870 - 877

Chapter 870: The Era Where All Lives Died

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The Statue of the Sun God shattered with a bang. This was something that had never happened before in Yu Family's history. Most of the members of the family and the guests were gentle in their actions as they challenged the gates, but this time… there was an incredibly unyielding and strong will contained by the challenger.

Booming sounds surged into the sky. An endless amount of shards was swept in all directions in the sky, as if the sky had shattered. With a powerful force, the shards swept through the sky, and wherever they went, the weather would change. In fact, quite a large number of towers in the Yu Family shattered and collapsed as they came into contact with the shards that came towards them with loud booms.

These booms echoed in the air and shook the area within tens of thousands of lis. For a moment, the members of the Yu Family were filled with apprehension. Some of those who had not arrived to the square yet sped up and rushed towards the place with their expressions changed drastically.

It looked as if a strong enemy had invaded the Yu Family, and a piercing screech even spread out within. Screens of light appeared out of thin air, and that was the sign that Yu Family's Great Protection Rune had been activated.

As an endless amount of figures charged towards the square, nearly ten thousand figures soon appeared around Dao Avenue Mountain. These were the members of the Yu Family that had stayed behind instead of venturing out to Divine Essence Star Ocean. If anyone cast their gaze towards them, they would find that there were quite a large number of people still rushing over to the place.

Yu Chen Hai stared blankly at the shattered statue of the Sun God in the sky. He seemed to have forgotten how to breathe, and his mind was completely blank. His expression was changing swiftly, and even he did not know what was in his mind at that moment.

His family members around him had shocked expressions on their faces. As more people arrived and Yu Chen Hai saw four people whose ages were similar to his and whose levels of cultivation were also the same as his appearing in the crowd from different directions, a chilling glare alighted in his eyes, and a dark expression appeared on his face.

These four people were four out of the five competitors in the auction. Only if he showed outstanding results against these people would he be valued highly by his family.

The appearance of these four people immediately made Yu Chen Hai's heart stable. His originally collapsing mind calmed down. He knew that no matter what, he had to stand by Su Ming's side. The more powerful Su Ming was, the more advantageous it would be for Yu Chen Hai. This was a chance given by heaven itself for him to rise in power in his family!

At the same time the statue of the Sun God in Yu Family's square shattered and the entire Yu Family was shaken, the gigantic hand that was formed by the purple Ecang tree behind Su Ming was lifted up from the collapsing statue of the Sun God in the Second Gate of Heavenly Dao.

He stood in midair, and his hair was moving without wind. A strange light shone in his eyes. Then, without pausing even in the slightest, he lifted his left hand and seized the air in the direction of the statue of the Moon Goddess.

"Shatter!"

Su Ming let out a cold shout, and immediately, the purple Ecang tree behind him started swaying intensely. The tree crown rocked slightly, and a violent gust of wind charged forward. At the instant Su Ming lifted his left hand, the endless branches grew longer as they twisted about. In the span of a breath, they turned into a gigantic hand that shot past Su Ming to seize the statue of the Moon Goddess.

The statue of the Sun God was still shattering, while the statue of the Moon Goddess was letting out a gentle light. However, while the light seemed gentle, if anyone looked at it for a long period of time, that light would cause them to lose their sight without their realization!

A low shout came from the statue of the Moon Goddess. As she lifted her head, the bright moon in her hand flew into the sky on its own to crash forcefully into the incoming Ecang hand.

Just that simple crash stirred up booming sounds that caused the ocean to roar, the seawater to raise one hundred thousand feet into the air, so its curtain would cover the surface of the ocean and the world within an instant.

As everything turned obscure, booming sounds surged into the sky. Su Ming's Ecang hand shuddered and was bounced thousands of feet away.

A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. As he let out a cold harrumph, the Ecang tree behind him roared. In the blink of an eye, the Ecang hand that was bounced off changed from the form of trying to seize something to the form of going to slap something!

At the same time, the hand of the Master of Fate, Lives, and Death appeared in Su Ming's left eye. With this epiphany, his clone that practiced the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole might only be able to make the hand gain form, but if his Ecang clone executed it, the hand would possess mighty power.

Almost at the instant the shadow of the palm shone in Su Ming's left eye, the Ecang hand in the sky swiftly struck the statue of the Moon Goddess hidden behind the curtain of water.

"You are merely two Gods with incomplete souls, how dare you manipulate my level of cultivation? You… What right do you have to give me power? What right do you have to make me believe in you and worship you? Can you… pay the price of making me do those things?!"

Su Ming was in the air. As his voice echoed like thunder, his Ecang hand fell downwards with a bang. No one could tell if they saw from the distance whether Su Ming's Ecang hand had pushed down on the one hundred thousand feet curtain of water or had pushed down on the statue of the Moon Goddess hidden behind the curtain of water.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Loud booming sounds surged into the sky continuously as if they wanted to cause the world to collapse from the vibrations. Cracking sounds reverberated in the air. That was the sound of the statue of the Moon Goddess shattering. Under the power of Ecang, which now belonged to Su Ming, the Sun God and Moon Goddess, who were clearly incomplete, were no opponent!

Even if they might have been at the same level as Sui Chen Zi in the past… the life form that was Ecang was an existence that surpassed these two statues, and if they were to compare based on the levels of life forms, then Su Ming, who had Possessed Ecang, surpassed Ecang's existence.

He had nothing to be concerned about in this battle!

The Sun God and Moon Goddess who possessed Divine Essence from other worlds wanted to make Su Ming believe in them and worship them, wanted to turn him into their apostle that listened to their commands. Perhaps they had some other motives… but it was just as Su Ming had said, they could not pay the price of making him believe and worship them.

Since they could not pay the price and still attempted to do so, the only result of this could be… Su Ming snatching their Divine Essence and them become a way for him to become more powerful.

Booming sounds that were deafening to the ears rang in the air, and the breathing of the near ten thousand people from the Yu Family quickened, their eyes going wide as they stood near the Second Gate of Heavenly Dao. From there, they saw clearly that once the statue of the Sun God shattered, the statue of the Moon Goddess by its side also started cracking.

Huge cracks went down its side, and wisps of purple fog that brought with it a sinister intent as well as a ghastly presence spread out from within the cracks to occupy most of the sky.

The people found themselves staring at a purple sky when they lifted their heads to look at it.

The malicious feeling from the purple hue also left a deep impression within the hearts of those who saw it with their own eyes. Most of them suddenly found the purple color to be strange and bewitching.

Boom!

The statue of the Moon Goddess shattered. The cracks on her face made it seem as if they were tears. At the instant this scene shocked all of the people who saw it, the cracks continued expanding, and the statue of the Moon Goddess… shattered!

Of the Three Gates of Heavenly Dao, the second gate… the Sun and Moon Shine Together… disappeared from the face of the earth, removed from existence!

The three Grand Family Elders who were closest to Dao Avenue Mountain had differing expressions compared to the other members of their family. The old man who had appeared from the ground just now had an incredibly grim expression on his face, while the other two kept their gazes fixed on the spot where the statues once were.

"This purple hue… is making me want to tremble and worship it. I can even sense a power that seems to be able to destroy the universe from that purple hue…"

"Just... what level of cultivation does the person our kin has brought back possess?!"

The three of them looked at each other, and they could see the shock in the eyes of one another.

Once the statues of the Sun God and Moon Goddess shattered completely, the one hundred thousand feet curtain of water gradually fell down within the Second Gate of Heavenly Dao. The booming sounds were then reduced to lingering echoes.

Su Ming stood in midair with a calm expression. Before him, the statues of the Sun God and Moon Goddess had already collapsed into the sea. As the shards from their bodies scattered everywhere, the indescribably handsome man and the flawlessly beautiful woman appeared from within the collapsed statues.

The two of them stood on the surface of the sea and glared at Su Ming with endless hatred on their faces.

"During the era when all lives died, we were all recovering… This is where all of our Divine Clones lie. You went against the promises we made in the past, and you will receive the punishment of the Spirit King!"

"Get out of here! Divine Essence Star Ocean is not a place where those of you from the nine Great Universes can come. The pact of the Spirit King is still around, and if you devour our Divine Essences, the Spirit King's will is going to descend in this place, and you… will die for sure!"

Su Ming's expression remained as calm as usual, but his heart was shaken slightly. Once he Possessed Ecang and turned it into his clone, he had obtained its jumbled memories, and time was needed for him to slowly fuse with those memories. Right then, there were plenty of things that he did not know of, such as the Spirit King and the promise they spoke of. He had absolutely no memory of it.

"You don't know Spirit King's pact?"

"You… Could it be that you're a cultivator? You… You Possessed Ecang!" With some unknown method, the man and woman had managed to read Su Ming's mind, and at that moment, their expressions changed drastically.

Su Ming let out a cold harrumph and did not speak. These two people's bodies were formed completely by Divine Essence. Su Ming could sense a strong desire from his Ecang clone. If he could devour these two people, then his Ecang clone would become much stronger.

Su Ming did not know what that Spirit King's pact was, and neither would he be bothered by it. Almost the instant the two people's expressions changed, the Ecang tree behind Su Ming shook with a bang, and as it grew endlessly larger, it replaced the entire world. A gap was revealed on the Ecang tree's trunk, and it looked like a gigantic mouth. It sucked in a sharp breath in the direction of the two people in the sea.

