941 -947

Chapter 941: If You Gain Something, You Will Lose Something in Return

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"… There are 379 direct descendants who will participate in the activation of the ancestral temple in different batches. Once they inherit our ancestor's glory, they will volatilize their blood that shows they are Dao Chen's descendants, and your power will rise once more.

"Make haste and return!" The old voice echoed in the air, but the crowd did not hear it. Only Su Ming and Xu Hui could hear it properly due to the link they shared between their souls at that moment.

Su Ming's eyes focused. He had seen the change in True Morning Dao World as spoken by the voice from the Sacred Constellation Robe with his Malicious Eye previously and could tell what was happening. Su Ming did not know the details of the break between the Immortals and Morning Dao Sect, which was why he could find no clues from what he saw, and when he could not find the cause for it, he could not imagine the reason behind why the Immortals would fight against True Morning Dao Sect. However, since they started a fight, they had to be confident in themselves.

Xu Hui's expression also changed, because at the same time she heard the old voice from Su Ming's Sacred Constellation Robe, a voice akin to a phoenix suddenly spoke in her soul.

That voice echoed in her heart and turned into a power that could avoid the link binding her soul with Su Ming's. Once it formed a faint wall separating her and Su Ming, it uttered words that only she could hear.

"Hui Er… This is the first time I use this method to send a message to you. Do not panic, and do not reveal any clues…"

This was from her sect, the voice transmission from Phoenix Sect. Based on the fact that it could form a barrier that separated the link binding her soul to Su Ming's, he should not be able to hear the message.

This was a force of power that Xu Hui had never known existed. She also did not know that her sect had the ability to create such a barrier!

This barrier was like a crack on a dam. In fact, with Xu Hui's intelligence, she could already imagine that this so-called seal and promise to unite Phoenix Sect and Morning Dao Sect through marriage was not so firm that it could not be torn. A screen could be placed over the seal, and if that was the case, there was naturally a huge flaw in it. However, this flaw was usually hidden very deeply, and it could only be found during crucial moments, thereby allowing them to break the seal and have Phoenix Sect leave Morning Dao Sect.

"Dao Kong is by your side. Don't let him see anything off about you… When you were sent to Morning Dao Sect to be his wife, I felt deeply unhappy, but I could do nothing about it.

"The only thing I could do for you is to fight for a promise for you. Now… this promise is no longer important. Phoenix Sect has decided to break off from Morning Dao Sect. All the seals will be broken, and from now onwards… you will be free, and Phoenix Sect will be free as well!

"But you must kill Dao Kong. Your level of cultivation is much higher than his. Look for a chance and kill this boy. Once you do, hurry back to True Morning Dao World…

"Remember this. The boy Dao Kong is incredibly important to Morning Dao Sect. I did not notice how important he was in the past, but when I thought about it during the past few years, there seems to be a profound significance to Morning Dao Sect's act in sending him into the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. I've only learned about this recently, but the one who ordered Dao Kong to be sent to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence… was the sleeping Kalpa Lord of True Morning Dao World!

"Your mission is to kill Dao Kong. I will help you break the seal once he dies."

Xu Hui's face was pale to begin with. Once she heard the voice in her soul, she staggered, and her face turned even paler when she looked over at her companion.

Su Ming narrowed his eyes. A brilliant light shone within them. Just like Xu Hui, a voice that only he could hear was echoing in his head at that moment.

This voice had similarly created a barrier that prevented Xu Hui from hearing the message.

"Kong Er, do not be in a hurry to come back. The voice you heard from the Sacred Constellation Robe just now was for Xu Hui, who followed you to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence.

"The woman's sect has harbored the intention to rebel since a long time ago, and the hilarious thing is, they thought Morning Dao Sect did not know about it.

"Be careful. You can decide on your own whether to kill her. The nine old Frail Darknesses have a treasure specifically tailored to target those from Phoenix Sect. If this woman is on your side, you can relax, but if she harbors any other intentions, you can just kill her.

"With your intelligence, I will leave the choice to you without worry. Remember, Kong Er, do not return within a short period of time."

The voices gradually faded away, and Su Ming looked towards Xu Hui. Their gazes met.

Xu Hui remained silent for a moment, then said softly, "My sect asked me… to kill you. They chose to break off from Morning Dao Sect. The Immortals are not the only ones who joined in the change within True Morning Dao World. Phoenix Sect is part of it as well. There must be other forces of power who have… also joined the rebellion." Xu Hui rubbed the center of her brows. There was a slightly haggard look on her pale face.

"You're still injured. You should rest," Su Ming said plainly. He sat down on the mountain rock and did not continue with the topic.

Xu Hui remained silent for a moment before she looked towards Su Ming.

"Are you going back?"

"It's still not time for us to go back." Su Ming shook his head.

"… When are you leaving?" Xu Hui closed his eyes. After some time, she opened them, and a resolute look appeared on her face.

"With your injuries, you will need another half a month before you can recover from most of them. At that time, I will leave," Su Ming answered her softly while he watched the sky in the distance.

"I will go with you," Xu Hui said calmly.

Su Ming remained silent. After a moment, he turned around and looked at her. A long time passed before he nodded.

Xu Hui's lips curled up into a faint smile, then she turned around to return to her house.

…..

As if he had already forgotten about the battle waging in True Morning Dao Sect at that moment, Su Ming lived on the mountain that belonged to the Ninth Tribe in peace. He watched the sun rise and set, and by his side was good wine as well as Xu Hui's occasional company.

This sort of life passed by them like flowing water and was like a dream. It lasted from morning till dusk, then from night till dawn.

The two of them did not discuss anything related to True Morning Dao World, as if neither of them was willing to speak of it. Like that, half a month passed by slowly.

Flowers might not have bloomed and withered during this period of time, but the moon became full, then was reduced to only half of its full form. Half a month passed in just the snap of a finger. It could not be said that plenty of things had flourished and died, and neither could it be said that the stars had lost their brilliance. However… during this half a month, Su Ming forgot his frustrations and his confusion, as if he had returned to the mortal world.

Xu Hui's smiles had also increased throughout this half a month. It could be seen that she experienced the same things as Su Ming. The joy she felt during the past half a month was comparable to the happiness she had during the first half of her life.

However, happiness does not last forever. Joyous moments are always temporary, and all beautiful melodies are fated to end at some point since the moment they are started.

One day, it started drizzling in the sky above the Ninth Tribe. This was the first time Su Ming saw rain in this place. He did not want to use the Malicious Eye to see how this rain appeared, afraid that he would see too much and make rain lose its meaning.

When raindrops fell on the ground, they stirred up fog and dust. As these tumbled about, anyone who looked closely at it would feel that it was like a wave and have a sense as if they were surrounded by mountain fog. Anyone who saw it would at it quietly, and they would be unwilling to avert their gaze.

It was as if all the bitter and cold moments of life were subconsciously turned into merely grumbles in a book or a song that seemed to speak of something that happened many years ago as they watched the rain. The murmurs of the wind in the distance sounded as if someone was playing a xun, and it was strong enough to chase away the rain that filled the entirety of their field of vision.

Su Ming watched.

"Xu Hui." He turned his head around and looked at the woman who was packing their luggage in the house. Her hair spilled over her shoulders, giving her a gentle charm that made her look like a beautiful flower that had blossomed.

She turned her head around and looked at Su Ming.

"Sit there. Let me draw for you," he said faintly.

Xu Hui smiled light at him. She put down their luggage and did not even bother putting it back to her storage bag before walking over to Su Ming's side. She went to a mountain rock and sat down on it.

Behind her was the rain pouring down from the sky and the obscure land. Moaning wind blew past the strands of her hair, lifting up her dark locks that did not scatter away.

"You know how to draw?"

"I drew in the past." When Su Ming spoke, he patted his storage bag. A drawing board immediately appeared in his head. This drawing board was not the item he had obtained when he was in the land of Berserkers, but was something he had come by coincidentally when he was in Black Ink Planet.

"Oh? How are your skills?" Xu Hui smiled, then lowered her head to look at her clothes, straightening some of the wrinkles on them.

"I can't draw those with only a few moles, but I might be able to draw those with plenty of moles well. Don't change your expression, you'll affect me when I'm drawing you," Su Ming said with a frown on his face when he saw Xu Hui's expression stiffen.

"Su Ming, you're going overboard!" Xu Hui stood up swiftly with rage on her face. "Just where exactly do I have plenty of moles, huh?! If you don't tell me clearly today, I'll fight you to death!"

"Do you really want me to tell you?" Not a single change in expression could be detected on Su Ming's face.

"You-you!" Xu Hui sucked in a deep breath before she suddenly turned around and shouted at the foot of the mountain, where the members of Ninth Tribe were, "Dijiu Mo Sha, your senior brother wants to drink. Bring twenty pots of wine from the tribe over here."

Dijiu Mo Sha had been meditating at the foot of the mountain. When he heard those words, his expression did not change. He constantly heard these sort of words during the past half a month and knew that his senior brother would definitely back down once they were spoken. There was absolutely no need for him to bring any wine up to them.

"You have no moles on your body…" Su Ming laughed wryly.

