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Chapter 748: Offering

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Su Ming looked at the old man coldly. He could not move his body. The lack of aura of death had caused him to no longer look like a young man but an old man with an aged face.

The boils that covered many parts of his body made him into a terrifying sight to behold.

If no one had bothered Su Ming, then based on his current condition, he would have needed another half a month to get used to the climate in this place and regain his mobility. That is if he didn't die from the loss of all the aura of death in his body.

Since Su Ming's current body was formed of aura of death, what truly existed was only his soul, so the poisonous air in the area could not hurt his soul. The boils were formed when the poisonous air crashed against the aura of death in Su Ming's body. It might look devastating, but in truth, not much damage was delivered to him.

The greatest harm to him was the fact that the aura of death in this place was very thin.

When the old man's voice reached the seven people in the distance, they came back and closed in on Su Ming in the span of a breath. The speed at which they traveled caused Su Ming's eyes to shrink, though only in a barely noticeable manner.

The cultivation levels of the six were about the same as Su Ming's.

Based on the mighty pressure spreading out from the purple-robed man's body, it was obvious that he was a powerful warrior at the peak of the Second Step. He only had one step remaining before he could become a Lord of a World Plane.

The purple-robed man crouched down and lifted his right hand before touching the spot above Su Ming's heart. After a moment, he pulled back his right hand.

"The poisonous air attacked his physique, and aura of death filled his entire body. This sort of pain is incredibly hard for others to endure. His will is powerful, at the very least. He actually managed to stay alive despite these injuries… It's a pity that it's difficult to recover once aura of death enters your body, or else he would be a good worker," the purple-robed man said faintly. Once he got up, he swept his gaze over Su Ming's body and frowned slightly.

He could not find any storage bags on him.

Su Ming's storage bag was indeed not on his body. When the bald crane had transformed into a stone, its mind had worked nimbly, and it had instinctively taken Su Ming's storage bag. Now that the crane had turned into a stone, no one could see it.

"Let's take him. Our god should like a living offering even more."

The purple-robed man charged into the distance. The thin old man giggled and brought Su Ming over his shoulder. He grabbed the corpse he'd placed on the ground earlier with his right hand and rushed off with the team.

The stone that was the bald crane lifted its head behind them. Once it blinked, it carefully moved, swiftly following after them.

The group charged forth through the dark. None of them spoke on the way as they were rushing forth, their expressions filled with caution as they occasionally observed their surroundings.

The eruptions from the volcanoes at night in this abandoned cultivation planet were weaker than when they were during the day. The poisonous air scattered slightly under the moonlight, turning into a layer of fog that covered the entire area.

Under the purple-robed man's lead, the group charged forth without stop for several hours. When it was almost midnight, they arrived at the foot of a large volcano.

This was a volcano that was millions of feet in size and towered into the clouds. Its open maw could be seen faintly high above. At that moment, there were billows of black smoke rising into the sky, and when muffled booms came from the volcano's mouth, they sounded like ferocious beasts roaring.

The purple-robed man's footsteps halted for a moment, then he sucked in a deep breath. The wariness on his face became even greater. The people behind him spotted the same reaction, as if there was a great danger within this place.

Su Ming's face remained calm. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the volcano. His body was carried by the thin old man, who moved forward, charging towards the mouth of the volcano.

The moment the group got close to the gigantic opening, a low shout immediately came from inside it.

"Who is it?!"

The purple-robed man wrapped his fist in his palm and replied in a low voice, "Yue Hong Bang."

After saying that, the purple-robed man charged toward the mouth of the volcano. The seven people behind him immediately followed. When they got close, Su Ming saw that the ring that formed the mouth of the volcano now had nearly a hundred people standing there.

Most of these people were thin and emaciated. However, their eyes were bright. Strangely, though, all of these people carried a corpse over their shoulders. There were even some who carried about four or five of them on their shoulders.

Yue Hong Bang's arrival attracted quite a lot of attention, but the purple-robed man's expression did not change. He brought the people behind him to an empty spot at the edge of the ring. When he stopped there, a brilliant light shone in his eyes as he looked coldly at the people who had turned their gazes towards him.

A glint shone in Su Ming's eyes. None of the near hundred people in this place were weak. Even the weakest among them were in the initial stage of the Second Step. Not a single one among them was below the Second Step.

In fact, Su Ming had also spotted about seven among the near hundred people in this place who were at the peak of the Second Step, just like the purple-robed man. Su Ming might not know the reason why these people had come to this place, but once he saw that all of them had brought corpses here, his gaze turned towards the mouth of the volcano.

It was pitch black inside. Only billowing black smoke rose into the sky. Whatever was within could not be seen clearly. However, the occasional booms that sounded like roars emitted a powerful pressure that could bring fear to hearts.

"Alright, time's up. Those who should be here are here. As for those who aren't here, they should have run into some form of accident." As the people around the area remained silent, an old man with white hair who was dressed in a black robe spoke languidly.

The number of people behind him was the greatest. There were about twenty standing at attention behind him. All of them had brightly burning eyes, and they all had extraordinary power.

"We will proceed with the established rules regarding the offerings to our god. I will still be the one who starts first, and then, starting from my left, you'll each make an offering one by one. The offerings will end at the one standing to my right. Then, we will leave at the same time, and we won't be allowed to travel in the same direction." As the old man spoke, he bowed towards the mouth of the volcano.

"We will now make offerings to our god. O god, please show yourself!" The old man's voice rang in the air. Once it traveled into the volcano, he swung his arm, and the three corpses placed by his side flew out at the same time, then fell straight into the mouth of the volcano.

A roar that shook the hearts of the people in the area and even caused some to instinctively take a step backwards came from inside the volcano.

At the same time, a crimson red shadow was flung out. As it shone, the three corpses falling down immediately shattered. They did not turn into torn pieces of flesh, but disintegrated and turned into ashes. Wisps of light green aura spread out from the ashes and were absorbed by the crimson-red shadow.

When the crimson-red shadow no longer swayed and became clear, what was revealed was a gigantic, ferocious creature with the body of a snake and the head of a phoenix. Its body, which was connected to the entrance of the volcano, was a hundred feet in breadth and was endless in terms of length.

If no one paid any attention to the creature's body, then this would be a divine phoenix in the volcano that was looking at the crowd around it coldly.

All those who were seen by the creature would instinctively lower their heads, nod daring to meet its gaze.

Su Ming's pupils constricted as he stared at the strange ferocious beast. He had never seen its kind before. A mighty pressure was spreading out from the ferocious beast's body, rising the temperature in the area to a state where it was scorching hot.

The old man who had thrown the three corpses wrapped his fist in his palm towards the creature in respect. When he took a few steps back, the followers behind him immediately moved forward and threw out the corpses they'd brought as well.

There were thirty-two corpses in total. Once they tossed them outwards, the beast with the phoenix head would ram against them, turning them into ashes. It would absorb the light green aura that spread out from those ashes, and once it devoured it, the ferocious beast would let out an ear-splitting roar.

As it roared, it spat out thirty-two balls of fire from its mouth. These balls of fire immediately extinguished once they flew out, turning into thirty-two crystals that were filled with impurities and charged towards the old man.

Excitement appeared on the old man's face. With a swing of his arm, the crystals were immediately swept towards him. Once he wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed towards the beast, he retreated ten steps away from the inner edge of the ring along with his followers.

As Su Ming looked at this scene, understanding appeared in his eyes. This was, after all, a land barren of resources. Since they were cultivators, food was not that important to them. However, the lack of power of the world would be a huge blow. Crystal would then become the most important thing to them.

If there were no crystals, not only would they not be able to improve, their cultivation bases would start regressing slowly. Once that started, they would end up dead in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence.

'By feeding this beast with the phoenix head, they obtain crystals which exist in the beast's body in exchange. They must've appeared there by some unknown method...' Su Ming narrowed his eyes.

Once the old man retreated, the person to his left immediately repeated the process and threw out the corpses he'd brought with his followers. The corpses were all reduced to ashes once the ferocious beast crashed into them, and when it devoured the light green aura, it spat out an equivalent amount of crystals.

Before the purple-robed man's turn, two more roars came from the volcano, and two slightly smaller beasts with phoenix heads rose from the volcano to devour the light green aura from the corpses.

Before long, it was the purple-robed man's turn. He immediately threw out the corpse he carried over his shoulder, and the seven people behind him did the same. Su Ming kept his eyes open all this while, but he could not move. Once he was thrown out, a smaller beast head immediately flung itself to touch his body. Once it did so, Su Ming immediately sensed a great force traveling into his body. That power seemed to contain some form of law in it that could cause a person's body, blood, flesh, and bones to be perfectly separated from each other. They would not turn into torn pieces, but would disintegrate into ashes.

In fact, the way Su Ming felt it, this force that knocked into him was not strong at all. It was not enough to make his body crumble, but that crash seemed to contain some kind of power that was similar to the power of law, forcing Su Ming to disintegrate and turn into ashes.

Yet there was no light green aura that spread out from his body when it turned into ashes. The small beast with the phoenix head was stunned momentarily, but it still opened its mouth wide to suck in a deep breath. Even though Su Ming's physical body was no longer around, his soul was still around, and once the creature sucked in that breath, his soul was immediately absorbed into its mouth due to the suction force.

After a moment, when the crowd at the entrance of the volcano had tossed out all the corpses they brought and obtained an equivalent amount of crystals in exchange, they retreated and charged backwards in different directions, leaving the place.

Chapter 749: Body of Flesh and Blood!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Usually, during this moment, no accidents would occur as they left. The three ferocious beasts would return to the volcano and wait for the next time they came to this place.