With it, the sky, earth, and naturally the sea as well, instantly shrank to be sucked into Ecang's mouth all at once. Despair showed up on the man and woman's faces in the mid of their anguish. They could not hope to fight back. Without their statues, they were just a bundle of Divine Essence.

The world turned purple in an instant. After a moment, everything vanished, and even the tree that was formed by Su Ming's Ecang clone disappeared without a trace.

Two bundles of Divine Essence appeared before Su Ming's Ecang clone in Western Ring Nebula's foreign land. One of them was in the shape of a moon, and the other in the shape of the sun. They surrounded the Ecang clone, and as they slowly shrank, Su Ming's Ecang clone lifted his head and roared before swiftly becoming stronger.

At the same time, Su Ming's clone that practiced the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole let out a roar towards the sky in the broken world. He might already be near the peak of the middle stage of World Plane Realm, but at that moment, as he roared, his level of cultivation showed clear signs of rising.

"Clone that practices the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole, execute the Art and bring forth the sixth disaster!"

Chapter 871: The Later Stage of World Plane Realm

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The aura from Su Ming's clone that practiced the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole erupted forth. However, as it did so, Su Ming realized that his level of cultivation was kept within the limits of nearing the peak of the middle stage of World Plane Realm no matter how much his power increased, and he could not break through that level.

'The clone that practices this Art is imperfect, that's why my level of cultivation won't increase… If I want to make it complete, then I must fuse with something!' Su Ming lifted his head. With a glint in his eyes, he took a step forward.

With that one step, the broken world around him distorted and instantly started disintegrating. He saw Black Ink Planet's sky and earth before him... and he also saw the near ten thousand members of the Yu Family, along with the three cultivators with great levels of cultivation standing at the foot of Dao Avenue Mountain.

Almost at the instant Su Ming walked out from the shattered statues of the Sun God and Moon Goddess, the gazes of the near ten thousand people immediately gathered on him. There was shock, astonishment, and also complicated feelings contained within those gazes.

The buzz of discussions rose up among the people, and all of it… was because of Su Ming!

"Is that him?!"

"He's the one that cleared the first gate in Dao Avenue Mountain, and during the Second Gate: the Sun and Moon Shine Together, he made the statues of the Sun God and Moon Goddess shatter!"

"Who brought this person here? There's no way a normal member of the family could get in contact with such a powerful warrior. Could it be that the family elders asked him here?"

"Could he… Could he be considered to have cleared the Second Gate of Heavenly Dao? Would… the Third Gate of Heavenly Dao appear?!"

The noise from the commotion rose and fell. The Eldest Family Elder who had the highest status among the three family elders in the Yu Family wrapped his fist in his palm towards Su Ming. Just as he was about to speak, his expression suddenly changed and he rapidly moved back.

Almost at the instant he moved back, Su Ming spread out his arms in midair. He had no time to deal with other people at that moment. Once he devoured the Sun God and Moon Goddess, his Ecang clone was swiftly digesting the Divine Essence and becoming stronger. At the same time, the Divine Essence which was controlled by Su Ming's soul also became stronger.

In this situation, his clone that practiced the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole would also become stronger. However, he was still kept at the state where he was near the peak of the middle stage of World Plane Realm. If he wanted to break through that level, he would need to mend the flaws in this clone of his.

Su Ming's eyes shone. He lifted his right hand and pointed at the ground, and the shards that came from the statue of the Sun God shuddered and tumbled in all directions. Then, with sharp piercing whistles, they went towards Su Ming.

These shards were disintegrating swiftly in midair, turning into thin threads that looked like flesh that charged into Su Ming's right hand. Once they fused with him, they filled his entire body.

The fusion happened too quickly, and within an instant, Su Ming was enveloped in those threads. From the distance, he looked like a gigantic cocoon. Soon after the cocoon was formed, the shards from the shattered statue of the Moon Goddess charged towards him from the area as well. They enveloped him within an instant, causing Su Ming to look as if he was covered in a grave!

Su Ming had activated the Earthen Script Art on himself. With the unique characteristic of the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole, he devoured the quintessence of the statues of the Sun God and Moon Goddess in an attempt to mend his close somewhat.

This was the only method Su Ming could think of at that moment. There was no other way for him to make this clone of his become complete within a short period of time besides this method, and if he missed it, he would have let this opportunity to grow stronger disappear.

A grave that was several thousands of feet tall floated in midair. It looked like a statue and was shining with sudden flashes of bright and dim light. There were also a large number of runic symbols around the statue, which gave it a bizarre feeling.

This scene astounded all the members of the Yu Family in the area. Even the pupils of the three family elders had shrank at the sight.

"He's…"

"He's absorbing the quintessence of the statues of the Sun God and Moon Goddess to mend the flaws in his Life!"

"This is… This…"

The expressions of the three people turned dark. The statues of the Sun God and Moon Goddess belonged to the Yu Family, and now, they could only watch as they were absorbed. The three elders could not help but be slightly displeased by it.

However, the sinister and majestic mighty pressure spreading out from the grave at that moment made the three of them slightly hesitant. Just as they did not know what they were supposed to do, a sigh echoed through the entire Yu Family and caused the world to tremble.

"Let him absorb it." As the voice spoke, a figure walked towards them from the distance. That figure was obscure in the beginning, but as the person walked over, it gradually became clear. The person was a woman.

There was a veil over the woman's face, and her features could not be seen clearly. However, there was a wave of ripples that could not be described with words spreading out from her body to the entire area.

As the woman walked over, the members of the Yu Family were mostly stunned. Only the expressions of a few of them had changed immediately when they saw this woman. At the same time shock appeared on their faces, they immediately knelt down while trembling.

"Progenitor!" The three family elders shuddered when they saw the woman and knelt down to worship her together. Their expressions were filled with reverence, along with a form of fanaticism.

As the three people knelt down and her title rang in the air, the members of the Yu Family in the area who were still perplexed swiftly remembered the portrait of a woman among the few other portraits they saw when they were offering sacrifices to their ancestors.

"Greetings, Progenitor!" As they remembered her identity, all the members of the Yu Family knelt down to worship her.

This woman was the only person who had cleared the Three Gates of Heavenly Dao in the Yu Family - their Progenitor! She might not be the oldest among them, but was the strongest in the Yu Family over the course of countless years. Even the founder of the Yu Family could not compare to this woman in terms of level of cultivation.

She stood there quietly, her head lifted to look at the grave in the sky, without saying a single word. Her silence made it seem as if the air around them had been frozen up, so all the people kneeling down did not dare to say a single word.

Time passed. In the blink of an eye, two hours went by.

At that time, cracking sounds suddenly came out from the grave that encased Su Ming. Those sounds swiftly became stronger, and after a moment, they practically connected into one unending noise. In the end, a loud bang shot up into the air, and most of the grave shattered.

No shards resulted from the parts that shattered. It was as if they had turned into ashes and had disappeared on their own.

At the same time, a muffled sound came from the grave.

"The sixth disaster!"

At the instant that voice spoke, the world rumbled, wind and clouds were swept to the side, and a red lotus appeared in the sky in the form of an illusion.

The lotus blossomed, and as it bloomed, its petals fell off one by one. When the first petal fell, the grave in which Su Ming was shuddered.

The second petal, the third… they continued to fall one by one. The grave in which Su Ming was located shuddered even more furiously, and a low growl that seemed to have emitted by someone who was enduring tremendous pain faintly came from inside.

When the final petal fell off, a booming sound rang out from the grave in which Su Ming was. A right hand stretched out. It looked normal, but if anyone took a closer look, they would have the misconception that no one in the world could destroy it.

At the instant the right hand extended out of the grave, a power that surpassed the peak of the middle stage of World Plane Realm and... belonged to the later stage of World Plane Realm erupted with a bang.

At the instant the presence of the later stage of World Plane Realm spread out, the lotus in the sky disappeared.

Su Ming had overcome the sixth disaster in the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole!

"The seventh disaster!"

When Su Ming's voice came from the grave once again, the grave shattered once more. This time, its destruction reached its full extent. As layers upon layers of the grave disintegrated, Su Ming's body was revealed before the people.

The grave was no longer around him, and neither were there any shards that belonged to the statues of the Sun God and Moon Goddess. He did not seem any different, but only Su Ming himself knew that the flaws of this clone of his were mended due to the quintessence from the statues of the Sun God and Moon Goddess, though he was still not perfect.

Still, this was enough proof to show that this method to make his clone that practiced the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole was feasible!

The sky trembled. The presence of Su Ming's power erupted from his body, making it seem as if he was about to become even stronger. However… almost at the instant this presence appeared, it disappeared the next moment.

Su Ming had experienced this feeling before. He knew that this was due to the flaws within this clone of his. Absorbing the statues of the Sun God and Moon Goddess had only mended some of the flaws, which allowed the Qi in his clone to break through the middle stage of World Plane Realm and reach the later stage of World Plane Realm. However, once he reached this level, he could no longer go any further.

Su Ming opened his eyes. At the instant he did so, the sun, moon, and stars in his eyes shone with an incredibly brilliant light.

"Greetings, Lord Apostle."

When Su Ming opened his eyes, all the people were kneeling down on the ground except for one woman. This woman, who was the only standing in the area, looked at Su Ming before she bent her body slightly. Her voice did not echo in the air, but appeared straight in Su Ming's mind.

