shamans.

"You do indeed have extraordinary power, but do you have confidence to be able to fight against him?" Zong Ze asked solemnly.

"I once heard from someone that among your Medial, Latter, and End Shamans, the End Shamans have power that is equivalent to the Berserkers who have attained great completion in the Berserker Soul Realm. Is that true?" Su Ming did not answer Zong Ze's question, but instead threw out his question lightly.

"In theory, that is true. But in truth, the Berserkers' constitution has a long history and serves the main cultivation system for Berserkers after the first God of Berserkers created it, but the Shamans' constitution was created by our Lord of Nine Li after he discarded his identity as a Berserker all those years ago.

"Due to the strangeness of our divine abilities, all our Realms that are below End are stronger than the Berserkers', but… if we compare the Berserkers who have attained great completion in the Berserker Soul Realm to End Shamans, then End Shamans… are not their opponents.

"If I truly go and fight against them, then with my experience, I can tell that I will be able to fight against a Berserker in the later stage of the Berserker Soul Realm, but I cannot win against those who have attained great completion. In fact, even if the old Mo Luo is halfway through attaining great completion, since he has mastered the power of Great Yu, I still cannot hope to be his opponent.

"Unless, that is… a Hollow Shaman like the Great Patriarch appeared among us Shamans again!"

Su Ming nodded his head. He did not speak.

"From what I know, besides the old Mo Luo, this Scour Sieve Island also has an End Shaman, Bao Shan, the traitor of our people… and there are also three Berserkers in the middle stage of the Berserker Soul Realm who are as powerful as Yun Lai. There are also quite a number of Berserkers in the initial stage of the Berserker Soul Realm and Latter Shamans who are still affiliated with our precious mountain.

"This sort of strength is simply not something we can stand up against. That is why most of the islands around this area, including Southern Swamp Island, have decided to hide," Zong Ze stated in a low voice.

"Senior Zong Ze, how many years do you have left?" Su Ming suddenly asked.

Zong Ze fell silent, and after a long while, he closed his eyes. The aura of death he had hidden in his body became a little more distinct.

"Less than ten years."

"I am a Berserker. I have lived in the land of Shamans for many years. Now, after the calamity that fell on South Morning, the Shamans and Berserkers have fused together…"

Su Ming's gaze landed on Zong Ze, and he slowly shifted his eyes away. He looked towards Fang Cang Lan, whose expression was filled with a complicated array of emotions, then at the Shamans and Berserkers who had walked out of their own cave abodes.

"I have not done anything for the Berserkers before… Now, let me do one thing for all of you." Su Ming looked at all these people, who were dressed in ragged clothing, looked at them needing to hide themselves even though they had survived through the calamity, and all of this… was because of Eastern Wastelands...

Translator's Notes:

1. The relationship between Scour Sieve and Mo Luo: Scour Sieve Island/Festival/Temple is actually named after Mo Luo, which are based on the characters of his name. Mo Luo is the pinyin for these two words 摩罗, and scour sieve is the meaning for the words. Treat it as Mo Luo deciding to name the island/festival/temple after the meaning of his own name, which is the same for Tian Lan (天嵐), which is the surname for Tian Lan Meng, Tian Lan You, and Sky Mist's ancestor. And Sky Mist City/Wall is the meaning of 天嵐.

Chapter 526: Eldest Senior Brother's Whereabouts!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

As Southern Swamp Island appeared on the surface of the sea, seawater started churning in all directions. The Shamans and Berserkers behind the screen of light in the island stared wordlessly at Su Ming and Zong Ze, who were both standing in the sky.

Zong Ze lifted his right hand, and a jade slip immediately appeared on his palm. He flung it towards Su Ming, and the jade slip turned into a long arc that instantly appeared before Su Ming. Once he caught it in his hands, he looked at it carefully.

It was a simple map, and where South Morning originally was were three smaller continents. Each of them was separated by the Dead Sea. They might be called continents, but were really just slightly larger islands.