Yet for some unknown reason, when the crowd withdrew and the three ferocious beasts had returned to the volcano, the small creature that had devoured Su Ming started trembling furiously and let out a shrill roar.

That roar appeared suddenly, startling the swiftly retreating people, but none of them were fools. All of those who could survive in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence were calculative shrews. They were only stunned for a moment. All of them immediately snuffed out their curiosity and, without any hesitation, increased their speed of retreat.

Curiosity was something that had to be paid for with a person's life in the galaxy that was the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. This cultivation planet might not be located at the center of the Barren Lands of Divine Essence, slightly closer to the edge instead, but the level of danger here was still incredibly high.

The shrill roars continued to echo, the creature's voice spreading in all directions, lingering in the air for a long time.

At the instant Su Ming was devoured by the smaller creature, he suddenly came to understand why the ancient existence in Yin Death Vortex had chosen him, who had only arrived at Life Privation, to become Yin Death's Child, and even paid such a high price to send him to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence.

Because… his body was made of aura of death, and his core was his soul. His soul… was different from that of others!

When the parts of his body were separated from each other, it felt as if shackles that had held him for a long time had been finally removed. A feeling as if he was free and there was nothing affecting his soul rose in Su Ming's heart.

As his soul spread out and he was absorbed into the ferocious beast's mouth, his soul enveloped the entire creature's body, and he could sense that this creature was about seventeen thousand feet long. He could even sense that there was a soul struggling madly within its body to fight against Su Ming's soul trying to overtake its body.

Yet once this struggling soul touched Su Ming, it out a piercing screech, and a loud roar escaped the creature's body, echoing far and wide.

A rumble rang in the air, and the small creature's body fell back into the volcano. The hot magma instantly enveloped the creature. At the same time, the two ferocious beasts beside it cried out and swam around it. However, the confusion in their eyes made it clear that they did not know what had happened to their companion.

The shrill roars from the small creature lasted for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, weakening gradually. Its soul had already shattered by this point, as if it could not put up even a single bit of resistance against Su Ming's soul.

Its body was being slowly torn apart in the magma. A large amount of blood gushed out, and its scales crumbled. Its body shrank rapidly, as if it was withering away.

The other two ferocious beasts continued to swim about the smaller creature, roaring endlessly while staring at their withering companion.

As it shrank, a hand suddenly stretched out from its bloody back. That hand looked like it was mere bones and was limp, giving an impression that it could not be lifted up. Yet as the small creature continued withering away and its body shrank to less than five thousand feet compared to its previous seventeen thousand feet, the hand that had stretched out of its back filled with strength, and gradually, the entire arm appeared.

Soon after, another arm appeared, and then… Su Ming's head and the rest of his body pushed through. His eyes were shut. As his body gathered together, the small creature's body started trembling violently. Its flesh and blood were being absorbed to become the nutrients for the physical body Su Ming had gathered together.

When its body withered to only a thousand something feet, most of Su Ming's body had left the small creature's back. At the instant he completely walked out, the thousand feet long creature's body became stiff. Once it withered away completely, it was submerged in magma.

There was not a hint of blood on Su Ming's body. Instead, a refreshing scent spread out from his body. His eyes were closed as his body was submerged in the magma. However, the heat of it was unable to injure him even in the slightest.

The large and tiny ferocious beasts were slowly approaching Su Ming at that moment. Once they swam a few circles around him, they stopped screeching. It seemed that in their senses, Su Ming was their small companion.

In the blink of an eye, half a month passed. Throughout this entire time, Su Ming was submerged in the magma, motionless. On the day after half a month had passed, his eyelashes fluttered lightly, and he gradually opened his eyes.

When he did so, a brilliant light shone within them. It was slightly different from the light in Su Ming's eyes previously. If no one took a closer look, it would be difficult for them to find anything amiss, but Su Ming himself knew well that there was something different about him.

His previous self had been formed from the aura of death. It might have seemed real, and he had been a real entity when he was in Yin Death Region, but his physical body had been an illusion. It was fake, and everything about him had been formed with his soul as the foundation.

Yet his current body was void of aura of death and was no longer a mere illusion. He now had a real body that was made of flesh and blood. It was a body that was gathered together once he used the ferocious beast as nutrients, which he had managed to do after transforming the its body once he occupied it with his soul.

"Building the Abyss, huh..?" Su Ming whispered softly. His soul had finally become complete after the three seals had been released in Yin Death Region. Once it became complete, he had heard the familiar voice whispering these words in his ear.

When he was in the ferocious beast's body just now, this voice had reverberated in his ears once again.

In silence, Su Ming lowered his head and looked at his own body with a calm expression. When he lifted his right hand slowly and clenched it, a feeling of power burst forth within him.

It was an incredibly unique feeling of Qi that he had never sensed before.

Besides this feeling, Su Ming also had a faint sense that there was a power of a law he did not quite understand contained within his fist. That power of law was like some form of inborn ability. However, it did not belong to him. It instead belonged to this body of flesh and blood, which originated from the creature with the phoenix head.

'If that is the case, then even though I felt that my body in Yin Death Region was real, it was in fact, fake. Even after I've managed to sacrifice all my bones, what had changed was not my illusory body… but my soul.

'Having a soul as my body, that was me when I was in Yin Death Region.'

Su Ming slowly stood up and stepped on magma. He did not sense even a single hint of unbearable heat. This was due to more than just him losing his sense of pain. There were also other reasons behind this.

'All things of earth forming my body, that is the me now.'

Once Su Ming got up, the magma immediately started churning. A creature with a beast head crawled out and approached him with its big head. Once it nuzzled against Su Ming, it let out a cheerful cry.

Su Ming's presence gave it a sense of familiarity. It was the presence that belonged to its companion. Even if Su Ming's appearance was different from its companion, their presence was the same.

Su Ming looked at the small creature, and after a long while, lifted his right hand slowly. He patted the small creature's head, and it immediately flung its head as it screeched, then its body, which was ten thousand something feet, charged out of the magma, heading straight towards the mouth of the volcano above it. After a moment, as piercing cries rang out in the air, the small creature flew back down with a bald crane in its beak.

During the past half a month, the bald crane had been cautiously avoiding the mouth of the volcano, staying at the edges. It had wanted to enter many times to look, but the mighty pressure coming from the mouth of the volcano had robbed it of its courage.

It had been peeking from the edge of the entrance to examine what was inside, but immediately noticed a wave of heat closing in on it. Before it managed to react to the situation, the small creature with the phoenix head had clamped its beak around the bald crane's body and brought it into the volcano.

As the bald crane screamed, it saw Su Ming standing on the magma, and its screams disappeared, replaced by surprised delight.

"Damn it all, so you aren't dead yet, Little Su? You made this old crane think you were dead!" The bald crane flapped its wings and flew carefully to a burning crimson rock by the side. After touching it a few times, it decided that it was still bearable and laid there, looking at Su Ming with surprise.

Su Ming's expression was cold and aloof. Once he cast a glance at the bald crane, he lifted his right hand and stretched his hand towards it.

The bald crane saw the aloof look in Su Ming's eyes and its words died down in its mouth. It sighed. With a flap of its wings, a storage bag immediately flew out towards Su Ming.

Once he grabbed it, Su Ming opened it calmly and immediately brought out a long robe. Rays of starlight instantly started flashing in the volcano, revealing that this was Dao Yuan's Sacred Constellation Robe.

Once Su Ming put it on, his disposition changed. However, the stars on his robe did not move, as if they were dead.

'I see, so it's difficult for those whose family name is not Dao to bring out its power, huh?'

Su Ming cast the Constellation Robe a glance and spread his Atman, which was now at Life Privation Realm, outwards. Then he had his Atman fuse with the robe. When Su Ming retrieved his Atman a moment later, while the stars on the robe remained unmoving, the robe's color gradually changed until it turned into a very ordinary looking black robe.

'It has a hundred and eight Runes to verify a person's identity, and only those with the blood of the Dao family can bring out all of its power. Even if outsiders put divine sense into it, they can only bring out the simpler and more basic functions of the robe.'

A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. He no longer bothered about this matter, but chose to sit down on the magma. With his eyes closed, he exercised his breathing. He had gotten used to this sort of breathing exercise when he was in Yin Death Region, but once he obtained a real physical body, the exercise felt a little unfamiliar to him. As he exercised his breathing, a large amount of heat spread out from the magma and gathered about his body.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye. Su Ming never left the volcano during this time and continued training while absorbing the hot power of the flames, which caused his hair to turn dark red. His body also blended perfectly with his soul, and he could now bring out the complete power of Life Privation Realm with this body.

On the day three months later, the bald crane yawned on the stone and wondered in boredom whether it should take a stroll outside when the magma around Su Ming suddenly started boiling. At the same time, the colossal ferocious beast with the phoenix head that was about a hundred feet in breadth and had never appeared after Su Ming woke up rushed out of the magma and let out a roar towards the entrance of the volcano before charging towards it.

The smaller creature with the phoenix head also flew out behind it. Su Ming's eyes sparkled as faint voice from beyond the volcano reached his ears.

"We will now make offerings to our god. O god, please show yourself!"

Chapter 750: Crimson Flame Planet

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

At that moment, there was no longer around a hundred people gathered at the entrance of the volcano, but only about seventy to eighty. Their faces were pale, and most had injuries on their bodies.

The purple-robed man, Yue Hong Bang, was standing at the edge of the ring. His face was pale as well, and his coughs would occasionally travel into the air, as if he had blood in his mouth. There were only four left of the seven behind him, the thin old man being one of them.