Xu Hui glared at him before sitting down again. She straightened her robes, then looked over with a faint smile.

Su Ming picked up the drawing board and opened his mouth to say, "You don't have eight moles on your body,"

When he saw that Xu Hui's expression had changed again, he raised his right hand, tapped the puddle of water by the mountain rock with his finger, as if he was dipping his finger in ink. Then, he drew on the drawing board.

The paper was clear, just like how his heart was calm.

A dash of ink gradually stained the paper with colors that seemed like they came from another world through Su Ming's hand, as if it brought with it the happy moments that remained in his eyes. The paper could no longer return to how it was at the start, but it gained a beauty that it had never possessed before.

When you gain something, you lose something in return. This is the way of life.

If only life was as beautiful as it seemed at first sight… The situation at that moment was like those words. However, there were certain times when the beauty that was initially seen could not compare to the peace gained after years had accumulated in a person's life. It was like this paper. When nothing was drawn on it, it was empty and blank. Once colors were placed on it after a person drew on it, which one exactly was the one that was more beautiful?

Only the person drawing would know.

Only those who had experienced such things before would understand…

Su Ming continued drawing. In the picture was rain, land, sky, and also the figure of a woman. The beautiful moments in the past when he was still in Dark Mountain remained faintly in his head, but as years went by, as wind and clouds continued changing, they became like dust which would fall on the surface of water and not leave a single trace or stir up a single ripple. They would not ruin the drawing paper.

The wind from beyond the mountains filled his sleeves. A beautiful lady sat before him in the rain. No emotions were present on his face, and neither did they enter his heart. This was a change of heart.

Chapter 942: You Are Already My Junior Brother

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Xu Hu's heart was trembling before Su Ming had even finished his drawing. She stared at him blankly, because she had discovered that once he drew his first line, he looked as if he had gained an ethereal air!

This made it seem as if his body had disappeared. In fact, he looked as if even his presence as well as his soul had vanished without a trace, but she did not notice even a single hint of it in the connection she had with Su Ming's cultivation base clone.

It was as if he was sitting there, but at the same, he did not seem to exist.

It was as if… he had fused together with the mountain, with the land, with the sky, and everything under the heavens that their eyes could see. He had even fused together with the rain and the wind that blew towards him. There was no distinction between them.

This was not him drawing. He was… imprinting everything from the wind, the rain, the sky, the earth, and everything else in the universe.

What caused Xu Hui to suck in a deep breath was when the ripples of power from Su Ming's body swiftly stirred up at the instant he reached that ethereal state before her eyes. Then, in a manner that shocked her, those ripples rapidly gained power!

Within a short period of time, he became infinitesimally close to the later stage of World Plane Realm from the middle stage of World Plane Realm!

This method of cultivation immediately caused a word to surface in Xu Hui's mind— Enlightenment!

This was enlightenment. Besides this word, Xu Hui could not find any other that could allow a person's cultivation base to erupt suddenly in this manner without any use of medicinal cores or training.

This made her remember a few sentences her Master had told her in the past.

"When the ancients trained, they placed primary focus on their hearts. They would continuously ask their own hearts and continuously try to understand the truth about the universe. It did not matter whether it was a great truth or a small one. Training their hearts was akin to training their psyche.

"They tried to understand the universe, and when they ran into enlightenments, their levels of cultivation would reach a state that defied common sense.

"Now, the method of cultivation we employ only places half of our focus on the heart, and the other half is on Arts. We might… never be able to reach enlightenment."

Xu Hui's breathing quickened, but she was incredibly careful in not bothering Su Ming in his drawing. The smile remained on her face, and she made sure that she did not move, because she was worried that if she did anything, she would affect his epiphany. Once he woke up from it, he would lose this serendipity.

She saw the ripples of power from Su Ming become stronger as he continued drawing. After a moment, thunder roared beyond the mountain as rain poured from the sky. The ground even started trembling faintly. A gigantic vortex appeared above Su Ming, at the top of the mountain. This vortex spread out in all directions, sweeping up rainwater and the mountain breeze to create an abnormal phenomenon.

The members of Ninth Tribe noticed it. As they raised their heads, they looked towards the vortex in the sky, and in doing so, they also noticed the ripples of power from Su Ming.

Right when an uproar broke out among them, they were immediately silenced by Dijiu Mo Sha. He stared at the spot above in a daze, watching Su Ming's back. His breathing quickened, and excitement appeared on his face.

'Change of heart. This is… the change of heart, the Art that Master once said belongs solely to his disciples!' Dijiu Mo Sha understood the change of heart and knew that this moment was incredibly important to Su Ming, which was why he did not just silence the commotion caused by the members of his tribe, he even personally began defending the entire area with a vigilant expression.

"I wonder when will my change of heart… arrive," he mumbled softly.

Time trickled by, and several hours passed since Su Ming began drawing. The rain in the sky gradually lessened and the wind too slowly became weaker. Xu Hui kept to the same pose. Even if rain poured on her body, she still continued remaining still.

She still had a smile on her face, but there was anxiety in her eyes.

She was not anxious because she had not been moving for several hours, but because she had seen Su Ming attempt to reach the later stage of World Plane Realm seven times during the past few hours.

But he failed every single time.

She knew deeply that there was a barrier between the middle and later stage of World Plane Realm. This barrier was incredibly difficult to break. She had been able to break that barrier in the past because her Master had helped her with all her strength, and only then did she succeed, albeit with great difficulty.

However, she believed that as long as Su Ming had enough time, he would definitely be able to reach a break and step into the later stage of World Plane Realm. Even if she did not know why he occasionally gave off a feeling that he was weak while at other times that he was strong, she believed this was related to him Possessing Dao Kong.

However, at that moment… Xu Hui could sense that the rain was lessening and the wind was gradually fading away. Once the wind and rain were gone, the sky would return to normal. At that time, Su Ming's picture would be finished.

If he still had yet to reach a breakthrough by then, his process of gaining enlightenment would end, and he would need another serendipity before he could continue.

Su Ming knew this.

Every single time a person experienced a change of heart with this Art, it would allow a their heart to go through a metamorphosis, and even their soul and everything about them would move to a greater state. However… even with this sort of metamorphosis to stir up his cultivation base, there was still a barrier within him. If he could not break through it, then he would be forced to stop in his tracks.

This was why Su Ming had chosen Dao Kong as his cultivation base clone. In truth, this cultivation base clone was like a vessel, and Su Ming chose it to make it easier for him to break through the barrier.

If he thought about it on a fundamental level, this so-called potential was really just how many barriers a person had in his path of cultivation, and how thick those barriers were.

This was why Su Ming had chosen to cripple Ye Wang's kismet. Once he destroyed the kismet in him, the only person who could have the kismet gather on his person for years to come in True Morning Dao World… would be only Dao Kong!

This was the reason why Dao Kong was so highly valued by Morning Dao Sect.

However, kismet was insubstantial. Very few could understand it completely and use it. Even Su Ming could not do it. He could only use his own method to change or move it about, indirectly guiding this kismet that existed in the unseen world.

Such as right then…

Bang!

A loud clap of thunder rang out in the sky. That thunder roared and shook the world in all directions. As it echoed, the rain that was about to disappear started pouring from the sky once more, and the wind that was about to fade away became strong once again.

The rain did not stop, the wind did not pause. All of them raged violently and frantically again.

Was this kismet..? Perhaps. Perhaps even without this so-called kismet the rain was fated to not stop, but if this rain continued pouring for several days…

Then perhaps this would truly be the work of the kismet!

The second day, the third day… until the fifth day arrived!

On the fifth day, rain still poured from the sky and continued falling on the ground. Dark clouds filled the sky. Wind raged in the mountains and blew violently in the world. Xu Hui sucked in a deep breath. During these five days, she did her best to keep still and not move, so that she would not bother Su Ming when he drew.

When dusk eventually arrived on the fifth day, Su Ming's cultivation base charged against that barrier once again, and loud banging sounds came from his body. A vast wave of power from his cultivation base erupted from within him.

That was not power of the middle stage of World Plane Realm… but the later stage!

Su Ming's cultivation base clone had finally stepped into the later stage of World Plane Realm and was at the same stage as his clone that practiced the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole. Only at this moment could Su Ming truly be considered to have moved into the category of powerful warriors.

All his clones could become an overlord of an area. When his clone that practiced the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole overlapped with his cultivation base clone before, Su Ming could bring forth power that was close to someone who had attained completion in the later stage of World Plane Realm. Yet right then, the power that would erupt from him would be one that truly belonged to someone who had reached great completion in World Plane Realm, and he had not even added his Divine Essence into the mix.

If he added his Divine Essence, he would no longer need to use the projection formed by Ecang's power to fight against those in Lunar Kalpa Realm, such as what he had done when he was trying to rescue Xu Hui in the desert. At that moment, even without using Ecang's projection, he would be able to fight against those in Lunar Kalpa Realm.

That was if he did not include his Ecang clone into the equation, if his Ecnag projection appeared, Su Ming did not know just how great his offensive abilities would become, but it was clear that he would then be able to fight against those in Solar Kalpa Realm.