Around the area near Eastern Wastelands was an endless amount of islands. There was also quite a number of them located at the edge of continent as well. One of them was an island that was several times the size of Southern Swamp. The words 'Scour Sieve' were written on top of it.

"It's difficult for me to leave this land, so I can't go with you. I can only… give you a bow as a plea for you to do this and as a sign of gratitude for this matter." Zong Ze looked at Su Ming, and the complicated look in his eyes gradually turned to a regretful one as he wrapped his fist in the palm and bowed towards Su Ming.

"Sir Zong Ze, please tell me, did my eldest senior brother come to the land of the Shamans in the past?" Su Ming averted his gaze from the jade slip and looked at Zong Ze before he suddenly threw this question out of the blue.

"The Young Lord came to Autumn Sea Tribe before the calamity, but he didn't go to the God of Shamans Temple. Instead… when the calamity fell on our heads, he went to Eastern Wastelands…" Zong Ze said deeply.

Su Ming frowned.

"From what I know, the Young Lord went to Eastern Wastelands because of his Master, who went there many years ago and never returned. It seems like something had happened there." Zong Ze fell silent for a moment, but in the end, he still said those words.

He knew about the relationship between Nine Li's Young Lord and Su Ming. He couldn't hide this from him.

Su Ming lifted his head swiftly and looked towards Zong Ze.

"Please tell me in detail, senior Zong Ze."

"I didn't learn the details because the Shamans and Berserkers were at war at that time, but from what I understand, senior Tian Xie Zi passed through the Dead Sea alone and went to Eastern Wastelands. It seems like he wanted to try and prevent this calamity, but… he never returned. But the date of the calamity falling on us had indeed been pushed back considerably.

"I remember that the Young Lord stood on a mountain for the entire night before he went to Eastern Wastelands. He held a broken wooden plate in his hands, and his face was filled with sorrow…" Zong Ze looked at Su Ming and spoke softly.

A shudder ran through Su Ming's body, and a bang instantly went off in his head. He could tell that Zong Ze was not lying, and there was no need for him to lie about this either. A picture appeared in his head.

In that picture, he saw the waves in the vast sea surging into the sky. On a mountain towering into the clouds, he saw his eldest senior brother standing silently, looking at the roaring Dead Sea as it came rushing forth from the distance and at the gigantic Eastern Wastelands charging forward to this place from far, far away. His face was filled with sorrow, and in his hands he held a wooden plate. On that wooden plate were three words - Tian Xie Zi!

There were cracks on that wooden plate, and it looked as if it were about to shatter at any moment…

As the seawater roared and Eastern Wastelands crashed into the continent, by his lonesome, eldest senior brother stepped into the air, and with his sorrow, he flew towards Eastern Wastelands!

"Master! Eldest senior brother!" Su Ming turned his head around and looked towards the direction where Eastern Wastelands laid. A crazed killing intent burned in his eyes.

He did not want to think about this too much. He was afraid that the more he thought about it, the more answers he would get, and the more he would feel that he had lost.

He suddenly understood what Zi Yan had meant when she said that his second senior brother had left the ninth summit and never returned. He had been slightly puzzled when he first heard it, because his second senior brother loved the ninth summit. The ninth summit was his home, and unless something as serious as the world collapsing happened, he would definitely not leave it!

But he still left, and… he never returned. Su Ming had originally been wondering where he went, but now, he was absolutely certain that his second senior brother… had gone to Eastern Wastelands!

He went to search for his Master!

His eldest senior brother also left for the same reason, to search for their Master. Perhaps he had even gone off to search for his second junior brother as well!

"What about Hu Zi…? Is he still in the ninth summit…?" Su Ming mumbled under his breath.

He suddenly had a great urge to return to the ninth summit. He wanted to see whether Hu Zi was still around, then he would go to Eastern Wastelands. Over there, he would search for his eldest senior brother and his second senior brother's traces, and he would find them. Then, they would look for their Master together!

