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Chapter 920: Who Is Your Great Patriarch?!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Tian Xie Zi, Su Ming's first true Master!

The pillar of the ninth summit, one of the three Great Berserkers in South Morning, whose origins were incredibly mysterious. No one else knew about it, but his disciples knew that their Master had once left Yin Death Region and entered Morning Dao Sect to have one of the Sect Elders be his Master.

He only took in four disciples in his life!

His eldest disciple had the inheritance of the Shamans' Nine Li Tribe and was the Shaman Lord of the current generation. His level of cultivation might not be much, but his will was so strong that he could overturn the world. To become stronger, he did not hesitate to be used by Di Tian, using the other's power to behead himself and turn into Xing Gan!

He brandished the axe in his hand against the skies!

His second disciple took the word 'Hua' [1] as his family name. He was gentle and elegant, but his body was actually the will of a Phantom King. No one could say how long he had lived. He wandered around the world, worshiped by all ghosts. If it was not because the land of Berserkers was too small and he could not get out of Yin Death Vortex, then his future would have been limitless.

His third disciple might seem dumb, but he was the incarnation of the Rune Treasure that sealed Yin Death Region. Before him, all seals and Runes did not seem to exist. He valued his relationships greatly and was skilled in the Art of Dreams. If he could master this Art, he would definitely be able to shock the universe.

His fourth disciple was Su Ming, an Abyss Builder and the young master of the Fifth True World. His body and soul had been separated—his body was in the land of Immortals, while his soul was sent into the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. He was the Fourth God of Berserkers in the land of Berserkers, had an Ecang clone, and possessed a Seed of Life Extermination. He had faced plenty of trails in his life, and had had countless serendipities. His cultivation base clone could enter the core of Morning Dao Sect, and his clone that practiced the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole could become the strongest physical body in the universe. If the day came when his clones and his physical body merged into one, then his strength would be difficult to describe with words.

If a person could have these four people as his disciples, then there was no longer any need to talk about how illustrious he was!

Tian Xie Zi taught Su Ming about the changes of heart and had him search for his own method to clear his mind. He had also opened the path of cultivation for Su Ming and turned his heart into the one it was now, capable of reaching this far!

Su Ming's heart trembled. His whole body was shaking as he looked at the illusory figure on the giant's head. He had not expected that he would be able to find… traces of his Master in Divine Essence Star Ocean!

Tian Xie Zi's disappearance was a source of pain among the brothers, and they swore that no matter what, as long as they lived, they would find their Master. Even if their Master was no longer around, they would have the universe bleed to take revenge for him.

Su Ming had come to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence alone. His senior brothers were in True Morning Dao World. They had been separated for a thousand something years, but Su Ming's heart of a disciple of the ninth summit had never changed.

No matter how much time passed, he was someone from the ninth summit. He was Tian Xie Zi's fourth disciple!

'Master…'

A hard to control impulse urged him to move, but he was no longer the teenager that he was in the past. He knew that being reckless would not be of much good to him, since it would reveal his thoughts. Like that, he would gain little success even after putting in a lot of effort to achieve his goal.

He forced down the impulse in his heart and watched the giant roar towards the heavens while the thin man rushed out. He was so quick that he instantly closed in on the Galloping Fighter. Then, he lifted his right hand and hurled a punch.

The bone staff shattered into pieces. The Galloping Fighter coughed up blood, then used some unknown method to fall back, avoiding being killed by a hair's breadth. He charged backwards, towards the thirteen warships.

The thin man went after him without any hesitation.

Cold glares immediately appeared in the eyes of the cultivators in the thirteen warships. Some of them even stood up. The catwoman's eyes focused as well while she stood beside Su Ming.

A mighty pressure immediately spread out from the thirteen warships and locked onto the incoming Galloping Fighter as well as the thin man.

"Let them come." Once Su Ming spoke, the mighty pressure from the thirteen warships instantly dissipated.

"Gebierg! Ic i léane eac þæt dryhtgestréon [2]…" The incoming Galloping Fighter spoke swiftly to Su Ming and the others, but his words were complicated and difficult to understand, making it completely impossible for them to understand what he said. However, based on his expression and his current condition, he was definitely asking for help.

"He asked us to save him, and he's willing to use their race's treasure to repay us," the catwoman whispered.

Su Ming did not speak, staring at the thin man. He saw the man coughing up blood as he pursued the Galloping Fighter. At that moment, his body turned into blood mist, and his speed increased exponentially. When the Galloping Fighter stepped into one of the warships, the other caught up to him. Fog shot through the Galloping Fighter's body, and a loud boom reverberated in the air. Blood poured of the Galloping Fighter's eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, and he fell on the warship.

The fog gathered together to turn into the thin man. He glared at the people from Morning Dao Sect fiercely, his body bent like that of a ferocious beast. He slowly retreated, then seized the dead Galloping Fighter. But just as he was about to leave, Su Ming spoke.

"Which Shaman tribe do you belong to and who is your Great Patriarch? [3]"

The other people from Morning Dao Sect could not understand Su Ming's words and were all momentarily stunned. This was the Shamans' language, and Su Ming had learned it when he was among the Shamans in the past.

The thin man was planning to retreat, but when he heard those words, he stopped for a moment, then cast Su Ming a deep glance while standing on another ship. With a single move, he grabbed the corpse and left the ship, then returned to the meteor with the holes he had dug. Once he placed a corpse in each hole, he grabbed the remaining one and pushed it hard against the ground. With just a few moves, he formed a huge hole, and threw the corpse inside it.

Once he threw all nine corpses into the holes, he turned his head around and looked at Su Ming on the warship, suddenly lifting his right hand and drawing a line across his neck, signaling that he would kill him if he followed. A freezing glare appeared in his eyes, and he prepared to leave.

Su Ming let out a cold harrumph. His eyes swiftly gained a profound look, and the power of a Soul Catcher spread out rapidly from his eyes, turning into ripples in the galaxy around them. That Soul Catcher's power swiftly descended on the thin man's body when Su Ming looked at him.

The man's feet came to a halt. He whipped his head around, and for the first time, surprise appeared on his face. He lifted his right hand and struck his body to cough up blood. His body turned into blood mist once more, and he changed into a blood shadow. His speed then increased by several fold.

Su Ming took a step forward without any hesitation.

"Continue onward and station yourselves at a safe place. Wait for me there. I have a connection to the ships, I will be able to find you." While speaking, Su Ming had already walked off the ship.

Before the nine old Frail Darknesses could say anything, he said, "None of you are to follow me. That includes you, Xu Hui. This is an order!"

"I can accept not going, but you must bring Xuan Li. She has lived hundreds of years in Divine Essence Star Ocean and understands plenty of customs in the place," Xu Hui said calmly from the other warship.

If they had not gone through the matter with the Waves of Tears, then she would have chosen to ignore Su Ming's orders, even though the others would obey him. Yet now, it was different. His words made even her hesitate for a moment.

"No!" Su Ming stated from afar.

His body turned into a long arc, and he charged into the group of meteors. No one noticed that when he left, the bald crane swung its wings, covering the Abyss Dragon. They turned into dust and left the ship without a single sound, charging in the direction Su Ming had left to go after him.

The nine old Frail Darknesses fell silent and looked at each other. They wanted to chase after Su Ming to protect him, but the resolve in his words was very clear. In silence, they sighed in their hearts, but did not follow after him, because they could already see that Xu Hui had disappeared.

The thirteen ships moved forward slowly while searching for a safe spot in the periphery of Divine Essence Star Ocean so that they could wait for their young master's return.

Su Ming traveled at a relaxed pace through the meteors. He did not use his full speed, but chased after the thin man in front of him from the distance. The statue of the God of Shamans' illusion on the man was a clue that Su Ming was determined to get, since this matter was incredibly important to him. This was the reason why he had decided to chase after the man alone.

After a moment, Su Ming raised his right hand and flung it behind him. Immediately, banging sounds rang out in the space behind him. The big yellow and black dogs appeared beside Su Ming.

The black dog which was the bald crane winked at Su Ming to try to signal to him something, and even wagged its tail, putting on an expression that it wanted to curry favor so that it would be rewarded.

"After him," Su Ming ordered while glaring at the bald crane.

The bald crane quickly nodded, then barked a few times at the thin man's back. With a lightning speed, it rushed forward. The big yellow dog behind it followed after in a lackadaisical manner, occasionally looking into the distance.

The thin man frowned while rushing forward. Killing intent flashed briefly in his eyes, but he did not stop moving. His instincts were telling him that the person chasing after him was the strongest person he had ever met in his life.