If his Ecang clone came personally and the three clones fused together, then with his soul linking them together, the offensive power that would erupt from him would be able to shock even the heaven. Su Ming would be even stronger than when he had first walked out of Western Ring Nebula's foreign land and broken into the galaxy where the forces of power from True Sacred Yin World were stationed!

Perhaps he could still not be considered as the most powerful person beneath Masters of Fate, Lives and Death, though. But if he took a step further and made his cultivation base clone as well as the clone that practiced the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole attain great completion in the later stage of World Plane Realm, then he would become the most powerful person beneath the Masters of Fate, Lives and Death!

If his Ecang clone devoured the other Ecangs, then his combat abilities would increase exponentially, and this… was the terrifying composition of power that came from the Abyss Builders' inborn ability.

Su Ming opened his eyes, or rather, he had never physically closed his eyes. The eyes he opened were those that belonged to his soul.

The sky instantly fell silent. There was no longer thunder. The rain disappeared, the wind faded away, and the sky was clear across tens of thousands of lis.

Su Ming looked at the drawing board in his hand. On it was a picture of rain pouring continuously from the sky along with a delicate figure. Wind lifted her hair, and it looked as if a world was contained in her smile, causing those who saw it to be unable to help themselves but smile as well.

"Thank you." Su Ming raised his head and looked towards Xu Hui.

A faint smile blossomed on Xu Hui's face, and it was identical to the one in the picture.

…..

There always comes a time when people have to be separated.

There always comes a time when a song ends and people leave the theater.

On the second day since Su Ming woke up, he left the mountain in which Ninth Tribe was located, left the land, and left the near one thousand members of Ninth Tribe bowing down to worship him.

He did not take Dijiu Mo Sha with him, but instead picked up a map. It was a map detailing the locations of the four great races, which were ones who had surrounded and attacked his Master when he was in the inner part of Divine Essence Star Ocean.

If Su Ming had a grudge against someone, he would definitely take vengeance. This was his principle.

On his way out, he left behind some words which caused Dijiu Mo Sha to lower his head and bow to him.

"No matter what Master thinks, to me, you are already my junior brother."

These words caused Dijiu Mo Sha to tremble. He looked at Su Ming and saw a light shining with wisdom in his eyes, making it seem as if he could read his thoughts. Slowly, an ashamed look that caused him to be unable to speak appeared on Dijiu Mo Sha's face. He quietly lowered his head, but those words still echoed in his heart.

This was Su Ming's acknowledgment.

When Su Ming first saw the five stones under his Master's statue, he could already tell that the fifth stone had been placed there later on. It might not have seemed as if it was different from the other four… but the four stones that signified the four original disciples were under his Master's feet, while the fifth… was placed away from his feet.

This small detail allowed Su Ming to understand plenty of things.

He could imagine a young boy many years ago standing by his Master's side and longing to have Tian Xie Zi as his Master, but up till the moment Tian Xie Zi left, he still did not take the boy his disciple.

Yet the boy did not give up. He protected his tribe and fulfilled the request Tian Xie Zi made before he left without any complaints or grumbles. In fact, as he grew over the thousand years, he treated himself as Tian Xie Zi's disciple and placed the fifth stone by the statue's feet.

This was why Su Ming had only said half of what he thought. He had the other half remain in his heart.

The complete sentence was: "Master will not take in a fifth disciple, but no matter what Master thinks, to me, you are already my junior brother."

Su Ming left. This time, the loneliness he had grown used to was no longer his companion. Xu Hui had taken its place.

The two of them turned into two long arcs that headed to the inner part of Divine Essence Star Ocean and the four races that had went after Master's life in the past. They gradually disappeared from Ninth Tribe's sight and vanished from Dijiu Mo Sha's eyes.

"Senior brother…" Dijiu Mo Sha mumbled. This was the first time no anguish appeared in the depths of his heart when he said these two words.

Chapter 943: On the Way

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Who was it who was unable to see through the mirages of life, just like how the figures who have left into the distance remained as indistinct blurs in other people's eyes?

Who was it who saw through the beautiful moments of life, just like how Su Ming did not turn his head back to look? He merely watched the clouds around him as he moved, then with a smile, he lowered his head and snapped his fingers.

Perhaps the dust that flew up when he snapped his fingers was a brilliance that no one could see, but Su Ming knew that it would only last for the time he blinked, just like how one thousand years in the world would pass in no time.

He would no longer think about it, no longer reminisce. He would have those beautiful moments from the past remain forever at the bottom of his heart and not have them come into contact with the truth. He would retain his happiness, and also leave behind a fixation in others.

What he cut off was the love in his heart. What he did not cut off was the obsession fixed on him by someone else from the distance, a fixation that tangled itself around him.

'I retained this happiness… but I've never been a person who would just allow another to scheme against me…' A piercing, cold glare appeared in Su Ming's eyes. He had not cut off his obsession because he wanted to… personally find the person who planted this obsession in him.

This was how Su Ming was. He would definitely take revenge for all the slights done to him, just like the reason he was heading to the inner parts of Divine Essence Star Ocean. Searching for clues about Lie Shan Xiu had become secondary. His true goal was to wreak havoc in Divine Essence Star Ocean.

He would have all the four venerated races who went after his Master's life to pay what was due.

Su Ming walked calmly in the galaxy when he asked without turning his head back, "Have you killed many people in your life?"

"Quite a lot." Xu Hui had recovered most of her cultivation base, but she still wore the sackcloth and did not bother to change her clothes.

"I haven't killed that many …" Su Ming said calmly.

Xu Hui turned her head to look at him with a slightly strange expression on her face. Forget the ones she did not see, just the Waves of Tears alone was enough for her to sense the murderous aura about his body.

If that was not considered a lot, then Xu Hui suddenly felt that she should have answered that she had only killed a few people in her life.

"The four venerated races have one hundred thousand something people each within the inner parts of Divine Essence Star Ocean. I won't kill many of them… just thirty thousand something from each race," Su Ming declared flatly.

Xu Hui remained quiet for a moment before she said softly, "If they can become a venerated race in Divine Essence Star Ocean, then the race will definitely have someone who is a Master of Fate, Lives, and Death among them."

"There is one in each race. I know about that." Su Ming turned into a long arc and charged forward through the galaxy. Xu Hui kept him company by the side. Once she heard his words, she smiled faintly and did not continue questioning him.

Since Su Ming knew of how dangerous this trip was but still chose to go, then he had to be quite confident in himself. After all, if he was not confident, he would be just walking to his death for no reason.

A normal cultivator would need a long time before they could arrive at the inner parts of Divine Essence Star Ocean from the periphery, and they would face countless dangers in their journey.

But Su Ming and Xu Hui could both shift, so their speed was exponentially faster. Yet even so, even if they were much faster, they would still need several decades to reach the inner parts.

However, the map from Ninth Tribe marked several Relocation Vortex spots. Because of that, they could shorten the distance. Based on Su Ming's predictions, they would need only about ten years to be able to step into the inner parts of Divine Essence Star Ocean.

This journey wouldn't be short. Based on Su Ming's calculations, the distance from the periphery of Divine Essence Star Ocean to the inner parts would be the same as the one to the entrance of the Barren Lands of Divine Essence from this place. Such a great distance was a ravine that a mortal would not be able to cross even after he had been reincarnated thousands of times.

Thankfully, this time, Su Ming was not alone. There was a woman by his side. And thankfully… before this woman left Ninth Tribe, she had taken a lot of the wine when Su Ming was not looking.

Hence, Su Ming, who had already grown used to loneliness, was interrupted by occasional conversations which would fill the trip with a unique air.

"Just what happened that night?" On a day several years later, Su Ming sat cross-legged on a meteor flying rapidly forward. He looked at Xu Hui drinking wine by his side. At that moment, her heroic and valiant bearing gave Su Ming a feeling he could not put to words.

"You don't know what happened?" Xu Hui blinked and looked towards Su Ming.

The contact they had during the past few years seemed to have gone by with just the snap of their fingers, but the company she provided him for nearly one thousand days in the galaxy caused their relationship to become slightly different from before.

Su Ming cast Xu Hui a look and said faintly without any expression on his face, "I seem to have held something very soft,"

Xu Hui smiled faintly. She continued drinking for a time before picking up a pot and throwing it to Su Ming.

"Can you stop drinking like this all the time? You always get drunk." Su Ming frowned and picked up the pot of wine.

"Getting drunk is good. You can just leave on your own." Xu Hui narrowed her eyes into the shapes of crescent moons, and a misty look gradually appeared in her eyes. When Su Ming saw this, he sighed. He knew that Xu Hui had become drunk again.

After a moment, he hugged the sleeping Xu Hui and jumped from the meteor. This was not the first time he carried this drunk woman. Over the course of the past few years, he seemed to have grown used to this action.

Every single time she drank, she would not circulate her cultivation base to get rid of the alcohol, and every time she got drunk, she would fall into deep sleep. A smile would appear at the corner of her lips, causing Su Ming to feel as if he could sense the fatigue and the guard she put up against everyone in the past within her heart every single time he saw that smile.

