1021 - 1028
Chapter 1021: Cloud
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Su Ming's rationality reached its peak. His calmness had already become mercilessness. When he attacked, others would die. In fact, endless aura of death was spreading out of his entire body. It was as if he had taken over the right from hell of administering death to others.
This was the gray Su Ming.
When Life Inequity Spear was thrown forward, the vortex that was formed in the void looked as if it was the road heading to hell. When it was activated, it caused the ghosts that were fleeing in a state of being half-alive to scream shrilly. Their bodies were sucked into the vortex, and they were about… to enter the cycle of reincarnation because of the gigantic gray moon behind Su Ming!
As for the ghosts running away, the two small humans from the gourd charged forward and reduced all of them to ashes as booming sounds rose into the air. They disappeared into the void and vanished without a trace.
Everything had just begun when it already ended.
Su Ming, with his long gray hair, flung the Life Inequity Spear in his hand. Once it turned into a ring, he lifted the gourd, and the two small humans immediately tumbled backwards and went back after they turned into long arcs. They disappeared into the gourd.
There were no longer any ghosts roaring in the area. Everything had returned to silence.
Xu Hui stared at Su Ming blankly. A cold chill crept up from the bottom of her heart. The callous air about Su Ming was incredibly clear. It was an air that said that he cared nothing for all that lived. There was only pure rationality in him, heartlessness when all emotions were cast aside.
The destructive power from the gray moon had spread in a scattered fashion. If Xu Hui had… not noticed it beforehand and charged backwards, then there was a high possibility that she would have been affected by the destructive power.
This was still nothing, though. When Xu Hui looked towards Su Ming, she saw the gray pupils in his eyes, and she could not help but tremble.
She bit down on the bottom of her lip and said softly, "Su Ming…"
However, her voice did not elicit an answer from him. Su Ming only cast Xu Hui a faint look, the merciless look in his eyes as cold as ice. Without another glance, he turned his head around and took a step towards the void in front of him.
Xu Hui's face was slightly pale. In silence, she controlled the body of the supreme treasure to go after Su Ming. The bald crane had already registered what was going on at that moment, and as it mumbled under its breath about the gourd it created in the past, it swept its gaze towards Xu Hui.
"Hey, Big Sister Xu, don't mind him. It's fine. Everything's fine." The bald crane flew to Xu Hui's side and let out a few fake coughs before starting to comfort her, but the title he used to address Xu Hui did not sound quite right.
"I know that Little Boy Su. I'm telling you, based on my analysis, based on what my partner told me, I think, you know, that he kind of went a little off his rocker…" While the bald crane followed Xu Hui, it gestured with its claws as it spoke.
"In the words of my homeland, his emotions are now split into several parts, and he can't control them on his own either. First of all, he's someone that gets angry easily. Once he's mad, gray will immediately appear.
"Next, he's afraid of stimulation. Once he's stimulated, red will instantly appear. I'm just not entirely sure what sort of situation will cause that gold color to appear." The bald crane scratched its head and had a pensive look on its face as it scrutinized Su Ming, who was ahead of them.
Su Ming's expression was cold. While he walked in the void, he allowed the power of time to surround him. He walked past the dimensions that allowed him to step inside, but he did not go into them. Instead, he charged towards the core of the fifth kiln.
Time trickled by. Su Ming had no idea how much time had passed, but as he charged forward, he drew closer to the core of the fifth kiln.
At that moment, a voice from the distance echoed airily through the entire fifth kiln.
"Su…" That voice was powerful in a manner that it had never been before, and it was so strong that once Su Ming heard it, his body shuddered violently. He could tell… that this was a woman's voice!
When the bald crane heard that voice, its body also shuddered. Based on the look in its eyes, it seemed to be struggling. By its side, Xu Hui's expression changed. She knew the bald crane's peculiarities when it heard the voice previously, so she raised her right hand and flung it at the bald crane without any hesitation.
It turned into a long arc that charged towards Xu Hui and fused into the body of the supreme treasure. Only then did the struggle on its face become much fainter.
"Su…" The woman's voice spoke again. This time, there was an urgent tone to it. In fact, Su Ming did not know whether this was a figment of his imagination, but he heard a quiver in the voice.
A loud bang rang out in his head. He was unfamiliar with that voice, but there was something weirdly familiar about it. It was as if… there had been a point of time when his past self had heard that voice countless times.
Su Ming's long hair changed swiftly from gray to its original color. The aloof air about his body disappeared, and the original Su Ming returned once more.
His body trembled while he stared at the void from which the voice came.
"She is…" Xu Hui saw Su Ming return to his past self and approached him quietly. She stopped by his side.
Su Ming shook his head.
"I frightened you just now. That wasn't my intention. Once I fused the moons in my Lunar Kalpa Realm, some problems arose in my personality," Su Ming mumbled. He took a step forward and charged towards the place from which the voice came.
At that moment, Su Ming no longer had any sort of composure or rationality to him. There was only a resolve in his heart and an urge brought by a guess that caused his heart to pound in anxiety.
Xu Hui followed Su Ming quietly, moving beside him.
Time passed breath by breath, and Su Ming became increasingly faster. The woman's voice echoed in his ears time and again. After an unknown amount of time passed, he saw a gigantic altar floating in the void before himself. When his eyes landed on it, endless booms rang out in his head.
He saw a coffin lying on the altar!
It was a transparent coffin, and there was woman within it…
At the instant Su Ming saw the woman, he felt as if there were millions of thunderbolts rumbling in his head at the same time. His body trembled. Confusion as well as a myriad of other emotions appeared in his eyes.
This was the core of the fifth kiln, and the altar was the center of the core. The coffin on the altar lay there all year long in the void, using the space in the fifth kiln to absorb the life force from all those who came. All that life force… was then delivered to the woman's body lying inside.
This was a Rune with the fifth kiln serving as its main point. The goal of the Rune was to continuously deliver life force to the woman so that her own could be preserved and not vanish!
As Su Ming stared at the woman in the coffin, tears fell from his eyes without his notice. There was no way that he would not know this woman. She was the mother who appeared in his memories when he was in Western Ring Nebula's foreign lands, holding onto the baby in her arms and using her body to protect him even after she had died.
She was Su Ming's… mother!
He trembled. With tears trickling down his cheeks, he walked one step after another towards the coffin.
"Su…" The woman's voice appeared again. This time, it was so clear that it seemed as if it was right beside Su Ming's ears, causing more tears to flow down his face, and the booming sounds in his mind became even stronger.
"Su… My dear Ming Er…" The gentleness in the voice brought with it a warmth with which Su Ming was unfamiliar. It was a warmth born from a mother's longing for her own flesh and blood, as well as a care and devotion for her son.
"Don't be afraid. With your mother around, you'll be fine…
"I promise you that I will always protect you until your father and I grow old and until the both of us no longer have the strength to stay with you and watch you complete the journey of your life…
"Yun Er, you must be strong… Your ancestor was the one who gave you your name. He is filled with hopes for you…
"No matter what, you must remember that you are an Abyss Builder. You are a proud Abyss Builder… Your father is a highly praised powerful warrior that might be able to surpass your ancestor, and I… came from Dark Dawn…"
The last few sentences did not echo in the void, but instead echoed in Su Ming's soul. The words weren't spoken right then, but came from the past. They were from a scene that Su Ming had long forgotten!
He felt his head being torn. A loud bang rang out, and he remembered all that had happened. He remembered that at the time, he had been swathed in darkness. He was very cold, and his fragile life could not stand against that cold. However, there was a voice that continued motivating him by speaking to him every single time he wanted to give up on life.
At that moment, he understood what had happened. At that time, he was still an infant in his mother's womb, a baby that nearly died due to the curse placed on him after the Abyss Builders were massacred.
Su Ming saw a fuzzy scene in his head. In it, a woman was lying in the coffin. She stroked the bump on her belly with a kind smile on her face. Tears that he could not see flowed down her cheeks as she mumbled softly to the baby in her womb.
By her side was a silent middle-aged man. He watched the scene quietly and clenched his fists tightly. His heart was filled with madness and grief, but there was also a fire burning in him that no one could see.
The scene changed. When the next one appeared, the galaxy had already become the galaxy that belonged to True Morning Dao World. The middle-aged man held his wife in his arms and roared forlornly at the heavens. Within his roar was a disappointment towards life. It was a supreme state of suffering that came from the soul… and there were blood-red tears flowing down his cheeks.
���Four Great True Worlds, you slaughtered my entire race. You even refused to spare a baby and cursed him! Now, you took away my wife's life as well! If that's the case… then what is the point in me continuing to stay alive?!
"I lost my home, my wife, my son… but I'm still alive, and there's only one purpose in me—I will overturn the entire Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos!
"Not only will I make the entire True Morning Dao World to be made for Abyss, I will make the entire Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos… be made for Abyss!