The old man from around three months ago was the one speaking. There were only ten people left behind him. All of them were carrying corpses over their shoulders. Some of these corpses were their friends, and some of them strangers.

As the old man's voice resounded in the air, a roar came from within the volcano. The gigantic ferocious beast with the phoenix head that was a hundred feet in breadth looked at the cultivators around it coldly.

Once the old man threw out the corpse respectfully, the ferocious beast with the phoenix head rammed into it as usual and caused the corpse to disintegrate before sucking in the light green aura and spitting out a crystal.

When nearly forty something corpses were thrown out in succession, the slightly smaller creature with the beast head flew out with a roar and also started ramming its body against the corpses before devouring them.

Once it devoured about twenty something corpses, it stopped eating the light green aura and lowered its head to look into the mouth of the volcano, which was right under it. The gigantic ferocious beast beside it also looked at the volcano and let out a roar.

There was no ill-will within that roar. It instead sounded like an urging for someone to come forward.

This scene stunned all the people around the ring, and the cultivators that were about to throw out the corpses froze in their movements for a moment.

Then, before the expectant gazes of the two ferocious beasts and the seventy-eighty people around the mouth of the volcano, Su Ming rose slowly into the air. His face was calm and his movements were not quick, but once he appeared, intense shouts that could not be contained immediately came from the mouths of the seventy-eighty people.

"Wh-who is that?!"

"Someone actually managed to live in the volcano where the Crimson Python Phoenix lives? This person is…"

"The Crimson Python Phoenixes are usually very averse to strangers. They're incredibly fierce, so could they let a person live in their cave abode?!"

The loud voices reverberated in the air. The seventy-eighty people sucked in a breath and moved back without any hesitation. Yue Hong Bang looked at Su Ming flying out of the volcano, and his eyes went wide. Su Ming's body might have been changed from an illusion formed from the aura of death to one possessing flesh and blood, but his appearance was still as before, and Yue Hong Bang could recognize with just one glance that he was the person he had picked up three months ago.

At that moment, his shock could be said to be the greatest among all those present. Disbelief appeared on his face, and once he staggered several dozens of steps backwards, he looked at the thin old man beside him.

Three months ago, it was this old man that had personally taken this person who had still not died to this place and thrown him into the volcano. At that moment, the thin old man's eyes had almost popped out of his eye sockets. Shock and disbelief was on his face, and even his breathing had stopped for an instant.

As the crowd retreated in shock, the gigantic ferocious beast with the phoenix head opened its mouth wide and let out a terrifying roar, causing all the people's footsteps to stop, but the shock on their faces could not be hidden no matter how much they tried.

This sort of thing surpassed their imagination.

Su Ming's expression was calm. Once he rose into the air, he walked towards the gigantic Crimson Python Phoenix. He landed on its head and looked at the crowd beneath him coldly.

The large creature did not avoid him, simply allowing him to stand on its head. To it, Su Ming's presence was the familiar one of its child.

"Throw the corpses," Su Ming said flatly.

Once he spoke, the seventy-eighty people in the area immediately fell silent. Their eyes shone as they looked at Su Ming, but their gazes were filled with terror.

This scene was simply too far-fetched for them, something they could have never imagined. The only explanation for this was one, and a single, almost uniform thought rose in most of the people's heads at that moment.

However, none of them took the initiative to voice it. The cultivator that had been about to throw his corpse gritted his teeth and took a step forward, finishing his action.

The corpse sliced through the air in a long arc, going straight for Su Ming. At the instant it came close, a glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes, and he clenched his right fist before punching the corpse.

At the instant his fist connected, understanding appeared in Su Ming's eyes. A loud bang resounded, but there was no blood, and neither did the corpse fall into pieces. Instead, it disintegrated and turned into ashes before disappearing.

Wisps of light green aura spread out, but Su Ming did not absorb it. The smaller Crimson Python Phoenix beside him blinked and opened its mouth, inhaling the light green aura.

Su Ming lowered his head and looked at his fist. Previously, he could clearly sense a strange power of law that came from his body, and it was a bizarre power that could perfectly disassemble all materials.

"What is this place in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence?" Su Ming coldly asked from the Crimson Python Phoenix's head once he lifted his own up. There was not a single hint of emotion contained within his words. The chilling tone made it seem as if the temperature around the area had fallen by quite a large margin.

This aloof voice immediately terrified the people around the mouth of the volcano even more. At that moment, they became even more certain of the assumption they'd made in their heads.

Yue Hong Bang's heart trembled. He remembered that this person had not died three months ago even when aura of death had entered his body. In fact, his consciousness had been very clear, and that aloof gaze instantly filled his heart with bitterness.

'Since he was able to not die when aura of death entered his body and had the capability to subdue a powerful creature such as the Crimson Python Phoenix, this can only mean that he is not from this place, especially based on what he said. The mercilessness and aloof tone of his words that seem to come from his soul, too… Could this person really be from…"

The thin old man started shivering lightly. Clearly, he had thought of some sort of frightening thing.

'Only those who were mass murderers can have absolutely no emotion in their words and speak with a tone that is as cold as ice. Only those who are indifferent towards human lives can be completely fearless despite having crossed into a different galaxy… and only these people can subdue these Crimson Python Phoenixes!'

The white-haired old man in the lead felt his heart tremble. He might have been doubtful at first, but this doubt disappeared swiftly under the Crimson Python Phoenix's gaze. He sucked in a deep breath and wrapped his fist in his palm before bowing to Su Ming.

"This is Crimson Flame Planet. It is located at the edge of the Barren Lands of Divine Essence, and if a mighty person in the Third Step traveled from here to the True World's galaxy, it would take about thirty years for them to reach that place. About two hundred years would be needed to reach Black Ink Planet, which is located beyond the Barren Lands of Divine Essence.

"Sir, did you… come from the world outside?"

The old man's expression was incredibly respectful. There was even a hint of respect when he said his final sentence. Su Ming might not seem powerful, but to not waste power by having it spread around the Barren Lands of Divine Essence, many people usually sealed it up to prevent too much depletion.

Su Ming fell into a moment of pensive silence, then asked languidly, "Does Crimson Flame Planet have anything that grows here in abundance?"

"Nothing grows here in abundance except for the Crimson Flame Grass that lives in the Region of Flames…" the old man quickly answered.

"How many powerful warriors of the Third Step are here?" Su Ming suddenly asked.

Chapter 751: Eats People?

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The old man hesitated for a moment before he wrapped his fist in his palm and asked, "Sir, are you asking about… Lords of World Planes?"

Based on the old man's waves of power coming from his cultivation base, it could be seen that he should be from a race that was similar to the Immortals. He was around the peak of the Second Step, which was why he had been using the Third Step's speed as a standard while talking about the distance and the time needed to move between planets.

However, since Barren Lands of Divine Essence was a place for the criminals from the four Great True Worlds and the mysterious alien races, the categorizations for the levels of cultivation were a little messy, which was why these people continued using the titles that were used in the four Great True Worlds.

Lord of a World Plane!

This was a standard for cultivators. Lord of a Plane was placed as a center of power, and those who reached it were divided into four stages - initial, middle, later, and completion. Above these were the Lesser Solar Kalpa Realm and the true Solar Kalpa Realm.

Since those who had yet to reach the stage of a Lord of a World Plane were numerous, the categorization of their levels of cultivation was even more confusing. After all, each race's cultivation system was different. But over the countless years, a standard of cultivation had been slowly accepted by the four Great True Worlds, and it also became a standard within the Barren Lands of Divine Essence.

All those below the level of World Plane were known as cultivators of Heaven, Earth, and Man Cultivation. Based on the Barren Lands of Divine Essence's categorization, the old man's level of cultivation was at the peak of the Second Step in his race, and he was also at the peak of the Heaven Cultivation.

As for Su Ming, when he reached Life Privation, he had moved into the initial stage of Earth Cultivation within the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. If he could get past Life Privation Realm and enter Life Palace Realm, then he would become a cultivator of Heaven Cultivation.

If he could break through Life Palace Realm and reach World of Life, the final Realm within Life Cultivation, then he would reach the peak of Heaven Cultivation and could attempt becoming a Lord of a World Plane.

However, due to the differences between races, a Realm that seemed equal between the cultivation systems could result in a strength that was much higher or lower compared to that of another person. Due to the absence of resources in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence and the lack of spiritual energy, those differences in strength could be magnified exponentially.

Those who were below the Realm of Man Cultivation did not have a joint name within the Barren Lands of Divine Essence, because these people were only ants in this world.

Once Su Ming heard the old man's words, a glint appeared in his eyes. He nodded. The seventy-eighty people around him might have extraordinary power, but Su Ming knew that he had come out of the volcano in an extremely shocking manner, and the ferocious beast with the phoenix head beneath him was exuding a frightening presence that terrified these people. Due to all of this, they had mistaken him for a Lord of a World Plane from the world outside that was passing by this place.

This was something Su Ming did not expect. He had originally intended to use the ferocious beast's might and ask about some things in this land, so that he could have a better chance of surviving here.

'Could it be that most of the people here seal off their power..? Or else the old man wouldn't have this sort of misunderstanding, especially since he can see my level of cultivation clearly.' Su Ming remained as calm as ever. He already had a basic gist of what was going on based on the people's expressions.

"Crimson Flame Planet is rather far from the center of the Barren Lands of Divine Essence, closer to the galaxy of the True Worlds. The patrolling True Guards frequently check this place, which is why there are only two World Paragons here. One of them is in an area to the east, and the other to the west. They are usually in isolation and don't bother with what is happening in the world.

"There are no other World Paragons in Crimson Flame Planet besides these two," the old man said as he wrapped his fist in his palm.