It was as if… she could only sleep without worry when she was with him. Perhaps it was also because… she liked the feeling of being held by Su Ming after she became drunk.

He did not know whether she was doing it intentionally or unintentionally, but she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head into his bosom. Her long hair drifted in space, tangling together with his, and giving off a feeling that they could not be discerned from each other.

Perhaps this was what she wished for.

Su Ming moved forward quietly through the galaxy with Xu Hui in his arms. After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, his footsteps suddenly came to a halt. He looked at the area around him carefully before raising his right hand and swinging his arm before him. A wave of air spread through the area and was then rapidly sucked into a spot that was about the size of a palm in front of him.

Su Ming's eyes focused. After giving the place a few scrutinizing glances, he took a step forward and headed into that formless vortex, disappearing without a trace.

This was not the first time Xu Hui and he used a vortex to Relocate on their journey to the inner parts of Divine Essence Star Ocean. Su Ming was already well-versed in using them. Within an instant, he appeared in that colorful world.

He did not close his eyes, but had them open. As his body charged forward due to him being dragged, he lowered his head to look at the darkness and the bottom of the colorful world, and in just a few breaths, a faint smile appeared at the corners of his lips.

A roar came from the darkness, shaking the colorful world. At the same time, the jellyfish like existences floating around Su Ming withdrew.

The black horse with two dragon heads rushed out from the endless darkness. The two dragon heads glared at Su Ming while panting harshly, and with a kick, fire instantly burned the entire area. The color of the fire was black, matching the horse's body and giving it an incredibly might air.

During the course of the journey, Su Ming had used the vortices to Relocate three times, so this would be the fourth time he saw this horse. Previously, every single time Su Ming appeared in the world within the vortex, the black horse would immediately notice him, and no matter how far away it was, it would use the unique method it possessed to swiftly reach him.

Furious roars echoed in the air. When the black horse lowered its head, it rushed swiftly towards Su Ming with the intent to kill in response to the earlier provocation.

Su Ming's expression remained the same. During the previous few encounters, he had come to know that the horse would always get a little closer each time, but it would not be close enough for it to kill him. Judging from the spot where it appeared, the horse would need seven breaths after he left the place to be able to close in on him.

"You are mine. One of these days, you will carry me on your back to ride to heaven and hell!" Su Ming smiled. As he spoke faintly, the black horse's roars became even stronger, and it looked as if it was about to reach Su Ming, but by then, he had already disappeared and left the world in the vortex.

Once Su Ming walked out into the galaxy with Xu Hui in his arms, he did not immediately move forward, but stayed close and listened attentively. Six breaths later, a faint rumble echoed from the vortex he'd left earlier.

"It's one breath short." Su Ming's eyes sparkled. After some calculations, he estimated that he would need at least three more trips to the world in the vortex before the black horse would catch up to him, and then, the time would come for him to capture it.

After mulling over this for some time, Su Ming looked at Xu Hui in his arms. Once he pushed her away, he shook her forcefully until she opened her bleary eyes.

"Wake up. It's your turn." When Su Ming saw that Xu Hui had opened her eyes, he let go of her, sat down, and closed his eyes.

Xu Hui rubbed her eyes and said with resignation, "You're cheating!"

"We promised each other that each of us would take the other and travel a distance. It's your turn," Su Ming told her without opening his eyes.

"Vortex Relocations doesn't count!" Xu Hui glared over at him.

"You didn't mention that before, so it counts. Are you a woman or not? Aren't you going to admit to what you said?" Su Ming opened his eyes and looked at her sideways.

"You know more than I do whether I am a woman or not," Xu Hui retorted without any hesitation.

With that one sentence, she managed to render Su Ming completely speechless for a long time and make him think that something seemed to have been reversed here…

In silence, Su Ming chose to just close his eyes and ignore her.

Xu Hui let out a light snort, then circulated her cultivation base. Once she chased away her drunkenness, she raised her right hand and swung her arm in the space before her. A fire phoenix immediately appeared under her. With a screech, it swept up the seated Su Ming and charged forward. Xu Hui stood at the top of the phoenix and occasionally looked around her as well as glanced back at Su Ming training calmly behind her before grumbling under her breath, "So petty!"

"I don't have any moles on me, so of course I'm petty." Su Ming opened his eyes for a moment, then closed them again.

"I know what you want me to say. I just refuse to say it." Xu Hui smiled, having uttered words that only Su Ming could understand.

Chapter 944: Them…

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

In True Morning Dao World, a battle that shook the entire true world so much that even True Sacred Yin World and the Emperor of Abyss' True World were paying attention to it had just started, and it was already incredibly devastating.

This was a great war in which almost every single race in True Morning Dao World had banded together to fight against Morning Dao Sect!

It could be said that Morning Dao Sect was surrounded by enemies on all sides. The rebellion had been started by the Immortals who had managed to get the other races working together with them by some foreign method, which caught the people from Morning Dao Sect slightly off guard.

However, Morning Dao Sect was a sect that controlled an entire True World on its own, so its strength was definitely not something ordinary. Once they fended off the first wave of attacks launched by the Immortals' Union, they executed a violent counterattack.

Roars surged into the heavens from the battlefields throughout the entire true world. Loud bangs became the constant noise in True Morning Dao World. Cultivation planets shattered and numerous people died, causing a bloody stench to fill every single corner of True Morning Dao World.

Within the Immortals' territory was a sect called Hundred Flowers Sect. Every single person in it was either handsome or beautiful, and in the Immortals' world, this place was considered a small sect.

Seven hundred years ago, a man had entered this sect. He was a person with gentleness and elegance akin to a flower, and he was fond of having sunlight shine on the profile of his face, fond of playing around with flowers and plants, and fond of… forming ambiguous relationships with the female disciples in the sect, because they always communicated with each other as if they were flirting.

Seven hundred years ago, he had been an inner sect disciple in the sect. Seven hundred years later, he became a core disciple, but he still retained his personality. He was likable, but there were some who felt envious yet could not do nothing about it.

Of course, that envy came mostly from the men.

His name was Hua Yan Yue.

A man whose family name meant flower.

"Yue Er…" A woman's resigned voice came languidly from a garden in the mountain where Hundred Flower Sect was located.

"Please call me second senior brother…" A man with long hair dressed in a white long robe stood under the sun, and with a smile, he looked towards the woman who had a mature and charming elegance.

"I am your Master…" The woman sighed.

"But seven hundred years ago, you were my junior sister." The man shook his head and walked next to the woman. He helped her tug a lock of hair behind her ear, which had been made messy by the wind.

"Just like what you said previously, the Immortals' Union has waged a war against Morning Dao Sect… and I've organized plenty of small sects based on your request… Seven hundred years might not be a lot of time, but it's enough to make thirty-nine sects become our affiliates." The woman lowered her head. She did not resist the man's actions as she spoke softly.

"Then… has my slot on the ship heading to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence been confirmed?" the man asked softly while blowing into the woman's ear.

"I can't confirm it yet…" The woman instinctively took a step back.

"It's alright, but those from Morning Dao Sect acting as garrisons in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence should have already been summoned back, right?" The man smiled softly.

The woman raised her head, and with puzzlement in her voice, she asked him, "Why do you insist on going to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence? That place is a prison…"

The man shook his head and looked at the sky, not speaking.

At the bottom of his heart was a string of words, and they were words he could not say to the woman.

'Because my youngest junior brother is there…'

…..

Within True Morning Dao Sect was a galaxy that did not belong to the Immortals. That galaxy belonged to a race called Heaven's Howlers. Within that galaxy was a huge sect, and if anyone saw it from outside, they would find that it was formed by endless swords. It floated in the galaxy and surrounded a cultivation planet.

There was an incredibly distinct building on that planet. It was a huge sword whose half revealed outside was already one hundred thousand something feet tall. It penetrated through the planet, and even the tip of the sword itself was one hundred thousand something feet long. From the distance, the planet and the sword were incredibly eye-catching.

There were three hundred cultivators dressed in black robes sitting cross-legged around the sword. These cultivators had hoods covering their heads and did not move, but a murderous aura that surged into the sky was brewing around their bodies, as if they could cause the weather in the world to change and clouds as well as wind to surge the moment they stood up.

All of them appeared to be in the middle stage of World Plane Realm. In fact, any person could sense clearly that there was a seal contained within them, and if that seal was broken… no one knew just what sort of brilliance would explode from them.

Dong… dong… dong…

The beats of a war drum echoed swiftly in the area. As the sounds of the drum traveled outwards, the three hundred cultivators in the area gradually raised their heads.

Their gazes were all trained on the tip of the huge sword they surrounded. It might be blurry in their eyes, but a picture had already appeared in their heads.

In that picture were clouds that looked like they were hovering above the tip of the sword in the galaxy. Within those clouds was a person sitting cross-legged. Before him was a huge drum, and the beats came when he struck the drum with his right hand.

That person… did not have a head!

He was half-naked. His nipples served as his eyes, and his navel was his mouth. In his left hand was a battle axe of several dozens of feet. With his right hand clenched into a fist, he struck the drum.