"If my son survives, then from now on, he will no longer be known as Su Yun. He will be known as Su Ming. This name Ming means to engrave, and I will have him carve the language of the Abyss in Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos, a language that will cause all the people in the universe to tremble!"
Su Ming lifted his head swiftly. His mind was torn in the mid of the loud bangs. As memories of the past rose to the surface in his head, he remembered everything!
With tears falling down his eyes, Su Ming arrived at the altar, right beside the coffin. He quietly stood there and stared at his mother's face. Su Ming then shuddered and knelt down…
The face was unfamiliar to him, but also familiar. He could not tell just what sort of emotions were in his mind at that moment. He only wanted to watch her in this place quietly, just like how she wanted to motivate him gently even while she wept, like how she wanted to protect him in the past even when she closed her eyes.
This was his mother.
"Ma…" Su Ming murmured.
Chapter 1022: Build
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Su Ming did not bother about time passing by him. He knelt beside the coffin and stared at his mother in it. He just watched, that's all he did.
Scattered on the altar and around it were a few stones shining with a golden light. Those stones… were the fifth stone Su Ming needed.
Yet then, he didn't even spare a glance at them. He knelt beside the coffin like a wanderer who had left his mother's side for a long, long time, and one day, he finally returned home, but he did not manage to see his kind mother waiting for him. Instead, the only thing he was met with was a tombstone.
The grief and the unstoppable flow of tears was born of the familial love shared between those of the same flesh and blood, a love that would never end. And Su Ming felt it, even though he had lived his entire life as an orphan.
Xu Hui stood by the side, then in silence came to Su Ming's side and knelt down with him.
After a long, long time, Su Ming lifted his head and cast a deep glance at the woman in the coffin before standing up slowly.
"I once thought that I was an orphan without a mother and father. The only ones who stayed by my side were my elder, Xiao Hong, and some playmates who grew up with me," Su Ming murmured.
Xu Hui stayed by his side and listened to him quietly. She knew that Su Ming did not need a person who would talk to him at that moment. What he needed was a listener.
"For my tribe, I could descend into madness. I could eat those herbs, even it meant throwing away my life in the process. I could make myself rush out of the house my elder sealed in the mid of my madness. I could fight together with my tribe members… The song of the xun in the past is something I still remember to this date. Tong Tong said she'll tell me a secret when I returned. I still remember it…" There was nostalgia in Su Ming's eyes, along with anguish.
"But one day I realized that all of it was fake. There was no Dark Mountain, no tribe. Even the playmates who grew up with me were a part of a scheme!
"In fact, for a long time I didn't want to believe that the girl whom I was infatuated with when I was a boy was also fake…" Su Ming smiled, and as he continued smiling, he started laughing loudly.
"The ninth summit is a home I found when I was lost. That is true, but fate loved playing tricks and made me come to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence… Only when I was here did I learn that I did have a mother… and a father." Su Ming lowered his head. With tears in his eyes, he stared at the woman in the coffin.
"If turning Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos into a place built for the Abyss and carving the language of the Abyss in the universe is your wish… then I will use my entire life to fulfill it!" Su Ming raised his right hand and seized the air in the direction of the coffin. Immediately, a fifth stone turned into golden light and flew into his hand
'In the past, I wanted to go to the Fifth True World to search for my Master, but now, I want to see Abyss Builders' homeland… because I am an Abyss Builder!' Su Ming did not say this sentence out loud. Instead, he shouted these words in his heart in a manner that would shock the heavens.
Before this, Su Ming might have known that he was an Abyss Builder, but in the depths of his heart, he never really acknowledged this status, and neither did he acknowledge that he was an Abyss Builder. All of the stories he had heard were just stories.
He did not empathize too much with them.
Yet now, everything had changed. The voice from his mother and the scenes in Su Ming's mind… All of these things caused him to no longer feel unfamiliar with the term Abyss Builder. It was no longer something unrelated to him. It did not matter whether it was the threat from the four Great True Worlds or his mother's words, all of them… caused Su Ming… to take the initiative and acknowledge his identity as an Abyss Builder for the first time.
At the instant he did so, the fifth kiln trembled viciously.
Multiple wills descended around Su Ming from all the dimensions of the fifth kiln. These wills manifested themselves and turned into countless powerful living spirits. At the instant their shadows appeared, they looked at Su Ming, bent their backs together, and bowed to him!
Among these living spirits was the one thousand feet tall tree, some powerful Fire Spirits, ferocious beasts with all kinds of strange appearances. All of them bowed, causing all the dimensions in the fifth kiln to tremble furiously.
Their wills fused together, and with the land where Su Ming was as the center, they formed a gigantic, illusory… kiln in the void!
The kiln was semi-transparent. Light flowed out from it and surrounded Su Ming, making it seemed like he had turned into the core of the illusory kiln. As waves of light shone, Su Ming sensed the fifth kiln's acknowledgement towards him. At that moment, it did not let out rumbling sounds that were too loud, and neither were there changes that shook the sky and earth. However, Su Ming knew… that he had already become the master of the fifth kiln!
As it shuddered, all the dimensions in it looked as if they were about to crumble. At the moment the wills of the living spirits in it descended, all the people in the kiln sensed the great change, but they did not know the reason behind it.
Xuan Shang had his hands fastened on the ground so that his body could be fixed to the place and he would not be sucked away by the enormous vortex that had suddenly appeared in the sky.
Hua Yu's face was pale. As he laughed brokenly, he lay in a sea of flowers. His body was buried in mud, most of it already melted into nutrients to nourish the plant life around him.
By his side was Progenitor Long Hai. He stared at Hua Yu with a smile, and his body, which was originally just a Nascent Divinity, was now covered in flower petals, as if he was about to have it gather together again.
Flame Fiends' Progenitor was charging forward through a dimension when he lifted his head to look at the sky in shock. There, he saw the sky swaying violently.
Reverend Zi Long had an incredibly sullen expression as he stared at the island that was only thousands of feet away from him. On that island was a tree, and on that tree was a crimson fruit.
Yet now, as the ground shook and the mountains swayed in the dimension, the ground where the tree was collapsed.
If there was one person among the people who could have a slight clue as to what was happening, then he would be… Zhu You Cai.
At that moment, he was standing on a mountain. As booming sounds came from it as it swayed, the clouds in the sky tumbled about. While the whole world transformed, Zhu You Cai's expression changed swiftly.
"This is… the fifth kiln acknowledging its master! Could it be that there is someone among us who is an Abyss Builder?!"
At the same time, beyond the fifth kiln, the continent where Dust Burners lived had long since returned to its original state, but at that moment… all the Dust Burners threw their heads back and roared. Their bodies transformed on their own and turned into those of Fire Spirits.
This had nothing to do with their levels of cultivation. Even Dust Burners' tribe leader and Progenitor could not control their bodies and turned into Fire Spirits. As they roared, all the Dust Burners heard a voice from their spirits echoing in their minds.
'The fifth kiln has acknowledged its master!'
Once Dust Burners' Progenitor turned into a Fire Spirit, a brilliant light shone in his eyes.
While in the void within the core of the fifth kiln, Su Ming sensed that the fifth kiln had acknowledged him as its master, and it would act according to his will. Su Ming remained silent for a moment before he lifted his right hand and swung it forward. Immediately, the figures surrounding the kiln disappeared. The countless dimensions around him also vanished, causing everything around him to return to normal. When Su Ming turned around, he took a step towards the void.
The coffin was still on the altar. And there would still be plenty of life force that would be sucked into the coffin to nourish the woman until she eventually woke up under the effect of the Rune.
If Su Ming wanted to, he could take away the fifth kiln, but he did not do so.
He would leave it in this place to continue attracting powerful warriors through the passage of time. Only by doing so could the Rune remain in effect, and only by doing so would his mother… have the chance of waking up someday.
When Su Ming vanished from the void, he brought Xu Hui and walked out of the fifth kiln to appear in the galaxy.
When he turned his head back, the fifth kiln behind him. Everything that he went through in it was like a dream.
Su Ming sighed softly, but the moment he did so, a flash of golden light instantly shot out of his storage bag, causing the area around him to immediately turn golden.
That golden color was different from the golden light that manifested from Su Ming. A vast amount of power spread out from the light, which seemed to possess a vague feeling that it could absorb the power of the universe. There was also a presence about it that seemed to not fit with Divine Essence Star Ocean, as if its appearance would immediately be detected by Divine Essence Star Ocean and be rejected by the galaxy!
Su Ming was momentarily stunned. When he dipped his head down to look at his storage bag, he sensed that the fifth stone he took and placed in his storage bag was now shining with a golden light that stretched to one hundred thousand feet. With a bang, it forced its way out of the storage bag.
It was as if this item was something that absolutely could not stay inside once it left the fifth kiln. When it flew out, it did not fly into the distance, but floated around Su Ming and rotated around him nonstop.