He had no confidence in winning against this sort of person. On top of that, the other knew the language of Shamans and knew about the Great Patriarch's title. In fact, he could even find a hint of familiarity that stemmed from Shaman nature about the stranger.

That person's gaze just now had even given him a feeling that he was a Soul Catcher.

When he saw that the other was still chasing after him, the thin man let out a cold harrumph and changed direction to charge straight to his right. As he moved about the meteors, his speed increased.

Su Ming followed after while watching him with a cold gaze. He wanted to see where this man wanted to go, so he was not in a hurry to catch up to him. After all, judging by this man's looks, he would not tell Su Ming the answer he wanted so easily.

Days went by,and in the blink of an eye, half a month was gone.

During it, Su Ming always maintained a set amount of distance between himself and the man, not an inch more, and not an inch less. This distance was enough to make the man feel threatened, and this formed a sense of oppression on the man that lasted continuously for half a month.

Such a thing was enough to break the minds of anyone with a weak will.

Su Ming had been highly adept at this sort of hunting since he was a child, and he had only become even more skilled with it as time went past. Of course, without the bald crane's continuous chatter, the effect would probably have been a bit better.

"Hey, sonny, don't run so fast, let your Grandpa Crane rest awhile…"

"Aw… you're still running! Darn you! You have crystals on you! I can smell them! It's this scent! Don't you dare run!"

"Just you wait, when I catch up to you, I'll have yellow here bite your butt! I'll have it rip your butt off!"

The big yellow dog was already used to the bald crane's quips. It just rolled its eyes and ignored it, but for some unknown reason, it did also have the urge to go up and bite the person's posterior.

Translator's Notes:

1. Hua: Hua is flower, very fitting for Su Ming's second senior brother since he uses flowers.

2. As you can probably tell, the Chinese version was as difficult to understand as the English version. The English version is in Old English, and the Chinese version is made-up, since it's a foreign language in context.

3. As to why it's in modern English. The Chinese version was also in modern Chinese, for ease of reading for all readers. So let's just pretend that we're all very fluent in Berserker and Shaman languages, that's why we instantly understood it while those from Morning Dao Sect couldn't, 'kay?

Chapter 921: Purer

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Su Ming had a calm look on his face as he moved through the meteors. He occasionally cast a look at the tip of his finger. Hidden in it was the God Ascension Nectar. Without the protection from the thirteen warships, the presence of the God Ascension Nectar could no longer be hidden.

Fortunately, once he chased away the Waves of Tears, Su Ming had ceaselessly melted the nectar when he was in his warship, removing a lot of its presence. It might still be around, but if Su Ming used his power to suppress and seal it, he could reduce it to a bare minimum.

However, if he was to bring out his full power, then he would be unable to avoid having the presence of the God Ascension Nectar spreading out from him. However, the thin man had showed him a clue regarding Tian Xie Zi, so if Su Ming had someone else perform the task of tracking him down, he would feel ill at ease, which was why he had chosen to venture out on his own.

At that moment, he had already chased after the man for half a month, and not a single ferocious beast had been lured to this place because of him, so Su Ming gradually relaxed his guard. He wanted to slowly wear down the thin man's will, and in the end, use a Soul Catcher's Spell on him to find the clues leading to his Master.

This chase that lasted for half a month went on for another three days. After them, Su Ming left the meteors, and what was revealed in front of him was a vast galaxy. There was endless dust around him, and there were even fragments that looked like they had been left behind after a star had shattered.

Broken land, rotting ancient trees, and damaged, grayish black skeletal frames…

The galaxy looked like an ocean, and the broken objects were a part of it.

The galaxy here was not black but had a gray hue to it. Upon first sight, it seemed extremely ancient.

And it was difficult to erase that sensation.

It was ancient, old, with a hint of a primitive and uncivilized air. Dead silent.

It was boundless. Su Ming could not see its end. The darkness in the distance was hidden in the shades of gray. If anyone looked at them for a prolonged period of time, they would be unable to escape a sense of being oppressed, which would make it difficult to even breathe. Their hearts would gradually beat slower, and they would then rot away with the galaxy.

The galaxy was simply too big, which was why even if a living creature appeared, the silence would be hard to break. In the distance was a shattered rock that was several tens of thousands of feet big. On it was a black creature with the body of a snake and the head of a tiger. It was wrapped around the rock, and in its mouth was a ferocious beast in the shape of a dragon slowly being devoured.

The black creature trained its purple eyes on Su Ming, glaring coldly at the unwelcome guest who had walked out of the meteors.

Su Ming looked around him, sensing the ancient presence crashing straight into his face. This was the periphery of Divine Essence Star Ocean. This place… was an area where cultivators rarely came, and it was labelled as a forbidden ground.

In the distance was a gigantic, broken skeletal frame, and there was a person crouching on it. That person was the thin man that Su Ming had chased to this place. He was crouching down on the skeleton and staring at Su Ming with a cold glare.

A scimitar had appeared in the thin man's left hand at some unknown point of time. The blade was gray, and it was made of bone.

The man had his right hand pressed against the skeleton beneath him, and he was tapping the skeleton in a bizarre rhythm with all his fingers. Every single time he tapped it, the color on the skeleton would fade a little.

"Divine Essence Star Ocean…" Su Ming mumbled softly and looked around. He suddenly felt that this place did not give him a sense of unfamiliarity, even though it was the first time he saw it.

It did not mean that he had come to this place at some unknown point in time, but because… the uncivilized, ancient, and primitive air here gave him a sense of déjà vu.

Yin Death Region had the same feeling…

"Hiss!"

A sharp sound swiftly tumbled out of the thin man's mouth. While crouching on the skeleton, he lifted the bone blade horizontally, and when he hissed, the galaxy immediately seemed to have become different.

The broken stones pointed their sharp tips towards Su Ming, and all sorts of poisonous insects that could survive in the galaxy crawled out of the rotting ancient trees during that instant.

The skeletal frames that were floating in the galaxy also seemed to gain some sort of sentience, and a vague, indistinct hostility rose into space. It was one that would not disappear.

The ferocious beast with the body of a snake and the head of a tiger curled around the stone also swallowed the ferocious beast in its mouth in one gulp, and its purple eyes began to shine with animosity.

This was a repulsion. It was the repulsion of the entire Divine Essence Star Ocean against outsiders. This was a power that could not be described with words. If someone said that the entire Divine Essence Star Ocean was a single will, then the aloofness and rejection from this will towards all outsiders would become this force of repulsion.

When outsiders came to this place, they would have to face the hostility from the entire Divine Essence Star Ocean, the galaxy itself and all its life forms. The force of repulsion that was born from this hostility could turn into a curse!

Right then, Su Ming's arrival was like a light being lit in the dark. It might not seem very strange, but in Divine Essence Star Ocean, that light was incredibly clear and did not fit in.

This was the thin man's plan. He had known that when outsiders arrived in Divine Essence Star Ocean, they would be repelled. This force of repulsion did not exist beyond the group of meteors, and neither would it appear among them, but once a person moved past and stepped into the periphery of Divine Essence Star Ocean, it would instantly appear.

With this repulsion, the thin man could win against those who had higher levels of cultivation than he. In fact, with this method, he had already turned several outsiders' heads into his possessions.

At that moment, the thin man's face was cold and dark, but just as he was about to take action…

Su Ming cast him a glance, and their gazes me.

The thin man bared his teeth, and when he did so, a hint of ferociousness was added to his demeanor. But compared to his hostility, Su Ming's face remained calm, and there was even a faint smile on his face. He could sense the force of repulsion in this place and could also guess the thin man's thoughts.

He did not say a single word, but lifted his head, and with his right hand, released the tie binding his hair, letting it fall over his shoulders. Ripples spread out from the Sacred Constellation Robe, and it changed to resemble beast skin.

Su Ming's skin grew tan, and his face was no longer handsome, but gained a determined look. He lifted his right hand and slowly touched his face. Under the thin man's stupefied gaze, Su Ming slowly drew a bloody line between his nose and eyes with his fingernail!

Blood flowed out from the wound. When Su Ming wiped it off… the scar from when he was in the land of Berserkers appeared on his face.

He raised his head.

At the instant he did so, the thin man's expression changed drastically. Disbelief appeared on his face, and this time, that disbelief was even greater than when Su Ming had spoken Shaman language previously.

His body trembled violently, because at that moment, Su Ming… no longer gave him the feeling that he was an outsider. In fact, even his presence changed completely, and he gained… an ancient and uncivilized presence, a primitive air. He gained… a presence that might be slightly different from that of Divine Essence Star Ocean, but it was clearly born of the same source!