"This place is the northern region of Crimson Flame Planet. There was another World Paragon five hundred years ago, but because he had let out a disrespectful aura when the True Guards were patrolling in space, they killed him.

"There are also quite a number of ferocious beasts and divine spirits here in Crimson Flame Planet that possess the power of Lords of World Planes," said Yue Hong Bang respectfully by the side as he wrapped his fist in his palm towards Su Ming. As he spoke, he cast a glance at the Crimson Python Phoenix. He was intent on improving his relationship with Su Ming because he was worried that the other would cause him trouble. That was why he had told him the things the old man did not say.

"From now onwards, when you come to this place and make your offerings, while the rules to offering corpses have not changed, you must also offer some of the items that are unique to this planet. If anything catches my fancy, I will reward you," Su Ming stated calmly.

His gaze then fell on Yue Hong Bang. "All of you can leave now, but you, stay back. I have further requests."

Yue Hong Bang's heart trembled. His followers immediately moved closer to him with wariness on their faces as ripples of power spread out from his body.

Anguish rose in their hearts, but once they remembered how Yue Hong Bang had taken care of them over the years, they found that they no longer had any attachments to this hellish life.

At the instant, they spread out the waves of their power, and the Crimson Python Phoenix beneath Su Ming's feet looked towards them coldly. Low roars came from its mouth, and a vast, mighty pressure that was not in the very least weaker than that of a Lord of a World Plane spread out from its body.

Yue Hong Bang's hair rose on end. The others in the area wrapped their fists in their palms and retreated without any hesitation, no longer bothering about Yue Hong Bang's survival.

Even the old man in the lead wrapped his fist in his palm and retreated immediately. In the blink of an eye, the seventy-eighty people around the area turned into an equivalent number of long arcs that swiftly left the place.

"Move back. Wait for me outside."

Yue Hong Bang hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and spoke to his followers. His potential was not the only reason why he had reached the Heaven Cultivation Realm. It was also due to his intelligence. If the stranger truly wanted to kill him, there would've been no need for him to go through so much trouble. He had asked Yue Hong Bang to stay in this place, and this… might be a chance.

Once Yue Hong Bang thought of this, an idea took shape in his mind.

The people behind him halted for a moment, but when they saw the resolute look on Yue Hong Bang's face, they withdrew into the distance in silence.

At that moment, besides the huge and tiny Crimson Python Phoenixes at the entrance of the volcano, there were only Su Ming and Yue Hong Bang left.

Su Ming looked at Yue Hong Bang and after a moment had gone by asked, "How are the levels of cultivation categorized in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence?"

Yue Hong Bang's expression remained calm, but once he heard Su Ming's question, his heart let out a thump. He came to a sudden realization that his previous assumption had been incorrect. The person before him was not a powerful warrior who had come from the inner parts of the Barren Lands of Divine Essence, but...

Yue Hong Bang's breathing quickened during that instant. He lifted his head and looked at Su Ming. As he recalled the moment he first saw this person, he became even more certain of his guess. He immediately wrapped his fist in his palm and told Su Ming everything about the three cultivation levels of Heaven, Earth, and Man as well as the titles associated with the Lords of World Planes without keeping anything back.

"The True World's Galaxy is a place that exists once the four Great True Worlds are connected together. It is used to suppress the Barren Lands of Divine Essence, and it is also the only exit of this place.

"The four Great True Worlds will frequently send powerful warriors to patrol the True World's Galaxy. They won't get too close to the center of the Barren Lands of Divine Essence, but would patrol the many cultivation planets at the periphery of this world.

"Those people who are sent out are the True Guards!

"Ouyang Shang mentioned the Barren Lands of Divine Essence's Black Ink Planet just now. That planet has a great reputation in this world, and it is one of the cultivation planets in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence that serve as a landmark. It is the only one that has not been completely abandoned, because it is a cultivation planet that still possess some spiritual energy.

"Ouyang Shang is the old man you talked to just now. He thought that you were a powerful warrior from Black Ink Planet, because occasionally there are World Paragons who are indifferent towards their own lives and dare to move across the galaxy within the Barren Lands of Divine Essence to go to other cultivation planets in search of things they need for their cultivation," Yue Hong Bang explained while looking at Su Ming.

"Then what do you think?" Su Ming asked flatly.

"I believe that you are not from Black Ink Planet, but… a first generation criminal that has just been sent to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence from the four True Great Worlds!" Yue Hong Bang said without any hesitation, and there was even eagerness on his face.

"All those who still have the memories from the world outside and have just been sent here for the first time are first generation criminals. They will give birth to their offspring here, creating a few people like me in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. We are people who live in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence from the moment we are born till the one when we breathe our last."

Yue Hong Bang sucked in a deep breath and asked respectfully, "Sir, I wonder which of the four True Great Worlds did you come from?"

Su Ming's gaze was cold. He chose to neither deny nor answer Yue Hong Bang's question, but instead patted the Crimson Python Phoenix beneath him. It let out a roar and returned to the entrance of the volcano, bringing Su Ming with it, and the both of them disappeared from Yue Hong Bang's gaze as they sank into the volcano.

Yue Hong Bang stood there, his expression changing constantly. After a moment, he bowed deeply towards the mouth of the volcano, then turned around and left swiftly. Doubt rose in his heart again, and he began to second guess his previous judgment.

'Could it be that this person asked me these things to guide me towards a certain train of thought..?' There was no answer to this question in Yue Hong Bang's mind. When he thought back on the scene just now, he found that Su Ming's cold gaze had been the thing that left the deepest impression in his memory. That emotionless gaze looked as if it was completely indifferent towards all forms of life.

'It doesn't matter where he came from. I cannot incur his wrath, and neither can I speak about my guesses to the others when I'm outside the area,' Yue Hong Bang decided in his heart and gradually disappeared into the distance.

Time passed by quickly in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. Su Ming stayed inside the volcano with half of his body immersed in magma. It had been a whole year since he had first come out of the volcano for the first time. During the past year, Yue Hong Bang and the others had come four times. As of the last time, they to numbered to less than fifty, from around eighty a year ago.

When they had come to this place the fourth time, they had not just brought the corpses, which were a necessity, but also brought some of the items from around Crimson Flame Planet. One of them was an uneven blue crystal floating before Su Ming. There were quite a lot of impurities which looked like muscles within it, but there was not a hint of spiritual energy contained within the crystal.

This caught Su Ming's attention.

After observing the crystal for a moment, he lifted his right hand, and it began rapidly withering away before his eyes. When his right arm had shriveled to the point that it looked as if it had been reduced to only skin and bones, he grabbed the stone.

As blue light shone from the stone, it began shrinking swiftly, turning into dust in Su Ming's hand. This hand of his began to gain flesh and blood, recovering slightly from its emaciated state.

'If I compare my level of cultivation to theirs, it's difficult for me to compete against many of the people here… but I didn't expect that there would be items here that would allow Surging Indulgers to practice their cultivation here!' A strange light appeared in Su Ming's eyes as he stared at his right hand.

'This Barren Lands of Divine Essence are mysterious indeed. Crimson Flame Planet, which is located at the edge of this galaxy, produces this useless stone which possesses the power of flesh and blood.'

Su Ming seized the air in the direction of the magma beside him, and another blue stone that was the size of his fist immediately flew into his hand. As he looked at the impurities that looked muscles within the crystal, Su Ming narrowed his eyes.

'Could it be that this Crimson Flame Planet eats people? Or else why would the stones have flesh and blood?!'

Chapter 752: Heinous Criminals of the Alien Races!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Su Ming suddenly recalled the thing he had never come to understand—the reason why the Crimson Python Phoenixes had to absorb the light green aura from the corpses. He had watched them absorbing the aura that came from the corpses over the year, but he had been unable to absorb even a single bit of it.

He fell into pensive silence, his eyes closed. He started circulating his cultivation base so that the harmony between his soul and body would reach perfection. His body was filled with the heat of flames, and it even looked as if there were waves of hot air coming out from his nose when he breathed.

A layer of distortions appeared faintly around his body. The distortions looked like waves of flowing water that were circling him. This was the inborn talent that came from Su Ming's physical body, and it was the mysterious divine ability that had allowed him to disassemble materials with a punch.

The smaller Crimson Python Phoenixes by his side was staring at the bald crane. They seemed to find each other quite the eyesore. The Crimson Python Phoenix was growling lowly at the bald crane, which had been able to tell the relationship between Su Ming and the two ferocious beasts a long time ago. At that moment, it was lying on the stone and sizing up the Crimson Python Phoenix before deciding to turn into a huge, brownish yellow dog.

This was the appearance of the strongest ferocious beast in its memories. Once it changed into this form, it bared its teeth at the Crimson Python Phoenix.

The Crimson Python Phoenix that had the power equivalent to the power of Lords of World Planes had entered to depths of the magma a long time ago to sleep there. Only when the time of offerings arrived would it wake up to eat.

When the smaller Crimson Python Phoenix saw the mutt that was the bald crane, its eyes immediately went wide. Clearly, it had never seen a ferocious beast like this before. After a moment of hesitation, a layer of distortions and waves that were the exact same as the ones about Su Ming surrounded it.

Hints of the strange law filled the area around the Crimson Python Phoenix once the distortions appeared, and it glared at the mutt that was the bald crane before starting to growl lightly.

During the past year, the phoenix and crane had been glaring at each other with animosity all the time, but they had never truly attacked each other. At that moment, as they growled at each other, the Crimson Python Phoenix suddenly shuddered and crawled into the magma without any hesitation, not daring to show even a hint of itself.