The galaxy trembled while the golden light continued spreading out in all directions. When it reached a distance when no end to it could be seen, a great disaster that could stir up the entire Divine Essence Star Ocean… appeared!
Dust Burners who had turned into Fire Spirits had just returned to their former selves. At that moment, the heart of Dust Burners' Progenitor shuddered. He could clearly sense a power that was completely different from Divine Essence Star Ocean and did not fit with the galaxy traveling swiftly towards their continent from the fifth kiln.
"The fifth stone!" Dust Burners' Progenitor immediately raised his head.
The territory of the Reng Wu Race was in the core of Divine Essence Star Ocean and was pitch-black. When the fifth stone's presence spread out, countless pairs of eyes immediately opened up in the darkness. Within each of them was a madness that was similar to that of a wild beast.
"The fifth stone… Another fifth stone appeared. Snatch it! We have to snatch it!"
Muffled cries echoed in the darkness, and the madness in the eyes immediately reached its peak.
Virtue Rooters, the race who had the bodies of snakes and heads of humans opened their eyes within the karst cave they resided in as well. Hissing sounds echoed in the air, and a great will swiftly filled the entire planet.
"Find that presence that does not blend with Divine Essence Star Ocean, find the fifth stone… and bring it to me!"
Chapter 1023: Ashes
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Besides Dust Burners, Heaven Traversers also remained silent. At that moment, even though they also noticed the fifth stone's presence, Heaven Traversers' Progenitor only opened his eyes while sitting cross-legged. Then he closed his eyes again, not attempting to snatch the fifth stone like he would have done in the past.
He knew that each time a fifth stone appeared, that presence which did not blend with the universe in this place would sweep through the entire Divine Essence Star Ocean and attract numerous beast swarms to fight over it.
Once they seized the fifth stone, they could head to the mysterious Fifth True World through that stone, and rumors regarding the Fifth True World had circulated in Divine Essence Star Ocean for a long time.
After all, the fifth kiln flew out from that place, and from the supreme treasures in there, it could be seen just how rich was that mysterious Fifth True World.
And… that place was already empty of life. If anyone obtained a serendipity in that empty galaxy, it would be incredibly great!
Even if they did not choose to go to the Fifth True World, as long as they had the fifth stone in their possession, they could choose to do one of two things with it. One of them was to pass it to the guardian races in the fifth ocean. They would offer an incredibly high price in exchange for the fifth stone.
The other would be… to refine the fifth stone into an Enchanted Treasure. They could borrow the power that did not blend with the laws in the galaxy and create… a supreme treasure that could cut through laws. It was not that there were no such treasure in Divine Essence Star Ocean, but most of them were legacy treasures of various races.
They were just like the runic symbol on Heaven Traversers' Progenitor in the past. When they created it, they had added the fifth stone in it!
These three temptations were enough to cause crazy fights over it, and the disaster that stirred up every single time the fifth stone appeared to be one filled with blood.
After all, it wasn't only the ferocious beasts and the races at the core of Divine Essence Star Ocean sense the fifth stone's appearance. All the races and ferocious beasts within the inner parts and the periphery also sensed the stone's appearance at that instant.
In fact… some of the Ancestral Spirits who were originally deep in sleep opened their eyes under the stimulation. The booming sounds coming from the regions in Divine Essence Star Ocean reached their most intense volume at that moment.
"The fifth stone…" The ground in a planet collapsed. A huge hand clenched its fingers into fist in the depths of the ground. A giant crept out of the earth. The giant had two heads and threw both of them back to roar at the sky.
"The fifth stone appeared again…" As faint sounds echoed in a wasteland covered in dust, a strange living creature with a semi-transparent body slowly gained corporeal form. When it stared into the distance, it moved in a flash and disappeared.
Scenes like this appeared in many places within the galaxy. Everyone's attention was directed… at the fifth stone!
During that instant, Su Ming also noticed the ripples of power from the fifth stone that did not blend with the fifth stone, and a glint appeared in his eyes. He understood why Tian Xie Zi was chased down by the four great alien races because of one fifth stone. In fact, there had definitely been other races and ferocious beasts who had went after his life as well.
'A stone like this…'
Su Ming stared at the fifth stone. When it was in the kiln, it did not stand out, but when it was in the world outside, it was as dazzling as the sun, because it did not belong to this world. Because of that… it was not accepted, and became a sharp weapon that could fight against the laws in this place!
This sort of stone would definitely be desired by others!
'It doesn't matter whether it's Heaven Traversers' Progenitor or Dust Burners, neither of them told me the truth. As for Dijiu Mo Sha, with his level of cultivation, he wouldn't have been able to know too much about the fifth stone.
'Since it is such a treasure, no wonder it would stir up such a fight over it.'
Su Ming remained silent for a moment before he formed a seal with his right hand and pointed at the fifth stone with a finger. However, the stone did not move. It continued to stay beside Su Ming, shining with a golden light. It would not enter the storage bag.
Su Ming frowned, then a fierce glare appeared in his eyes. He opened his mouth and sucked in a deep breath in the direction of the fifth stone. It shuddered and rushed into Su Ming's mouth. It was instantly swallowed, and golden light spread out from Su Ming's body. After some time, it slowly vanished.
However, this was just a temporary suppression; it would not be long before the stone flew out again. Su Ming was able to hide it for a time only because his soul was that of an Abyss Builder, and they came from the Fifth True World, same as the fifth stone.
If Su Ming's real self had been there, he would have been able to completely accommodate the fifth stone and not have a single ripple of power spread out. However, he didn't have it, and so he could not hide the stone permanently.
Su Ming was silent for a moment before casting a glance at the fifth kiln and pointing at it.
When he did so, booming sounds came from the kiln, and it started trembling. A great sea of fire swiftly spread out from within it, making the kiln to look as if it was burning.
Immediately after, a couple figures were swept out by the impact of the flames and pushed out of the kiln. Among them were Xuan Shang, Reverend Zi Long, Flame Fiends' Progenitor, and also Progenitor Long Hai, whose body was no longer illusory.
The last to appear was Zhu You Cai.
These people were the survivors. As the fifth kiln trembled, they were all forcefully expelled from the dimensions in which they had been. Once they left the fifth kiln, all of them had different expressions on their faces when they looked at Su Ming.
These people had been close to the first border when they were in the fifth kiln. They had sacrificed a large amount of life force for that, but Su Ming did not feel at ease with them staying there, which was why he decided to have the fifth kiln chase all of them out.
He swept his gaze past the crowd before stopping on Zhu You Cai. This man was also looking Su Ming. The two of them met each other's gazes, and Zhu You Cai's eyes lit up swiftly.
"Huo Kui," Su Ming said faintly.
The eyes of Flame Fiends' Progenitor shone. When he looked at Su Ming, he took a few steps backwards. He might have left the fifth kiln, but he was incredibly weak at that moment, and his wariness towards Su Ming did not reduce. Instead, it had become greater.
"I promised you this corpse. Take it." As Su Ming spoke, he struck the storage bag with his right hand, and the corpse of the white-robed teenager who was the centipede immediately appeared in front of Su Ming. When he threw it, it charged towards Flame Fiends' Progenitor.
Flame Fiends' Progenitor was stunned, then hesitated for a moment while looking at Su Ming.
But the other's expression remained empty. Not a single change could be detected on him.
With hesitation, Flame Fiends' Progenitor watched the corpse getting closer to him. He could not see through Su Ming's thoughts and did not know whether there was any form of trap waiting for him in that corpse, but if he gave up on it just like this, it would be incredibly difficult for him to find another corpse in Mastery Realm.
At that moment, he gritted his teeth. He believed that Su Ming should not be intending to kill him and that even if he wanted something from him, it wouldn't be something like the position of a guard due to his level of cultivation. Hence, resolve appeared in his eyes. He charged towards the corpse of the white-robed teenager. It was much stronger than his previous physical body. Because of it, not only would he have not suffered any loss in this venture, he would have instead obtained a serendipity.
However, the instant he approached the white-robed teenager's corpse, Reverend Zi Long had already taken a step forward and appeared beside the corpse. He lifted his right arm and swung it, and the expression of Flame Fiends' Progenitor changed swiftly before he moved back swiftly.
"Fellow Daoist Zi Long, what is the meaning of this?!" Flame Fiends' Progenitor immediately demanded in a shrill voice.
"This person is a guest of the four Great True Worlds. I will take his corpse back," Reverend Zi Long said faintly, but he did not look at Huo Kui. Instead, he looked towards Su Ming.
"That's my war trophy," Su Ming said in a soft voice while staring at Reverend Zi Long with a frown. Besides a few people, there was not a single bit of fondness within him towards the four Great True Worlds. At that moment, as he said those words coldly, a gray tint gradually appeared in his hair.
"Oh? Then I'd like to see whether this war trophy of yours will belong to you."