He was known as Xing Gan by the people in the sect!

Seven hundred years ago, he had joined the sect, and during those seven hundred years, his level of cultivation rose at a pace that shocked everyone, but what cast them even more into disbelief was the fighting spirit this person possessed.

It was so strong that his murderous aura was so thick that it was enough to make a person feel as if they were cast into hell the moment they saw it. This was a Natural Fiend, a presence publicly acknowledged by all the cultivators in the sect.

The sounds of the drum were like thunder. As the booms surged into the sky, the headless Xing Gan stood up. At the moment he did so, his tall body caused the world to lose its color and all roars to fall silent.

Lightning crackled in the sky. As it illuminated the ground, the bolts of lightning formed a gigantic face in the sky.

"Heaven's Howler!" the headless man shouted out in a low growl that rumbled in all directions. His voice boomed in all directions and drowned out the thunder.

"You promised me that once I, Xing Gan, joined your sect, you would execute your divine ability and send me to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence!" As the man roared, the three hundred people under the sword stood up together. An indescribable murderous aura erupted from their bodies, and it was so strong that their presences connected together. A powerful aura then surrounded the sword. As it swept outwards in all directions, it filled the entire cultivation planet.

Anyone who looked over would find that the cultivation planet was surrounded by fog. It was formed from murderous aura, and it had manifested after the kismet in the place was chased away. Within that fog were countless vengeful spirits. There were men and women among them, as well as ferocious beasts and cultivators. They were all howling shrilly.

"Over the course of seven hundred years, I've killed one billion lives for you…" When the man at the tip of the sword said these words, the shrill cries from the illusory vengeful souls surrounding the cultivation planet grew even stronger. Needless to say… they were the one billion souls he had killed.

"When… are you going to send me to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence?!" he roared loudly.

At the instant he did so, the three hundred people on the ground raised their heads together and let out roars that shook the sky.

"When are you going to send me to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence?!" These three hundred people shouted in anger, and as they did so, the hoods over their heads were blown off by wind to reveal… bald heads filled with marks exuding the Shamans' presence. These three hundred people… were the souls of Nine Li!

The face formed by lightning in the sky remained silent as he looked at the man. In his eyes was a hint of high praise and deep respect. He then said in a low voice, "Once the war against Morning Dao Sect ends, I will personally send you to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence and help you search for your junior brother. If I go back on my word, then all Heaven's Howlers will face the disaster of extermination!"

"Alright…" the headless man at the tip of the sword agreed unhappily.

"Warriors of Nine Li, we… will go to war!"

"To war!" The ones who answered him were the three hundred people on the ground. Their roars surged into the sky and shook the lightning so much that huge waves of sound surged up.

…..

"Kill him!"

"Damn you, you bastard! How dare you ambush me?! I'll bite you to death!"

On a battlefield in the war between Morning Dao Sect and the Immortals' Union enraged roars rang in the air. Cultivators from Morning Dao Sect were all watching a man they had surrounded in shock.

The man was the height of three average men. He was abnormally built, and he had endless strength. The tiger skin he wore made it seem like he was a ferocious beast in the shape of a tiger from the distance, or maybe the manifestation of a tiger spirit.

At that moment, he had his teeth snapped tightly shut on a young cultivator who he had seized with his right hand. As the cultivator screamed in shrilly from pain, the tiger person ripped off a layer of his flesh, and with blood filling his mouth, he threw his head back and laughed.

"I don't even need to Enter any Dreams to kill every single one of you damn bastards! How dare you ambush me?! If you force me to a corner, I'll drag you all into my Dream!" The man lifted the cultivator in his hand, and with a roar, rushed at the people from Morning Dao Sect.

If he was just a reckless person, the cultivators would not have bothered with him, but as he moved forward, Runes continuously appeared under his feet. As they overlapped with each other, divine abilities were ceaselessly cast from them into the area, and there were light screens protecting them, making it difficult for others to fight back.

"Damn it, it's that person again! Just where did he come from?! He looks like a fool, but I've never seen an idiot having such great skills with Runes!���

"This person's Runes… can already gain corporeal form! How are we supposed to surround and kill him?!"

After a moment, the Morning Dao Sect cultivators in the area swiftly retreated and left the place while nursing grievances in their hearts. Their departure caused the people within the Immortals' Union to laugh loudly.

"Fellow Daoist Hu, how many did you kill this time?"

"That's right. Fellow Daoist Hu, every single time you rush out, you will draw a crowd over here. I've calculated the number this time. You should've killed twelve people, right?" There were several dozens of those from the Immortals' Union around the tiger person, and they were all smiling as they looked towards him.

There was a smug look on the man in tiger skin. He brought out a pot of wine from his bosom, and once he took a big swig from it, he let out a loud roar.

"I've killed fourteen!" He lifted the pot of wine and drank from it again. He was about to speak smugly when he lowered the pot and a shudder wrecked his body. He looked swiftly at a figure in the distance.

It was a person dressed in long black robes. He had his back turned towards the tiger person, and he had long hair. In his hands he held a long spear. He was a cultivator, and while he was not tall, he stood with his back straight. The tiger person took a swift step forward and seized the cultivator's shoulder. When the cultivator turned his head around, a fearful face was revealed before the man's eyes.

"Grandpa… Grandpa Hu, what is it?"

"Get lost! Don't you dare wear black in front of me ever again! And don't grow your hair so long! Don't use spears either!" As the man roared, he pushed the cultivator away, then picked up the pot of wine to drink from it again. However, no one saw that when he lifted his head, wine was not the only thing that flowed into his mouth. Tears flowed in as well.

"Youngest junior brother… are you well in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence? I miss you…"

Chapter 945: Heaven Traverser

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

He had time in his grasp, he imprisoned old age, keeping with him a period of time and a collection of beautiful memories…

In the fifth year since Su Ming had left Ninth Tribe…

A buzzing echoed in the galaxy as a colony of two-headed scorpions swarmed forward. They chased after two incredibly disheveled and pathetic-looking figures before them.

They were a man and a woman, Su Ming and Xu Hui.

"I told you a long time ago that we shouldn't take this path!"

"You only said it after we took this path."

"I did not!"

As the two fled, Xu Hui's grumbles rang in space. As their voices slowly faded into the distance, their figures also gradually vanished from sight as the colony of scorpions screeched.

In the seventh year…

Our figures were imprinted into the soul of the galaxy so that it would remember us—these words were turned into ripples of that beautiful period of time due to a man and woman named Su Ming and Xu Hui.

Enraged roars shook the galaxy. Three gigantic ferocious beasts that were originally hidden in the void roared and swam about two people. The woman's face was pale, and she held the man's hand in a tight grip.

"This is the path we chose after I listened to your suggestion."

"I was talking about another path!"

"You did not…"

Su Ming shook his head. When he closed his eyes, Ecang's projection manifested, and at the instant the three creatures in the void were shocked, he held Xu Hui's hand and left hastily into the distance.

In the tenth year…

Xu Hui appeared in the vast galaxy as if she had come out of thin air. There was anxiety on her face, and once she appeared, she immediately lowered her head. The worry in her eyes was incredibly clear.

Time trickled by with each breath she took. As Xu Hui's expression continued changing, she gritted her teeth. Just when she was about to step into the vortex, a hand suddenly stretched out of space. Xu Hui quickly grabbed it and yanked it outwards.

She immediately dragged Su Ming out of the vortex. He was an incredibly pathetic sight, but he had a handful of black fur in his left hand. That fur was burning fiercely, but Su Ming did not throw away that fur.

"That is a ferocious beast with power equivalent to a Master of Fate, Lives, and Death, you… you…" Xu Hui immediately said in anger.

"So what if it's a Master of Fate, Lives, and Death?" Su Ming smiled, though this ended up in causing the injuries in his body to get worse. However, when he saw the black fur in his left hand, he still started laughing loudly.

"I can't use the vortex to Relocate anymore… but when I choose to use it again, then… I will subdue you!" Su Ming looked at the space under his feet. There was a vortex there, and enraged roars were coming from the distance.

In the thirteenth year…

In the galaxy, there was a ferocious beast of around forty thousand feet. That creature looked like a crocodile, but if anyone looked closely at it, they would find that it was a creature that could blend into space.

Yet at that moment, there was… a tent at the top of this ferocious beast's head.

Light spread out from within that tent. There was a pearl in there, and it was the one exuding the light. Underneath it sat Su Ming, who was meditating, and Xu Hui did the same thing by the side.

Clearly, during the past three years, they had somehow managed to subdue this creature and had had a lot less setbacks in their trip. However, based on how wretched the Void Beast currently looked, it was clear that it had suffered quite terribly during the year it was subdued.

Whines echoed in the quiet galaxy. Those sounds came from the Void Beast, and they were growing increasingly urgent. In the end, they were practically piercing to the ears.

"It's feeding time. Su Ming, go and feed it." Xu Hui opened her eyes.

"It's always me. You do it this time."

"That's my pet, I subdued it!" Xu Hui declared smugly.

Su Ming fell silent. After some time, he shook his head, got up, and walked out of the tent.