Zong Ze looked at Su Ming. This young man who had given him three different kinds of feelings during the three times they had met reminded him of the Young Lord of Nine Li. He remembered the person who had left for Eastern Wastelands, and also remembered his very own Autumn Sea Tribe, now dispersed. Most of his tribe members were scattered as well. Then he remembered his few remaining years of life, and remembered how great and awe-inspiring he had been when he was younger.

Gradually, Zong Ze turned around and left with a melancholic expression.

The sky slowly darkened. Waves upon waves of water crashed onto the surface of the sea, creating splashing sounds. Su Ming sat on a mountain and looked towards the darkness in the distance without a single word.

At some point in time, Fang Cang Lan walked out from the darkness and approached him from behind. She looked at Su Ming gently, but did not speak, simply sat down next to him.

The seawater created rushing sounds. The world was covered in darkness. There were no words, no exchange of gazes between the two people. Fang Cang Lan simply stayed beside Su Ming quietly on the mountain throughout the entire night.

When light started shining through the gray clouds in the sky, Su Ming, who had immersed himself in his many thoughts, with the ninth summit constantly appearing in his mind, closed his eyes.

"Thank you," he whispered softly.

Fang Cang Lan did not speak. She simply looked in the distance. It might still be dim, but the sky was still much brighter than complete darkness. She shook her head.

"If you don't want to stay on Southern Swamp Island, you can leave with Zi Yan to the Fated Kin's island. She knows where it is." Su Ming opened his eyes and looked at the woman who had stayed with him for the entire night. He looked at her side profile; her face was breathtakingly beautiful.

"You don���t need to worry about me. My level of cultivation might not be high, but I've prepared a lot of backup plans, and they're all laid out in great detail. I won't run into any dangers that I can't solve.

"But you, though… That Scour Sieve Island…" Fang Cang Lan turned her head around, and she fixed her beautiful eyes on Su Ming.

"I know that Yun Lai had been refining an Enchanted Treasure. He needed my divine ability to be able to activate it fully. The origin of this treasure is unknown, but if you bring it over here…" Fang Cang Lan immediately said, and Su Ming could see the concern as well as worry clearly on her face.

"I won't need it. Since it needs your divine ability to be activated fully, then you can also use it."

"But…" Anxiety rushed through Fang Cang Lan's system, and just as she was about to continue, a smile appeared on Su Ming's lips. It was very faint, but there was a wave of confidence contained within.

"The twenty years of memories you saw were only fragments. You didn't see everything." He looked at her and the smile stayed on his lips.

Fang Cang Lan was taken aback, but she quickly remembered how Yun Lai had been completely unable to fight back against Su Ming despite his strength. That sort of power had already surpassed Fang Cang Lan's understanding.

"You… What is your level of cultivation now?" Fang Cang Lan remained silent for a while before she asked softly.

"Bone Sacrifice." Su Ming looked towards her.

"That's impossible…" Fang Cang Lan eyes went wide. A dark light shone in them, and as she lifted her right hand, the jade skull appeared on her palm. Once she pressed her hand against it, she lifted her left hand and held Su Ming's hand, then closed her eyes.

Su Ming did not shake her off. After a moment, Fang Cang Lan trembled, and her eyes flew open.

"The Candle Dragon's blessing… Sacrificing all the bones in your body…" she mumbled, then looked at Su Ming with disbelieving eyes.

Su Ming did not speak. He simply nodded.

Fang Cang Lan only recovered from her shock after some time. She looked at him, and her eyes shone increasingly brighter, but she seemed slightly hesitant. She bit her lip, and after a moment, a grim expression appeared on her face and she spoke softly.

"Su Ming, do you remember when we first met? At that time, after you left my brother's place, I… saw your memories."

Su Ming remained calm. How could he have forgotten about this? That had been the first time he began suspecting his own identity, and all of this was due to Fang Cang Lan's compassion as well as her muttering those words that he could not understand back then.

"Destiny, huh…?"he said lightly.

"You… already know?" The pity that had appeared in her eyes all those years ago gradually surfaced once again as she asked softly.