This sudden act stunned the bald crane. It bared its teeth, as if it was laughing at the phoenix, but then a shudder ran through it. A mighty pressure surged into the volcano through its mouth and filled it with a bang. A divine sense was contained within that mighty pressure, as if someone who was incredibly powerful was using their divine sense to sweep through the land.

The bald crane immediately let out a shrill screech. It could vaguely recall that it had once encountered this act of divine sense sweeping through the land, and it was something that was incredibly dangerous.

As it screamed, it no longer bothered with the scorching heat of the magma and crawled into it.

The gigantic Crimson Python Phoenix that was sleeping in the depths of the magma had opened its eyes a long time ago. There was a deep-seated terror in its eyes, but it still moved slightly and let out a roar from the depths of the magma to the mouth of the volcano.

This roar was declaring its territory, even if the it was terrified.

Su Ming had also opened his eyes. He was staring at the sky beyond the mouth of the volcano, and even though his expression was calm, his pupils had shrank.

At that moment, it did not matter whether it was the north, west, south, or east, the expression of people in all regions of Crimson Flame Planet changed. They instantly stopped everything they were doing.

Even those who had been fighting and were just a hand's reach away from killing each other stopped at that instant and chose instead to sit down cross-legged on the floor, not daring to move even an inch.

It was as if they were worried that they would suffer an inconceivable destruction if they did anything extra.

All the cultivators reacted the same way in the entire Crimson Flame Planet, including Yue Hong Bang and the others. All of their faces were pale as they looked at the sky while trembling. The helplessness and terror in their gazes were incredibly clear.

To the east of Crimson Flame Planet was a stone house located on a tall mountain. There was an old woman with messy hair sitting cross-legged there, and her eyes were wide open as she stared at above herself, as if her gaze could penetrate the roof and she could see the starry sky above her.

The waves of power that belonged to a Lord of a World Plane could be detected on her, but at that moment, she had suppressed those waves so much that they had become incredibly weak. In fact, very soon, a look of humility along with humiliation appeared in her eyes, and she chose to grovel instead of sitting cross-legged.

Within the only forest that had any green plants walked a middle-aged man. This area was located to the west of Crimson Flame Planet, and he was touching the green leaves on the trees with a dazed look on his face, as if he was lost in his thoughts.

It was as if the green leaves in the forest brought him back to some beautiful moments from his past. As he touched them gently, the mighty pressure as well as the divine sense swept through the world. He lifted his head the and looked at the sky with anguish on his face.

He slowly prostrated himself on the ground.

Unlike the still and unmoving cultivators in Crimson Flame Mountain, the ferocious beasts that existed in several spots were roaring to declare their territories.

Su Ming's eyes were narrowed as he lay in the magma. He could vaguely sense that the source of the mighty pressure and divine sense in the world came from beyond Crimson Flame Planet.

A title that Yue Hong Bang had mentioned a year ago appeared in his head.

"True Guard," he whispered softly.

At that moment, there was a gigantic, ancient, bronze sword drifting in the galaxy beyond Crimson Flame Planet. If Su Ming saw that ancient bronze sword, he would definitely find it familiar. It was similar to the Enchanted Treasure he had seen in the World of Nine Yin when he was in Yin Death Region. It was the Enchanted Treasure that allowed the Spirits of Nine Yin to move through galaxies.

This sword might not be the same, but it was incredibly similar.

The ancient sword was a hundred thousand feet long, and there were seven people standing on it at that moment. These seven people were wearing large robes. They had indifferent expressions on their faces, and the presence that belonged to Lords of World Planes spread out from their bodies.

There were three thousand cultivators sitting and meditating behind them. The levels of cultivation of those three thousand were not important compared to that bloody and murderous presence coming from them. It had already surpassed their levels of cultivation, and as it spread out, it caused the people who sensed it to feel as if a sea of blood was about to charge towards them.

But that was not all. An even stronger wave of power spread out from the ancient bronze sword. The strength of that wave was so great that it felt as if… it could easily destroy a cultivation planet, and could also easily tear apart the body and soul of a person who had reached the status of World Paragon.

True Guards!

This was the patrol team formed by the powerful warriors that were keeping guard over this place. They had power and reputation that brought a sense of danger to many in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. At that moment, the ancient bronze sword was clearly patrolling the area around Crimson Flame Planet. The divine sense and mighty pressure that covered the entire planet had naturally come from the bodies of all True Guards.

The seven people standing at the tip of the sword were talking and laughing among themselves, their expressions calm. After a moment, a ray of green light shot out from the hundred thousand feet ancient bronze sword, and a long green arc immediately erupted with a bang, charging towards Crimson Flame Planet.

It was so quick that it instantly reached it, but the planet did not crumble. The green arc spread out and turned into a large amount of green light that spread out to cover the entire Crimson Flame Planet.

Once that happened, a projection appeared before the seven people.

It portrayed the cultivation planet, shrunken down by several times, to the size of only a thousand feet. There were a large number of glowing spots in the projection, but most of them were dark. Only about a hundred of these glowing spots were light red, and they were scattered throughout the regions in the planet's projection.

The seven people looked at the illusory projection of the cultivation planet and started speaking among themselves.

"The number of people at the peak of Heaven Cultivation has been reduced by quite a large margin."

"There are still only two criminals who are Lords of World Planes."

There were two dark red glowing spots that were shining the brightest in the illusory projection. One of them was to the east while the other to the west, and there was a respectful presence spreading out from those glowing spots.

"The ferocious beasts left behind by the alien races have had their intelligences wiped away for all eternity, but their growth is still very shocking…"

As the seven people's soft voices echoed in the air, several purple glowing spots immediately appeared in the illusory projection.

These glowing spots were scattered throughout seven different regions. Some of the lights were alone, while some gathered together into twos or threes. Among them was a region that looked like a volcano located to the north of Crimson Flame Planet. There were two small and one large purple glowing spots there.

"Alright, everything within the outer section is normal. Let's check the inner section. That's the crux of this place," an overbearing voice said from among the seven, and the moment this voice appeared, the other six immediately stopped laughing and chatting among themselves, and their expressions immediately became grave. Even the murderous aura from the three thousand cultivators behind them became thicker, and flowing light spilled out in all directions from the ancient bronze sword, as if its strongest attack was about to burst forth.

The seven people formed a seal at the same time and pointed towards the illusory projection of the cultivation planet. Waves immediately appeared on the projection, and as it swept through the projection layer by layer, the inner part of Crimson Flame Planet appeared!

There… was a crimson-red region. At the instant the seven people saw this layer of crimson red, their expressions became even more grave, and faint looks of wariness as well as nervousness appeared on their faces.

As the waves of the illusory projection continued sweeping through, each layer seemed to magnify the place before eventually revealing a gigantic spot shining with a piercing red light in the depths of the crimson-red region. If anyone looked at it for a prolonged period of time, they would find that there were faint shades of black in it as well.

The crimson red around the area was created due to the light from the glowing spot filling up the air there.

Once the glowing spot appeared, fine white threads also took shape, intersecting one another while covering the entire Crimson Flame Planet. It could be easily seen that the glowing spot was right at the center of the white threads.

When the seven people saw this, they relaxed.

"There is no damage to the seal. The heinous criminal from the alien race that is detained here is still deep asleep."

"Each of the cultivation planets in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence are suppressing a heinous criminal from an alien race, and it's especially so for the core of the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. It's said that there are incredibly terrifying alien races over there. I don't know which cultivator in the Kalpa Realm suggested it in the past, but these people should not even continue living. The anomaly of ten thousand years ago in Black Ink Planet is the best example."

"It's not as if you don't know that these criminals from the alien races are incredibly difficult to kill…"

"But that just makes things bothersome for us of the future generation. Thank goodness we patrol in separate regions, and all is well in ours."

As the seven people spoke to each other, the illusory projection vanished. The blue light over Crimson Flame Planet dispersed, and the ancient bronze sword floating beyond it slowly turned around and gradually disappeared into the distance. The mighty pressure and divine sense over the planet disappeared.

Chapter 753: Invasion!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Su Ming stood on the magma in the volcano. The mighty presence and the divine sense from the sky that had swept past him just now had made him feel as if his entire body had turned transparent and he could keep no secrets. Everything about him had been revealed to that divine sense.

This feeling turned Su Ming's expression dark, and he came to a deeper understanding of what the old voice from Yin Death Vortex had meant when he said that the Barren Lands of Divine Essence were a gigantic jail.

'These True Guards are the guards that fend against the Barren Lands of Divine Essence.' In silence, the gigantic Crimson Python Phoenix that had flown out previously stopped howling and its body fell limp, as if the roars just now had used up all its strength.

As a dull and lifeless expression settled on its face, it gradually sank into the magma and falling into deep sleep once again.

The bald crane stuck its head out of the magma at that moment. The terror in its eyes showed that fear still lingered within its heart. It flapped its wings and flew out of the magma before sprawling over the stone where it had been previously.

"Your Grandpa Crane was just about to suffocate! Damn it all, this place is just too hot. But why do I feel like there should be a place that is even hotter here?" The bald crane scratched its bald head, muffled.

After a long while, Su Ming closed his eyes and no longer bothered himself with thinking about the True Guards. After all, the True Guards were incredibly powerful, and they were not people Su Ming could hope to stand up to. The most important thing for him then was to continue training and increase his level of cultivation. Once it reached a certain standard, he could leave this place and search for the king of Yin Death's Fragmented Worlds as well as the entrance to the fifth True Great World, and perhaps… he could even leave this place!

The brilliant light that shone in Su Ming's eyes was hidden by his closed lids. He might have lost his ability to love and his sense of pain, but the beautiful moments in his memories still remained, and whenever he remembered them, he would feel numb. This numbness would cause anguish in the depths of his heart.