A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. At the instant he looked towards the woman, he was suddenly stunned. The woman… was incredibly similar to the beautiful woman he saw within the statue of the Moon Goddess!!

They might not be completely the same, but the incredible similarity meant that the woman possessed unparalleled beauty. Su Ming could also sense the gentle power from the Moon Goddess coming from her body.

In fact, when he looked towards the woman, he had a strong feeling that… he could control her life and mind. If he wanted her dead, then she would immediately sacrifice her life without any hesitation.

"I am Sacred Lady Yu Rou of the Moon Goddess' lineage. Greetings, Lord Apostle. My Lord, you have the presence of the divine bodies that belong to the Moon Goddess and the Sun God in you. It is also not just the presence of the statues, but also the vibes from their Divine Essence.

"The line of the Moon Goddess found the family's sacred item of the Gods before the recording of history. Over the years, we have tried to have others inherit the power of the Gods, and after so many years of waiting… you have arrived among us," the woman said softly, and only Su Ming could hear her words.

A barely noticeable glint appeared in his eyes. Those not involved might not know that he had devoured the Sun God and Moon Goddess, and it was logical that the woman had mistaken what had happened. After all… he had indeed used his Ecang clone to devour the Sun God and Moon Goddess' Divine Essence.

As for those so called divine bodies of the statues, Su Ming had indeed absorbed them, thought it was to make this clone of his more complete.

It was apt for him to be known as the apostle of the Sun God and Moon Goddess. In fact, it was even apt for him to be known as the Sun and Moon God.

"Lord Apostle, please retrieve the Divine Vessel from the Third Gate of Heavenly Dao. I will offer up the power of Yin Essence to help you obtain the final legacy from the Gods… in order to complete my family's mission."

Chapter 872: Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here [1]

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Su Ming's eyes sparkled. The woman's appearance and her words were rather mystifying, but after focusing his mind on the matter and falling into pensive silence, he could discover some clues.

The Yu Family to which the woman belonged to in the ancient past was clearly not cultivators at that time, but were… members of an alien race!

This race might have been known as the Gate of Dao race, but might have also been a branch of the Gate of Dao.

The Gate of Dao worshiped the Gods of the Sun and Moon. In an age that once existed, perhaps they had reached an age of glory as well, but as the era when all lives died, which the Gods of the Sun and Moon spoke of, came about, the Gate of Dao gradually fell to ruin.

The members of the race left their homeland and arrived in Black Ink Planet. From then on, the Yu Family appeared.

The Yu Family's ancestors had never forgotten the Gods they worshiped, that was why they had returned to Divine Essence Star Ocean numerous times, and in the end, brought back the Enchanted Vessel that belonged to the Gate of Dao.

It was the Three Gates of Heavenly Dao.

They brought it back, and perhaps they had also communicated with the Gods of the Sun and Moon who had woken up from their slumber. That was why all members of the Yu Family were required to challenge the Three Gates of Heavenly Dao. It could be that even this was not enough, and so in an attempt to cover up something, they also had guests join in the challenge.

They longed for their family members to clear the Three Gates of Heavenly Dao and obtain the legacy from the Gods, and from there… become the Apostle.

Su Ming's arrival had caused him to be mistaken as an Apostle due to this coincidence. That was why Yu Rou had spoken to him previously.

'The Shamans are in Black Ink Planet, and so I've suspected that there are members of alien races who have disguised themselves to be here. Now that I look at it, this guess had been correct.' As he was deep in thought, Su Ming did not speak.

However, at the instant the woman finished speaking, the members of the Yu Family in the area closed their eyes and fell to the ground slowly. In fact, even the three family elders fell into deep sleep.

Only Su Ming and the woman remained. One of them stood calmly in the sky, while the other stood respectfully on the ground.

At the same time, as the members of Yu Family fell asleep, distortions appeared at the spot where the statues of the Sun God and Moon Goddess shattered. As booms echoed in the air… the final gate of the Three Gates of Heavenly Dao appeared.

It was… a cream-colored mountain rock!

The size of the mountain rock surpassed the size of the statues that belonged to the Sun God and Moon Goddess, and an elephant was carved on that mountain rock!

The elephant had its nose wrapped around a scale… At the instant this strange carving appeared, a mighty pressure spread out from it, and it was so strong that Su Ming's heart trembled.

The mighty pressure filled the entire area, and if it was not because the Rune of the Yu Family had been activated and the Yu Family had been waiting for the Apostle to appear, hence had been ready for this since a long time ago, then this mighty pressure and presence would have spread through the entire Black Ink Planet during that moment.

"The third gate of the Three Gates of Heavenly Gate… Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here. By all means, Lord Apostle." As the woman from the Yu Family spoke softly, she bent her body slightly to bow to Su Ming.

He looked at the gigantic mountain rock, then at the image of the third gate on its side - Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here. He might have seemed calm at that moment, but his heart was trembling. He could sense… that this was an Enchanted Vessel!

This was an Enchanted Treasure that contained an endless amount of power, and in fact could only be activated by the power of Divine Essence - a Divine Essence Enchanted Treasure!

While looking at the third gate, Su Ming suddenly asked, "Who brought the Three Gates of Heavenly Dao from Divine Essence Star Ocean to Black Ink Planet?"

Yu Rou was momentarily stunned before she answered him softly, "The fourth Progenitor of the family. He obtained the Enchanted Vessel tens of thousands of years ago. This matter is a secret within the family, and most normal family members do not know the details of this."

"What is the name of your fourth Progenitor? Is he still around?' A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. His voice was normal, so others would not be able to tell why he would suddenly ask this question.

"The fourth Progenitor's name is Yu Han. He used up all his life to activate the Three Gates of Heavenly Dao in the past. Once he brought the Enchanted Vessel back to the family, he left a will, then his form and spirit were destroyed, and he died." Yu Rou's voice was as gentle as a piece of jade, just like her name suggested.

"I once heard someone mention that someone from the Yu Family cleared the third gate. Was it you?" Su Ming averted his gaze away from the third gate and looked towards Yu Rou.

"It is indeed me. It was also at that time that I became the Sacred Lady of the Moon Goddess' lineage. I obtained Divine Essence and awakened to my mission, but I was restricted in my movements and could not leave the Yu Family. My body cannot bear sunlight, so now, what stands before you is just a shadow… Only by completing my mission will I be able to walk out of the Yu Family," Yu Rou said softly.

"Lord Apostle, please enter the third gate and obtain Enchanted Vessel: Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here. The Yu Family will look upon you as our God and from then on worship you."

"You want me to enter the third gate as soon as possible?" Su Ming smiled faintly, then cast the woman a profound look.

When he looked towards her, his eyes shone brightly.

The woman's expression remained the same and not a hint of change could be detected on her. She lifted her head and looked into Su Ming's eyes before she spoke to him softly.

"This is my mission."

Su Ming continued to smile faintly. Once he turned around, he took a step towards the Enchanted Vessel and instantly appeared before that gigantic mountain rock. With a flash, he disappeared inside it without a trace.

Yu Rou looked at Su Ming disappearing, but even when he was gone, her expression remained the same and did not change. It was as if emotions could not be detected on her.

She stood there quietly and did not move, as if she was waiting for Su Ming's return.

Once every one hundred feet under the ground where she stood was a layer of fine, golden sand. They formed layers upon layers of obstruction, and these layers continued for one hundred thousand feet under Yu Rou's feet until… a gigantic underground palace could be found.

"With the Spiritual Sand acting as an obstruction, even a God's divine thought will not be able to penetrate through. After all, this Spiritual Sand is a relic of the ancient past. As long as we believe that it can prevent all forms of investigation, then it will be able to do so." An old voice that sounded as if teeth were grinding against each other gradually echoed in the darkness within the underground palace.

Once that voice spoke, green candle flames suddenly lit up in the underground palace. As the place illuminated by the green light, it looked very eerie. As the candle flames swayed, it looked as if there was a sinister gust of wind made by a malicious spirit roaming about in the underground palace.

"We've waited for tens of thousands of years, and the day has finally arrived..."

"It's a pity that this person isn't from the Yu Family, or else… we wouldn't have to be so cautious."

"Yu Rou is a pragmatic person. She won't let anyone discover any clues, and even we cannot be certain whether she leans more towards the family… or the Gods."

Voices that were similarly as old as the first echoed in the underground palace. As the green candles were lit up and as most of the palace was revealed, it could be vaguely seen that there were thirteen old men sitting cross-legged in there.

Each of the thirteen old men was older than the last. A decaying presence was spreading out from their bodies, and they looked as if they were dead. In fact, there was a faint green light shining from their eyes under the candle flames, and they looked incredibly horrifying.

Their skin was dry and shriveled, and their flesh had withered, making it look as if they were only skin and bones. However, with the light from the candle flames, it could be vaguely seen that there were plenty of complicated pictures drawn on their bodies.

"Even if she leans more towards the side of the Gods, she is still a member of the Yu Family. All the pros and cons will tell her that she only has one choice…"

"We've waited for tens of thousands of years, and the day has finally arrived. The Apostle has truly appeared, and it's not a waste that we have been suffering for so many years in this place. We did not dare be exposed under the sun, and did not dare walk out of the underground palace…"

"We hid the secret of the Three Gates of Heavenly Dao, and not even our family members know about this. In truth, over the course of tens of thousands of years, Yu Rou was not the only one who cleared the third gate… Including us, there were fourteen people who cleared the Third Gate of Heavenly Dao."