After a moment, the whines disappeared. When Su Ming returned to the tent, he saw the grinning Xu Hui and let out a fake cough.

"It's strange…" He only said these two words before he shook his head and stopped speaking.

"What's strange?" Xu Hui asked, puzzled.

"It's nothing." Su Ming closed his eyes.

Xu Hui blinked and asked again, "What's strange?"

"Do you really want to know?" Su Ming's eyes remained closed when he said this.

"Tell me, quickly."

"I find it strange that so many moles has grown on this Void Beast over the past few years," he stated expressionlessly. Once he finished speaking, he immersed his heart and soul in meditation, not bothering to look at Xu Hui's expression.

The seventeenth year…

At the perimeter of the inner parts of Divine Essence Star Ocean was a gigantic ring, and it could be seen clearly from the distance. That ring was formed by endless sparkling but shattered stars. They were grouped together and formed a circle, causing this place to look like a stellar stream.

There was a faint layer of fog in it, along with countless planets, so all those who saw this sight at first glance would be attracted, but once they looked at it for a prolonged period of time, they would slowly notice that in this region of this ring-shaped stellar stream, there were shapes in the fog, and they formed the contours of ferocious beasts. All who saw that would be shocked.

"We've finally reached the inner part of Divine Essence Star Ocean." Su Ming stood on the Void Beast and looked into the distance. By his side, Xu Hui had a solemn look on her face.

She remained silent for a moment before saying softly, "Heaven Traversers, Virtue Rooters, Reng Wu Race [1], and Dust Burners are the four venerated races in the inner parts of Divine Essence Star Ocean, and they have already lasted for an unknown number of years… With our power, it'll be very difficult… Or perhaps it should be said that it'll be impossible for us to even shake the foundations of these races."

"We'll have to try before we know." Su Ming smiled faintly. When he lifted his right hand, he patted his storage bag, and a jade slip immediately appeared in his hand. Once he cast it a few scrutinizing glances, he passed it to Xu Hui.

"Based on the plan I told you earlier, wait for me in the spot I marked on the map, then activate the Rune one month later!" Su Ming turned his head sideways to look at Xu Hui.

She hesitated for a moment before she raised her head to look at him. "I want to go with you."

"If you come, then who will activate the Relocation Rune?" Su Ming shook his head.

"Then tell me your full plan. Why do you need to activate a Relocation Rune a month later in a designated spot?" Xu Hui stared at Su Ming.

"I want to give the Heaven Traversers, who are the closest to us, a huge gift. The plan is set," Su Ming said calmly. With one move, he turned into a long arc that charged into the distance. In the blink of an eye, he was already far away, leaving behind the Void Beast and Xu Hui staring after him as he traveled into the distance.

Xu Hui remained silent for a moment, fusing into the void with the Void Beast only much later. They disappeared without a trace and headed to the spot marked on the map based on Su Ming's request.

Su Ming rushed through the inner parts of Divine Essence Star Ocean. As he charged forward, he had his Atman sweep through the entire area. Everything around him was incredibly unfamiliar. In fact, when Su Ming swept his Atman outwards, he could sense that there were plenty of ferocious beasts in the place, but most of them were in deep sleep. They seldom ventured out, which was why when he cast his gaze on the area, it was quiet.

"Heaven Traversers…" A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes, and the descriptions of Heaven Traversers in Dijiu Mo Sha's jade slip appeared in his head.

This was a race that worshiped the heaven. It was made up of one hundred thousand something people which lived a primitive life and regarded the sky as their paragon. The divine abilities and Arts they practiced were completely different from those of other cultivators. They were somewhat similar to those of Berserkers and Shamans, but they had their own cultivation system.

However, no matter how many branches of cultivation systems there were, they would eventually converge into one. Despite them being different at the start, once a person reached a certain level of cultivation, they would end up walking the same road. This race also had cultivators in Lunar Kalpa Realm, Solar Kalpa Realm, and also… a Master of Fate, Lives, and Death.

'They believe in the will of heaven, and worship the sky, believing it to be their God. As long as the sky is around, they will not die and can then change the galaxy…' Su Ming's eyes sparkled, and he became even faster.

'They are dressed in long blue robes, since blue is the symbol of the sky to them and so they love this color. Since they have plenty of people and the environment here is different from the world outside, the Heaven Traversers… have wings!' The fierce cold look in Su Ming's eyes grew stronger.

With wings, Heaven Traversers were the lords of the sky!

'The records in Dijiu Mo Sha's jade slip are one thousand years old. After so much time had went by. I wonder how greatly Heaven Traversers have grown. One thousand years might not be that long, not enough for anything abnormal to happen to a race…

'But I'll still have to learn about them through trial and error to perfect my plan.' Su Ming smiled coldly. With one move, his speed increased exponentially, and after shifting once, he had already traveled an incredible distance.

Several days later, he entered the inner part of Divine Essence Star Ocean and into the territory belonging to the Heaven Traversers as indicated on the map.

Based on Dijiu Mo Sha's understanding, Heaven Traversers controlled 173 cultivation planets and nearly 5,200 floating continents in the northeast portion of Divine Essence Star Ocean. Even if the territory that belonged to them could even be considered one-ten-thousandth of Divine Essence Star Ocean, this territory was already enough for the Heaven Traversers to be known as one of the four venerated races.

After all, they were one of the four large tribes who dared to live in the inner parts of Divine Essence Star Ocean, and this was something known to the world outside, because there were plenty of ferocious beasts in this area. Compared to the tribes, the numbers and strength of the ferocious beasts exceeded the tribes by far too much.

The most dangerous beings in this area were not the tribes… but the ferocious beasts!

'The four venerated races are spread around the inner parts of Divine Essence Star Ocean. They are very close to each other. Heaven Traversers and Virtue Rooters are located in the northwest and southeast regions of the inner parts.

'Dust Burners are closer to the center. As for the most mysterious Reng Wu Race, all of them live at the center, and they exist together with the powerful ferocious beasts.

'The four venerated races have a way to communicate with each other so that they would have a sense of propriety. Since that's the case, Heaven Traversers are my first target.

'You chased down my Master in the past. Now… I, Su, have come forth to make you pay.'

Killing intent shone in Su Ming's eyes. With one move, he charged towards a black cultivation planet located ahead.

This planet was known as Outer Skies Planet, and it was located at the outermost layer of Heaven Traversers' territory.

Bang!

Su Ming moved like a shooting star and charged towards the planet. Before he even closed in, he already stirred up huge waves that surged into the heavens, forming layers of ripples that spread through the galaxy. They shook the area and caused loud booms.

These violent sounds turned into waves of impact that instantly charged towards the planet, causing the weather on the planet to change. Violent gusts blew, and as the ground trembled, the seas tumbled, and trees were torn apart.

Translator's Note:

1. Reng Wu Race: Reng (陾) means many and Wu (邬) is a family name.

Chapter 946: Stepping into Outer Skies

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

A layer of green filled Outer Skies Planet. Anyone who cast their gazes towards it would find that forests covered the land, and there was no end to them. There were plenty of big trees of thousands of feet tall standing tall in the area.

From the distance, the gigantic tree crowns looked like giants standing on the ground.

There were also trees that were ten thousand feet tall. If anyone saw them, a feeling that they were ancient would rise spontaneously in their minds.

Farther down was a huge, azure ocean. As waves tumbled about there, it looked as if there were endless huge trees swaying about at the bottom of the ocean.

This was a cultivation planet filled with spiritual aura. The Essence of the World was so thick that it caused all lives in the planet to naturally possess faint power since the moment they were born.

There were no cities here, and no tribes could be detected in the planet either. It was as if this was a peaceful planet that posed no threat, but if anyone took a closer look, they would find wooden houses under the tree crowns of the gigantic trees!

Some figures with wings would occasionally move between the wooden houses.

However, all of this peace and quiet was swiftly torn apart by thunderous rumbles from the sky. Booming sounds surged everywhere. The ground trembled, the trees swayed violently, and quite a number of them were torn apart. The ocean in the distance roared, and waves rose up with loud booms.

The figures with wings in the wooden houses immediately raised their heads. Their eyes had a faint yellow hue, but at the instant they looked towards the sky, they turned crimson.

A ruthless presence erupted from all the people with wings.

Roars then echoed in the air Their voices fused together to turn into a sharp sound that charged at the sky as if it wanted to fight against the sound coming from above.

Booms shook the sky and earth, and during that moment, a shooting star appeared in the sky. That star turned into a long arc, as if it wanted to tear through everything in its path. It charged forward, heading straight for the ground.

The long arc's appearance had caused the eyes of the Heaven Traversers under the tree crowns to turn crimson. At the same time, they flew up swiftly. As they flapped their wings, they charged towards the spot where the shooting star was about to land.

As the garrisons placed in the planet at the outermost layer of the territory that belonged to Heaven Traversers, they were used to fighting and had a brutality that was usually hidden within their bones. On normal occasions, they would sometimes venture out to hunt in the galaxy.

If there was really a ferocious beast foolish enough to intrude into their planet, then the only outcome for it would be that it would end up becoming food in their stomachs.