"I saw you living through fifty years of your life in a void… I also saw you chained up, up till the moment of your death…" After keeping that secret for twenty odd years in her heart, Fang Cang Lan finally told Su Ming about it.

"I saw them calling you Destiny… I saw you dying hundreds of times… I also saw a place called Dark Mountain. But when I wanted to continue looking, a power from another world destroyed my ability.

"That power was too strong, and there was no way I could hope to fight back against it. I could feel the power trying to destroy it, because I saw something I shouldn't have.

"But for some unknown reason, when that power wanted to wipe out my existence, it disappeared…" Fang Cang Lan muttered. Still holding Su Ming's hand, she closed her eyes once more.

The instant she did so, a bang went off in Su Ming's head, and flowing pictures appeared in his mind. Those pictures were everything that Fang Cang Lan had seen in the past.

"Over these twenty years, my level of cultivation rose incredibly quickly, and the main reason for it was because of that power that tried to destroy me when I was reading through your memories. I slowly discovered that it did not disappear, but remained within me…

"I want to help you. I want to let you know just what you lost, and just how many of your true memories have been changed or sealed. That's why I've been training so diligently to fuse with that power… I want to practice this unique divine ability of mine until I reach perfection. I always believed that someday, I would definitely be able to help you.

"If you trust me, then let me try looking one more time… into your past memories…"

Fang Cang Lan's mutters echoed in Su Ming's ears. In silence, he gradually relaxed his mind, and under Fang Cang Lan's guidance, they both began going back to the past that had returned to the passage of time.

Right before Su Ming's eyes, the void appeared, the him that was shackled by chains, the gigantic head, the person sitting on top of the head, as well as that one sentence…

"You… truly disappoint me…"

He did not know how much time had passed, but at some point, Su Ming's eyes flew open, and Fang Cang Lan shuddered before him. A mouthful of blood spilled out of her mouth.

Su Ming stretched out his left hand and dragged her behind himself before lifting his right hand and throwing a punch towards the spot where she had sat moments ago without any hesitation.

That one punch immediately caused the air to begin distorting, and a cold harrumph that seemed to come from a place far away abruptly traveled forth!

Chapter 527: Elder, Who… Are You?

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The instant Su Ming threw that punch forward, a cold harrumph from the air shot up. A violent bang reverberated in the air. An intense shudder ran through Su Ming's entire body, and rumbling sounds made it seem as if he was about to shatter and collapse came from his entire person. With Fang Cang Lan in his grip, he tumbled backwards without any hesitation and disappeared instantly. When they reappeared, they were already thousands of feet away.

Fang Cang Lan's face turned pale, but determination could be seen on her face. When Su Ming pulled her away, she lifted her hand without any hint of panic and pointed forward with one finger.

The protective screen of light outside Southern Swamp Island started shining with a brilliant light that spilled out in all directions before gathering to one point and turning to a powerful ray of light that went charging towards the illusory figure before Su Ming.

They crashed into each other in an instant, and as booming sounds reverberated in the air, Su Ming let go of Fang Cang Lan's hand with a grim face. All his power of Bone Sacrifice erupted forth from his body, and he took a step towards the illusory figure.

Almost the instant he took that step, Fang Cang Lan immediately sat down by the side without caring about how dangerous the place was, neither was she worried about Su Ming being distracted. Instead, she closed her eyes, and after casting some unknown divine ability, she suddenly cried out.

"Thirty-two feet to his left. Seventy-nine feet to his right. Two hundred forty-eight feet to his front. These are his dimensional realm loci!"

The instant Fang Cang Lan said those words, the eyes of the semi-transparent figure charging towards Su Ming flashed and he looked straight towards her. When that illusory figure closed in, golden light shone about Su Ming's body, and he pointed towards the spot thirty-two feet away from the figure's left. A cracking sound immediately rang in the air, and the transparent figure froze momentarily.