"All of it was worth it. As long… as the Progenitor's plan is successful and as long as the Progenitor can Possess the Apostle to become God, then… from then on, our branch of the Gate of Dao will only believe in ourselves and worship our own people!"

"The Yu Family will rise to power, as long as the Progenitor's plan is successful!"

"We shouldn't fail. We've prepared for so many years, and the thirteen of us have even given up everything to help the fourth Progenitor, Yu Han. In fact… we've already destroyed the Life Souls of the third, second, and even the first Progenitor. All of these… if we still don't succeed…"

"We'll definitely succeed!"

"That's right. We'll definitely succeed. The fourth Progenitor accidentally fused with the third gate in the past. Over tens of thousands of years that we have offered help, we've suppressed the Vessel Spirit that had originally fallen asleep and turned it into a new Vessel Spirit.

"What the Progenitor needs is just Possession. We've prepared for this for tens of thousands of years to Possess the Apostle!"

"Hmph, Apostle, my foot. It's just a body formed by the wills of the spirits of the sun and moon gathering on that person. The others don't know the truth, but we've known since a long time ago that the moment we chose to worship them, we would lose all forms of intelligence the moment we become Apostles."

"As long as you believe it, it will exist… Such a mighty power. This is the source of the spirits of the sun and moon's Divine Essence. We must have control over this power. The Gods have already died, and the Path of Immortals have already faded away. This is… an era when all lives will rise to power!"

As the thirteen old men in the underground palace spoke with excitement and anticipation, Yu Rou stood calmly on the ground above. Her face remained indifferent, as if she was not concerned with any of these… but also as if she did not know what could possibly cause her emotions to change.

Above her, within the third gate in the sky, within Peace Arrives when the Elephant is Here, a majestic sea of clouds appeared before Su Ming's eyes.

This sea was boundless. It covered the entire region. When he looked over, he could see that there seemed to be an elephant crying out in the clouds in the far distance.

The sound of the elephant's trumpets was echoing faintly. As it shook his heart, the Divine Essence in his soul boiled because of it.

"Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here…" Su Ming took a step forward and moved swiftly through the sea of clouds.

'The Yu Family might seem normal, and while I can't find any clues from that Yu Rou, not even from her words… all of this is just too smooth.' Su Ming let out a cold harrumph. While remaining wary, he gradually approached the trumpeting elephant.

Translator's Notes:

1. Peace arrives when the elephant is here, 太平有象: It is a traditional pattern that means luck. The meaning of the whole thing means that "when the world is at peace, crops will grow well". 太平 means that the world is at peace, and 有象 is "there are elephants". The whole thing is "Elephants are the signs showing the world is at peace". Since elephants live for a long period of time, they were seen as auspicious creatures.

Chapter 873: Promise

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Fortune comes from risks.

Su Ming had originally come to the Yu Family with the intention of gaining a foothold in Black Ink Planet and blending into its crowd at an even faster pace so that he could investigate the things related to the bald crane.

In fact, if he had the chance, he even wanted to go to Divine Essence Star Ocean so that he could take a look at what sort of universe was contained within the place that was known as the Star Ocean within the Land of Divine Essence, and just how many of the alien races he had never seen before.

Then, he would wait for a chance. Once his Ecang clone became stronger, he would search for a way to leave the Barren Lands of Divine Essence and rush into the region where the forces of power from the four Great True Worlds are stationed and return to the four Great True Worlds. Then… he would go back home.

However, this plan had changed slightly after Su Ming sensed the Shamans' presence when he stood outside Yu Family's Relocation Rune. He had discovered the existence of the Shamans, and this caused him to come up with a myriad of interconnected thoughts, and he had also thought about Lie Shan Xiu.

In fact, in the depths of his heart, Su Ming had another hope. He hoped… to see Berserkers here.

After all, if the Shamans could be here, then there was no reason for the Berserkers to not be here!

That was why Su Ming had chosen to help Yu Chen Hai and challenge the Three Gates of Heavenly Dao.

He had not needed to challenge the gates in such a flashy manner and he had not intended to do anything in a high profile, but after going through the things in the First Gate of Heavenly Dao, he had sensed a power that tempted him. As long as he believed in it, it would exist.

That was why Su Ming had not hesitated stepping in when the Second Gate of Heavenly Dao appeared. Within it, he had received a great serendipity with his Ecang clone, but even so, he had not received the power that had tempted him just then.

However, it was already enough!

If the woman had not appeared and he had not detected the presence of an Enchanted Treasure within the third gate, he would not have challenged it. However, an Enchanted Treasure that could only be activated by Divine Essence and could stir up Divine Essence had tempted Su Ming into making such a choice.

That was why he challenged the third gate, having decided to take the risk!

Even if he suspected that the Yu Family had an ulterior motive, he believed that his act of devouring the Sun God and Moon Goddess had not been seen through by anyone. He had the Ecang clone with him, and with it, his chances of success became greater in this gamble.

As Su Ming approached the elephant, the elephant's cries in the sea of clouds became incredibly clear. A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. He moved forward and instantly shot through the sea of clouds. At the moment he closed in, he saw the elephant.

It was… a gigantic elephant that was covered in fur which was purplish black and was tens of thousands of feet tall. Its limbs were bound by the clouds, and it was swaying its nose continuously in agony. Its cries spread out in all directions, because of which the clouds kept tumbling about.

Its eyes were murky, and it had huge tusks. A ferocious intent spread out from the elephant. As it roared, the tusks looked to possess a power that could destroy the world, and fear would raise within anyone who felt it.

There was a gigantic round bowl under its body. That bowl was also several tens of thousands of feet wide, and it had the elephant completely contained within. Su Ming immediately saw that there were four chains that extended upwards from around the bowl, and only when they were nearly ten thousand feet above the bowl did Su Ming see a black staff!

It… was a scale!

The bowl was part of a hanging scale, and the black staff was the beam. It stretched out endlessly, and it was clear that there should be a weight somewhere in the distance, above the beam that could weigh this elephant.

Su Ming's heart trembled at this scene. He was unable to distinguish whether the elephant or the scale was the Enchanted Treasure. There was even a possibility… that both of them were the Enchanted Treasure!

'This is the Enchanted Vessel that belonged to the Sun God and Moon Goddess when they were at the peak of their power. If that's the case, then it's accurate to say that there are two treasures!'

A focused glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. He did not immediately take action, since that would just be reckless, but instead leaped up and charged along the beam.

However, even when he saw the end of the beam, he did not find the weight of the scale. This was… a scale that did not have a weight!

"No promise…" At the moment Su Ming realized that there was no weight, a cry that seemed to be emitted due to pain suddenly rang through the world with loud, booming sounds.

"No promise… Where is the promise… Where are your promises?!

"I swallowed the weight, because… I swallowed the promise!

"Do not believe in the promise! The promise is the source of my strength! Believe in me, and I will exist!

"I… am the Enchanted Vessel, Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here. I… do not have a promise!

"I want to weigh a promise and find out how heavy it is. I want to know… how heavy a promise is. I want to know… just what is a promise!"

There was endless suffering contained in that voice. It sounded like roars as it echoed in the air. When Su Ming's heart trembled, that voice suddenly became gentle.

"You… came…

"You inherited the Divine Essence that belonged to the Sun God and Moon Goddess. You… brought the promise here…

"Give me a promise… I will follow you… and find out how much a promise weighs!

"Give me… a promise…"

"What promise do you want?!" Su Ming sucked in a deep breath. When he spoke, he had already noticed that the one who spoke was the elephant in the distance. It was the one speaking while crying out.

However, its eyes were murky, as if it was deep in sleep. It was like the words that were echoing in the air came from its soul.

"Promise me… that you will take me away!

"Make this promise with me, and I will become… your strongest supreme treasure. I will use this body of mine to stomp over all galaxies… Give me… a promise!" that voice roared. This time, it was no longer in pain, but instead had a form of madness contained within it.

In the mid of this madness, the sea of clouds roared and swept out in all directions, causing the endless sea to swiftly rotate before turning into a gigantic vortex. Loud, booming sounds spread out, and as the sea of clouds tumbled about before spreading out nonstop, the center of the world no longer have any clouds. Because of this, Su Ming could finally see the entirety of this Enchanted Vessel with just one glance.

Su Ming did not speak. He looked at the Enchanted Vessel known as Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here, looked into the elephant's eyes, and a freezing glare gradually appeared in his eyes.

'As long you believe in it, it will exist…'

Su Ming's lips slowly curled up into a cold sneer. The Abyss Builders' inborn ability was Possession, and he had even performed it twice. As he looked at the elephant's murky eyes at that moment, he could tell it was clearly deep in sleep, which could only mean that the voice's appearance… There might seem to be no temptation in this place, but in truth, it was waiting for Su Ming to make a promise. If he believed in those words, then whoever said those words would come into existence.

It might seem abstruse and insubstantial, but in truth, this was the source of this power.

'Are you intending to Possess me..? Then I'll play with you!' Su Ming chuckled coldly. At the instant a freezing glare appeared in his eyes, he opened his mouth slowly and said, "I promise to take you away!"