A brilliant light shone in Reverend Zi Long's eyes. He paid no attention towards the matter of bringing the white-robed teenager's corpse back to the four Great True Worlds; he wasn't bothered by it in the least. What he paid attention to was the blood of Ancient Wu within it. If he refined that corpse's body and gathered together a hint of Ancient Wu's blood, his trip to the fifth kiln wouldn't have gone to waste.
Hence he absolutely wanted that corpse. As he spoke, he patted the white-robed teenager's corpse with his right hand and put it into his storage bag before casting a cold glance at Su Ming.
This scene caused the people around them to keep their expressions still. Xuan Shang took a few careful steps backwards. When he narrowed his eyes, he stared at Xu Hui and at the body of the supreme treasure she possessed at that moment, and a barely noticeable resentment as well as anger shone in his eyes.
Zhu You Cai did not speak. His expression remained the same, and his thoughts could not be seen.
As for Flame Fiends' Progenitor, his expression was dark, but he knew that even if he had a physical body at that moment, he would still not be Reverend Zi Long's opponent. He could only grit his teeth and tolerate it.
At that moment, Su Ming's hair had turned completely gray. This change was immediately seen by everyone, especially Reverend Zi Long. His pupils shrank in a barely noticeable manner. The Su Ming at that moment suddenly gave him an incredibly dangerous feeling. It was a feeling of death, a cold, freezing presence that was akin to the arrival of midwinter.
That feeling caused him to instantly gather up his power, and a light lit up in his eyes.
The gray Su Ming signified extreme rationality and the power of hell. He no longer cared about his methods when he did things, but only about whether he would succeed in the end.
"Long Hai, if you still don't attack, then I will immediately crush your oath and make you lose your soul forever!" As Su Ming said those words in a cold voice, he swept his gaze towards Zhu You Cai.
"Fellow Daoist Change He, it is not impossible to resurrect your wife.
"Progenitor Huo Kui. This is your physical body, since I already gave it to you, then it has nothing to do with me anymore. I will help you attack, but you also have to fight for it yourself!"
The three sentences spoken flatly immediately caused Long Hai, Zhu You Cai, and Progenitor Huo Kui's expressions to change.
Reverend Zi Long's heart also suddenly let out a loud thump, and his expression changed drastically.
A monstrous savage glare appeared in Zhu You Cai's eyes, which had turned bloodshot. At that moment, he looked as if he had gone mad. He fixed his stare on Su Ming for a moment, then whipped his head around to reveal powerful killing intent. His power went into a rampage while he stared at Reverend Zi Long.
Long Hai's expression changed. Hostility appeared on his face when he glared at Zi Long.
As for Flame Fiends' Progenitor, his Nascent Divinity went into a rage. Killing intent flashed past his face, and burning flames erupted from within him.
The three of them split up into three different directions to surround Reverend Zi Long, and the gray Su Ming lifted his right hand. The Life Inequity Spear appeared with a buzz.
A freezing glare shone in Su Ming's eyes when he asked in a freezing tone, "Are you going to give me my war trophy back, or not?"
Chapter 1024: Promise
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Reverend Zi Long's expression changed several times before he focused his gaze on Su Ming. After a moment, he looked towards the other three around him. The three sentences had allowed Su Ming to turn the tables and make Zi Long into the public enemy number one among them. He felt as if there was a sword hanging right over his head and he had a tiger by the tail.
Flame Fiends' Progenitor was still easy to deal with, and Reverend Zi Long did not pay special attention to him, but Progenitor Long Hai was an Almighty who had become famous many years ago. Even if he was only a Nascent Divinity and was no longer as he was during his peak, but when aided by Flame Fiends' Progenitor, he could be considered a real threat.
Besides, Progenitor Long Hai gave Reverend Zi Long a feeling that he wasn't really just a Nascent Divinity.
Then there was Zhu You Cai. Originally, Reverend Zi Long did not pay too much attention to him. Even if he was able to take action to save Su Ming when he had no power while they were on the mountain with that Mountain Shifter Art, Reverend Zi Long also had some methods at his disposal. That was why he had only cast him a sideways glance at that moment and raised his position only slightly higher.
What truly caused his heart to let out a thump against his chest was the name Su Ming had used to refer to that person just then. He had not called him Zhu You Cai… but Chang He!
Chang He… The instant Reverend Zi Long heard that name, only one person appeared in his mind!
The disciple of True Sacred Yin World's Sublime Paragon who was known as the future Kalpa Lord of True Sacred Yin World—the War Immortal Change He!
He was an Almighty in Life Realm and could look down on the entire universe. Due to him becoming estranged and subsequently having a falling out with his Master, he was exiled to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence!
Zi Long had been in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence for many years and had heard of Chang He's name before, but he had never been able to find a single hint of his presence in Divine Essence Star Ocean. That's why when he heard Su Ming's words, the shock Reverend Zi Long experienced was difficult to describe.
He stared at Zhu You Cai. After a long while, he shifted his gaze to Su Ming. The gray Su Ming brought about a great wave of wariness in him. It did not stem from his level of cultivation, but from his control over other people's emotions. With just three sentences, he had trapped Zi Long in the current situation, and hesitation rose in his heart.
This was a battle between Almighties. He had not even taken action yet, but fear had already risen in his heart, and he was already hesitating. Because of it, there was absolutely no need to continue with this fight. He… would definitely lose!
It had been a long time since Reverend Zi Long had felt this sort of outrage. It was a different feeling from when he had been ambushed by Huang Mei and had his supreme treasure snatched from his hands. Instead, it was a humiliation of not being able to even struggle and fight back when he was threatened.
Freezing light shone in his eyes. It was quiet all around him. Su Ming stared at Zi Long coldly, not saying a word more.
The battle was about to break out at any moment.
'To fight or not to fight… If I fight, I cannot win… but if I don't fight and leave just like this, my reputation will be completely ruined!' Reverend Zi Long's heart was in conflict. In the mid of his uncertainty, his heart trembled, and understanding rose instantly in his mind again.
'What a well-executed persecution! If I fight, I don't have confidence to win, but if I don't fight, then this matter will leave behind a Brand in my heart, and as my heart hesitates, it will ruin my chances of heading into Fate Realm!
'And I am the one who brought this on myself…'
Reverend Zi Long gritted his teeth. A powerful fighting spirit rose in his eyes. He no longer hesitated. He would… fight this battle!
However, the instant he decided to fight, Zhu You Cai, Progenitor Long Hai, and Flame Fiends' Progenitor released ripples of power for the fierce battle to start, Su Ming suddenly spoke up.
"Do you want this item?"
As he spoke, he lifted his right hand, and a small puncture that looked as if it was left behind by a poisonous wasp was revealed on his palm. Thick waves of fragrance spread out from within it.
The instant that fragrance spread out, Su Ming clenched his fist, causing the fragrance to immediately disappear.
However, even if it just appeared for a single moment, that fragrance was enough for Zi Long's expression to change drastically. The fighting spirit in his eyes immediately turned chaotic again, under that attack against his heart.
He was not the only one affected. Zhu You Cai also lifted his head swiftly. Once he cast a glance at Su Ming, he lowered his head and no longer paid any attention to him. As for Progenitor Long Hai, his eyes sparkled, but he did not speak. Flame Fiends' Progenitor remained silent as well.
"What do you mean? What is that fragrance?" Zi Long's expression changed. He had only taken a whiff of that fragrance just then, but the cultivation base within him had already started circulating on its own. This change was caused his heart to pound in excitement.
"Leave behind the war trophy and become my guard for a year. Then I will give you ten times the amount of the fragrance you had just now. This is an oath," Su Ming answered flatly.
This was a way out for Reverend Zi Long, and his expression became sullen. After some time, he brought his right hand up and swung it forward. Immediately, the white-robed teenager's corpse was brought out of his storage bag and came to float in front of Su Ming.
If he could afford to not fight, then Zi Long did not want to fight.
"I'll remember your oath. I will protect you for a year in exchange for ten times the amount of the fragrance just now. I will accept this!" Once Reverend Zi Long finished speaking, he cast a cold glance at the other three beside him.
"I can give you the corpse." Su Ming's expression remained the same when it shifted to Flame Fiends' Progenitor.
"One year as your guard; I will definitely complete my task!" Flame Fiends' Progenitor said quickly. The thing he feared the most was Su Ming giving him the corpse without giving him the reason. That had caused him a great amount of internal conflict.
But at that moment, when he heard Su Ming stating his conditions, he immediately agreed to it, afraid that Su Ming would go back on his word. That was the reason why he quickly swore the oath to the universe as an Almighty.
"I left behind a seal on the corpse. Fuse into it," Su Ming said flatly.
Resolve appeared on Flame Fiends' Progenitor, and he turned into a long arc that charged towards the white-robed teenager's corpse. He fused into it in an instant, and the corpse immediately exuded purple flames as it shuddered.
The flames burned the corpse, causing it to gradually wither and dry up. It shrank continuously. Judging by the looks of it, he would need some time before he could completely occupy the corpse.