In fact, there were occasionally members of tribes from the galaxy beyond or cultivators not from Divine Essence Star Ocean intruding on their planet, but these people were also torn apart and eaten alive.

Almost every single one of the soldiers stationed here had done this sort of thing before, and they were incredibly fond of the supple taste of flesh and blood of cultivators.

Hundreds of Heaven Traversers traveled at extreme speeds. As they charged forward, two old men flew out from the gigantic tree reaching up to ten thousand feet. These two were dressed in long blue robes. They had old appearances, and the presences of those in the later stage of World Plane Realm spread out from them.

"Those who trespass into Heaven Traversers' territory must die!"

One of the old men let out a harrumph. He raised his right hand and swung his arm forward. The forest before him immediately started rustling and formed a gigantic palm made of tree leaves in midair. As it rushed forward, it charged towards the place where the shooting star was.

Bang!

Loud bangs shook the land as the shooting star landed on the ground. With a loud noise, a wave of impact swept through the area, lifting the earth and uprooting many trees, while roars from the quaking ground spread far and wide. Then, from the pit that appeared on the ground, Su Ming slowly stood up.

Dressed in a sackcloth and with his hair dancing in the wind, he seemed cold and aloof. There was a piercing cold glare in his eyes. At the instant he stood up, swishing sounds came from the sky, and hundreds of Heaven Traversers came swiftly towards him.

Once they saw Su Ming, their eyes immediately sparkled. To them, Su Ming was like a lost lamb, and the tenderness of his flesh was definitely one that would make them think back on it fondly after all of them had taken a bite out of him.

Almost in an instant, all Heaven Traversers opened their mouths to reveal sharp, brownish yellow teeth. From a certain perspective, they, who lived in the inner parts of Divine Essence Star Ocean, had already assimilated with ferocious beasts, and could no longer be known as humans.

After all, the wings behind their backs alone already made it difficult for the cultivators beyond Divine Essence Star Ocean to acknowledge these Heaven Traversers as humans.

Almost at the instant they rushed towards Su Ming, the huge hand formed by countless tree leaves arrived. It surpassed the member of the tribe and appeared beside Su Ming, then went to seize him with a vicious grip.

Su Ming raised his head, remaining as composed as ever. When the huge palm made of tree leaves charged towards him, he lifted his right hand, and without even using his cultivation base but just his physical strength, he hurled a punch forward.

Bang!

A loud bang reverberated in the air, and Su Ming took a step backwards. His robes fluttered fiercely in the wind, and the hand broke apart and turned into countless tree leaves that shattered before disappearing.

This scene caused Heaven Traversers to come to an abrupt halt. With a flap of their wings, they flew up together, and with hostile expressions glared at Su Ming.

At the same time, the two old men approached the area as well. At the moment they saw Su Ming, their pupils shrank together.

'Later stage of World Plane Realm…' The old men exchanged glances with each other.

"Which tribe do you come from? Why did you come to Heaven Traversers' territory?" one of the old men asked coldly. His words rolled off his mouth, and he spoke in a language that most cultivators would not be able to understand. Their language was similar to the one used by Berserkers and Shamans, but there were differences as well. Su Ming had fumbled around with the language with Dijiu Mo Sha for some time before he mastered it.

After all, he had the foundation of the Berserkers' language, and he was not unfamiliar with these sorts of tribal societies.

Su Ming did not speak. He flicked off the dust on his body, and a faint smile appeared on the corners of his lips before he took a step forward. His body became obscure, then disappeared altogether. When he reappeared, he was already in midair, and he was right behind one of the Heaven Traversers.

"Careful!"

Almost at the moment his people warned him, the young Heaven Traverser curled his body, but he did not rush forward to escape. Instead, he sent his body hurling backwards, and his wings became as sharp as blades that sliced swiftly towards the area behind him.

This was the difference between Heaven Traversers and the other races. This was a race that was skilled in fighting. Even a normal member of their race possessed incredibly great battle experience. However… while this method would be effective when there was not a great disparity between their levels of cultivation, to Su Ming, no matter how quick this person's reaction was… his actions were useless.

A rain of blood poured down from the sky, along with shrill screams of pain. Su Ming had simply allowed the young man to crash into his body and his wings slice through his skin while Su Ming himself seized the young man's neck with his right hand. With a squeeze, there was a loud crack. When he crushed the youth's neck, Su Ming sent his power straight into the person's body and crushed his Nascent Divinity.

When he released his grip, enraged roars came from all around. The hundreds of Heaven Traversers instantly rushed towards him.

"You're asking for death!"

The eyes of the two old Heaven Traversers in the later stage of World Plane Realm shone with killing intent, and these two people were the fastest among the group. One of them appeared beside Su Ming right away. As he raised his right hand, it immediately turned into a piece of dry wood. Branches grew from it, and as they spread out, it looked as if the old man's arm had turned into a tree which was rushing towards its target.

Su Ming's expression remained calm. During that instant, his cultivation base clone and his clone that practiced the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole fused together, and he was filled with the offensive power of those who had attained great completion in World Plane Realm. When he turned around, he raised his right hand and formed a seal before pointing at the old man's incoming tree arm.

With it, a shudder wrecked the old man's body.

"I Curse… that three out of ten Heaven Traversers will die!" Su Ming declared flatly. This was the Curse he had mastered when he was in the land of Berserkers. This Art was extremely vicious, so Su Ming seldom used it. Now, since his level of cultivation had increased, the Curse's might when he cast it became much stronger than it had been previously.

Almost the moment Su Ming finished speaking, his finger turned pitch black. Black smoke instantly flew out, and with a rotten and decaying stench, it collided with the old man's tree arm. The black hue swiftly spread out, and as the old man's expression changed drastically, the color spread through half of his body.

Su Ming did not bother about the old man any more. With a single move, he charged towards the incoming Heaven Traversers.

For a short period of time, slaughter and bloodshed filled the sky. Shrill screams of pain continuously rang out while Su Ming was so aloof that it seemed that he had no emotions. He truly didn't feel anything by oppressing the weak because the difference between his and Heaven Traversers' level of cultivation were simply too great.

In fact, as long as they were among these hundreds of people, even the female Heaven Traversers were treated in the same fashion as the men and were killed by Su Ming.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of Heaven Traversers died in Su Ming's hands. The expressions of the people in the area changed and they retreated at the same time. Only the other old man who had attained great completion in World Plane Realm let out an enraged roar and charged towards Su Ming.

He took one step in the air, causing it to tremble and roar. When he took his second step, his feet turned into trees, and when he took his third step, he raised his right hand to seize the air in the direction of the sky. A greenish black whip manifested in his hand. With a flick of his wrist, cracking sounds shook the sky and earth.

With his fourth step, his body turned into a long arc that pressed in on Su Ming. During that moment, the power of those who had attained great completion in World Plane Realm erupted from his body. At the same time that presence spread out, the entire cultivation planet looked like it was showering its love towards him. All the trees swayed in his direction, and the ocean in the distance roared. As waves surged into the sky, they looked as if they were sending their power to the old man.

Su Ming felt as if this incoming old man could influence the entire cultivation planet, as if the flow of his blood were the surging waves in the ocean, the fall of his footsteps held the vitality of the trees on the ground, and the beating of his heart were part of the operations of this cultivation planet.

"Interesting…" Su Ming smiled faintly. At the instant the old man closed in on him and the whip came cracking down, Divine Essence Runic Symbols appeared in Su Ming's eyes.

Right when his Divine Essence appeared, Su Ming's power erupted with a bang, and he raised straight from having attained great completion in World Plane Realm to Lunar Kalpa Realm. Even if the shadow of the moon did not appear behind him, his current offensive power was that of Lunar Kalpa Realm!

In the face of the old man charging towards him, Su Ming lowered his head, raised his right hand, and just hurled a punch forward!

His fist landed in the air. The bang that came with it shook the skies, and the air in front of Su Ming immediately shattered. It tumbled backwards and turned into a whirlwind. Within an instant, it crashed into the old man who seemed to have the love of the planet gathered on him, surrounding him.

The ground trembled, and the trees stopped moving together. The ocean's howls seemed to have become silent as well. Every single Heaven Traverser in the area watched the blood flying out from the whirlwind with a dumbfounded gaze, and in their ears, they heard shrill, forlorn screams that rang continuously in the air.

Not too far into the distance was the Cursed old man whose body was now entirely black, rotting away. There was anger on his face, and he demanded with a roar, "Who are you?!"

Su Ming pulled back his right hand, lifted his head, and said flatly, "Tian Xie Zi's fourth disciple, Su Ming. I came to Heaven Traversers to take thirty thousand of your souls to make you pay for chasing after my Master's life in the past!"

Chapter 947: Curse the Planet

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Run! All Heaven Traversers, run to the tree crowns! This person isn't someone you can fight!" As the rotting old man roared, he moved forward instead of retreating and charged towards Su Ming.

The Heaven Traversers in the area were already shocked by the fact that Su Ming had managed to kill the other old man. Without any hesitation, they withdrew by turning into long arcs that charged towards the forest on the ground.