At the instant he said them, a crazed bout of laughter cut off the elephant's voice. There was an ancient air contained within that laughter, along with extreme joy as well as a craziness that came from finally being set free after being oppressed for tens of thousands of years.

"I… will fulfill your promise!"

At the instant the laughter shook the sky and earth, a great will suddenly erupted from within the Enchanted Vessel known as Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here. The strength of that will caused the world to tremble, and in an instant, it charged towards Su Ming to Possess him!

Chapter 874: A Mere Firefly's Light!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Possession?" Su Ming stood at where he was and did not take even a step back. He had long since guessed most of what was going on. When he saw the Vessel Spirit from the Enchanted Vessel known as Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here, a glint appeared in his eyes. He even took a step forward, as if he was willingly offering himself up to be Possessed.

The great will closed in on him instantly. Yet when he saw that Su Ming had not retreated but had instead moved forward, he became uncertain. However, the chance now was one that had arrived after he waited for tens of thousands of years. There was no way he would give it up due to a moment of uncertainty.

As the will came upon him with loud booming sounds, it descended on Su Ming's body. That will was like flowing streams of water that surged into his body through his pores. A crazed laughter also echoed in Su Ming's mind.

"It's your serendipity to become my body. Since you promised to take me away, then you… will belong to me!"

A booming sound rang out in Su Ming's mind, but his expression remained calm. It was as if he was completely unconcerned about being Possessed. As the booming sounds reverberated violently in his mind, he sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes.

"The Abyss Builders' inborn ability allows us to Possess others to live. You are just a Vessel Spirit in an Enchanted Vessel, and there is even a possibility that you aren't the real soul, but a soul fragment that had accidentally fuses with the Enchanted Vessel. How dare… you Possess me?"

At the instant Su Ming closed his eyes, his thoughts burst forth in his mind and soul with a loud sound that was like thunderous boom that could shake the sky and earth.

Once the great will surged into Su Ming's body, the elephant's eyes slowly became clearer and it fell into deep sleep. The light on its body became dark. Even the scale lost its lustre. Then, this world formed by the sea of clouds became dead silent.

There was no tumbling of waves, no movement of clouds. Everything seemed to have been frozen.

However, compared to the tranquility of the world, a storm was now raging in Su Ming's mind, and booming sounds as loud as those when mountains collapse reverberated in him.

Su Ming's mind was like a purple galaxy that was as boundless as the universe. At that moment, within the purple galaxy was a layer of gray fog that covered an area of some several tens of thousands of feet. This might not seem big, but if anyone looked at it from a close proximity, they would be greatly shocked.

As that gray fog tumbled about, a contour of an old face emerged. The expression on that face was twisted, with an extreme joy as well as a madness born due to being oppressed for tens of thousands of years. Now, that face was spreading out endlessly to devour the place.

"Haha! I've waited for tens of thousands of years! Tens of thousands of years! And the Apostle has finally arrived! I'll Possess you and treat your body well, and I will let you have a taste… of the pain of losing your body!"

The gray fog laughed madly in the purple galaxy as it continued spreading to cover the entire area. In the blink of an eye, it had already grown ten times larger than its original size.

If anyone looked at it then, they would find that the gray fog had become even greater in mass, and would be slightly terrified.

"Haha… Playing hide and seek with me, hmm? Very well, then. I will find your soul. Your mind might be big, but you can't escape… I will search for your soul slowly and devour you. What I have is time!" Madness appeared on the old man's face in the gray fog. It spread out once more, tumbling into the distance.

Time trickled by slowly. The gray fog continued expanding through the galaxy, but Su Ming's soul could not be found. The old man that was the gray fog looked at the boundless purple galaxy, and his expression slowly turned dark.

"I'd like to see where you can run to!"

He looked as if he had sucked in a deep breath before he let out a quick breath. When he did so, the gray fog immediately grew in size exponentially before tumbling outwards into the endless area. In the blink of an eye, the gray fog occupied most of the galaxy.

If someone looked over, they would find that this galaxy was filled with the old man's gray fog. When he sucked in another deep breath, all parts of the purple galaxy turned gray with a bang. The place was completely filled with the gray fog.

The purple galaxy which was Su Ming's mind no longer seemed like it belonged to him but to the old man. The old man laughed madly, but then he came to an abrupt halt, and his expression turned dark once again, because he, who thought that he had occupied Su Ming's mind…. found that he could not find Su Ming's soul.

"Damn it! Brat, you sure can hide yourself well, but I'll still be able to find you!"

The old man let out a low growl. No one could say what sort of divine ability he executed, but the gray fog immediately exploded with a bang before turning into an endless amount of gray threads. As if they wanted to break apart this galaxy, they moved outwards with loud, booming sounds.

Time continued passing. Several hours later, the old man's crazed voice echoed in Su Ming's mind.

"Just where are you?! I've already occupied your entire mind, so why can't I find your soul?! That's impossible! Your soul has to be hidden here!"

"Even if you don't come out, even if you hide for tens of thousands of years, it's still useless! I'll go and control your body right now, and if you dare to come out and interfere with me, I'll immediately devour you!"

The old man roared, but soon, his expression changed, because he realized… that he could not leave this place, much less control Su Ming's body.

"This is… What's going on?! How can this be?!"

The old man's expression changed drastically. Unwilling to accept this, he tried once again to leave the galaxy that was Su Ming's mind and control Su Ming's body, but after multiple tries, he discovered to his shock… that he still could not do so.

Based on what he knew, this was something that should be impossible. He could not think of any reason. As he roared, he looked as if he had gone crazy. Fog tumbled about, as if it wanted to cause Su Ming's mind to burst like a balloon.

"Damn it! I'll find your soul… I have ample time, just you wait. Once I find your soul, I'll make you know just what pain is!"

As he was raving, a calm voice suddenly traveled out indifferently from all directions.

"You want to see my soul?"

"Come here!" When the old man heard that voice, he immediately roared. This roar came from the gray fog, and it was as if the galaxy he had occupied was roaring.

"As you wish."

When Su Ming's cool voice traveled into the galaxy calmly… a galaxy that was the same size as the one occupied by the old man's gray fog suddenly appeared beyond the one that was occupied. Then, another one, and another one, and another one appeared… until an endless amount of boundless galaxies were in all directions.

There was a total of one hundred thousand galaxies!

The old man had only occupied one out of one hundred thousand galaxies!

Su Ming's soul actually formed a complete universe!

This scene completely stunned the old man, and a dazed look appeared on his face for an instant. This surpassed his imagination. He had never imagined that a person's mind could be so terrifying.

A shudder ran through the old man's mind, and he gritted his teeth and roared, "Where are you?!"

"I am right before you. Lift up your head, and you will see me." The thing that answered the old man was a loud boom formed by all one hundred thousand galaxies speaking at the same time.

The old man instinctively lifted his head, and he started trembling furiously. He saw...

Chapter 875: We Welcome the Progenitor's Egression!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

He saw a mysterious object of an indescribable size within the boundless cosmos. It was difficult for him to compare what he saw with anything else.

It seemed like a gigantic pillar, but the breadth of it seemed to have replaced the entire cosmos, causing all those who saw it to feel as if they were looking at a barrier.

"This… This is…"

The old man's mind trembled. The gray fog which was him started rising and falling violently due to the changes in his emotions. He slowly raised his head to the limit, and he found that he could still not see the top of the gigantic pillar.

When he activated his vast divine sense and used it to look at it, the fog which was him suddenly stopped trembling, as if it had become still. It seemed a single bit of emotion could be stirred up in his heart. He… was stunned speechless. His mind went blank, and there were no longer any thoughts in his head. The only thing that remained was the absent-minded state that came upon him due to extreme shock.

He could see that the surface of the gigantic pillar seemed like tree bark, but he could not believe that such a big tree that was completely inconceivable could exist in the world.

However, after a moment, when he saw the gigantic tree crown, the endless branches, and the entirety of the boundless tree, he descended into madness.

"What… What is this?! You… Who are you?!" He shivered. During that moment, his heart was filled with fear and disbelief.

"I am the person you wanted to Possess," Su Ming's gigantic purple Ecang clone stated flatly. His voice immediately reverberated in the cosmos with loud, booming sounds. Just the spread of his voice alone already caused the gray fog to tremble so much that it almost disintegrated.

"That's impossible! You're the Apostle! The Apostle inherits the Sun God and Moon Goddess' legacy, but the Sun God and Moon Goddess were injured badly during the era when all lives died. Even if you obtained their legacy, it's impossible for this sort of soul to appear in you!

"You… You aren't the Apostle!!"

As the old man shouted shrilly, the gray fog which was him immediately started tumbling about and moving backwards, trying once again to escape from Su Ming's mind. However, he had already attempted this previously, and even if he tried it again at that moment, it was of little help.

This was Su Ming's mind. This was the cosmos formed by all one hundred thousand of his galaxies. This was the place where his soul was at its strongest. This was the place… where Su Ming was the master!

Su Ming had been able to Possess Ecang, and because of this, there were few lives in the world that could Possess him, because this task would be even more difficult than Su Ming Possessing Ecang in the past!

Almost the instant the old man descended into madness and the gray fog was about to escape at all cost, a gap tore open at the trunk of the Ecang tree that was Su Ming.

The gap looked like a gaping mouth that could devour everything.