In silence, Su Ming began circulating his cultivation base, repeating the act of absorbing the hot air. It was something he had done without stop for the entire year. As he absorbed the hot air, he would also absorb the power of flesh and blood from the blue stone so that his body would become stronger.

Time passed. One month, two months… In the blink of an eye, another year went by.

The four seasons did not exist in Crimson Flame Planet. No matter what month it was, heat would always fill the planet. That heat could roast a person's skin and evaporate sweat as well as blood. It could also gradually burn a person's will to ashes.

During the past year, Su Ming had gone out once, but he did not move too far away. He could only move about ten thousand feet around the volcano. He could not go past that area because once he was close to that spot, a blue screen of light would immediately appear, blocking his footsteps.

Aside from that, once Su Ming left the volcano, he could sense that the spiritual energy in the world was incredibly scarce. He could release his power as he circulated his cultivation base but could not absorb anything. Because of that, it was difficult for him to replenish his cultivation base.

There might be quite a large number of crystals in his storage bag, but there would still come a time when he would use them up. That was why Su Ming seldom used them. He did not know how long he would need to stay in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. Perhaps… he would need to stay there for the entirety of his life.

Su Ming did not know whether he would act like the others and commit acts of murder as well as carrying corpses around to search for the 'gods' such as the Crimson Python Phoenix in order to obtain inferior crystals once all his crystals disappeared.

Fortunately, his current body was greatly different from other people's. He could absorb the power of fire within the magma. This flame's power might only have one single attribute, but in this barren Crimson Flame Planet, being able to absorb this crazed power of fire already put him a step above others.

Even when two years passed, Su Ming's level of cultivation was still at the initial stage of Life Privation, which was the starting point of Earth Cultivation Realm. His cultivation level might not have increased even a single bit, but most of his Yin Death Aura had already disappeared. Most of the divine abilities he cast now centered around the might of flames.

And they also became his strongest divine abilities.

As he trained his physical body and devoured the heat, he would obtain quite a large amount of resources, courtesy of the people who were relying on the Crimson Python Phoenix. Due to those extra resources, his physical body's training was going much swifter than it should have. However… as time passed and more people who relied on the Crimson Python Phoenix died, Su Ming's training of his physical body also slowed down.

The one time he had exited the volcano was because of this. He had wanted to search for the blue crystals on his own.

On that day when there was about a month left before the time of the offerings, Su Ming lay with his body submerged in magma, exercising his breathing. He had his Atman spread out and cast around the area. This had already become a habit to him.

Yet at this time, not long after Su Ming had spread his Atman outwards, his eyes suddenly flew open.

At that moment, Yue Hong Bang was moving swiftly past the mountain range leading to the volcano with a forlorn and bitter expression on his face, his body covered in blood. Only the thin old man remained from the people who had been with him in the past. There was a wound on the old man's chest that covered most of it. Blood flowed out in rivers, and the old man's face was pale. If he did not have a True Breath of Live, he would have fallen dead long ago.

There were three figures giving chase. Two of them were men, and one of them was a woman. All of them were thin, but the light in their eyes was bright with bloodthirstiness as they chased their prey.

Among the three, besides an old man who had reached Heaven Cultivation Realm, the other man and woman, who were in their middle-ages, were at Earth Cultivation Realm. The speed at which they gave chase became faster with each passing moment, and evil snickers came from the old man.

"Yue Hong Bang, I've wanted to kill you for a very long time, but as expected of a third generation descendant of a criminal. The trap I set had only managed to injure the both of you badly. "This time, I will definitely kill you! How dare you trespass the area of my cave abode?! You're just asking for death!"

Killing intent and greed shone in the old man's eyes. When he lifted his right hand, a string of incantations tumbled out of his mouth and echoed in the air. As he formed a seal with his left hand, he struck the air, and immediately, a gust of black wind appeared out of nowhere. It turned into a gigantic black-spiked mace that charged towards Yue Hong Bang with a loud buzz.

"I'll kill you and use your corpse of a third generation descendant of a criminal to exchange for ten crystals from my god. It'll be enough to cover up all the power I've spent to kill you!"

The black wind swept up the spiked mace and closed in on Yue Hong Bang with a loud whistle. Despair appeared on Yue Hong Bang's face, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood as he turned his head back. Once he formed a seal with his hands, the mouthful of blood instantly gathered together before him and turned into a red hammer that swung swiftly towards the incoming spiked mace.

As a loud bang reverberated in the air, Yue Hong Bang's body trembled, and he coughed up a large mouthful of blood. He tumbled backwards, and all the wounds on his body tore open.

The red hammer crumbled to pieces. As for the black wind that had swept up the spiked mace, it froze for a moment, cracking slightly, then charged towards Yue Hong Bang once again.

When it was close to the fleeing men, the thin old man beside Yue Hong Bang let out a loud roar and flew up to appear right before Yue Hong Bang so that he could use his body to block the incoming spiked mace. The two crashed into each other, and Yue Hong Bang's eyes turned red as tears flowed down them.

However, he didn't stop moving for a heartbeat. Instead, he used the time bought by the thin old man blocking the mace to charge towards the mountain range where the volcano was at full speed.

"Hmph!"

The old man who was in Heaven Cultivation Realm let out a cold snort. He did not even spare a glance at the person he had killed with his spiked mace. Instead, a freezing glare shone in his eyes, and he cast a glance at the volcano to which Yue Hong Bang was charging.

"The god Crimson Python Phoenix's volcano… Yue Hong Bang, are you mad? How could you even dream of asking help from a god? The gods in Crimson Flame Planet have all lost their intelligence. As long as we don't provoke them, they won't attack us. I'll offer your corpse to the god here, and it'll save me the time needed to carry you back."

The old man in Heaven Cultivation Realm laughed eerily and brought the man and woman behind him towards Yue Hong Bang. The black wind that had swept up the spiked mace became even faster, and it was now less than a hundred feet away from Yue Hong Bang.

At that moment of crisis, Yue Hong Bang let out a loud roar.

"God, please save me!"

Right at the moment he shouted, the spiked mace closed in. When it crashed into Yue Hong Bang, he formed a seal with his right hand, and red light shone around his entire body, helping him resist that blow, but once it did, he coughed up blood, and that blood was already his Origin Blood and Essence. This blow caused his entire body to tremble, and he was now on the verge of dying. His body fell backwards and landed with a bang on the mouth of the volcano. The spiked mace might have disappeared as well, but the three people were less than three hundred feet away. Despair appeared on Yue Hong Bang's face.

"God, please save me! This person's cave abode is made entirely of blue stones, please save me!"

"Another madman, I see. No one can save you today!"

The old man laughed loudly, but even though he was laughing, his heart let out a thump. He knew that Yue Hong Bang was not a fool. Since he had called for help from the god in this place twice, could it be that there was something off about this place?

There might have been uncertainty in the old man's heart, but not a single hint of it showed on his face. However, he did slow down slightly and grabbed the man who followed behind him to toss him towards Yue Hong Bang.

"Kill him, and I will give you a crystal!"

The moment the man who was thrown by the old man was less than a hundred feet away from his target and Yue Hong Bang had almost fallen into total despair, a cold harrumph suddenly came from depths. At the same time, a red shadow charged out from the mouth of the volcano.

The shadow traveled so quickly that he arrived before Yue Hong Bang in the blink of an eye. At the instant wild delight appeared on Yue Hong Bang's face in the midst of his despair, Su Ming lifted his right hand and threw a fist at the incoming man of Earth Cultivation Realm.

Before the punch even landed, it already stirred up a shocking boom. Even space itself seemed to have collapsed, and a wave of intense heat spread out from Su Ming's body. There was even a layer of distortions that contained a law around his fist.

The expression of the man who was thrown out changed swiftly. Just as he was about to retreat, the world around his body seemed to have moved in reverse, keeping him frozen in place for a moment.

The price for that pause was Su Ming's fist landing straight on the man's chest.

There was no bang when that punch landed, only a muffled sound of hitting an empty sack. A shudder wrecked the man's body, and with the spot where Su Ming's fist had landed on his chest as the center, his body was instantly disassembled. In the blink of an eye, half of his body shattered and turned into dust…

Su Ming pulled back his right hand, standing before Yue Hong Bang. He cast his emotionless eyes at the old man around two hundred something feet away, his gaze aloof. A piercingly cold presence spread out from Su Ming's body without his conscious effort. There was no need for him to even think about it.

The old man's pupils shrank, and his body came to an abrupt halt.

Chapter 754: Breaking the Seal and Getting Out!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Senior, greetings. Thank you for saving me." Excitement appeared on Yue Hong Bang's face, and once he struggled up, he immediately wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed deeply towards Su Ming.

He had chosen to cry out for 'god' instead of calling out for Su Ming by referring to him as senior in order to make the old man who was pursuing him lower his guard, making him fall into his trap when he scoffed at Yue Hong Bang's actions. If he had asked for this senior for help straight away, then the old man who was after his life would have definitely been too terrified to get close to this place.

However, it was only natural that the old man had extraordinary wit, since he was able to survive in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. Even if Yue Hong Bang's words had indeed affected his guard, he still chose to remain cautious and not get close to the place personally. Once Yue Hong Bang saw it, he let out a sigh in his heart.

The old man's pupils had shrank, and an incredibly grave expression appeared on his face. Su Ming's level of cultivation might only be of Earth Cultivation Realm in his eyes, but the fact that this person had been training in the volcano was enough to tell him everything he needed to know.

It was especially so when he heard the roar from the volcano and the smaller Crimson Python Phoenix extended its body out to glare at him fiercely. The old man's heart then let out a thump once again.