Su Ming looked coldly towards them. Once he averted his gaze, he looked at the old man coming towards him while roaring. Unstable ripples were spreading out of his body. His eyes were crimson, and a rotten stench came from his entire body. Judging by the crazed look on his face, it was clear that he wanted to self-destruct to hold his opponent back.

Su Ming raised his right hand, and a gourd appeared in his hand. A five-colored light flowed out of the gourd, and Su Ming swept his left hand across the gourd.

"Treasured gourd, please kill them!" Once he said these words, an eye instantly appeared on the gourd. It blinked once, and right after that, a small person with a sharp blade flew out. It turned into a stream of flowing light that instantly went after the fleeing Heaven Traversers.

At the same time, the old man closed in on Su Ming. His body swelled up in a bizarre manner, and a loud bang shot out from his body, a clear indication that he had chosen to self-destruct. As his body exploded, the energy from it instantly spread through the area.

The ground trembled, and the sky roared. This was a self-destruction triggered by someone who had attained great completion of World Plane Realm. If the power of the explosion spread out, it could destroy the planet, but the old man executed some unknown method and restrained the power in a set area. Because of that, once this area was destroyed, it would turn into an eternal black hole.

The black hole would deliver a huge amount of damage to the planet, but since the explosion had been limited, the planet would not shatter.

The sky and earth lost their color while the wind and clouds surged about. Just as the destructive power from the explosion was about to submerge Su Ming, the old man's head disappeared. Before he died, a ferocious sneer appeared on his mouth.

Quite a large number of fleeing Heaven Traversers raised their heads while on the ground. When they looked towards the explosion in the sky, hatred appeared in their eyes.

Su Ming remained as calm as ever. He was not afraid of his enemy's self-destruction. Almost the moment the destructive power of the explosion spread towards him, he raised his right hand and drew a circle in front of him.

"That which exists between the past and the future is Destiny," he stated flatly. He swung his right arm forward, and the Art possessed by all Abyss Builders was immediately executed. As Su Ming's level of cultivation increased, he could use his race's inborn ability with more and more ease.

What he wanted to change was not the already dead old man, but the area around him. As the world continued being destroyed by the destructive force, Su Ming's inborn ability reversed the flow, causing the destruction to go in reverse. After a moment, when the ripples of destruction dissipated, what appeared before the Heaven Traversers' eyes was Su Ming standing in the sky completely uninjured while staring at them with aloof eyes.

Almost the instant they saw him, screams of pain echoed in the air, and all of them were due to the small human from the gourd slaughtering its targets. It moved so quickly that in an instant, it had already beheaded three people.

Screams of pain traveled outwards, and Heaven Traversers fled even faster. The shock they felt in their hearts and souls could no longer be described with words. To them, the strength of the intruder this time already surpassed their expectations.

Blood rain poured down from the sky as Su Ming stood and watched the heads of Heaven Traversers flying into the air with an aloof expression. There was not a single hint of compassion in him. He came to this place to kill. Even if they were weaklings and their power was not great enough for them to stand against him… the only thing they could blame was themselves for being born Heaven Traversers.

If they wanted to blame someone, they could only blame the powerful warriors of their tribe, because they should not have chased down Su Ming's Master!

"I will not attack unless I am attacked… You have not attacked me in the past, but if I learned that someone among you chased after my Master in the past and did nothing about it, then it would be presumptuous of me to still call myself his disciple.

"Heaven Traversers, I will make you pay."

As Su Ming mumbled that, the slaughter on the ground reached its end. There were only four of Heaven Traversers who could be considered the fastest left alive. As shrill screams of pain echoed in the air, these four Heaven Traversers fled into the forest. A glint appeared in the small human's eyes. He raised his head to glance towards Su Ming, then rushed towards him and disappeared into the gourd.

"Not enough… essence… Replenish it… and you can activate the second-tier Divine Art." Once the small human flew into the gourd, the buzzing voice belonging to the gourd echoed in Su Ming's heart.

Su Ming put away the gourd and walked down towards the ground, where the forest was. If he wanted all Heaven Traversers in this planet die, then the four people who fled could not escape death.

However, at the instant Su Ming was about to descend into the forest, he suddenly frowned. An incredibly dense wave of life force erupted from the ground, the ocean in the distance, and the endless forest.

That life force was so thick that it practically had corporeal form. It created a layer of fog that covered the forest. That fog did not spread outwards but surrounded the area to form a sort of defense which was so strong that Su Ming could tell that only those possessing the power of Solar Kalpa Realm could break it.

'As expected of the four venerated races, the protection of the planet alone is already incredibly powerful. Looks like Heaven Traversers were careless just now; otherwise, if they had just hidden themselves here, it would have be enough to cause me quite a large amount of trouble.' Su Ming swept his gaze across the fog in the forest.

'The entire cultivation planet is rejecting my presence. Heaven Traversers have been acknowledged by the planet, so me wanting to kill them would mean that I am going up against the cultivation planet itself.

'It was the same with the old man's divine ability just then. What he executed was the power of kismet gathered on him after he was acknowledged by the planet.' Su Ming remained silent for a moment before a cold smirk appeared on the corners of his lips.

He raised his right foot and stomped in the direction of the forest. His body immediately sank, and once he touched the fog, his power erupted from within him. Booming sounds reverberated in the air, and he forced his way into the fog until he eventually touched the ground in the forest.

The fog around him was so thick that he felt as if he was surrounded by seawater. When he wanted to move, his body was tangled by countless threads, making it difficult for him to even lift his foot. The grass on the ground wound itself around Su Ming's legs, and as the trees around him swayed, they blocked his sight. The sky was dark, and the ground trembled irregularly. The ocean roared and howled, and even the air he breathed in thinned out. All of this was due to the cultivation planet rejecting Su Ming.

If the cultivation planet was sentient and was a person, then its hatred towards Su Ming would have surely reached its peak.

"Since you don't like me, there is no need for you to continue existing." Su Ming could sense the planet's hatred towards him and how it rejected his presence. With a cold sneer, he slowly raised his right hand and pushed it against the ground. As he closed his eyes, wisps of red smoke appeared on his right index finger.

More red smoke appeared, and they gradually formed a ring [1]. After a moment, a red ring manifested on Su Ming's right index finger!

The ring was blood red, and it was shining with a strange light. At the instant it appeared, the Curse's dense power erupted and surged into the ground from Su Ming's right hand before spreading out.

The ring was Su Ming's treasure, and it was the source of his Curse.

Since this planet rejected Su Ming, then Su Ming chose to Curse the planet… and have it destroyed.

If the planet was destroyed, then it would no longer possess such dense life force. If it had no life force, it would no longer be able to offer protection. In fact, Su Ming even had an idea in his mind. Since the planet had a soul, he wanted to know whether… the planet would absorb the remaining Heaven Traversers' life force to replenish its life force once it was almost completely drained.

Su Ming smiled faintly. A freezing glare shone in his eyes, and the power of the Curse spreading out from his right hand continued expanding on the ground. The earth trembled. The trees swayed so violently that it sounded like they were roaring. The ocean howled, and the thunder in the sky rumbled.

"I curse you… that your ground will be shattered!" As Su Ming spoke, the red ring on his finger began flashing as if it was a red eye. Immediately, cracks appeared on the spot against which Su Ming had pressed his palm. The cracks continued spreading outwards, and in the blink of an eye, they had already spread in all directions.

"I curse you… that your trees will wither!" Su Ming stated flatly, and the trees around him started withering rapidly. Wails shot up into the air. They were without sound, but Su Ming could detect them, and they were reverberating all through the air.

"I curse you… that your ocean will dry up and your stones will shatter!"

"I curse you… that your life force will disappear!"

Su Ming pushed his right hand even close to the ground, and immediately, the planet rumbled. An incredible rebound shot up from the earth, the sky, the forest, and the ocean. That rebound swiftly rushed towards Su Ming.

It was as if it wanted to dispel the Curse and send it back to Su Ming's body so that the Curse would turn against Su Ming and attack him.

Su Ming smiled coldly. He raised his right hand and seized the withered grass under his feet before swiftly beginning to weave the blades of grass together. In just ten breaths, a round ball of withered grass was woven, and in Su Ming's eyes, this ball was made in the cultivation planet's image.

He bit the tip of his tongue and coughed up a mouthful of blood on the ball of grass, then with the ball in his right hand, he pushed down on the ground once more.

"I curse you… that you… will be destroyed!"

Su Ming's voice was calm, but at the instant his words tumbled out of his mouth, anyone who saw this cultivation planet in the outskirts of Heaven Traversers' territory would be able to see that its green lands were swiftly turning gray right before the eyes. As that gray shade spread out, the ground rumbled, and countless cracks covered it. The trees withered and rotted together. The water from the ocean evaporated until it turned into black drops of rain that fell on the ground.

A cultivation planet that was filled with an abundance of life fell into decay in the blink of an eye, as if it had died!

"I curse you… that your sky will become dull from here onwards and forever more!" Su Ming raised his head at the withered forest.

Translator's Note:

1. Ring: Su Ming obtained it in his fight against Madam Ji. In chapter 'The Death of Madam Ji'.