The instant it froze up, Su Ming laid out his right palm straight and pressed towards his right. A strong force moved to the spot seventy-nine feet away from the figure's right. Rumbling sounds reverberated in the air, and the cracking sounds rang out once again. The transparent figure let out a low growl and lifted his arms as if he was about to form a seal. He did not go on to attack Su Ming, but pushed his palms in Fang Cang Lan's direction!

Right at that moment, Su Ming formed his left hand into a fist and hurled a punch straight towards the third dimensional realm locus, exactly Two hundred forty-eight feet before that figure. The instant his punch landed, the area around the semi-transparent figure distorted, and as if space itself was collapsing, a large suction force appeared, causing the figure to be instantly sucked inside, disappearing without a trace.

Yet even though it disappeared, the killing intent within the palm strike aimed towards Fang Cang Lan after it formed that seal still remained, and it was about to touch her.

With Fang Cang Lan's power, there was no way she could possibly dodge that strike. She lifted her head and looked towards Su Ming. There was a look in her eyes saying that she did not want to part with him, but she was smiling. 　

When everything seemed to have been set in stone and could not be changed, a sharp glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes and he lifted his left hand to point towards the sky while pushing his right hand in the direction of the ground.

"The past… the future…"

As Su Ming whispered, shadows of himself overlapped and intersected with each other. Time seemed to be flowing backwards around them, and the entire world froze at that instant. The palm strike closing in on Fang Cang Lan also froze, and even began showing signs of reversing.

Su Ming did not hesitate. He took a step forward and warped, appearing right before Fang Cang Lan. When he lifted his right hand, time was restored, and during that instant, the movement for everything around them increased, as if these things wanted to catch up to for the time they had lost.

The palm strike crashed into Su Ming's right hand. With a shocking boom rising into the air, the palm strike shattered. A trickle of blood flowed out of Su Ming's mouth, but he continued standing there and did not move, because right behind him was Fang Cang Lan, a woman who had been exposed to a life-threatening crisis because of him.

Fang Cang Lan stared at the figure before her with a dazed expression, and the gentleness in her eyes grew stronger with each passing moment.

The disappearance of that palm strike caused the air around them to return to normal. Yet strangely, even though there was such a strong ripple of power in this place and such a loud bang in the air, no one in Southern Swamp Island caught on. It was as if they did not hear or feel anything.

"This is that power I was talking about. But it has a bit more intelligence compared to last time…" Fang Cang Lan spoke softly and stood up, walking up to Su Ming and wiping away the blood at the corners of his mouth.　

But the instant her hands touched Su Ming's blood, that blood on her finger started rotting away and turning black in the blink of an eye. Soon, it turned into a wave of aura of death that spread out, causing both Su Ming and Fang Cang Lan to be stunned by the sight.

Her eyes went wide. She did not know what had happened. When she lifted her head to look towards Su Ming, she saw a hint of grief in his eyes.

Her heart lurched in her chest, but just as she was about to ask, Su Ming closed his eyes.

Su Ming was not unfamiliar with that semi-transparent figure. He felt a hint of Di Tian's presence on that figure just now, but that presence had been incredibly faint, and it felt as if it had come forth through an endless amount of dimensions.

When Fang Cang Lan activated her divine ability in an attempt to help Su Ming probe deeper into his memories, they failed, and had even attracted Di Tian's presence over. If Su Ming had still been the same as he was before, then Fang Cang Lan would have definitely died.

"Dimensional realm locus… Is that the name for the three spots that were connected to the space here just now that allowed that semi-transparent figure to come here?" Su Ming opened his eyes and looked towards Fang Cang Lan.

"How did you learn about them?" he asked calmly.

"I… I don't know either. The instant I sensed that presence coming, I saw those three spots around him. He seemed to have also used those three spots to arrive to this place.

"The distance between him and those three spots would never change."

Confusion appeared in Fang Cang Lan's eyes as she whispered. She was still caught in the sight of witnessing Su Ming's blood turn black before changing into the aura of death on her finger.

Su Ming's expression grew more complicated. The sight of his blood turning into the aura of death kept repeating itself in his head, along with the three spots Fang Cang Lan had mentioned just now.