Su Ming did not act quickly, but it was precisely because he was acting slowly that it brought such fear to the old man. That fear erupted endlessly from within him. He tried time and again to escape from the place while roaring in despair, but it was of no use. He could only… watch as the tree that was Su Ming slowly opened its mouth and gradually revealed a ferocious sight that caused him to scream.

"No! Let me go! Don't swallow me! I can become your servant!

"I… I can make the entire Yu Family become your servants. Don't kill me! I… I can conquer the entire Black Ink Planet for you!!"

The old man was already rambling at this point. The chance that he had been longing for tens of thousands of years had turned into the shadow of death. He had thought that this would be a chance for him to succeed, but in the blink of an eye, the tables were turned against him. He was about to pay with his life, and all of this was something that the old man could not accept.

"What is your name?" Su Ming's voice reverberated in the air with an unparalleled pressure. His voice was the will of heaven, and it was something that could not be refused.

Su Ming's question gave the old man hope that he had a chance to survive. He immediately answered without a single bit of hesitation, "Yu Han. I am the fourth Progenitor of the Yu Family, Yu Han…"

However, just as he said these words, the gaping mouth on the Ecang tree that was Su Ming sucked in a sharp breath.

With it, the one hundred thousand galaxies roared at the same time. All of them trembled violently as if the cosmos was about to collapse and as if the universe was about to be destroyed.

During that instant, a shrill scream of pain filled with despair came from the gray fog that was the old man. The gray fog was sucked in, and in an instant, it turned into wisps of smoke that charged into Ecang's gaping mouth.

"I've waited for tens of thousands of years, I've had the help from a dozen something generations of descendants throughout the ages, and after waiting for so long, someone had finally arrived, I can't accept this… I… can't accept this!"

The old man's distorted face appeared in the wisps of fog that had been sucked into Ecang's mouth. Hatred, despair, and a strong refusal to accept defeat filled his expression.

Yet he could do nothing to stop any of this. He had thought that what would come to him would be a cultivator that he could exploit at will. Never had he expected that what would come to him would be a terrifying existence surpassing those of ancient ferocious beasts.

…..

At the time, no one knew anything about what was happening in the Third Gate of Heavenly Dao. They could only see that the image of Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here, which was the Third Gate of Heavenly Dao in the sky at that moment and which was as huge as a mountain rock, was shining brightly.

The light continued changing nonstop, so the image of Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here looked as if it had come back to life. There were also loud booming sounds coming from within it that were reverberating in the air and spreading in all directions.

Standing in the mid of the endless unconscious members of the Yu Family was Yu Rou, who was looking at the sky with a calm expression. Her lips slowly curled into a faint smile, though it went unnoticed by all.

That smile was very faint. In fact, even if anyone looked closely, it would still be very hard to see it. Only she herself knew just how happy she was during that instant.

'How dare you attempt to snatch the Apostle's body. Progenitor Yu Han, under the light of the Sun God and Moon Goddess… you won't succeed!'

These words echoed in Yu Rou's heart, and they caused that faint smile on her lips just moments ago.

As the third gate in the sky shone with a light that reached one hundred thousand feet wide, the ground beside Yu Rou started trembling violently. As it did so, cracks formed.

These cracks intersected with each other and gradually spread out, turning into huge ravines. As they did so, thirteen intersecting spots were formed around Yu Rou!

Wisps of gray fog erupted forth from those places. As the fog spread out and gathered together, it turned into thirteen figures that were several dozens of feet large.

Within the thirteen balls of fog, thirteen incredibly old men could be vaguely seen sitting cross-legged on the ground. It was as if the fog around them was their protection, or else they would be unable to venture out.

These thirteen old men were the thirteen people from the underground palace. Their faces were filled with excitement at that moment, and all of them had their heads lifted to look at the image of Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here in the sky. Based on their numerous interactions with the fourth Progenitor throughout the ages, they knew that when the Apostle the Progenitor had been waiting for arrived and they attempted to Possess each other, the image of Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here would shine with this sort of light.

And there was no way that the Progenitor, who had prepared for tens of thousands of years and could even use the strange power within the Three Gates of Heavenly Dao, would have any chance of failure, unless he chose not to Possess the Apostle. Once he began the process of Possessing, then eventually, the one who would walk out would be the Progenitor.

That was why all of them had walked out of the underground palace; they wanted to be there to welcome the Progenitor when he ventured out. In fact, in the mid of their excitement, they could already imagine that when the Progenitor ventured out, then he, who possessed the treasure that was Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here, had control over the body of the Sun God and Moon Goddess' Apostle, and was skilled in controlling the strange power within the Three Gates of Heavenly Dao, would be able to lead the Yu Family and make their family business incredibly great in Black Ink Planet.

In fact… he could even bring them back to Divine Essence Star Ocean in search for the members of the other branch of the Gate of Dao race. They could restore the Gate of Dao to its former glory. It would no longer be impossible for them to do this.

"The Progenitor will definitely succeed. Before long, he will come out of the image of Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here!"

"The day the Yu Family will rise into power has finally come!" When the thirteen old men looked at the sky in excitement, Yu Rou stood by the side indifferently. No one saw the hint of derision that shone briefly in her eyes.

During that moment, the light from the third gate in the sky abruptly reached its brightest, looking like the sun in the eyes of anyone who saw it. The light from the gate shone on the ground and even brought with it waves of great, mighty pressure.

A figure appeared within the image of Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here.

At the instant this figure took shape, the thirteen old men on the ground knelt down in the mid of their excitement.

"We welcome the Progenitor's egression!"

"We welcome the Progenitor's egression!"

Thirteen old voices rang in the air at the same time. The waves of sound formed by their voices were so great that they shook the sky and earth, rising into the sky with loud booms.

Yu Rou's face was also filled with devotion at that moment. As she lowered her head and worshiped the figure, she mumbled under her breath, "Congratulations to the Apostle's egression…"

However, her voice was drowned out by the noise of the thirteen old voices, and no one noticed that what she said at that moment was completely different from the words of everyone else.

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, the span of a dozen something breaths went by. When the figure within the image of Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here became clearer, the zealous voices from the thirteen old men on the ground became stronger.

"We welcome the Progenitor's egression!"

All the voices in the world seemed to have been drowned out by this sentence at that instant, making it seem as if it would be the only sound that would echo in the world.

The figure within the image of Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here became increasingly clearer. Nine breaths later, a violent bang forced its way through the waves of sound filled with zealousness. Su Ming… slowly walked out from the endless light coming from the third gate.

He looked as calm as usual, and there was not a hint of change that could be detected on him. When he walked out, his long hair danced in the air, and his robes fluttered, giving him an ethereal air, but the dignified look in his eyes made him seem as if he was a will that surpassed the will of the universe as he stood in the sky, and if he stood on the ground, he would be the God that would surpass all existences on land.

At the instant he walked out, the thirteen old men on the ground let out the strongest and most zealous cry of their lives.

"We welcome… the Progenitor's egression!"

Su Ming looked at the thirteen old men on the ground and at Yu Rou. Then, an incredibly eerie and strange smile that was difficult to grasp appeared on his lips.

Chapter 876: Spiked Club…

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Once Su Ming swept his gaze over the thirteen zealous people on the ground, he cast a glance at Yu Rou before he turned his head around and looked at the gigantic image of Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here behind him.

He had devoured Yu Family's Progenitor and obtained some of his memories of the third age. Within those memories were some of the areas of the Divine Essence Star Ocean as well as the reason why he had fused with the Enchanted Vessel all those years ago.

'Within Divine Essence Star Ocean is a place known as the Place Where Spirits Died…'

Su Ming's eyes sparkled. From the memories he obtained from Yu Family's Progenitor, he knew that the man had entered Divine Essence Star Ocean to search for the signs of the Gate of Dao race based on the clues left behind by the previous generations within the Yu Family.

They had spent a long period of time to find traces of the Gate of Dao race during his generation, a lot of it courtesy to Yu Han. When he delved deep into Divine Essence Star Ocean, he discovered the Three Gates of Heavenly Dao and also that the place was a spot where spirits died!

This so called spot where spirits died could be considered an ancient ruin. It was the place where the tribes at the height of their power worshiped the Gods countless years ago, in an age even before the alien races came into existence.

After time passed, even though there were still plenty of alien races within Divine Essence Star Ocean, most of them had branched out from the prosperous tribes and gradually increased in number on their own. Because of this, very few of these alien races had completely inherited their legacy.

As for the tribes that had been at the height of their power in the past, most of them were destroyed due to a disaster that not even Yu Family's Progenitor knew about. Even the Gods they worshiped had either died or fell into deep sleep.

That was the case for the Sun God and Moon Goddess of the Gate of Dao. They were severely injured and sank into deep sleep. The place where their real bodies slept was the region known as… the Place Where Spirits Died in Divine Essence Star Ocean.

Su Ming was certain that these memories were trustworthy because when he devoured the Sun God and Moon Goddess, he could tell clearly that they had not truly died. He had only devoured a part of them, and based on the words they said before they disappeared, Su Ming knew that their real bodies were not in Black Ink Planet.

Based on this judgement, Yu Family's Progenitor discovered that the Place Where Spirits Died was where the Sun God and Moon Goddess slept.

It was also due to the mysteries in that place that Yu Family Progenitor's soul was sucked into the Three Gates of Heavenly Dao for some unknown reason. After that, since his body no longer had any life force supplied to it, it became increasingly weaker and soon started rotting away, like a dead man's.