"Protect me for a year, and I will return you your freedom!" Su Ming turned his head around and looked towards Progenitor Long Hai.
The man remained silent for a moment before he swore an oath as an answer to Su Ming's request.
"One year later, I will give you hope to resurrect your wife." The final person Su Ming looked towards was Zhu You Cai.
He stared at Su Ming, and after a long while, he nodded. He was willing to give up on everything for a hope to resurrect his wife.
Su Ming raised his head to look at the galaxy. His long gray hair slowly changed. When it returned to his normal hair color, a glint appeared in his eyes, and he took a step forward. He turned into a long arc and charged into the distance.
Xu Hui immediately followed behind him. The other people followed in silence as well. Flame Fiends' Progenitor had already fused with his physical body and charged along with them.
Only Xuan Shang remained in the area. His expression was dark and sullen. He stared at the group leaving into the distance, and a sinister look appeared in his eyes.
'He needs these Almighties to protect him? I wonder what his goal is… But none of this is in any way related to me anymore. However, you snatched Xuan Family's supreme treasure, and I… will definitely make you pay!'
The hatred in Xuan Shang's eyes was incredibly deep. As he let out a cold harrumph in his heart, he turned around. But just as he was about to leave, his body suddenly shuddered. At that moment, the fifth kiln was activated once again. As the flames from the kiln spread out, a powerful suction force came from it, giving Xuan Shang to no way to fight against it. He was swiftly sucked back into the fifth kiln.
The galaxy around the area gradually became calm once more…
"Xu Hui, I'm going to a place I know nothing about, you…" As Su Ming charged forward through the galaxy, he sent a divine thought to Xu Hui, who was by his side.
"The Fifth True World, right?" she asked calmly.
Su Ming turned his head around to cast a glance at Xu Hui. He did not speak, but continued charging forward. The people behind him also remained silent.
Time trickled by. Several days later, a thick layer of fog surrounded the galaxy ahead of them. Su Ming stopped just outside the fog.
Xu Hui knew this spot. This was the place where Dust Burners' tribe was located.
The moment Su Ming and the others arrived, the fog in the area immediately started tumbling about furiously. An indistinct figure walked out, and when he approached the group, his body was no longer a mere illusion, but gained corporeal form and turned into Dust Burners' Progenitor.
He swept his gaze past Su Ming, Zi Long, and the others behind him. Eventually, in silence… he bent his back and bowed towards Su Ming.
He was bowing to the current master of the fifth kiln.
"Progenitor, I would like to trouble you to send her to the periphery of Divine Essence Star Ocean." Su Ming cast a glance at Xu Hui, then looked towards Dust Burners' Progenitor before he wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed towards him as well.
Dust Burners' Progenitor lifted his head, looked towards Xu Hui, and nodded.
Xu Hui was silent for a moment, then asked quietly, "You're set on going alone?"
"Go back and wait for me at the entrance to where the forces of power from the four Great True Worlds are stationed," Su Ming said calmly.
Xu Hui fell silent, then sighed softly and did not say anything else.
"Progenitor, please." Su Ming bowed again.
"Don't worry. I will ensure her safety along the way. If you truly reach that place… remember that there is a place called Burning Dust Planet. It is said that it is Fire Spirits' birthplace. Please retrieve… a handful of dirt from there for me.
"Also… now that you have the fifth stone… you must be careful." Dust Burners' Progenitor delivered this sentence to Su Ming's mind through a divine thought.
When he saw Su Ming nodding, he swung his arm and turned into a burning fire cloud that swept up Xu Hui's body and charged into the distance. But at that moment, a shrill cry trang through space.
"Damn you, you old fool, I won't be going back!"
In the mid of that loud shout came a cold harrumph from Dust Burners' Progenitor in the fire cloud. At the same time, a long arc flew out from the fire cloud. It turned into the bald crane which swiftly returned to Su Ming's side.
When it moved, it could not see Xu Hui staring at Su Ming behind it while she was being swept away by the fire cloud. Her gaze gradually went farther into the distance until it disappeared from the galaxy, and their companionship that had lasted for nearly one hundred years… ended.
Su Ming stared at the fire cloud leaving into the distance until it vanished from his field of vision. Then, when he turned around, his long hair turned gray, and his pupils gained a gray gleam, and not a single shred of emotion was left in him.
"My fellow Daoists, there will definitely be fierce battles during this one year. The promises I made to all of you will last just like how the universe will last for eternity. I will definitely not go back on my word. I will… have to trouble all of you during this year."
Su Ming stared at Zi Long and the others, then with a cold look in his eyes, he wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed towards them.
"Since we're guards, you should at least tell us the reason why you want us to protect you," Progenitor Long Hai suddenly said.
Chapter 1025: One Year
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Su Ming cast a glance at Progenitor Long Hai with a cold and merciless gaze. Progenitor Long Hai also turned his eyes to Su Ming. The two of them stared into each other's eyes for a moment, until Progenitor chose to look away.
Zi Long might have seemed as composed as ever, but he was also staring at Su Ming. Clearly, he also wanted to know just what reason might cause Su Ming to want them to become his guards.
The curiosity within Flame Fiends' Progenitor was much less compared to the others. This was different from his previous personality, but ever since he met Su Ming, his experiences with him had caused his wariness towards Su Ming to be etched deep in his bones. When he was before Su Ming, Flame Fiends' Progenitor had only one simple thought in his mind—Do not fight back, do not refuse him, do not be greedy… as long as there was nothing wrong with the physical body that he should obtain.
Compared to the other three, Zhu You Cai was calm. Even if Su Ming had a supreme treasure in his hands, unless it was an item that could resurrect his wife, he would not be interested in it. He had even given away his Life Inequity Spear, so there was no way there would be another supreme treasure in the world that would tempt him.
He also understood that Su Ming knew about his origins. Asking him to be a guard was just secondary. His real reason… might be to have Zhu You Cai to keep the others in check.
Su Ming avoided Progenitor Long Hai's gaze. He instead opened his mouth in a cold manner, and a flash of gold instantly flew out. When it surrounded him, it turned into the fifth stone.
When that stone appeared, the universe around them instantly tumbled about. The space around them distorted, and ripples spread out in all directions. A presence that did not blend with the world erupted from the fifth stone.
Once it appeared, Progenitor Long Hai's pupils shrank swiftly.
"This is… the fifth stone!" he said immediately.
"The fifth stone…" Reverend Zi Long's expression also changed. He stared at the fifth stone, and a hint of hesitation appeared on his face, but he soon calmed down. He knew that… this was an item that he could not keep!
Even if he managed to snatch it, he could not take it away from Divine Essence Star Ocean, and most importantly, he did not have the confidence to snatch it.
Flame Fiends' Progenitor licked his lips and forced down the instinctive greed that rose in his heart. If this item had been on anyone else, he might have some thoughts in his head, but when it came to Su Ming, the fire of greed in him was immediately extinguished.
Zhu You Cai was the most composed. He first cast a glance at the fifth stone, then at Su Ming, and a barely noticeable smile appeared on his lips.
He knew that if Su Ming dared bring out the fifth stone, had the courage to let him see it, and even promised to give him hope in resurrecting his wife, then it could only mean one thing!
'He is an Abyss Builder!' Once he connected that to the fifth kiln acknowledging its master, everything immediately became clear in his mind.
"What you will need to block is all the people who come here to snatch the fifth stone," Su Ming said flatly.
"Progenitor Huo Kui, this new physical body of yours is stronger than your previous body. Is it enough for you?
"Progenitor Long Hai, it doesn't matter whether your previous oath is one thousand years or ten thousand years, you can complete it in just one year. Is this enough for you?"
Su Ming looked towards Reverend Zi Long.
"But to me, it doesn't seem to be enough," Zi Long said faintly.
"It is God Ascension Nectar." Su Ming's expression was calm, but the instant he said his sentence, his words did not echo in space, because his divine thought was reverberating in Reverend Zi Long's mind.
At the instant he heard God Ascension Nectar's name, Zi Long's body trembled viciously. When he lifted his head to stare at Su Ming, a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes. After a long while, he nodded in a solemn manner.
Su Ming looked towards Zhu You Cai and did not speak. After they stared into each other's eyes for a moment, he averted his gaze. There were times when there was no need for words and two parties could understand one another without a word.
When Su Ming turned around, he became a long arc that charged forward. The crowd followed him and left into the galaxy in the distance.
Time passed. Ten days later, at the depths of Divine Essence Star Ocean's core, Su Ming found… the fifth ocean based on the jade slip Dust Burners' Progenitor had given him in the past.
It was… an ocean that existed in the galaxy.
The waves surged up in space, and everyone could clearly hear them crashing in the galaxy before they even got close to the area.
That strange ocean was boundless. It was something that was incredibly difficult to find in any other place besides Divine Essence Star Ocean.