After a long while, Fang Cang Lan looked towards Su Ming and bit her bottom lip.

"Why did your blood turn that way on my hand?"

"I'm tired, Cang Lan." Su Ming then fell silent and sat down cross-legged on the ground and slowly closed his eyes.

Fang Cang Lan stood by the side quietly for a long while before she discovered, in her anguish, that this Su Ming was different from the Su Ming she knew in the past. Right now, his emotions changed constantly, and he swung between moments of friendliness and aloofness.

'All of this must be related to his blood turning into the aura of death on my finger. I will definitely find the reason behind this!' Determination appeared in Fang Cang Lan's eyes. She cast Su Ming a glance before turning around and leaving.

As she was leaving, she did not hear him mumble his next words.

"Thank you, Cang Lan."

Su Ming had originally planned to ask Fang Cang Lan to use her unique abilities to look into the memories of Di Tian's servant, whom he had captured, but the sight just now made him temporarily give up on this idea.

It was far too easy for unforeseen circumstances to happen in this matter. Su Ming knew that if they attracted that semi-transparent figure containing a hint of Di Tian's presence here again, it would be difficult for him to protect Fang Cang Lan with his current level of cultivation, especially when it would definitely come prepared this time.

He sat quietly and looked at the sky turning dark, then at the darkness gradually disappearing to welcome a new day. During these few days, the islanders had been repeatedly fortifying the Rune under Zong Ze's arrangements. They tried to make the island sink into the bottom of the sea once again. It was not impossible, but they needed time to be able to do so.

Su Ming was not worried about Fang Cang Lan. This woman had changed greatly, and his impression of her changed a lot from what it was in the past. It did not matter whether it was her intelligence or her decisiveness, with these things along with her strange divine abilities, they were enough to ensure her safety, despite her low level of cultivation.

After all, this was a woman who would dare to try to kill a Berserker in the middle stage of the Berserker Soul Realm even though she was only in the Bone Sacrifice Realm. Su Ming would not dare to underestimate this sort of person.

Besides…

"This is the first time I've seen such a person like you. I wonder how many are there in the land of the Berserkers who are like you…?" Su Ming mumbled to himself.

The instant his blood turned into the aura of death on Fang Cang Lan's finger, he was reminded of the moment he flew out of the vortex with the ancient bronze sword from the True Sacred Yin Realm, and how he had felt as if he was nearly drowned by a thick wave of aura of death the moment he saw the stars and the galaxy. 　　

If he minimized that feeling several times and turned it into a drop of blood, then it would be exactly like what he saw on Fang Cang Lan's finger just now. 　

"32, 79, 248…"

Su Ming looked at the horizon connecting the sky and the sea in the distance and mumbled under his breath. His expression grew more complicated with each passing moment, and a nostalgic look appeared in his eyes as he uttered those three so called dimensional realm loci.

When Fang Cang Lan had first mentioned those three spots, Su Ming had not thought much about them, but once his blood turned into the aura of death, he had been stunned, and those three numbers began appearing in his head nonstop.

He had a vague feeling that these three numbers were familiar. Very familiar… That sense of familiarity was the sort that was carved into his soul, engraved into his bones. It was a sort of familiarity that he would never forget.

"If there is a fourth dimensional realm locus, then would it be located 371 feet away…? If there is a fifth, would it be located 563 feet away…? If there is a sixth dimensional realm locus, would that be a spot 781 feet away…?" he whispered to himself softly in agony. How could he forget these six numbers? How could he not be familiar with them?!

'32, 79, 248, 371, 563, 781… Elder, what were you trying to tell me…? You gave me these six numbers when we were in Wind Stream Tribe before I went to climb those stairs on their sacred mountain. You asked me to remember them well, and I originally thought they were just locations for me to rest, but now… only now do I know that they aren't…' Su Ming closed his eyes, and tears fell down his cheeks.

'Elder… are you… really my elder…? Are you really Dark Mountain Tribe's elder…? Are you really the elder who taught me how to be a person since I was young, taught me how to exercise caution, taught me how to reason, taught me how to fight…?