This was something he could not understand. It was something out of the boundaries of his knowledge, which made him unable to accept what was happening. In fact, if he had not seen it with his own eyes, he would definitely not believe that this person was an outsider.

It did not matter whether it was his appearance or his presence, for even the aura from his soul gave off a strong feeling that it came from the same source as Divine Essence Star Ocean. This change left the thin man in disbelief.

He remembered seeing outsiders disguising themselves with the unique appearances of the cultivators in Divine Essence Star Ocean, but no matter how similar they looked, how well they spoke the language, the unique presence that came from Divine Essence Star Ocean was something that was impossible for them to possess.

This presence was the key to identifying people that lived here.

Yet the presence about Su Ming was even purer than the thin man's own, who was born in Divine Essence Star Ocean!

The sharp tips of the stones that were aimed towards Su Ming gradually turned downwards, no longer pointing towards him. Instead, they began to drift around the galaxy as usual.

The hostility that came from the poisonous insects that crawled out from the rotting ancient tree disappeared into thin air, too. As long as no one came to provoke them intentionally, they would not venture out. They simply crawled back into the rotten tree and vanished without a trace.

The vague hostility from the broken skeletal frame also disappeared, as if the soul that was gathered there had returned to sleep once more.

As for the ferocious beast that was coiled around the stone, it opened its mouth, and the murderous aura about it dissipated, and the creature's expression became lackadaisical. The beast lay down on the stone and closed its eyes to digest the food in its stomach.

It was as if it felt that the hostility between Su Ming and the thin man was a conflict born within Divine Essence Star Ocean itself. As long as they did not provoke the creature, it would not interfere with their fight.

The force of repulsion from the galaxy was gone without a trace…

The thin man stared intently at Su Ming, then suddenly shouted out his first words to Su Ming, "Which tribe did you come from?!"

His voice was incredibly cold and dark, just like the presence he gave off, and he was also using the Shaman language.

When Su Ming was about to speak, the thin man's eyes suddenly darkened, and he leaped forward swiftly. In an instant, he closed in on Su Ming. The blade of the scimitar in his left hand was pointed outwards and drew forth a freezing glare as he swung the blade at Su Ming's neck.

The blade might have been made of bone, but it traveled so quickly that it produced the sound of air being sliced apart, as if space itself had been cut down. If that blade touched anyone, then even a rather sturdy body would be injured, much less a normal one.

However… when the sharp blade touched Su Ming's neck, there was the sound of metal crashing against metal.

The thin man's expression changed drastically. He turned around without any hesitation and appeared behind Su Ming. He no longer held onto the bone blade in his right hand, but with all five fingers positioned straight, he pushed towards his opponent's back.

"Dark Mountain Tribe." Su Ming did not falter once when he said these words. As he uttered them faintly, he took a step backwards, and his back crashed into the thin man.

With a bang, the thin man coughed up blood, and the bone blade shattered. His right hand trembled, and as his expression changed, he lifted his head and roared.

As he did so, the space around him immediately distorted, and a gigantic illusory shadow manifested behind him.

Chapter 922: Thank You

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Thank You

When Su Ming looked at the thin man's statue of the God of Shamans at such close proximity, he could see clearly that the giant had black fur and was dressed in coarse hides. A primitive and savage presence radiated off it.

On its messy head was an old man dressed in a black robe, meditating in a sitting position. The black robe covered his face, preventing Su Ming from seeing his appearance, but with just one glance, Su Ming could recognize that the old man was his Master!

However, his Master's robe was black when he appeared with the statue of the God of Shamans this time. It was different from last time, and this made Su Ming think.

Veins popped up on the thin man's body. With a roar, the illusion of the giant behind him swiftly lifted its large hand, clenched it into a fist, and hurled it straight towards Su Ming, sending its fist crashing towards him.

Su Ming took a step forward, and the moment the fist was to come into contact with him, he disappeared. When he reappeared, he was already on the illusory giant's head, right beside the black-robed Tian Xie Zi.

Due to the familiar presence, Su Ming forgot where he was at that instant. He looked at the old man, and even it was just an illusion, Su Ming still treasured the sight before him dearly.

"Master…" He bowed towards the old man in black sitting on the giant's head.

Yet before he could finish bowing, the thin man's roar reached his ears again. A totem appeared on the man's forehead, and it was the picture of a mountain.

Once it appeared, a sharp presence erupted from his body. He charged straight towards Su Ming, and from the distance, he looked as if he had turned into the peak of a mountain. With his whole body, he rushed into his opponent.

Su Ming frowned. As he turned around, he lifted his right hand, but at the instant he was about to strike the man, he saw the totem at the center of his brows. Su Ming's heart trembled furiously, and he pulled back most of the power from the attack he had been about to deliver.

A bang rang out. Su Ming did not move, but the thin man coughed up blood and fell back continuously. There was a hint of puzzlement when he looked at Su Ming. When he retreated swiftly, five wisps of black smoke spread out from his right hand, and once they transformed several times in front of him as if they were forming hand seals, he pointed towards the skeleton he had been crouching on previously.

The skeleton shuddered. Dim flames rose in the broken skull, and as the body shuddered, the skeleton lifted its head. At the same time, the dim flames spread out through the entire body, connecting with each other. Soon, the skeletal beast stood erect in the galaxy.

It was a beast that had possessed wings when it was alive. Once it stood up, skeletal wings spread out on both sides of its body. The dead creature rushed forward, and with an incredible speed, it instantly appeared under the thin man���s body. When it had the man on its back, it left into the distance, deep into Divine Essence Star Ocean.

Su Ming stood on the giant with a dazed expression. In his mind, the totem at the center of the thin man's brows resurfaced. That mountain was so incredibly familiar to him. It was… the ninth summit!

Su Ming could not contain the excitement in his heart. If he had still felt slightly skeptical when he saw his Master, then when he saw the ninth summit, he became completely certain. His Master… had definitely come here, and had been here for a very long time, or else it would have been impossible for the ways of a tribe to have been changed!

And there was even a high possibility… that Master was still in Divine Essence Star Ocean!

When Su Ming thought of this, a glint appeared in his eyes, and he swiftly went forward. The bald crane and Abyss Dragon had run off to search for something on the bones while Su Ming had been fighting against the thin man. When they saw him leaving into the distance, they quickly went after him.

Su Ming had the Duke of Crimson Flame perform a shift for him at that moment. He disappeared, and when he reappeared, he was far from where he had previously been and could see the thin man glaring at him intensely from the skeleton not too far away.

"If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have let you run so far. I have three questions, if you answer me, I will let you go," Su Ming said calmly.

Uncertainty appeared on the thin man's face. He opened his mouth, about to speak, but then his expression suddenly changed drastically. A vortex appeared in the space behind him, and like a gaping mouth, it swallowed the skeletal beast along with the man.

This happened too suddenly. A focused glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes, but he soon regained his composure. He did not make any move to head forward, but instead sat down cross-legged in the galaxy with a relaxed expression on his face.

Days went by. Three, five, seven… until half a month had gone past.

Su Ming continued sitting there, and there was not the slightest hint of impatience on his face. During the past half a month, everything was quiet around him, and Su Ming did not see a single ferocious beast or anyone else living in Divine Essence Star Ocean passing by.

When three more days went by, at the spot in front of Su Ming where the thin man and the skeletal beast had been devoured half a month ago, a flash of red suddenly appeared, and it instantly charged into the distance.

That flash of red was naturally the thin man. At that moment, his body was surrounded by blood fog, and his expression was incredibly dark. There was indignation on his face. There was also a faint black line there as well.

Su Ming smiled faintly and stood up. With a step forward, he continued chasing after the man.

The other had outstanding intelligence. It did not matter whether it was his act of taking the initiative to attack, keeping the skeletal beast as a reserve, or putting up the act of being devoured half a month ago—they all showed how cunning he was.

However… all of these things were akin to a child fooling around in Su Ming's eyes. With just a glance, he could tell what was going on. This was Divine Essence Star Ocean and the thin man's homeland. While he might not know all the things that lurked around here, he would definitely know most of them.

Besides, Su Ming had not manipulated the direction in which the other fled. The thin man had chosen it himself, and if he had thought to keep the skeletal beast around to aid in his escape, then he had certainly had enough time to choose his path, which was why him being devoured and disappearing was most likely a fraud!

Besides, while the fear on the person's face looked real, Su Ming could still find hints that suggested it was fake based on his vast experience. When he thought about it carefully, he could guess the truth.

That was why Su Ming was not in a hurry. He was certain that the man would not hide for too long. After all…

With the faint smile lingering on his lips, Su Ming said calmly, "If you don't cure yourself of that poison in your body, your injuries will only get worse."