If there was an ocean, then there was definitely a beach. At the edge of the ocean were countless shattered planets. They were reduced to flying stones that formed a dazzling beach.
If anyone took a closer look, they would be able to see… that the ocean was in truth not made of water. Instead, it was made of deep blue powder that gathered together. It floated around the area like aura, giving people the idea that they were looking at an ocean when they saw it from the distance.
Booming sounds echoed in space and would continue doing so for all eternity.
When the group approached a shattered stone on the beach of the fifth ocean, Su Ming stopped and stared at the ocean. At the same time, a dazzling light erupted from the fifth stone that surrounded him.
That light swiftly turned into a long arc and rushed into the fifth ocean. That long arc shot forth, causing the waves in the area to tumble about and roll backwards to form into a tunnel within a vortex. Even Su Ming could not see the end it.
Booming sounds reverberated in space, causing the entire galaxy to tremble.
Su Ming fell silent. Based on the descriptions on the jade slip, when the fifth stone appeared in the fifth ocean, it would open up a tunnel on its own, and it would be… the path that would lead them to the Fifth True World.
A tunnel was needed for this path to be fully opened, but soon after, it would close up. Yet for an instant, it would allow people to pass through it.
'One year…'
Su Ming raised his right hand and the Life Inequity Spear appeared. Once he held it in his hand, he pierced the shattered stone beneath him, then sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes.
The instant he closed his eyes, Zhu You Cai also sat down cross-legged beside him. He knew his duty. He was not protecting the fifth stone… but Su Ming.
Flame Fiends' Progenitor also found a shattered stone not too far away and sat down to meditate while waiting for the fierce battles that would definitely arrive soon.
Progenitor Long Hai remained still for a moment, then chose a shattered stone farther away. Once he sat down, he raised his head and stared at the galaxy. No one knew what he thought about.
Reverend Zi Long stood with his eyes closed and did not move, but in his heart, the sentence Su Ming said ten days ago still echoed.
'God Ascension Nectar… There's no doubt about it. That was definitely God Ascension Nectar, only this item that had already become extinct and is only spoken about in legends could possess such a thick fragrance. Only that item could make my cultivation base tremble when I took a mere whiff of its fragrance.'
Time trickled by, and in the blink of an eye, half a month was gone. During it, besides the loud booms, no other sounds could be heard around the fifth ocean. No one came to the place either, but it was precisely because of this that the group's hearts became even more on guard.
During that half a month, Su Ming sat without moving. He did not open his eyes, making it seem as if he was deep in sleep. He waited quietly for time to pass, for the inevitable arrival of thieves.
Another twenty-five days passed as quickly as lightning. The final day of the first month of a year passed like normal, when suddenly, the meditating Zhu You Cai opened his eyes. He was the first among them to do so.
A moment later, Zi Long exuded the ripples of power that belonged to his cultivation base. When he opened his eyes, he looked into the distance.
Right after him was Progenitor Long Hai. The last to notice what was going on was Flame Fiends' Progenitor.
The moment he opened his eyes, an intense rumble passed through the galaxy in the distance, and a long arc charged forward. Within it was a gigantic meteor, about ten thousand feet high, and it was chafing against space while charging to the area.
Standing on the meteor was a big and burly man. He was thirty feet tall and looked half-baked. As his hair fluttered, a brilliant light shone in his eyes.
Behind him was a brownish yellow tail, and it was wrapped around him, causing the man to look incredibly strange and enchanting. Due to the bright light, all those in the vicinity could see that his eyes were not of a normal person's color, but yellow.
His pupils were vertical.
When he approached, he saw Zi Long with the others at first glance. His pupils constricted, and the meteor came to an abrupt halt ten thousand feet away.
He glared at Su Ming, who was surrounded by Zi Long and the others. The fifth stone was shining with a dazzling light in front of the youth, and a hint of greed appeared briefly in the man on the meteor's eyes.
However, he did not act rashly. Instead, he chose to sit down and stare at them coldly.
Zi Long frowned. There might be a hint of wildness in him, but he also valued oaths highly. Since he already promised to guard Su Ming for a year and Su Ming's offer for his help was tempting enough, no other thoughts rose in his heart. Of course, Su Ming's own power was also great enough to deserve his attention. Besides, Zi Long had also managed to tell what was different about Zhu You Cai as well as the strange connection the two shared.
Because of that, lashing back at Su Ming would do him no good. It would be better for him to take the normal route and fulfill his end of the promise.
"Fellow Daoist Long Hai, one year is not really long. It's short enough to last for the duration of a session of meditation. However, this one year will not be easy… This person's level of cultivation is similar to yours. Do you want to go and warm up?" Zi Long asked flatly.
"Why would I be unwilling to?" Progenitor Long Hai stood up and laughed. Once he stretched his limbs for a moment, petals appeared above his Nascent Divinity. They filled the area around him, and when they covered his body, it seemed like he possessed a physical body.
With a single move, he turned into a flying flower that rushed at the man on the meteor ten thousand feet away.
The man's pupils shrank and he stood up. A ferocious smile appeared on his lips. What he wanted was not to fight, but to wait. Even if the people guarding the owner of the fifth stone had outstanding power, he believed that as time passed and more people came to this place… their power would become insignificant!
With a bang, the duo engaged in battle. As loud booming sounds reverberated in the air, waves of impact filled the area. In less than the time taken for half an incense stick to burn, long arcs charged over from the distant galaxy. This time, there was not just one, but nearly one hundred of them.
Within each long arc was a living spirit from Divine Essence Star Ocean. Some of them had the shape of humans, and some of them had the shapes of beasts. All of them were coming to the area extremely quickly, but none of them were Almighties.
Flame Fiends' Progenitor let out a cold harrumph. Without the need for anyone to give him a command, he rushed forward instantly, immediately stirring up a purple sea of fire that swept through the area.
Chapter 1026: Chang He
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The second month during the period of one year required the opening of the tunnel to the Fifth True World.
On this month, booming sounds surged into the heavens in the area beyond the fifth ocean. The sounds of battle echoed in all directions, and a thick, bloody stench spread out through the entire area, causing the place to turn into a place of disaster.
From the moment Progenitor Long Hai attacked, he never returned to rest, and it was the same for Flame Fiends' Progenitor. Living spirits continuously rushed over, and they reached such great numbers that even Reverend Zi Long did not hesitate to attack.
By then, there were three days left until the end of the second month, but the battle in that place had already reached an incredibly intense state.
Fighting against Reverend Zi Long was a giant with two heads. He was strong and practically of equal strength. Booming sounds echoed in the galaxy due to their divine abilities.
There was an old woman near Progenitor Long Hai. They kept exchanging blows.
As for the ferocious beasts and the other races from Divine Essence Star Ocean, they were all handled by Flame Fiends' Progenitor alone. None among them were Almighties, but there were quite a lot of them who were in Solar Kalpa Realm, and since the swarm numbered to thousands, only the sea of fire from Flame Fiends' Progenitor could surround them and prevent them from rushing out.
Time passed, and soon, the second month was over. When the third month arrived, the battle reached its peak, because a group of people with the bodies of snakes—Virtue Rooters—had rushed to the area. There were thousands of them, and while the person leading them was not in Mastery Realm, he was only half a step away from it!
All Virtue Rooters were incredibly powerful, and when they closed in, the sounds of battle surged into the sky.
But they were not alone. Almost at the same time, two long arcs charged forward from the galaxy. Those were two gigantic dark turtle that were one thousand feet big.
A man was sitting on one of them, while a woman on the other. The man was green-skinned, and there was a red glare in his eyes while freezing air spread out from his body. As for the woman, she was incredibly alluring. She did not have a lot of articles of clothing on her person, and there was a seductive look on her face. She was an incredibly tempting sight to others.
"The fifth ocean is certainly lively, no?" The woman chuckled in a coquettish manner and patted the dark turtle beneath her. That turtle immediately increased its speed.
Their arrival and the large number of Virtue Rooters instantly changed the tides of battle. Progenitor Long Hai's expression changed, the pupils of Flame Fiends' Progenitor shrank, and as for Reverend Zi Long, he frowned. The three of them might not have used all their strength, but judging by the situation right then, even if they attacked with all they had, they might still not be able to see persevere.
After all, this was just the third month, and that meant there were nine more months left for the duration of one year.
At the instant Zi Long, Long Hai, and Hui Kui hesitated, Zhu You Cai, who had been sitting beside Su Ming all this while with a calm expression opened his eyes.
He stood up slowly, and the instant he did so, a presence that was completely discordant with his big and plump body erupted from him. As the presence filled the space around, Zhu You Cai closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, he gave off a feeling as if he had transformed into another person. He was like a sharp spear that had been unsheathed. A sharp aura that shook the sky and earth erupted from him with a bang.