'Elder, who… are you?' More tears fell from Su Ming's tightly shut eyes. 'Elder, is Dark Mountain real? Are Bei Ling, Lei Chen, Wu La, Bai Ling… Are all of them real?'

Su Ming opened his eyes and looked towards the sky and the sea. He looked into the distance just like that until his tears became dry, until a thick wave of sorrow appeared and found permanent residence in his body, until he stood up and did not even cast a glance at the woman who had been watching him over these past few days from another mountain far away.

He took a step into the sky.

Chapter 528: Why Should I Cherish this Life and not Defy the World?!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"The place where I was born still did things according to the laws of the universe. When I was born, the Berserkers had weakened…" Su Ming took a step forward and walked onto air. Sorrow could be seen on his face, and loneliness could be felt coming from his body as he mumbled under his breath.

"If the heavens are heartless, then we will all be separated. The earth was heartless, and it made my Dark Mountain die.

"When war begins, the world is broken and torn to shreds. When a person is lost, his path home grieves for him…

"If the heavens have eyes, then why do they never see that my world is plunged into eternal darkness? If the deities have souls, then why did they divide the sky and seas to the south and north?

"I kept my duty to the heavens, so why did they not let me see the darkness of night? I kept my duty to the deities, so why did they tear me into pieces and scatter my memories?!

"I yearn for my home all day and night, I am forced to wander and cannot see the pain of the heavens… I yearn for my family and friends, but where are they? Their souls yearn for me, but we are separated by death!

"Reality and fantasy cannot be differentiated, and Dark Mountain is too far away! We live and we die in this world, but where is my place in all of it?! I cry tears of blood when I lift my head, and tell me, why should I cherish this life and not defy the world?!"

Su Ming lifted his head and roared. His voice sounded like thunder rumbling, causing the clouds in the sky to tumble backwards, and a slim ray of sunlight shot through the thinned out layers of clouds.

When the sunlight descended, Su Ming took a huge step forward and charged towards Scour Sieve Island.

Killing intent and murderous aura filled his entire body. The sorrow brought by the six numbers, the confusion behind whether Dark Mountain was real or simply a fake, and the aura of death that had transformed from his drop of blood on Fang Cang Lan's fingertips, all of these things made Su Ming begin laughing loudly as he continued moving forward.

His laughter rang through the air, but it was filled with a freezing chill!

He laughed at the heavens, laughed at the world, laughed at his own life, laughed at Di Tian's intentions!

'I cry tears of blood when I lift my head, and tell me, why should I cherish this life and not defy the world?!'

"Who am I? It doesn't matter whether I am Su Ming or Destiny. I don't know who I am, but I know that no matter how big this world is, I will be the one who will control my own fate!

"Who am I? Is that really important…?"

Su Ming threw up his head and laughed. He understood now. All the life and death experiences he had gone through had allowed him to grow. He had even come to understand the secrets of Dark Mountain on Southern Swamp Island, had seen how different Fang Cang Lan had become, and all of this had allowed him to understand!

"It's not important. What is important is that I exist! What is important is that I will exist forever! What is important is that I will tear apart this mystery with all my power! What is important is that I will crush all of these things under my heel!

"I am not me!

"I am me!"

There was a wave of wild arrogance in Su Ming's laughter, along with a wave of sorrow that was hidden beneath. When a person found that the things he treasured the most might possibly be fake time and again, how would he end up…?

Either he would give up, or… he would rise!

"What is reality, and what is fantasy? So what if it's reality? So what if it's fantasy?!"

Su Ming charged forth, and wherever he went, the world would rumble. Under his extreme speed, the giants in the sea dared not lift their heads, the birds in the sky dared not get closer, and all the living beings around him did not dare look at him!

"Since you call me Destiny, then I, Su Ming, will be your Destiny!

"And if you call me Su Ming, then from now on, I will still be Su Ming!"