He dragged his rotting body and the Three Gates of Heavenly Dao back to his family in Black Ink Planet. Since his body continued rotting every single day, by the time he finally arrived, he could no longer persevere. His body disintegrated, and he died.

However, after his body was destroyed, he discovered that he had not died, but was contained within the treasure that was Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here. In fact, he even realized that the Vessel Spirit within the Enchanted Vessel was also deep in sleep, which allowed him to temporarily become the Vessel Spirit.

After tens of thousands of years of examination and puzzling it out, he mastered the strange power within the Three Gates of Heavenly Dao. With this, he secretly affected all the family members who came to challenge the Three Gates of Heavenly Dao to find those who could help him in his plan to escape.

Under his arrangement, some of the incredibly outstanding family members managed to get to the Third Gate of Heavenly Dao, but they had not done so by obtaining the Sun God and Moon Goddess' acknowledgement in the Second Gate of Heavenly Dao. They had only managed to get to the Third Gate of Heavenly Dao with his help.

However, after multiple attempts, Yu Family's Progenitor realized that he could not Possess the members of Yu Family. Because of this, he had guests also challenge the Three Gates of Heavenly Dao. Yet in the end, he discovered that he could Possess neither his family members nor the guests.

It was as if there was something missing within them.

After many years of investigation, he gradually found the reason. They lacked a form of power from the Gods. Only by Possessing those who had this power would he be able to move out of this place.

That was why the subsequent sequence of events had occurred.

Yu Family's Progenitor was incredibly wary of the Second Gate of Heavenly Dao and did not dare to get too close to it. He would only affect it in secret, because that place was the key to him becoming free. After mastering the strange power in the place after being trapped in this place for tens of thousands of years, his heart had become twisted. He wanted to devour the Apostle, because the Apostle had been acknowledged by the Second Gate of Heavenly Dao, and the power of the Gods would surely be contained within him.

The guests who had managed to come to the third gate were all killed by him in the place. In fact, some of the members of the family who did not have zealous faith in him were also killed.

With the cooperation of the handful of family members who ventured out, the information that he was inside was kept secret.

This continued until Yu Rou appeared thousands of years ago. When she arrived at the Second Gate of Heavenly Dao, she had been slightly acknowledged. This brought Yu Family's Progenitor great excitement, and he attempted to Possess her.

However, he failed in that Possession. The power of the Gods within Yu Rou was still too little; it was not enough for Yu Family's Progenitor to succeed. After he failed, he did not kill Yu Rou, but instead kept her around, hoping that she would grow up and become his way out.

All of these were the memories Su Ming obtained from Yu Family's Progenitor. When he turned his head around to look at the third gate, his eyes shone. He was incredibly interested in the Place Where Spirits Died, which belonged to the Gate of Dao race.

He lifted his right hand slowly and pushed it towards the third gate. The elephant's body shuddered, and bright light shone in its eyes. At the same time, the mountain rock shrank under the light and charged over at Su Ming.

When it landed on his palm, it turned into a white mountain rock. It looked like a piece of jade and was incredibly smooth. The white elephant on it looked as if it was alive, and the scale beam was even branded on the rock. It was emitting a gentle light.

The precious treasure!

Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here!

As Su Ming held the treasure in his hand, he sensed the power of Divine Essence within him boiling, as if it wanted to surge into the treasure completely. However, Su Ming could also sense clearly that unless his Ecang clone was here, he would only be able to activate a hint of the power within this treasure with his clone that practiced the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole.

Only his Ecang clone would be able to awaken the Vessel Spirit within the treasure with the vast amount of Divine Essence he possessed, and only then would he be able to have it acknowledge Su Ming as its owner in order to activate part of its might. If he wanted to bring out the full power within the treasure, then his Ecang clone would need to devour another soul or even several of the other souls from the other nine Ecang souls.

"Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here, what a treasure…" Su Ming mumbled.

He flung his right hand outwards, and the mountain rock on his palm disappeared, then with another swing of his arm, he walked towards the ground from midair. Just as he was about to descend, a thought suddenly appeared in his mind, and he turned his head around to look at Dao Avenue Mountain.

The mountain looked like it was made of clouds who were in the shape of a mountain. The black parts around the white mountain rocks formed the head of the malicious spirit. In fact, if someone looked at it for a prolonged period of time, they would have the false impression that the malicious spirit's hair was dancing. When Su Ming looked at the bat that could not escape from the malicious spirit's right hand, he swiftly seized the air in the direction of Dao Avenue Mountain.

The mountain let out a bang and started trembling.

"Come here!"

Su Ming let out a cold harrumph. The veins on his right hand popped up, and at the instant he seized the air forcefully, Dao Avenue Mountain began trembling even more furiously. With a bang, the entire mountain rose from the ground and charged towards Su Ming.

The swift movement reverberated in the air as the mountain closed in on Su Ming in the blink of an eye. At that moment, he lifted his right hand and swung it.

"Become small!"

The mountain shrank swiftly.

"Smaller!"

With another bang, Dao Avenue Mountain shrank once again. However, at the instant it shrank this time, a focused glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes, and he took a step forward to appear before Dao Avenue Mountain, which was now only several hundreds of feet big. When he looked at a certain spot located at the back of the mountain, his eyes sparkled.

He saw that there was a huge crack behind the mountain rock, and there were several holes at the top of the crack, as if they had been left there after something with spikes struck it.

The crack also brought the image of a club with spikes to Su Ming's mind. The damage to the mountain was clearly caused by this sort of weapon.

'This Dao Avenue Mountain is clearly also a treasure. I won't need as much Divine Essence to activate it as I would need for Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here, but it's still considered a large amount to me. Still, it's slightly easier to use compared to Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here…

'But such a grievous injury has been left on this Divine Essence Treasure, and the mark of this crack… seems rather familiar.' Su Ming frowned. After thinking about it carefully, a shudder suddenly ran through his body, and a brilliant light shone in his eyes.

He had seen a type of weapon that could cause this sort of crack before!

"Spiked club…"

Su Ming's breathing quickened slightly. He remembered why it was familiar now. He once had a spiked club that could change its size at will. When it fell against the ground or mountains, the cracks that would show up would be like this.

'I obtained that spiked club at the bottom of the sea, from within the endless layer of ice around the region where Great Yu Imperial Palace was frozen. There was an endless amount of strange looking people frozen in that ice.

'I was wondering about it in the past. Could it be..?'

Su Ming cast a scrutinizing glance at Dao Avenue Mountain. After remaining silent for a moment, he suddenly had even more speculations towards the mysteries of Yin Death Region.

'Yin Death Region… my homeland… the place where I grew up. Only now as I come into contact with the worlds outside, do I realize… that the secrets there are also fathomless.'

Su Ming shook his head. He would definitely return to Yin Death Region, and at that time, he would find all the greatest secrets of Yin Death Region to answer all of his questions.

He pointed towards Dao Avenue Mountain with his right index finger. The mountain shrank once again and turned into an object that looked like a piece of jade on his palm.

At the instant Su Ming touched the mountain, a thought appeared in his mind. He lowered his head and cast a glance at the item in his hand before putting it away while looking as if he was absorbed in his thoughts. Then, he landed on the ground.

At the instant he descended, the thirteen old men in front of him prostrated themselves on the ground, as if kneeling was no longer sufficient to express the respect they had in their hearts, and only by prostrating themselves on the ground would they be able to do so.

"Greetings, Progenitor!"

"Prepare a secret chamber for me, I will isolate myself to meditate for several days!" Su Ming stated flatly. His words sent the thirteen old men into action while they burned with zealous passion. Soon, an incredibly extravagant chamber was prepared for Su Ming.

"When I come out several days later, I will release all of you from the life of being unable to bask under the sun." Su Ming took a step forward and moved into the chamber. As the door fell shut with a loud boom, the thirteen old men prostrated themselves on the ground in respect.

Only Yu Rou's eyes were sparkling. She was an incredibly beautiful woman to begin with, and as her beautiful eyes sparkled, they gave rise to a striking image that could take a person's breath away.

Su Ming immediately sat down cross-legged in the chamber and sucked in a deep breath. He placed his hands on his knees with his palms turned upwards. White light shone on his hands, and the treasure that was Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here as well as Dao Avenue Mountain appeared at the same time.

At the instant Su Ming closed his eyes, his body trembled, and the image of the statues that belonged to the Sun God and the Moon Goddess manifested behind him.

"The power that will exist as long as I believe in it will now belong to me!"

Su Ming sucked in a deep breath, and booming sounds immediately reverberated in the chamber.

Chapter 877: Malicious Spirit Weighing an Elephant

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

On a normal occasion, there would probably be only one type of light.

However, at that moment, light was divided into two types. One of them was the overbearing, strong type of light, and the other was a gentle, weak type of light.

The brilliant light shining from the statues of the Sun God and Moon Goddess illuminated the entire chamber, so each spot in the room was covered in light. The overbearing light did not intersect with the gentle light, but instead divided the room into two halves of a circle with Su Ming at the center.

One side was incredibly domineering, while the other side was as gentle as flowing water.

There were even two types of different colors shining on Su Ming's shut eyes, so his body looked as if it had been segregated at that instant. A line running vertically down the center of his nose separated his body into two different halves, and those two halves were illuminated by a strong ray of light and a dim ray of light respectively.