He raised his right hand and seized the space in the direction towards Su Ming. The Life Inequity Spear in front of Su Ming shuddered violently and let out a loud buzz that sounded like a delighted cheer before it flew up and landed in Zhu You Cai's right palm.
Once he held the spear, the aura about Zhu You Cai's body rose again and swept up the galaxy, disrupting the space around the area, affecting the laws, and shocking all the people currently fighting beyond the fifth ocean.
The hearts of everyone, no matter who they were, trembled at that instant. Their cultivation bases started showing signs of waning as if they had begun withering. It shocked them, and they looked in the direction from which the terrifying ripples of power originated.
Even though Zhu You Cai was still as fat as ever, his image changed. With the long spear in hand and his aura growing stronger by leaps and bounds, everyone thought they were not looking at a plump person, but a giant who could hold up the entire sky!
In fact, as the space behind Zhu You Cai distorted, an indistinct figure appeared. It was a middle-aged man—a white-haired man with an expression of grief and utter despair due to having given up on all hope!
At that moment, he was not Zhu You Cai… but True Sacred Yin World's War Immortal Chang He!
There were clearly two souls in his body. One of them was Zhu You Cai, and the other was Chang He. These two souls would occasionally fuse together, but more often be separate from each other. But at that moment, Chang He's will stood tall in the universe.
With his right hand holding onto the spear, he looked as if he was lifting it slowly before him, and once he did so, Zhu You Cai lowered his head and mumbled softly.
"What joy is there in living?" With a soft sigh, he swung the long spear through the galaxy before him.
That one sweep caused the galaxy to instantly fall silent. The space in front of Zhu You Cai was torn apart, the damage spreading outwards. As it expanded, it grew larger until it eventually turned into a gigantic tear in space that was one hundred thousand feet long.
It had looked like the spread had been slow, but everything in the galaxy seemed to have become still. Because of it, the slow rip was no longer slow, but something progressing extremely quickly!
As it swept through the area, it first crashed into the dual-headed giant fighting against Reverend Zi Long. There was shock in the giant's eyes, but he was instantly covered by the tear, unable to dodge it. Then, the tear swept past the two people fighting against Progenitor Long Hai.
The near thousand cultivators fighting against Flame Fiends' Progenitor, the thousands of Virtue Rooters who came, the cold man sitting on the dark turtle and the coquettish woman sitting on the other turtle all… were visited by that one hundred thousand feet long tear in space.
When it disappeared out of sight, everything returned to normal, as the world had recovered from being frozen still.
But when that happened, there were no pain-filled screams, no struggles. The dual-headed giant in front of Zi Long was simply torn to shreds. Even his Nascent Divinity did not manage to escape, reduced to nothingness.
The two people in front of Long Hai suffered the same ending. There were no exceptions to the thousands of Virtue Rooters, either. No matter what level of cultivation they possessed, they were all reduced to ashes at that instant.
The man and woman who had just arrived on the dark turtles also became part of space at the instant the galaxy recovered from being frozen.
It was just as Zhu You Cai had said just then.
"What joy is there in living?"
It would be better to die in battle!
The entire area was in dead silence…
Reverend Zi Long shuddered. This scene was completely out of his expectations and had happened too suddenly, not giving him the chance to do anything. If Zhu You Cai had wanted to kill him, then no matter how many Zi Longs there were, it would have still been difficult for him to even try to fight back. He would have faced the same fate as all those before his eyes—they were reduced to dust.
'An Almighty in Life Realm! He's really the War Immortal Chang He!' Reverend Zi Long's face turned pale. When he looked at Zhu You Cai, fear showed up in his eyes.
Progenitor Long Hai was already stunned to his feet. Even if he was an Almighty in Mastery Realm, Life Realm was something inconceivable to him, something he did not even dare dream about. After all, reaching Fate Realm was already his greatest desire. Life Realm… It was something he never even thought about being in his reach.
To him, the might of those in Life Realm was the same as what a cultivator in Qi Condensation would feel when they ran into those in Nascent Soul.
Flame Fiends' Progenitor shuddered. During that instant, even though he did not die, he still sensed the life force of the thousands of people around him instantly vanishing.
'An Almighty in Life Realm. The Art to reverse life and death? Is this… Is this Zhu You Cai?
'This isn't any ordinary show of power in Life Realm. This is the sign of those about to head into Death Realm. Only they can reverse life and death like this!' Reverend Zi Long raised his head swiftly, and when he looked at Zhu You Cai, there was a zealous look in his eyes.
Su Ming had long since opened his eyes. He stared at Zhu You Cai standing in front of him, and he saw the loneliness on the illusory man as well as the despair born out of loneliness and pain.
He remembered all the scenes he'd seen when he obtained the Life Inequity Spear.
As the prodigy of True Sacred Yin World, the disciple of a Sublime Paragon, the future Kalpa Lord of True Sacred Yin World, Chang He… could only watch helplessly as his lover turned into a medicinal core. When his Master asked him to swallow it to step into Death Realm, Chang He chose to struggle and fight back for the first time in his life.
He chose the mad act of saying 'no' to his own Master!
He was willing to give up on everything to get back what mattered that he'd lost. If he was to head into Death Realm in this manner… he would much rather not have it!
"What joy is there in living?" Su Ming muttered softly.
Zhu You Cai lowered his head, and his presence instantly disappeared. When he returned to his original appearance, he let go of the long spear in his hand. That spear let out a mournful buzz and returned to Su Ming's side.
Zhu You Cai sat down and closed his eyes. An apathetic expression appeared on his face, along with fatigue.
There was a sadness that no one else could sense deeply within him, and it was a sadness that only Su Ming could see, because he had seen his story. That sadness… had already fused with his soul.
Zi Long and the other three returned quietly and sat down cross-legged around the area. Occasionally, they would look towards Zhu You Cai, and there would be a great amount of respect on their faces.
After a long while, Su Ming closed his eyes again.
Time passed. The third month, the fourth, and when the fifth months went by, but no other existences from Divine Essence Star Ocean arrived at the fifth ocean. It was as if… this place had become a forbidden region.
The bloody stench that filled the area beyond the fifth ocean and the presence from the dimensional tear that would not disappear caused all the people who arrived to choose to leave as their expressions changed.
However, when the sixth month arrived… the most mysterious race among the four great alien races beyond the fifth ocean arrived. Along with them was their Progenitor… and an old Virtue Rooter who walked out of space with graying hair as well as rotting scales.
They stood tens of thousands of feet away from Su Ming and the others beyond the fifth ocean. When they looked into the distance, a freezing glare appeared in their eyes.
"It's been six months. The guardians of the fifth ocean should have appeared by now."
Chapter 1027: Part Ways
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Reng Wu Race was the most mysterious race among the four great alien races in the core of Divine Essence Star Ocean.
They had existed for countless years and had not experienced any form of decline. They had always occupied the spot of the strongest race in Divine Essence Star Ocean, their position never having been shaken.
Staying in the core of Divine Essence Star Ocean for a long time and fighting against numerous ferocious beasts had created generations of powerful warriors in this race, and at the same time, they had also… assimilated with those ferocious beasts!
The appearance of their people was quite different. Although some of them still remained some human physical traits, many had abandoned their human forms and adopted ferocious appearances of half-beasts.
At that moment, when the members of Reng Wu race appeared in the fifth ocean, they immediately attracted the gazes of Zi Long and the others. When they looked over, their expressions changed.
Among the Reng Wus, there was not just one Almighty in Mastery Realm… there were three!
Just that alone was enough to make Reng Wu Race become the head of the four venerated races… but besides these three, the old man with white hair standing at the forefront was standing in space with bare feet, which were covered in scales. The other parts of his body were no different from a normal person, but the power he exuded was strong enough to suppress the other three Almighties in Mastery Realm behind him.
This person was the current Progenitor of Reng Wu. His power… could make the space around him distort, and based on it, he could turn the laws around where he stood into the laws of fate. Clearly… he was an Almighty in Fate Realm!
However, this was still secondary. Reng Wus had a mighty pressure that was faint and indistinct around them. It came from their blood, and it was a form of summons that was hidden in them.
This summons gathered the power of the previous Progenitors of Reng Wu over the countless years and turned it… into a protection, which allowed Reng Wus to become the strongest race in Divine Essence Star Ocean.
This protection was so strong that even Zhu You Cai opened his eyes.
The entire area was filled with silence. Reng Wus who had arrived with bloodshot eyes that showed their madness, but they stood without moving, incredibly quiet.
The more they did so, the more thick and mighty pressure surrounded the area.
Beside Reng Wus' Progenitor was Virtue Rooters' Progenitor, who had graying hair, the body of a snake, and a head of a human, and whose scales were rotting. At that moment, a sinister glare shone in his eyes.
"The ripples of power from the appearance of the fifth stone this time surpassed the appearances before, which is why so many people were lured to this place. But I can choose not to fight over that stone. I only want… that person's head!" Virtue Rooters' Progenitor lifted his right hand and pointed at Su Ming.