Su Ming's voice fell into the fleeing man's ears, causing his expression to change, but he gritted his teeth and did not turn his head back. As he coughed up blood to boost his speed, he fled even faster.

Su Ming frowned. With a move, he shifted and appeared several hundreds of feet behind the man. But just as he was about to shift again, his pupils shrank, for a powerful sense of danger filled his heart. That sense of danger came from in front of him.

When he looked over, the space over there was calm; there was nothing strange about it. There was not a single piece of stone or dust in the area, but the powerful sense of danger told Su Ming that there was a murderous aura that could threaten him hidden in that tranquil space.

Right then, the sound akin to an old man mumbling echoed in the galaxy. At the instant it resounded, the thin man's footsteps came to an abrupt halt. His expression turned pale, and without any hesitation, he started retreating, but suddenly, an endless amount of ripples appeared out of nowhere next to him.

These ripples covered an area of about several hundreds of thousands of feet. As the ripples spread out, the outline of a creature resembling a gigantic fish formed in the galaxy.

There were nine sharp needles on the fish's back, but its true form could not be seen. They could only see its general outline from the ripples. If someone looked at it from close up, they would not be able to see the outline clearly, but if they looked from the distance, they would be able to see the creature incredibly clearly because, since there were no ripples in the other areas.

This was a gigantic ferocious beast hidden in space.

At that moment, the thin man was right at the beast's mouth. As the ripples spread out, Su Ming saw the ferocious beast open its mouth. The scene from half a month ago repeated itself before Su Ming's eyes with an astonishing similarity.

The thin man's eyes turned bloodshot, and he retreated madly, but his body slowed down, as if there was a power that had gathered on him and was interfering with his movements, making them much slower than before.

Su Ming took a step forward without hesitation. He shifted, and at the instant the ferocious beast was about to devour the man, he appeared right next to him.

He seized the thin man's shoulder, and with a grim expression, he retreated swiftly, but right at the instant he moved back, he noticed that his body seemed to have rotted, as if there were innumerable threads that could not be seen surrounding him, causing his speed to slow down.

The danger was right before his eyes. The ferocious beast's mouth was about to snap shut and devour him. At that moment, glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. He lifted his left hand and slapped the center of his mouth, and when his hand left the spot between his brows, a ray of white light flew out.

That white light was a white jade that was the size of a palm. Once it flew out, it started expanding right in front of Su Ming.

"Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here!" Su Ming shouted out.

Countless runic symbols appeared on his body as bumps, the power of his Divine Essence gathered on each one of them. The runic symbols then flew out and fused into the white jade, and the speed of its growth became exponentially faster.

"Malicious Spirit Weighing an Elephant!"

A white elephant appeared in the galaxy, and a shrill trumpet rang out as well. A scale manifested in space, and a huge malicious spirit lifted it up. On one side of the scale was an elephant, and on the other was the ferocious beast hidden in space. The spirit started weighing them.

"It weighs… three maces and seven taels [1]!"

A buzzing came from the malicious spirit's mouth, and a furious roar shot from the ferocious beast whose body was hidden in space. The creature shrank swiftly, and the force from its destruction erupted forth.

With a bang, the galaxy trembled. A powerful impact spread in all directions, and Su Ming was pushed back continuously. With one hand, he grabbed onto the thin man, and with the other, he pointed at the treasure that was Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here.

Immediately, the malicious spirit disappeared and the elephant vanished, turning back into a white jade the size of a palm before charging back to Su Ming. Once he caught it, sweat broke out at the center of his brows.

Su Ming immediately fled into the distance with the thin man. Behind them, ripples continued spreading out. The ferocious beast hidden in space had not died, and was now letting out roars filled with anger and pain.

The thin man's face was pale, but there was a clear black line that had reached the top of his skull. He cast Su Ming a complicated gaze and said in a low voice. "Thank you…"

Translator's Note:

1. Maces and taels: Maces and taels are units of measurement shared between eastern countries, though the unit was not standardized until recently. For mace, it's easier, the weight for each mace is approximately around 3.76 to 3.78 grams. For tael though, it has been changed in each country and each dynasty so many times and so drastically that we will just go for the modern version and say it's 50 grams, 'kay?

Maces and taels are usually used to weigh money. I say money because in Ancient China, these units of measurements were usually used to measure silver, the currency used by the public.

So if it's three maces and seven taels, it's probably 361.31 grams.

Why would that creature weigh so light, though? Because it's like a shrinking thing. If you read the chapter again, you will find that the creature shrank before it was destroyed (kind of). So what you saw was the creature being forced to weigh the same as the elephant, and then it got injured because it had its whole mass of who knows how many tons condensed to, well… 361.31 grams.

Chapter 923: Indistinct…

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Once the thin man said these words, he fell unconscious. There was no longer just one black line on his face, but several of them. As they connected with each other, they formed the outline of a malicious spirit's face, which looked like it was smiling. It was branded on the thin man's face, and it was a dreadful sight.

With the person in hand, Su Ming had the Duke of Crimson Flame shift as he charged forward. With the roars of the creature hidden in space behind him, they quickly left into the distance.

…..

Several days later, the thin and frail man opened his eyes. When he woke up, he found himself lying on a piece of land, which was actually a gigantic stone slab floating in the galaxy. On it were some purplish black plants with presences of rot.

Almost at the instant he opened his eyes, his gaze focused. When he shot up, he lifted his right hand, and a chilling light shone on his palm. Immediately, a new bone blade appeared. With a vigilant look on his face, he looked around him and saw Su Ming sitting on a large stone not too far away. He was looking at the sky with his head lifted.

He was dressed in a sackcloth, and his hair was a mess. His skin was slightly dark, and a primitive, ancient presence surrounded him, refusing to dissipate.

He seemed very young, but hints of an ancient air could always be seen in his expression and gaze.

A complicated look flashed briefly in the thin man's eyes. He looked at Su Ming but did not say a single word.

"You're awake," Su Ming said calmly. He did not look at the man, but continued watching the heavens, the sky without stars, and the unfamiliar scene in the distance.

The thin man hesitated for a moment before he asked in a whisper, "Just who are you?"

"I've gotten rid of the poison in your body, but I cannot heal the injuries you sustained over the years," Su Ming said calmly, not answering the person's question.

The moment the thin man woke up, he had already noticed that the poison in him was gone. When he heard the other's words, he fell silent.

"What is your name?" Su Ming asked faintly.

The thin man remained silent for a moment, but in the end told his name. "Dijiu [1] Mo Sha."

"Dijiu…" Su Ming mumbled and averted his gaze from the sky, turning his head around to look at Dijiu Mo Sha.

"Is your tribe called Ninth Summit?" Su Ming appeared calm, but only he knew that when he mentioned the ninth summit, the memories of happiness buried in time were awakened in his heart.

Dijiu Mo Sha was stunned for a moment. He stared intently at Su Ming and did not say a single word.

Even if he did not answer, Su Ming had already found his answer.

"Is your Patriarch… named Tian Xie Zi?" Su Ming asked once again. His voice was calm, but there was a tone within it that allowed no challenge to his authority. It also contained a might that said the thin man must answer his question.

Dijiu Mo Sha lowered his head and said, "No."

"No, huh..?" Su Ming looked at the thin man in front of him. This person came from the tribe his Master had formed in Divine Essence Star Ocean. He was already certain of this.

"If he isn't, then you can leave." Su Ming shook his head and returned to look at the sky. As he watched the unfamiliar scenes in the distance, an air of desolation surrounded him.

Dijiu Mo Sha was momentarily stunned. He did not expect that this particular existence before him, who looked incredibly powerful and could even fight against that Void Beast, would cure him of the poison in his body once he saved him, and after just asking a few questions, would let him leave.

A glint appeared in his eyes. He stood up slowly, and after a moment of hesitation, he wrapped his fist in his palm to bow to Su Ming. He moved swiftly backwards and left into the distance within an instant, but after moving back about several thousands of feet, he came to a halt and looked at Su Ming again.

"I know that you must have placed some sort of seal on me that will allow you to know my location so that you can follow me from the distance, and from there, know the direction in which I'm headed.

"I can take you to my tribe… but you must promise me to the deity of your race that once I bring you back to my tribe, you will break the seal on me."

"Very well." Su Ming turned around and looked at the thin man, nodding.

…..

The galaxy was boundless and vast. As they headed farther into Divine Essence Star Ocean, more drifting objects could be found. Some of them were shattered stones and some dust. All of them would pass by them by in large clusters, bringing a feeling to all those who saw it that this place had once been a very magnificent galaxy.