He took a few steps back without any hesitation. A smile appeared on his face as he wrapped his fist in his palm towards Su Ming.

"I am Qi Bei Shan. It seems like I have interrupted your training, senior. Here is a small gift, it might not be able to show enough respect to you, but I hope that you will forgive me."

The people in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence had developed incredibly cautious attitudes while living in this harsh environment that was incredibly difficult for anyone to survive in. Unless they absolutely had to or were fully confident in being able to take down their opponent, they would not attack.

Even if Su Ming was only at Earth Cultivation Realm in the old man's eyes, he did not believe that a mere cultivator of Earth Cultivation Realm could reduce his follower's body to ashes. Besides, Yue Hong Bang's respect and excitement as well as the mysteries surrounding this person along with the fact that quite a number of powerful warriors in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence would seal off their power so that they could release it when it was necessary caused the old man to become cautious and choose to avoid conflict.

As he smiled, he lifted his right hand and immediately brought out a crystal that was filled with impurities from his storage bag. Once he placed it on the ground, he immediately moved backwards.

"Senior, you can't let him leave. Once he leaves, he'll definitely tell the leader of his group about what happened today, which will be detrimental to you! Besides, this person's cave abode is made completely of blue stones. I went there to examine it for you, and that's why I was chased to this place…" When Yue Hong Bang saw that the old man was about to leave, he immediately spoke to Su Ming anxiously.

Killing intent shone in the old man's eyes, and he began charging backwards without any hesitation. The woman beside him also retreated with terror shining on her face, and they turned into long arcs that swiftly left the volcano.

Su Ming did not chase after them, but instead allowed the old man to leave swiftly with his follower. When they disappeared into the horizon, Yue Hong Bang's face turned incredibly dark, but when he looked at Su Ming, he forced down his complaints and spoke bitterly.

"The blue stones you require are becoming scarce in the area around this place. To satisfy your needs, I've brought my companions into places that were further away to scout about. Qi Bei Shan's cave abode is not too far away from this place, and I saw a large amount of blue stones outside it. His cave abode should also be dug out from the blue stone.

"It's a pity that he has placed a Rune outside his cave abode. As he pursued me to this place, all my companions died in his hands… If you hadn't attacked just now, I would have died as well." Yue Hong Bang's face was pale. His injuries were grave, and as he spoke, blood even trickled down the corner of his mouth.

Su Ming looked at Yue Hong Bang coldly. This purple-robed man was now in an incredibly pathetic state.

He asked flatly, "Is it really that important for you to become my follower?" Su Ming's words did not match with what Yue Hong Bang had been saying, and they came seemingly out of nowhere.

However, the moment he said them, Yue Hong Bang shuddered lightly. For a moment, he was taken aback, then an expression of wild joy appeared on his face. He bowed deeply towards Su Ming.

"I, Yue, am willing to become your follower and serve you. I will obtain even more blue stones for you, senior."

"To become my follower, you've been making the people behind you who had seen me previously die one after another… The last person had also died just now for you without having any knowledge of what was going on," Su Ming said, looking straight Yue Hong Bang.

Yue Hong Bang shuddered once again, then forced out a smile. Just as he was about to speak though, he was interrupted by Su Ming.

"The others had sent corpses over the past two years, but you've been sending blue stones. This time, when you cried out for help, you brought up that his cave abode was made of the stones that I needed so that you could lure me out to attack and help you kill that old man." With each sentence Su Ming uttered, Yue Hong Bang's expression would turn paler.

"In fact, you had most probably provoked the old man by walking into his Rune voluntarily. Your goal was to lure him out, and this so called chase was only real by seven-tenths, the other three-tenths of this was fake and planned!"

Su Ming's gaze was aloof. His merciless eyes were seen by Yue Hong Bang at that moment, and his heart shivered. His face turned even paler, and respect that had never appeared in his heart suddenly took seed within him.

Su Ming might not have said all of his plans, but all the things he had said still made his heart go cold. Indeed, he had intentionally made these things happen.

"Senio—" Yue Hong Bang said with difficulty, but before he could finish speaking, his words were cut off by Su Ming.

"Give me all the items you still have to protect your life," Su Ming demanded coldly.

Yue Hong Bang fell silent. After a moment, he put his right hand deep into his bosom and brought out a black bamboo piece, which he gave to Su Ming respectfully.

"Senior, you are wise. I cannot hide all of my schemes from your eyes. This is the item left behind by my ancestor. It is known as Emperor Yin's Bamboo, and it can instantly turn into a shield made of ten thousand bamboos. Once a person is sealed inside, even a Lord of a World Plane would be trapped for a short while." Once Yue Hong Bang handed over the black bamboo, he lifted his head and looked at Su Ming with respect on his face.

"Qi Bei Shan humiliated me in the past and nearly killed me. I have a personal grudge against him, that's why I lured him to this place. I wanted to borrow your power to kill him.

"During the past two years, I've been discreetly making my comrades die so that no one would notice that something unexpected had happened here. I decided to silence them so that no one would know about your existence. They would only think that you came from the world outside… not a first generation criminal.

"I also wanted to make our relationship better with this and become part of your direct descendants in Crimson Flame Planet," Yue Hong Bang said in a low voice, then knelt down on one knee.

"But I never wanted to harm you. Everything that I did was so that I could obtain your acknowledgment. Please allow me to become your direct descendant, senior." Yue Hong Bang lowered his head.

"All first generation criminals that are banished to this place have something about them that causes the four Great True Worlds to be wary. Your level of cultivation might not seem high, but I believe that your true power is definitely extraordinary.

"All first generation criminals become people that all forces of power will want to draw to their side in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence, and only first generation criminals have the right to build their own families here.

"I'm not a worthless person. I do not want any outsider knowing about your origins before I become your direct descendant. Everything that I've done previously and even the act of luring that person here was mostly to test waters, please punish me," Yue Hong Bang said in a low voice.

Su Ming gave Yue Hong Bang a cold glance before turning around and ignoring him. Instead, he stepped into the volcano, his body gradually sinking inside. Anguish rose in Yue Hong Bang's heart due to Su Ming's actions. He sighed within, but as he was feeling slightly dispirited, Su Ming suddenly asked a question.

"Is Qi Bei Shan's cave abode truly made of blue stones?"

"I'm not completely certain, but that should really be the case, because there is an incredible amount of this type of blue stone scattered around his cave abode!" Yue Hong Bang's spirits rose, and he immediately lifted his head to answer the question.

Su Ming's expression remained the same. He did not ask anymore questions, and his body disappeared into the volcano. Uncertainty appeared in Yue Hong Bang's heart. He could not guess Su Ming's thoughts. At that moment, he chose to sit down cross-legged on the mouth of the volcano and brought out several crystals filled with impurities to exercise his breathing quietly so his wounds would heal. His mind worked rapidly, but he still could not obtain even a single hint from Su Ming's words as to what he was planning to do.

Su Ming lowered himself into the magma as a pensive look appeared in his eyes. His body soon completely sank into the magma, and as the magma churned violently, the gigantic Crimson Python Phoenix let out a roar and flew out. Su Ming was sitting cross-legged on top of its head. He had his right hand placed on the Crimson Python Phoenix's body and his Atman spread out to fuse with the ferocious beast's body.

The gigantic Crimson Python Phoenix rushed upwards with a roar, and when it rose from the volcano, the mighty pressure that belonged to a World Paragon caused excitement to instantly appear on Yue Hong Bang's face.

The bald crane turned into a ray of yellow light and appeared beside Su Ming, carefully landing on the Crimson Python Phoenix's body. Its current appearance was that of a mutt, and it had its tongue sticking out of its mouth as it looked at the area.

"Lead the way!" Su Ming said coldly.

Yue Hong Bang immediately flew up and wrapped his fist in his palm before bowing towards Su Ming. Then, as he turned around, killing intent shone in his eyes, and he charged into the distance.

Su Ming patted the Crimson Python Phoenix beneath him. The gigantic ferocious beast hesitated for a moment, then swiftly rushed out. Though before it could fly more than ten thousand feet outwards, a layer of blue light rose from the ground and covered the entire area. The Crimson Python Phoenix froze in terror and wariness appeared on its face.

"Bald crane." Su Ming was not surprised by this. Instead, he cast a glance at the bald crane.

The mutt went off with spirit. When it flew out, it turned into its original form and crashed into blue screen of light that formed the seal in this place. After a moment, its body started warping and turned into an old man dressed in a robe with nine black dragons sewn on it. He closed his eyes and let out a low shout at the Rune.

"Open!"

With that one word, the blue screen of light immediately started trembling, and a crack appeared. Crimson Python Phoenix's eyes went wide, and it let out an ecstatic screech before turning into a red light that shot through the crack.

The slightly smaller Crimson Python Phoenix did not come out. It was instead looking at Su Ming from the volcano while letting screeching loudly. The bald crane strutted about for a bit, then moved to stand on the gigantic Crimson Python Phoenix's body. It was no longer as cautious as it was last time, and it was a clear sign that it thought it had done a meritorious deed.

At the same time the Crimson Python Phoenix flew out of the blue screen of light, it let out a roar that shook most of Crimson Flame Planet. Its huge body, which was several tens of thousands of feet big, caused the weather to change. In its memories, this was the first time… it flew out of that area of ten thousand feet around the volcano!

As it roared, Su Ming sat cross-legged on its head. An expression of excitement that had never appeared on Yue Hong Bang's face before did so now, as he flew at the front. He knew that he had won the gamble!

"Lead the way."

"Understood!"