Su Ming let out a long string of laughter towards the sky. His killing intent and murderous aura became even thicker as he laughed, surging towards the sky and pushing the layers of clouds to charge straight towards Eastern Wasteland's Scour Sieve Island!

As he rushed forward under that extreme speed, he did not see that woman who still remained on the now distant Southern Swamp Island, did not see the Fated Kin worship his statue on their island, neither did he see Hu Zi roaring towards the sky in fury and in endless suffering on the ninth summit in the land of the Berserkers.

Nor did he see the relocation gate deep in the depths of the ground that would lead him to another place. In that place was a frozen world, and in that frozen world was the buried Great Yu Imperial City. In that city was a tall altar, and on that altar was the frozen Court Diviner of Great Yu. Right before him was a ferocious beast's spine, and on it… were a line of words that were carved into the spine before the old man died!

"When you learn who you are, you… are no longer you!

"When you no longer know who you are, you… will be you!"

Besides these sentences, the things Great Yu's Court Diviner had seen in the past with those gray eyes that could no longer see the world had all turned into a faint, loving smile filled with compassion and expectation.

Su Ming had not seen that smile clearly when he came, but if he had been able to see it, then he would have definitely been shocked to the core and his mind would have definitely gone blank with loud rumbles occupying his thoughts… and tears would have absolutely fallen from his eyes as he stood before Great Yu's Court Diviner on the frozen altar.

Because Su Ming would never forget that smile, that loving smile…

He did not think about who he was. It did not matter whether he was a Berserker or a Shaman, Su Ming or Destiny. It did not matter where he came from or whether he was alive or dead. It did not matter whether this place was truly the land of the Berserkers or just that so called Yin's Death Region.

He did not bother about these things. The only thing he cared about right then was what laid right before his eyes. The only things he cared about were the ninth summit and the Scour Sieve Festival that was held once every two years. He was going to help all the people of South Morning get rid of this festival!

Get rid of it forever!

He was going to tell the Cultivators in Eastern Wastelands… that there were also powerful warriors in South Morning after the calamity, and he would not let anyone trespass their land!

With that killing intent burning within him, Su Ming's speed reached its peak. Several days later, as the sky turned bright and dark before the process repeated itself, as rumbling sounds continued traveling from the clouds, as the rain falling from the sky was dragged out and pulled into a long river of water in the sky by Su Ming as he continued onward with that extreme speed, a gigantic island appeared before his eyes!

A screen of light flashed outside it with a variety of colors. There was also a great power coming from it. There were seven small islands around that big island, looking as if they were stars surrounding the moon, like guards protecting their master.

Waves upon waves of powerful presences faintly traveled forth from the main island. If the screen of light had not been around, those presences would spread out without any filter. Yet even so, it was enough to intimidate all the people who came, as well as the ferocious beasts in the Dead Sea.

The island was shaped in the form of a crescent moon. Numerous pompous buildings built of jade and marble could be seen there, and the island itself was decorated extravagantly. Su Ming also could see a large number of Eastern Wasteland Cultivators moving about on the ground. It was an incredibly lively sight.

Even though the Scour Sieve Festival still had yet to begin, the preparations for it were already on the way!

Su Ming did not even attempt to hide his arrival a single bit. That was why the moment he closed in on the island, the long arc he brought along with him in the sky startled all the people on Scour Sieve Island!

"I, Su Ming of South Morning, have come to Scour Sieve Island to destroy your island. When I leave, blood will be flowing through this island in rivers, and you will all serve as a warning for Eastern Wastelands!"

Without holding anything back, he swiftly spread out his great divine sense and sent it crashing right down on the island!

His voice instantly caused thunder to roar down below, and the moment all the people heard his words, that long river of rain that Su Ming had brought along behind him charged forth with a howl, and like the river of heaven spilling down from the sky, it rammed straight down on Scour Sieve Island's protective screen of light.

Right before everyone's eyes, the river from heaven fell on them!

Right before everyone's eyes, rain poured down on them like arrows!

Right before everyone's eyes, the Dead Sea roared!

Right before everyone's eyes, the world shattered!