Su Ming felt it was especially so when he saw a strange looking rock, which left into the distance like a shooting star. That rock… looked like a crack-covered head of a statue. It was hundreds of thousands of feet big, which could tremble the hearts of many

"That was God Luo Mo's head. It floats in Divine Essence Star Ocean as a symbol of good luck. All those who see it and worship it can receive God Luo Mo's blessing," Dijiu Mo Sha said in a low voice. He stopped in the galaxy, then bent his back and worshiped the head leaving into the distance.

"There are nine of God Luo Mo's heads in the periphery of Divine Essence Star Ocean. They were enshrined and worshiped in the legendary Luo Mo Temple a long time ago. It's a pity that during the Great Destruction, they shattered when Luo Mo Temple was destroyed."

Su Ming looked at the head leaving into the distance. When he could no longer see it, he asked calmly, "How far are we from your tribe?"

Dijiu Mo Sha cast Su Ming a look and said softly, "Once we cross the star ocean, move past a mountain of stars, and walk through a shattered desert, we'll see my tribe.

"Don't worry, the members of the tribes in Divine Essence Star Ocean are not as fraudulent as the cultivators in the world outside, where they promise on the surface but will lay traps in the dark aimed against you. Since I promised to take you to my tribe, I won't harbor any schemes. I also believe that you, who is not rejected by Divine Essence Star Ocean, will obey the principles here.

"Also, the path I'll take you through might seem a little long, but it is the safest one. We must go around a few primitive tribes and skirt around several habitats that belong to packs of ferocious beasts." Dijiu Mo Sha moved forward, then turned into a long arc and charged into the distance.

Days passed, and half a month later, Su Ming had already stayed in the periphery of Divine Essence Star Ocean for several months. On this day, a mountain appeared in front of them.

This was the first time Su Ming saw a mountain in the galaxy.

This mountain seemed to be immeasurably tall. Its top could not be seen, and neither could its edge. It was like a gigantic wall that stood erect in the galaxy. This was a mountain that was formed by countless broken stars.

When Su Ming cast his gaze on it, he saw that there were tens of thousands of stars in it. Most of them might be broken, but the shock brought to the hearts of all those who saw the mountain they formed by gathering together was still hard to describe.

As Su Ming looked at that mountain made of stars, it was as if everything before his eyes had gone still.

"Just what sort of divine ability could make so many broken cultivation planets group together to form such an astonishing mountain?" he mumbled.

"No one knows what divine ability it was, nor who used it. But we do have a legend in Divine Essence Star Ocean about it…" Dijiu Mo Sha looked at Su Ming, then cast his gaze on the mountain of stars in the distance.

"It is said that this mountain is a grave, buried within which is a man. His wife destroyed nearly half of Divine Essence Star Ocean to build this grave for him.

"In the legend, that man's wife is a powerful existence that came from outer space during Great Destruction. Once she made this mountain, she turned into a rock to stay beside her lover and keep him company.

"This mountain is also known as Husband Gazing Mountain," Dijiu Mo Sha said softly, then charged forward. Su Ming looked at the gigantic mountain of stars, and Dijiu Mo Sha's words echoed in his ears. In silence, he began walking.

The distance might not have seemed great, but in truth, the mountain was very far away. The two of them only truly arrived at the foot of it after three days, then used half a month to reach the mountainside.

They did not try to move to the peak, but went around.

Some time later, Dijiu Mo Sha turned his head around to look at Su Ming and said in a solemn tone, "No one has managed to reach the top before. At least as far as I know. It's as if there is some sort of power preventing anyone from reaching the summit.

"There are some people who say that the rock that is the woman is at the peak, which is also where her husband's corpse is buried. As long as we do not destroy the mountain rocks here and force our way to the top, then no danger will come to us from the mountain.

"But if anyone dares to damage even a single part of this mountain or repeatedly try to head to the summit… then no one will be able to leave."

Su Ming stood on a broken slope, his head raised to look in the direction of the summit. Everything was a blur there, without any end in sight. It might have been just a figment of his imagination, but he thought he could see a woman standing at the summit, holding a bone xun in her hand. She was playing a song filled with grief, whose notes were mournful whimpers.

"What did you hear?" Su Ming suddenly asked.

Dijiu Mo Sha was momentarily stunned. He listened attentively for some time before looking over with a puzzled expression.

"It's a song." Su Ming closed his eyes. The mournful notes from the xun echoed in his ears, causing ripples in his heart, and dragging out a memory that brought about a similar sense of grief.

"I didn't hear anything. Let's go." Djiu Mo Sha shook his head and started moving again.

Su Ming opened his eyes and looked at the blurry view at the top of the mountain before following Dijiu Mo Sha into the distance.

The Abyss Dragon and bald crane followed behind him, as usual. The Abyss Dragon's expression remained the same, but the bald crane looked dazed. It had its head lifted up, looking at the top of the mountain. From its eyes…

… tears were falling, and they were rolled down its cheeks.

"Darn it, what's wrong with me..? Why am I crying? Why do I feel so horrid? Why do I want to cry so much..? Damn it all, this feels terrible. I want to cry. I feel unhappy. I feel like I want to die…" the bald crane mumbled, and more tears fell from its eyes.

It followed behind the Abyss Dragon and Su Ming in a daze, with tears continuing to fall, but since it was just a soul, when its tears fell down, they would disappear. They did not fall on the ground nor landed on the mountain. They only fell in its heart and tore multiple holes within it, but no one could see that.

The bald crane's consciousness was a little clouded at that moment. It heard the sorrowful song, and a picture formed in its mind. Within that picture, it saw itself as a crane as great as the universe, with a woman sitting on its back. She was patting its head and speaking softly.

Translator's Note:

1. Dijiu Mo Sha: Case of lost in translation. Dijiu means ninth, which is why Su Ming immediately knew that Mo Sha was talking about the ninth summit.

Chapter 924: Malicious Sand Spirits

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Every person has a secret, and every living soul has secrets, which all those who are not of the same species do not know. If no one told a person, they would never learn of them.

Su Ming had his secrets. Dijiu Mo Sha had his secrets. The Abyss Dragon had its secrets, and the bald crane, too, had its own secrets.

Right then, the mountain of stars turned into one of its many secrets.

When Su Ming walked off the mountain and they slowly left into the distant galaxy, the bald crane turned its head around to look at the mountain. It stared at the summit, and its tears seemed to have seeped through its wound-ridden heart to fall on some unknown place.

"Is it worth it..?" the bald crane whispered softly. This was something that rarely came out of its mouth. It did not add in any of its usual adjectives nor called itself 'Grandpa Crane'.

It left into the distance. The mountain of stars was left behind, and the memories… were left behind, too.

When Su Ming turned his head around, he did not see the bald crane's tears. He only saw that the bald crane still seemed to be simple-minded, comical, and loved money as much as its own life.

It was just like how no one could see the tears of fish, because they lived in water. No one could differentiate what was water, and what was their salty tears.

"Bald crane, why does it feel as if there's something off about you?" the big yellow dog that was the Abyss Dragon asked in a low whisper.

"How could anything be off about this Grandpa Crane? I was just thinking. Say, do you think there is a crystal mine in that mountain of stars?" The bald crane turned its head around and looked towards that mountain of stars once more. The Abyss Dragon did not see the hint of grief and absent-mindedness on its face when it did so.

…..

Another month went by. They moved past the star ocean, went around the mountain of stars, and what was revealed in front of Su Ming's eyes was a boundless desert, which was the same as the mountain of stars. It floated in the galaxy, looking like a large piece of land.

That desert was formed from dust, which came from shattered planets and stones that had crumbled apart. All that dust had been gathered together by some sort of force and formed a desert whose end could not be seen.

Moaning wind blew past the desert, lifting sand off the ground. It also stirred up sandstorms. Wherever it went, countless sand dragons would tumble about and roar, forming a ghastly sight.

"Once we pass this shattered desert, we will be able to see my tribe. Relatively speaking, this is also… the most dangerous part of our journey. After the Great Destruction, the God of Sand Earthlings cast a great divine ability before he fell asleep and sent it sweeping through the periphery of Divine Essence Star Ocean to gather all the dust after the planets had shattered.

"That action of his created this desert of dust. It acts as a natural barrier and a place for Sand Earthlings to rest and grow, since all of them are male and they are spirits that are born from sand.

"Most Sand Earthlings are short. They do not possess much offensive abilities and do not have any power. They are very weak… but if a race can survive in Divine Essence Star Ocean, then they're not that simple. If there is something about them that is incredibly weak, then there is also something about them that is incredibly strong.