Su Ming's palms were turned upwards and placed on his knee, with Dao Avenue Mountain lying on this right hand. At that moment, while covered by the light, the treasure gradually gave off a feeling as if it had come to life. As the malicious spirit became increasingly more ferocious, the bat on its hand screeched.

After a moment, the malicious spirit on Dao Avenue Mountain whipped its head around. As its entire body was twisted, Dao Avenue Mountain floated into the air, and it turned into something akin to fog. It surrounded Su Ming, swimming between the strong and weak lights and giving him an incredibly bizarre air.

Su Ming's expression remained calm. He still had his eyes closed. The treasure that was Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here on his left hand let out a booming sound at that moment. As it slowly came apart, it turned into the illusory image of an elephant and a scale before it also swam around Su Ming with the malicious spirit.

"Power that will exist as long as I believe in it, appear!"

Su Ming opened his eyes swiftly, and the bright light in his eyes looked as if it wanted to fuse with the strong and weak light in the chamber, giving off the feeling that a third type of light had appeared in the place.

At the instant he opened his eyes, the malicious spirit that was Dao Avenue swimming around him let out a roar towards the sky. As it roared, it lifted its left hand and seized the scale moving by its side.

When the scale was in its hands, it seemed like the malicious spirit had turned into a person that would balance a scale. At the same time he did so, the elephant turned into a long arc and naturally appeared on the scale pan.

All of this might have seemed to have happened over a long period of time, but in truth, the entire process was completed in the span of a few breaths. The malicious spirit's expression was no longer ferocious, but had instead an awe-inspiring air about it. At that moment, it seized the air and caught the bat to hang it on the scale beam.

At the instant this was done, what appeared before Su Ming was a picture of a malicious spirit weighing an elephant!

The bat was clearly the weight of the scale!

All of this was perfect, so perfect that Su Ming could not find a single flaw in it. It was as if the entire thing was supposed to appear this way.

"The elephant has two forms. One of them is its physical form, and the other is the illusory form on the scale!" an indistinct voice said from the malicious spirit's mouth in the form of a buzzing noise.

"The physical body of the elephant on the scale is like that of the form of the Heavenly Dao, not the power of the Antecedental Spirit. The thought of weighing this elephant is like a fantasy, and it can allow you to weigh… this elephant for the span of three breaths!"

The picture of the malicious spirit weighing the elephant lasted for about the span of three breaths in front of Su Ming before all of it turned into two long arcs that charged into his eyes. The malicious spirit that was Dao Avenue and the bat acting as the weight seeped into Su Ming's left eye before disappearing without a trace, while the elephant and the pan entered his right, and with a flash, they disappeared, too.

A shudder ran through Su Ming's body.

"Believe in me…"

As Su Ming mumbled to himself, a clouded look appeared in his eyes. He could truly sense the power contained within his eyes at that moment, because that power had taken the form of an incredibly loud voice in his mind.

There was a supreme, awe-inspiring might contained in that voice. It sounded like a roar, and it was echoing endlessly in Su Ming's mind. He did not sense any form of danger from it, however. There was no spirit contained in that voice preparing to Possess him either. This was a voice that had existed many years ago and seemed to have been left behind in the passages of time.

That voice could not be heard normally. Only when a person was illuminated by the light from the Sun God and Moon Goddess while coming into possession of the malicious spirit that was Dao Avenue as well as the elephant that represented peace and used Divine Essence to activate them so that the picture of the malicious spirit weighing the elephant would appear would that voice show up.

Perhaps it was more accurate to say that the picture of the malicious spirit weighing the elephant was the core of the Three Gates of Heavenly Dao, and the strange power contained within the Three Gates of Heavenly Dao which Su Ming desired… was the three words in that sentence hidden in the picture of the malicious spirit weighing the elephant!

"Believe in me…" The voice continued echoing in his mind, and he had a feeling as if he was taken by it.

The voice was hidden in that illusory picture, and the picture was concealed by the Three Gates of Heavenly Dao. The voice and the three words were the core and source of the strange power.

"I didn't expect that the power I am obsessed with… would be developed from this one sentence." Dark light shone in Su Ming's eyes. At that moment, he looked incredibly mystifying, and even his mumblings sounded as if they held a vague and insubstantial feeling in them.

"The ancient air contained in that sentence… with just it alone, such great power was gathered together. This is definitely… not something the Sun God and Moon Goddess were capable of doing!

"The Three Gates of Heavenly Dao might have come into being even before the Sun God and Moon Goddess. Perhaps more accurately speaking… this is a treasure left behind by an existence that is even more ancient than the Sun God and Moon Goddess!"

Su Ming's heart beat quickly a few times. There was a dark light in his eyes, and he slowly tried to clench his fists without moving them away from his knees.

"I will need to understand this power. Yu Family's Progenitor managed to understand some of it after groping about blindly, and he was capable of executing this sort of power… I can feel that if I grasp this power completely and absorb the strong and weak rays of light around me back into my body… then I will succeed."

While he was in the process of slowly furling his hands into fists, the light in the chamber began twisting about intensely, as if it had turned into threads, and they were gathering around Su Ming's hands from all directions.

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, one day went by.

During that one day, Su Ming never blinked. The dark light in his eyes became increasingly stronger, while the edges of the chamber had turned black from their previously illuminated state.

If anyone looked over, they would find the chamber to be an incredibly bizarre sight, as if light had been restricted to a particular region and was separated from the darkness around the area. It was as if there was a barrier that had divided them.

Su Ming's face was illuminated in flashes of dim and bright light. An endless amount of red could be seen vaguely in the dark light in his eyes. He might have looked calm on the outside, but there was a storm raging in the depths of his heart. That voice still lingered around and echoed in his mind time and again, each sentence roaring in his head.

In the beginning, that voice would only in a long while, but now, it seemed to have connected together with Su Ming's mind and continued echoing endlessly.

"Believe in me… Believe in me… Believe in me…"

There was no intonation within that ancient voice, and it had already replaced all of Su Ming's thought processes as well as his consciousness. It was as if his body was empty at that moment, and only that voice was continuously spreading out through him

All of this might seem dangerous, but in truth, Su Ming knew that the danger posed by this was not high. He had never let down his guard either. This was an attempt to gain an epiphany from a voice left behind from ancient times.

If he succeeded, he would be able to obtain the power contained in the words, and if he failed, he would only fail, that was all.

Another day went by, which meant that Su Ming had already sat in the chamber for two full days. There were countless echoes of that voice in his head by that point, and they were slowly showing signs of gathering once again instead of spreading outwards.

When the third day passed, the voices in Su Ming's head finally completed the process of merging into one instead of spreading out, and they turned into one sentence once again.

"Believe in me…"

This sentence seemed different compared to all the other sentences he had heard previously. He might not have been able to tell the difference, but at the instant the voice reverberated in his mind, a loud bang rang out in his head.

In the mid of this loud bang, his consciousness was warped, as if his soul had been forcefully dragged to a strange world by that one sentence.

That place was a broken piece of sky, which was dark blue and swiftly crumbling. Loud, booming sounds echoed in the universe. He could see pillars of light shooting through the galaxy to reach this place, bringing piercing whistles in their wake. Wherever they went, space would shatter, and the sky would break down.

When these pillars of light landed on the ground, ring-shaped waves of impact were instantly formed, and as they swept outwards, layers upon layers of the ground were destroyed.

It was as if this was the apocalypse, and the world was being destroyed at the moment.

"Believe in me…"

At that moment, a tremendous voice suddenly came from the ground. Su Ming looked over, and he instantly saw a person standing on a mountain situated on the crumbling ground that was rising and falling like waves!

It was a young man dressed in a blue robe, with a head full of white hair. He had average looks, and looked so ordinary that there was nothing outstanding about him. However, there was a thick ancient air about him.

It was as if he had experienced far too many things in his life, which resulted in him possessing a shocking presence that could not be described with words but would cause all people to be unable to forget it the moment they saw it.

With hands placed behind his back, he stood at the top of the mountain. Grief was in his eyes. His robes fluttered and white hair danced to the wind. He seemed to be looking at the sky as his voice echoed in the air.

"Believe in me…"

Su Ming's heart trembled. He looked at the man and saw numerous living creatures kneeling down on the crumbling ground before him. These living creatures were trembling, clearly afraid of the world collapsing around them, but none of them got up to escape.

They looked at the man with white hair as if his words were a form of conviction and deserved utmost respect.

"Someone once told me that those who believe in me will find that I will not die even if the world dies. Even if the world is destroyed, I will not be destroyed… Today, I will tell all of you this…

"Believe in me…"

Su Ming's heart trembled. Everything before his eyes shattered abruptly and turned into countless shards. As these shards danced about, they slowly disappeared before him.

Su Ming "opened" his eyes. But perhaps it would be more accurate to say that his physical eyes had been open since the start, so the eyes he opened this time were the eyes of his soul.

He was still in the chamber, and everything was dark around him… But in his left hand was a sun shining with a strong, overbearing light. In his right hand was a moon shining with a weak, gentle light. All the light in the chamber was gathered by the two of them.

"I understand now."

An ancient air appeared about Su Ming's face. If anyone took a closer look, they would find that the ancient air about him… was rather similar to the one about the man in blue.