Chapter 755: Duke of Crimson Flame!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Su Ming sat on the Crimson Python Phoenix's body without a shred of emotion on his face. A harsh and ruthless air surrounded him, fusing with that aloof gaze of his. He gave off a feeling as if there was ice and snow around him.

However, the heat spreading from the Crimson Python Phoenix's body blended perfectly with that cold and turned into a strange illusion that distorted people's vision, adding a layer of mystery to Su Ming.

Yue Hong Bang charged forward. It was difficult for him to conceal the excitement in his heart, and he could not help himself but have some of it show up on his face. He traveled at an incredibly quick pace and turned into a long arc as he charged towards his enemy's dwelling place - Qi Bei Shan's cave abode.

The Crimson Python Phoenix let out delighted cries as it charged forward behind him. Its cry contained its desire for freedom and the outburst of joy after being let out after suffering through years of oppression.

Ever since it had gained consciousness, it had been sealed in that volcano, unable to fly more than ten thousand feet away. That seal was like a cage that lasted for generations. If Su Ming had not come, it would have been eternally sealed in that place, unable to move a single step outside.

Su Ming's arrival had changed everything, breaking the life the Crimson Flame Python had expected to continue living. But perhaps it'd be more accurate to say that the bald crane had achieved that. It had done a great meritorious deed in this matter.

As the Crimson Python Phoenix roared, ripples reverberated through the entire Crimson Flame Planet. Its roars shook the sky and earth, resounding in all directions, and immediately attracted the attention of all the ferocious beasts that were known as gods by the residents of this planet and who were sealed in their regions in Crimson Flame Planet, unable to get ou. they were momentarily stunned, then roared back in response.

Roars from all regions of Crimson Flame Planet rang through the land for a time being. They echoed in all corners of the planet, and these happenings immediately caused the cultivators in Crimson Flame Planet to spot changes in their expressions. In the midst of their shock, they found themselves unable to guess just what sort of thing might have occurred.

If it was not because there was no pressure or divine sense descending from the sky, then this sort of continuous roars coming from all directions would have made these people think that the True Guards had arrived.

Some of the people who had wanted to make offerings to the gods in their regions were filled with shock during that instant, because their gods were no longer looking at their offerings, but had flown towards the seals and roaring loudly towards the sky in the north.

There was clear envy and madness contained within those roars. The beasts were akin to a group of people who had been locked in cages suddenly but now saw one of their companions walking out of their cage one day, and they were not even doing it quietly. That person who had escaped was even letting crazed bellows of laughter.

Because of that, the madness that was stirred up shook the entire Crimson Flame Planet.

Compared to the puzzlement that was contained within the shock of all the cultivators in other regions, the cultivators who were in the northern region had their heads lifted in disbelief as their hearts trembled violently in the midst of shock while they looked at the gigantic body that was charging through the sky.

It was the Crimson Python Phoenix that possessed a phoenix head and was several tens of thousands of feet long. As it flew in the sky while roaring, the tremors that it caused looked as if they could turn the world upside down. The creature certainly did turn upside down the emotions of people who saw it..

"Is that… the Crimson Python Phoenix god from the volcano?"

"Is this an illusion? This is impossible. As far as the recorded history of Crimson Flame Planet goes, no ferocious beast from the alien races had been able to move past the area of ten thousand feet from their caves!"

"The four True Great Worlds have placed seals outside the gods' caves, and it is impossible for them to be opened. How-how did it manage to come out?!"

"There's a person sitting on its head! Heavens, who is that?! There's someone sitting on the Crimson Python Phoenix's head!"

The uproars from the cultivators on the ground in the north reached their most intense state when the people saw Su Ming's figure sitting on the Crimson Python Phoenix. Their cries buzzed in the air, filled with disbelief, rapid breathing, as well as reverential gazes mixed with shock.

The Crimson Python Phoenix lifted its head and roared at the sky, then flew even faster. The bald crane on its back was feeling proud of itself and continued posing in different manners. It felt that most of the cries from the crowd were due to its work.

Su Ming had an apathetic expression on his face. He closed his eyes. Even though he had covered the aloof gaze in his eyes, it was still difficult to chase away even a single bit of that cold chill spreading out from his body.

Yue Hong Bang almost roared along with the phoenix as he led the way. He was so excited that his face had gained a red flush, and his heart was trembling with so much excitement that he wanted to already be by Qi Bei Shan's cave abode.

The thing that excited him the most, though, was that as the Crimson Python Phoenix charged through the air, many cultivators in this region either flew into the sky behind them or ran on the ground after the phoenix. Clearly, they wanted to see where this ferocious beast was headed.

Originally, all the cultivators were supposed to force down this sort of curiosity, but at that moment, no one tried quelling it. Even if they had to waste some crystals, they still chose to follow without hesitation, because in their hearts, this sort of thing that overturned what they knew was incredibly rare, and it might not repeat itself even after several tens of thousands of years had passed.

Clearly, the appearance of this sort of thing would bring about a gigantic effect that would turn the world upside down. If they missed it, they would definitely regret it for the rest of their lives.

At that moment, in a stone house located at the peak of the tallest mountain in the east of Crimson Flame Mountain was the old woman, and she was sitting cross-legged while meditating. Her eyes flew open at that instant, and a powerful light shone in her eyes. Without any hesitation, she flashed into the sky and looked towards the north.

When her gaze landed there, her expression changed quickly. For a time, she looked stupefied, then shocked, then her expression turned as dark as thunderclouds. She even lifted her right hand and formed a seal swiftly. But after a moment, she sucked in a deep breath, and her body trembled.

'Someone broke the seal and let out the Crimson Python Phoenix! Who is he?! How did he break open the seal?! This has never happened before since the seals were placed in Crimson Flame Planet, only…'

The old woman's pupils shrank, as if she had thought of something. With one swift move, she turned into a long arc and charged through the sky, straight towards the northern region.

In the only forest that existed in the west of Crimson Flame Planet was a big tree that was trembling viciously at that moment. An old face emerged from the tree trunk, and roars tumbled out of from within the trunk. As it trembled, the entire forest started shivering with it.

There was a middle-aged man standing beside the tree trunk. He was looking at the sky to the north with a dazed expression. After a long while, he sucked in a sharp breath.

'It's said that something like this happened when Black Ink Planet changed all those years ago… Could it be that the second transformation in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence is happening in Crimson Flame Planet?!

'Could it be that… this time, Crimson Flame Planet is about to change?!' The middle-aged man's expression changed rapidly, and after a moment, he leaped into the sky and charged towards the north.

'There's still nine years left till the next time the True Guards patrol this place… Who has caused this change in Crimson Flame Planet?!'

Due to the Crimson Python Phoenix's escape from the seal and its subsequent roars as well as the other ferocious beasts responding to its cries by roaring at the same time, all the cultivators in Crimson Flame Planet did not notice in their shock and amazement that a faint ripple had spread towards the land from the Rune when the bald crane had used its strange Art and cried out for the seal to open…

Not even Su Ming had noticed it.

A chain reaction followed. Once the ripple traveled into the ground, one of the endless white threads in the inner part of the cultivation planet, which was at the depths of Crimson Flame Planet, snapped with a bang.

The breaking of one single thread might not affect the entire seal, but it still created a tiny gap in the perfect Rune.

Within the core of Crimson Flame Planet, which was the true inner part of the planet itself, was an endless and infinite amount of magma. The color of that magma was not red, but purplish black!

Immersed at the center of this purplish black magma was a skeleton. There was not a hint of flesh or blood on that skeleton. The magma quietly covered half of its body, while a black sword was pierced deep into the top of its skull. There were three other swords that had pierced other parts of its body as well.

However, at the moment the bald crane had shouted out that one word in the world outside, the ripple that came from the seal had went deep into the ground, causing the one white thread among the countless others to snap. During that instant, a wisp of dark light appeared in the skeleton's eyes.

This was the first time… this had happened ever since he had been sealed in this place!

At the instant that dark light appeared in his eyes, the proud bald crane behind Su Ming suddenly found the smile freezing on its face as it traveled on the Crimson Python Phoenix's back. The bald crane lowered its head swiftly and looked at the ground.

"Duke of Crimson Flame… Hmm? Who's this bastard, Duke of Crimson Flame?"

The bald crane was momentarily stunned, then scratched its bald head. It was puzzled greatly by the words it had said just now. A moment before, it had felt as if it had remembered something.

Yet no matter how hard it thought about it, it could not obtain an answer, which was why the bald crane decided to not think about that matter. Instead, it became proud of itself again.

Su Ming opened his eyes slowly. As the Crimson Python Phoenix charged through the land, there were nearly a hundred something cultivators that had turned into long arcs and were following it. There were hundreds of others that were running on the ground as well.

Yue Hong Bang's body froze for a moment, then he turned his head around to look at Su Ming with a zealous gaze as he pointed at the ground not too far in the distance.

"Senior, that is Qi Bei Shan's cave abode!"

There was a small hill on the ground with quite a large number of blue stones scattered at the foot of the hill. These stones were completely useless to the cultivators in this place, for there was not a single hint of spiritual energy contained within, which was why very few people paid attention to them.

There was a platform that jutted out of the middle section of the hill. At that moment, Qi Bei Shan and the woman beside him had just returned and were standing on the platform while looking at the sky with dumbfounded gazes. Behind them was a door to a cave abode that had been thrown wide open, and blue rays of light could be seen spreading out from within.

That small hill was made entirely of blue stones!

Qi Bei Shan shuddered, his expression filled with shock and terror. He had returned not too long ago. Noticing the strange phenomenon in the world outside, he had just walked out to investigate this matter when, before long, his pupils shrank, and even his breathing stilled.