"Sand Earthlings can raise Malicious Sand Spirits, who are powerful ferocious beasts from ancient times. They are extremely tall and large, and usually lie in the desert, which makes it hard to distinguish them from the sand. But when they wake up, they become the kings of the desert.

Dijiu Mo Sha turned his head around and cast Su Ming a glance, then looked at the Abyss Dragon and the bald crane, and said cautiously, "Sand Earthlings don't raise too many of these ancient, powerful beasts, but each of them… is exceptionally powerful. We will need half a month to pass through this desert. During this time, it'll be best for us not to bother Sand Earthlings."

Once Su Ming nodded to show his understanding, Dijiu Mo Sha sucked in a deep breath and stepped into the desert. Then, with his full speed, he charged forward, and Su Ming followed behind him. As he passed through the place, he looked at the desert around him. The main color here was brown, with seldom any yellow. Neither was there a lot of black.

The color made it seem as if the sand had been dyed in blood, which had dried up in time. A primitive and savage air surrounded the place.

The moaning wind lifted the sand and sent it sweeping into the distance, causing the area to look hazy. It was incredibly easy for people to lose their way here, especially since divine sense was limited in this place.

But Dijiu Mo Sha clearly had a way to know the direction. Perhaps he was worried that Su Ming would misunderstand him or perhaps it was because his speed was not on par with his companions, but when he moved, he always maintained a set amount of distance between them.

Time trickled by. When the sixth day arrived, they had already stepped into the depths of the desert. Wherever they looked, there was only sand, and all they could hear was the moaning wind as well as sand moving about.

Dijiu Mo Sha let out a sigh of relief and turned his head around to whisper to Su Ming, "So far, so good. We should not run into any accidents in this trip, since no Sand Earthlings have blocked our path. Honestly, as long as we don't provoke them and avoid breaking their taboo, we should be safe."

"Taboo?" A focused glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes.

"Yes, Sand Earthlings are very unique because they don't have any females among them. All their people are spirits born from sand, which is why they treat this region of sand as their race's mother.

"Hence, they only have one taboo. They will not allow any female living beings to step into the place. They believe that this is a form of blasphemy.

"If any female living creature stepped into this place, they would be captured and buried here so that they would become part of their race's mother, but this has nothing to do with us…" Dijiu Mo Sha said in a relaxed tone, but just when he did so, the ground underneath them started trembling.

These tremors made it seem as if there was a huge dragon tumbling about below the ground. There was also a rumbling that sounded like roars coming from all directions. At the same time, Su Ming saw the windstorm from the desert roar behind them. It swelled up, and a hand that was thousands of feet big pushed out from within a puffed-up sand bump.

It was a hand formed from sand. Soon, another hand appeared, and then, a giant of several tens of thousands of feet stood up from the ground.

When it hoisted up its simple and heavy body, a large amount of sand fell down. Windstorms rose up and circled around the area. They formed an armor and a cloak for the giant. The spirit had no eyes, only a mouth, and when it opened it, sand fell from its upper lip like rain pouring down from the sky. A loud rumble echoed in all directions.

"Gruuu!"

The giant lifted its head and roared. It did not even look at Su Ming and the others, but instead took large strides to charge in the direction from which the group had come. With each step it took, the ground would tremble. After a moment, Su Ming saw another giant climbing up from the ground farther away. As it roared, it let out a loud rumble.

"Malicious Sand Spirit!" Dijiu Mo Sha's expression changed, and he instinctively took a few steps back, but when he saw the giant leaving into the distance, he relaxed. "I wonder who provoked the Sand Earthlings in this desert…" He shook his head and looked towards Su Ming. At that moment, he noticed that Su Ming had a crease between his brows.

A sound like that of a whistle rose abruptly from the ground. This sound rose and fell, and there were also piercing screeches echoing alongside it. Thankfully, they could tell that all the noise was heading swiftly into the distance.

"A female has entered the desert!" Dijiu Mo Sha's eyes focused swiftly. "That's definitely the case, or else the whistles from the Sand Earthlings would not be sounded out, and they would not head forward either. If this was just a normal provocation, they would not appear."

Su Ming sighed and rubbed the center of his brows.

"Where does your tribe lie?" Su Ming looked towards Dijiu Mo Sha.

"If you go straight from here for around ten days, you'll be able to leave this desert. From there, you will see a broken planet, and that planet is where my tribe is located," Dijiu Mo Sha explained in detail.

When Su Ming heard this, he lifted his right hand and pushed it downwards at the ground. Immediately, the sand below sank down, showing signs that it was burning and melting. The outline of a runic symbol was formed.

Then, as Su Ming swung his arm, the sand around him swam about and covered the runic symbol.

"This is…" Dijiu Mo Sha was momentarily stunned.

"I will leave for a while. Wait for me in your tribe. In a month's time at most, I will come there," Su Ming said faintly, then turned his head around to look at the bald crane and the Abyss Dragon.

The bald crane had the same train of thought as Su Ming, and naturally understood his intentions. With a single move, it rushed towards Su Ming and was put into his storage. As for the Abyss Dragon, even though it was not willing, it did not refuse being put into the storage bag as well. Once Su Ming did this, a stern look appeared on his face, and a freezing glare shone in his eyes.

Before it could fade away, he took a step in the direction from which they had come, and he was so quick that he shot forward like a bolt of lightning, stirring up sand and slicing through the air. It was as if the void had clashed with those that possessed corporeal form, and sharp, piercing sounds rose from that clash.

Before Dijiu Mo Sha could even say anything Su Ming had already left into the distance. A focused glint appeared in the thin man's eyes, and he looked pensive. He hesitated for a moment, then turned around and left in the direction of his tribe.

He might not be able to guess what the man wanted to do, but it had to be related to the abnormal reaction from the Sand Earthlings. With his level of cultivation, it was difficult for the thin man to participate in this, so there was no need for him to follow Su Ming. Bringing the other to his tribe could already be considered as repaying him for saving his life, and from then onwards, they would no longer have anything to do with each other.

In a place far away from Su Ming was the edge of the desert. At that moment, the sand was tumbling about, and rumbling sounds were echoing in the air, as if the ground had turned into an ocean. Sharp whistles resounded in the air.

Xu Hui's expression was one of determination, and there was a murderous look in her long and narrow eyes. She was looking at the area around her with a cold smile on her lips. Dressed in red robes, she was an incredibly distinct presence in the desert. She was like a multiflora rose in bloom that showed off a tempting beauty.

She did not retreat. Instead, with a single move, she charged into the deeper parts of the desert. The rumbling sounds in the area grew even stronger. After a moment, as the ground trembled violently, Xu Hui saw a giant tens of thousands of feet tall roaring and charging towards her from the distance.

Before it could even come close, it lifted its right hand and drew it swiftly upwards. Immediately, the sand before it roared and tumbled about to stir up a whirlwind of sand. As it whistled, it swept through the sky and closed in on Xu Hui within an instant.

Chapter 925: Sand Earthlings

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Xu Hui let out a cold harrumph and did not stop moving even when the whirlwind closed in on her. At that time, he quickly formed a seal in front of her and spread her arms outwards.

"Scatter!"

Her hair danced in the wind, but the moment she said that one word, the whirlwind in front of her abruptly stopped. A roar that seemed to have come from an ancient time came from the whirlwind.

That roar contained a will that desired to destroyed the universe. It turned into flames in the depths of the whirlwind and spread out abruptly. Immediately, the whirlwind in front of Xu Hui was set ablaze and turned into a whirlwind of fire.

The roar gained a sharp edge and turned into a screech in the end. As it traveled out, a fire phoenix rushed out of the fire whirlwind. It was several thousands of feet long and looked incredibly mighty. It circled around the world, and its screeches burned everything in all directions.

"Flame Phoenix, come forth!" A murderous glint shone in Xu Hui's eyes. She lifted her right hand and pointed towards the sand giant in the distance, and the fire phoenix instantly charged towards the giant.

As the giant roared, the two of them crashed into each other. A loud bang shook the ground and spread out with great intensity.

The powerful divine ability from Lunar Kalpa Realm was shown in its full glory at that moment by Xu Hui's hands.

Her speed did not change. Within an instant, she reached the giant whose entire body was engulfed in a sea of fire. Its knees caved in, and with a loud thump, it knelt down on the ground. It appeared to be in pain as its body started burning away.

But Xu Hui did not relax her guard. Instead, a grim expression appeared on her face. She stopped moving and stood where she was, looking around the area. As the giant burned, the ground around her started shaking, and a dozen more sand giants appeared. These Malicious Sand Spirits took big strides forward, and each time their feet landed on the ground, it would tremble. All of the creatures were swiftly closing in on her.

These giants alone were not enough to make Xu Hui react, though. What caused her pupils to shrink was a sand giant that was thousands of feet tall in the distance. The sand by his feet seemed to have gained sentience and formed a small hill.

He stood on the small hill, and a bitingly cold glare shone in his eyes as he stared at Xu Hui from the distance. In his left hand was a yellow longbow. That bow was several thousands of feet tall, the same height as his body.

In fact, the sand farther away from Xu Hui formed a round barrier as it tumbled about. Whistles resounded from there, and dwarves of only half an average man's height appeared in swarms. They were dressed in simple clothes, and their bodies were incredibly dirty, as if they had never washed themselves since they were born.

These dwarves stood close to each other, and they numbered to tens of thousands. They surrounded the area, whistling to each other The piercing noise acted as a background to the area around Xu Hui, and it created a bizarre atmosphere.

Xu Hui's expression was dark, but before she could do anything, the dozen sand giants around her had already closed in on her. As they roared, the sand on the ground flew up, and a dozen something whirlwinds manifested to swiftly rush towards her.

The whirlwinds were quick, and in the blink of an eye, they submerged Xu Hui. During that moment, the sand giant of thousands of feet tall on the hill lifted the bow in his left hand. He held the bowstring with his right hand, and with a yank, he drew the bow.

The sand around him floated up and gathered together. In the span of a few breaths, a sand arrow formed on the bow!

Buzz!

A sound echoed through the world, for the giant had released the string. Immediately, the sand arrow let out a piercing whistle that shook the sky and earth and turned into a shooting star that charged towards Xu Hui.

It sliced through space, burning it, and the arrow's tip turned into a statue of a deity!

The deity had its arms wrapped around its chest. Its eyes were closed, and it was a man dressed in armor. Within an instant, the statue closed in on Xu Hui, who had been attacked by a dozen something whirlwinds.

Bang!

Eight of them turned into flames, but at the instant the arrow shot in, they turned into loud booms that surged into the sky. Amid that noise, Xu Hui retreated swiftly. When she had moved thousands of feet back, blood trickled out of the corners of her mouth. With a pale face, she glared at the giant with the bow in the distance.

Excited and agitated roars tumbled out of the mouths of the Sand Earthlings who were only half an average man's height around her. These people were all men, and in the mid of their excitement, they raised their heads and roared, as if they were in a rut.

The killing intent in Xu Hui's eyes grew stronger. When she saw that the dozen something giants were getting closer, she moved and disappeared without a trace, but at the instant she vanished, another gigantic statue of a deity appeared in the desert. It was in a spot that was incredibly far away.

That statue was hundreds of thousands of feet tall. Its appearance was the exact same as that of the statue formed on the arrow shot by the giant with the bow.

However, it was more majestic and seemed to possess a more corporeal form. At the top of the hundred thousand feet deity statue was an old man that was only half an average man's height. He was dressed in beast skins, and his body was incredibly dirty. However, there was intelligence shining in his eyes. In his hands he held a black skull. Once he raised it above his head, he roared.

That roar contained words of his language, which was complex and sounded awkward, and was difficult to understand.

Yet as the man roared, the entire desert started moaning, as if it was communicating with him. At that moment, a chilling glare shone in the old man's eyes, and he lifted his right hand to point into the distance, at Xu Hui.

The moment he pointed at her was the moment she had fused into space. Ripples instantly appeared at the spot she had vanished, and she was forced out.

Her expression changed. She gritted her teeth and moved once more. This time, she did not fuse into space, but shifted. Yet at the instant she disappeared, the sound of something crashing came from the left side of the round barrier that encircled the area.

The expressions of the hundreds of Sand Earthlings on the barrier remained the same. They were still excited and agitated, and the vulgar looks were still on their faces.

Xu Hui was once again forced out from the space before them. And this time, more blood trickled down the corners of her lips.

Her face was pale. She had failed in her attempt to fuse into space, and she had also failed when she tried to leave the place. A powerful seal that was even greater than her power had been placed in this area.

She could not rush out of this seal!

She could ignore the dozen something sand giants around her, but with just one arrow, that person with the bow had managed to injure her. In her eyes, this person was a powerful warrior who was at Lunar Kalpa Realm, just like her!

She could still handle this sort of encirclement, albeit with some difficulty, but if anyone else showed up, it would become difficult for her to escape.

Almost at the instant she was forced out, a piercing buzz could be heard. The second arrow from the person with the bow shot through space and appeared in front of Xu Hui.

She gritted her teeth and turned around. As her hair swayed in the air, she formed a seal in front of her, then pointed at the incoming arrow.

The arrow crumbled with a bang, but Xu Hui still coughed up blood. She took a few staggering steps backwards, but she did not show weakness. Instead, she disappeared again.

When she reappeared, she was already next to the person with the bow. She lifted her right hand and pushed forward. When she moved her fingers away from each other, three crimson rings flew out from them.

Right after these three rings appeared, they connected with each other and charged towards the person with the bow.

A glint appeared in the eyes of the person with the bow. He did not dodge, but bent his body slightly and pushed against the ground with his left hand.

With it, loud bangs rose into the air. The endless sand in the area gathered around him and turned into a protective barrier. Once the three rings crashed into it, the sand barrier crumbled, but at the same time, the third arrow rushed out. With a loud whistle, it rushed at Xu Hui's face.

She was about to dodge it when a cold harrumph followed by complicated and difficult to understand sounds echoed in the air. Those sounds were coming from somewhere far away from this place.

That voice belonged to the old man sitting on the hundred thousand feet statue that could not be seen from the spot in which Xu Hui was fighting. He lifted his left hand and seized the air in the direction of the sky. A ferocious smile appeared on his lips.

Xu Hui was in the air, but it was completely impossible for her to dodge, because she could sense that her body had been seized by an invisible hand. The power coming from that hand belonged to those in Solar Kalpa Realm, and it seemed to want to crush her.

She could not dodge, and the arrow arrived with a bang. Xu Hui coughed up blood, but her body regained mobility. As she continued retreating, her robes were torn, and her right shoulder became a bloody mess.

Yet she still didn't choose to give up. While retreating, she lifted her left hand and struck a few places on her body. Seventeen figures instantly appeared around her.

"Eighteen Strikes on the Lake of Phoenix!" Xu Hui shouted out in a low timbre, and all the figures around her immediately gathered on her body, which was in midair. Together, they turned into the shape of a crescent moon.

The power of Lunar Kalpa Realm erupted from her body, and a sea of fire erupted from the moon, as if it had turned into a phoenix. It charged towards the person with the bow, and it was so quick that it closed in on the target in an instant.

The expression of the person with the bow changed. He immediately retreated while drawing his bow. Three arrows were formed, and he shot them out at the same moment.

All of this happened in quick succession. In an instant, both sides crashed into each other, and a powerful, piercing light burst forth. It prevented everyone in the area from seeing anything.

At that moment, Su Ming was at a spot that was not too far from that particular area in the desert while traveling at his greatest speed. He even asked the Duke of Crimson Flame to shift them. When he occasionally disappeared, he would reappear far from his original place.

His expression was dark as he charged forward. If the person who was trapped was not the person he thought to be, then he would ignore her, but if she was who he believed her to be, then Su Ming… had to save Xu Hui, who had followed him in secret.

After all, she had come to this place to protect him, and since he was not Dao Kong, his personality was not that of Dao Kong, which was why he had to save her!

He traveled so quickly that he swept up sand with the wind he stirred up. Booming sounds echoed in the air as he got closer to the place where Xu Hui was trapped.

Chapter 926: Her Husband-In-Name!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

'It hurts…'

This was the main thought Xu Hui had at the moment her body was flung away. When she fell on the ground, she forced herself to stand up and remain on her feet. Her face was pale, though, and she coughed up a large mouthful of blood. Her body was covered in injuries, and she looked a bloody mess, as if she could not remain steady for much longer.

She had already done her best. The level of cultivation of the person with the bow was about the same as hers, which forced her to use the Art of Lake of Phoenix. She had not mastered this Art, and every single time she used it, she would have to suffer repercussions.

But the might from that Art was definitely not something ordinary. The bow in the person's hand had already landed in the distance. His right arm was gone, and seventeen wounds that penetrated his body had appeared on his chest.

His face was pale. He coughed up blood as well, and his body, which was thousands of feet tall, started shrinking rapidly. Only when he was a hundred feet tall did he manage to control his injuries. He glared at Xu Hui and let out a low roar.

As he did so, the sand around him gathered together to stop his blood from flowing out. It also gathered on his right arm to form a new limb. Once it appeared, he seized the air in the direction of the bow, and it swiftly flew over at him. As sand continued gathering on his body, he became thousands of feet tall once more.

He stood there as if he had never been injured before. The sand also gathered above his head to form a moon!

It was a moon formed of sand!

For the first time, despair appeared in Xu Hui's eyes. She staggered backwards, but just as she was about to retreat, she suddenly bent her back, and out of nowhere, her body was sent to the ground. She crashed into the sand with a bang.

A semi-transparent, short person appeared in the spot where Xu Hui had previously stood and pulled back the punch he had just thrown. The short person's figure might be indistinct, but anyone who saw him could tell that he was an old man. He… was the old man whose physical body was on the hundred thousand feet statue in the distance.

This current existence of his was an illusory body formed by his divine ability.

The old man might be short, but the moment he appeared, the person with the bow that was thousands of feet tall immediately knelt down to worship him. The sand giants that were tens of thousands of feet tall in the area also knelt down and worshiped him.

The tens of thousands of Sand Earthlings on the round barrier also prostrated themselves on the barrier with excitement, exhilaration, and fervent fanaticism.

Xu Hui struggled up from the ground, but before she could do anything, the sand around her closed in and turned into four chains that fastened themselves to her limbs. They lifted her up and hung her in the air.

The old man with the illusory body lifted his right hand, and a sand blade appeared in his hand. He grabbed that blade and walked slowly to Xu Hui. The cries of joy from the Sand Earthlings around him grew stronger when he did that. Voices rose and fell, as if they were chanting words of some ritual.

Xu Hui bit the bottom of her lip. Her cultivation base had completely scattered due to the old man's punch just then. A seal had also been placed in her to prevent her from self-destructing.

She looked at the sky quietly, and pictures from her past flashed before her eyes. She was born in a normal family, but when she was young, she was taken away by Phoenix Sect. Because of that, her parents' appearances had already become indistinct, and she could no longer remember them clearly.

She had returned to her hometown once, but that place had already turned to dust in the passage of time. Her family had become old and passed away a long time ago, and all traces of them had disappeared long ago.

Yet at this moment, the pictures before her eyes suddenly became much clearer. She saw her parents and her family…

Those pictures continued one after another, and a gentle smile blossomed on Xu Hui's lips. She gradually closed her eyes.

'This is my life… From the moment I became a disciple of Phoenix Sect, my fate was set in stone… I had to live my whole life for a direct descendant of Morning Dao Sect.

'This was my life… but now, I can consider myself to be free from it.' Xu Hui sighed softly in her heart.

When she closed her eyes and waited for death, a loud noise shot up from the barrier's outer side. Along with it came the panicked cries of tens of thousands of Sand Earthlings.

There were also furious roars from the dozen something sand giants and a cold harrumph from the illusory old man.

Because of all of this, Xu Hui who had already given up on hope, attempted to open her eyes, and her eyelashes fluttered. However, her body had lost all strength, and she even lacked the power to open her eyes.

She could open them only a small crack, and through her eyelashes and blurriness, she saw a familiar figure ramming his fist against the barrier as he stood in the distance, right outside the barrier.

'It's him…' Xu Hui mumbled in her heart. 'He should not have come. With his personality, he should have regarded everything with his own personal interests in mind…

'So why… is he here..?

'When the Waves of Tears attacked us, he returned. Now, he also came back. Is he… really Dao Kong..? Can a person really change so quickly..? But no matter who you are, whether you are Dao Kong or someone else, thank you…'

Xu Hui's heart was calm. As she mumbled in her heart, she was uttering words that only her soul could hear.

Su Ming rammed his fist against the barrier again, and violent sounds rang in all directions. A powerful rebound came from the barrier, causing Su Ming to stagger a few steps back.

When he lifted his head, he saw Xu Hui inside, her limbs shackled by sand chains. He saw that her eyes had already fallen shut, and her presence was like a barely discernible thread.

At the same time, he saw the Sand Earthlings and the dozen something Malicious Sand Spirits, along with the person with the bow reaching up to thousands of feet tall and the illusory old man.

The mighty pressure of Lunar Kalpa Realm from the person with the bow, the power of Solar Kalpa Realm from the illusory old man, and the dozen something sand giants with the power of the later stage of World Plane Realm caused Su Ming's pupils to shrink.

This was not something he could stand against with his current power. The dozen something sand giants were still manageable, but the person with the bow alone was already a great threat to Su Ming, let alone the illusory old man.

Su Ming remained calm. When he retreated, the dozen something sand giants in the barrier roared and took long strides forward. Their bodies could seep through the barrier, and they charged towards Su Ming.

As for the person with the bow, a scornful look appeared on his face. In his eyes, Su Ming, who was only in World Plane Realm, did not even possess the qualifications for him to use the bow. In fact, he was confident that he could reduce Su Ming to ashes with just one arrow.

Su Ming sighed in his heart. Xu Hui's life was hanging on a thread, and with each second, her life was exposed to more danger. He did not have the leisure to think anymore, unless he chose not to save her, but since he decided to save this slightly silly girl, then exposure of his power was no longer part of his considerations.

"Oh well."

Su Ming shook his head and took a step forward. At the instant he did that, the power of Divine Essence rose swiftly in his body. Countless uneven runic symbols appeared on the Sacred Constellation Robe that had turned into sackcloth. At that instant, his power started rising.

He was so quick that in the blink of an eye, he was already on the verge of crashing into a sand giant. That sand giant laughed ferociously and hurled a fist forward, but Su Ming did not even spare it a glance. In fact, he did not even bother dodging. He simply rushed forward.

With a bang, Su Ming crashed into the sand giant. At the instant they came into contact with each other, the ferocious smile on the malicious spirit turned into disbelief, and its right arm crumbled with a bang. Su Ming shot through the giant's body, completely uninjured, then lifted his right hand and hurled a punch backwards.

With that one punch, the sand giant's body trembled, and crumbled to pieces.

"Too weak."

Su Ming lifted his foot and took his second step. His level of cultivation had already risen to the later stage of World Plane Realm at that moment. This was due to the fusion between his physical power and his cultivation base, and it was the power that erupted from him after they synthesized with each other.

The two sand giants in front of him whipped up whirlwinds as they roared. Those whirlwinds swept up their bodies and instantly closed in on the incoming Su Ming. They crashed into each other in an instant.

Bang! Bang!

Two loud bangs shook the sky and earth, shocking all the Sand Earthlings when they looked over. Right before their eyes, the two sand giants shuddered and fell apart together as if a power they could not withstand had shattered their entire existences.

Su Ming did not stop moving and took his third step. At that moment, his rising power fused with his Divine Essence, and he obtained the power equivalent to those who had attained great completion in the later stage of World Plane Realm. With just one more step, he would step into Lunar Kalpa Realm.

This was Su Ming's current limit, and it was also the strongest power he could muster, but that was just… if he did not use his Ecang clone!

With the next breath, when Su Ming took his fourth step forward and four sand giants appeared in front of him, a word that only he could hear came from his mouth.

"Ecang."

At the instant he said that, within Western Ring Nebula's foreign land, which was located in Western Ring Nebula, a galaxy under the jurisdiction of the four Great True Worlds that was incredibly far away from Divine Essence Star Ocean and had Black Ink Planet situated in between them, Su Ming's Ecang clone opened his eyes within the purple galaxy.

There was a purple tint to his eyes, and a matchless, mighty pressure erupted from his body with a bang.

At the instant Su Ming in the desert crashed into the four sand giants, his level of cultivation rose once again, and in a flash, he reached Lunar Kalpa Realm!

This did not mean that he had truly reached Lunar Kalpa Realm, because there was no moon around his body, but at that moment, the presence that came from his body gave off the feeling that… he was in Lunar Kalpa Realm!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Four consecutive bangs shot up, and the four sand giants in front of Su Ming shattered. He took his fifth step and threw a punch against the barrier. It was just one punch, but the barrier instantly started trembling. Cracks spread out, and the barrier collapsed into pieces with a bang!

That punch was incredibly close to Solar Kalpa Realm, and it contained Divine Essence, so even though Xu Hui could not break the barrier, Su Ming could!

The expression of the person with the bow changed drastically, and disbelief appeared on his face. He saw how Su Ming continued to become stronger. With just five steps, he had managed to climb up from his initial level in World Plane Realm, which the man with the bow had scoffed at, straight up to Lunar Kalpa Realm. That last punch had also exuded a power that was incredibly close to Solar Kalpa Realm, and his heart trembled.

The illusory old man by the side also had a grim expression which had never appeared before on his face.

"Sir, who are you?!" the illusory old man instantly shouted out in a shrill voice.

"You can call me Dao Kong. I am… the husband-in-name of the woman beside you."