"If it wasn't because the ripples were strongest ever recorded in history, I wouldn't have come here personally either." A hoarse voice tumbled slowly out of the mouth of the Reng Wus' Progenitor.
"Lock down the area. Notify all outsiders that this place… has been occupied by us Reng Wus for the next six months. Those who step in will be wiped out along with their whole race."
A barely noticeable glint appeared in the old Reng Wu's eyes. When he spoke flatly, hundreds of Reng Wus immediately appeared behind him. They moved back without a single sound until they were one hundred thousand feet away. They were connected to each other in a arc-shaped line. Dark light spread out from their bodies, and from the distance, they looked as if they had formed a lock.
"We don't even need to take action. The guardian of the fifth ocean has already arrived." A cold sneer appeared on the old Reng Wu's face. As he spoke, the whole fifth ocean started tumbling furiously.
As it tumbled about, booming sounds reverberated in space ferociously. This change immediately attracted Zi Long and the others' attention. When they looked over, booming sounds rose up nonstop, and four figures could be seen vaguely rushing forward.
After them were countless long arcs who approached the place with loud roars.
They were indistinct due to the sea of fog covering them. When the group managed to see their faces properly, the expressions of Zi Long and the others immediately changed drastically.
The four people at the forefront wore white masks. Each of them had a different expression: happiness, anger, grief, and resentment. As for the people in the long arcs behind them, they were a group of expressionless people dressed in black leather armor.
These people charged forward as those long arcs and in no time appeared behind Su Ming and the others.
Su Ming opened his eyes while seated, and a strange light shone in them.
'They're finally here,' Su Ming thought quietly in his heart. In truth, the instant he activated the fifth stone and the long arc shot through the fifth ocean, he sensed the presences of the guardians within the depths.
"Offering!" A voice that no one else could hear echoed in Su Ming's heart at that moment. This was a voice that only the person with the fifth stone could hear—the voice of the fifth ocean's guardians.
When Su Ming heard it, he closed his eyes.
The situation they were in right then was one where the Reng Wu Race locked the area in front of them, and the guardians of the fifth ocean appeared behind them. A powerful sense of danger immediately surged up in Zi Long and the others' hearts.
The danger was especially strong from the four people in white masks. The cold look in their eyes and the ripples of power spreading out from their bodies showed that they were all Almighties in Mastery Realm.
In the mid of the harsh and grim atmosphere within the fifth ocean, the person with the Mask of Happiness said faintly, "Give up the fifth stone, and all of you will be free to leave."
When he said that, the galaxy around the area immediately rumbled. Countless bolts of lightning appeared in all directions. As the people spoke, a region of lightning formed around them.
"With just words, he brought about lightning!" Zi Long's expression changed again, and he instinctively took a few steps backwards.
Flame Fiends' Progenitor turned pale. By his side, Long Hai's eyes sparkled. He cast a glance at Su Ming, then at Zhu You Cai.
"Freedom might be precious, and the chance of using one year to redeem my freedom instead of one thousand or ten thousand years might be rare, but if the price for it is my life, then I will have to choose again," Progenitor Long Hai said calmly, and he moved back slowly.
"I will be considered to have gone against our promise, so you can treat it as me not having fulfilled my oath. If you want to crush the oath, I will be helpless to do anything about it." As Progenitor Long Hai spoke, he moved back swiftly and charged towards the Reng Wus.
"Progenitor of Reng Wus, do you still remember me? I did all this because I was forced by an oath, which is why I had to defend this place. Now, since there is no longer hope in turning the tables, please open the path and let me leave. I will surely repay in the future." Progenitor Long Hai wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed to the Reng Wus.
A glint shone in Reng Wus��� Progenitor's eyes, and a faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.
"I see, so it is fellow Daoist Long Hai. I see no problem in this. My other fellow Daoists, if you want to leave, I will definitely not make it hard for you. What we want is only the fifth stone and the person who possesses it. As for the others, all of you may leave."
As he spoke, he lifted his right hand. Immediately, the people behind him split into two directions and revealed a path. Progenitor Long Hai charged quickly towards that area and bowed towards Reng Wus' Progenitor again. He turned into a long arc, then left into the distance through the tunnel that was opened up.
Not a single hint of change appeared on Su Ming's expression because of Progenitor Long Hai's departure. He still stayed with his eyes closed, as if he was meditating, and did not move.
Flame Fiends' Progenitor hesitated for a moment. When he looked towards Su Ming, conflict appeared in his eyes. After a long while, he heaved a long sigh. He could imagine that Long Hai had prepared for this since the start, which was why he could do this so freely and casually, but for Flame Fiends' Progenitor…
Zi Long was silent. He cast a glance at Su Ming, then looked behind him before finally settling on Zhu You Cai for a moment. Then, he lowered his head and bowed towards Su Ming. He did not mention the matter about the God Ascension Nectar. As he turned around, he rushed towards the Reng Wus.
He, too, chose to give up.
It was not that Zi Long did not consider Zhu You Cai being able to resolve everything in this predicament, but when he saw the Reng Wus, that belief was shaken. Others might not know much about the Reng Wus, only that this race was mysterious and lived in Divine Essence Star Ocean, but it wasn't the case for him.
As someone from one of the four Great True Worlds, he had done a detailed investigation in regards to the Reng Wus, and he knew that there was a mysterious legacy among them. That legacy allowed each of their Progenitors to leave behind their Nascent Divinity once their bodies returned to the earth. Each generation's Nascent Divinity would be gathered to add to the existence that akin to a God.
That existence was the true reason behind why the four Great True Worlds were wary of Reng Wus.
That existence's level of cultivation was the Reng Wu Race's greatest secret, and they did everything they could to hide all information regarding it.
Only the forces of power from the four Great True Worlds could dig out a little. Based on their analysis, that existence should have some defects and limitations, but even so, it could still… make the Sublime Paragons from the four Great True Worlds turn their gazes away and never come to this place to interfere with the race's growth.
That was why Zi Long, who already had his will shaken when he saw the Reng Wu Race, no longer possessed any confidence when it came to the point that even the guardians from the fifth ocean showed up. Especially when he saw the four people with the masks of happiness, anger, grief, and resentment.
The four people of happiness, anger, grief, and resentment might have looked as if they were only in Mastery Realm, but Zi Long knew that they were existences that had lived for a very, very long time, and happiness, anger, grief, and resentment were legacies that were passed down through generations.
Which was why he chose to leave. God Ascension Nectar might be important, but compared to his life, it was only secondary.
When Flame Fiends' Progenitor saw that Zi Long was also leaving, the conflict in his heart reached its peak, but when he looked towards Su Ming again, he clenched his teeth tightly… and did not choose to leave.
At that moment, not even Huo Kui himself knew why he chose that. It was just that when he was beside Su Ming in the fifth kiln, the miracles he witnessed had shocked him continuously. They gave him to a vague feeling that Su Ming… should be able to resolve the crisis.
When the guardian from the fifth ocean, the person with the Mask of Happiness, let out a cold harrumph and moved forward, overlapping shadows appeared swiftly on his body, as if a clone was about to be separated from him.
His real self was still there, but the clone stepped out and walked on lightning to charge towards Flame Fiends' Progenitor. A fierce glare shone in the eyes of Flame Fiends' Progenitor. Since he had already decided to stay, he naturally made all preparations necessary for a fight. The instant the clone of the person with the Mask of Happiness closed in, Flame Fiends' Progenitor rushed forward, and the two of them immediately stirred up a series of loud bangs in the middle of space.
Chapter 1028: Happiness, Anger, Grief, Resentment
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
At the same time, the three people with the Masks of Anger, Grief, and Resentment took a step forward at the same time. Their clones also appeared. Wind, rain, and thunderbolts immediately erupted from their clones. They split into three directions and charged towards Su Ming.
Su Ming still had his eyes closed and was still meditating. A glint appeared in Zhu You Cai's eyes. He took a swift step forward and walked towards the three people who were coming towards them.
At that moment, the Reng Wus' Progenitor had a dark smile on his lips. With one move, he turned into the distortions in space and took a step towards the place where Su Ming was. Behind him, the Virtue Rooters' Progenitor and the three Almighties in Mastery Realm… and the large number of Reng Wus also took a step forward.
Boom!
At the edge of the fifth ocean was the galactic beach formed by shattered stones. It shuddered abruptly, and as it trembled, the Reng Wus approached en masse. It was especially so for the Reng Wus' Progenitor. He was so quick that he reached Su Ming's side in the blink of an eye.
At that moment, the Flame Fiends' Progenitor was being held back by the clone of the person with the Mask of Happiness from the fifth ocean. Zhu You Cai was fighting against the remaining three clones. When he turned his back around, a brilliant light shone in his eyes. He brought his right hand up, and a piercing purple light immediately erupted swiftly from the Life Inequity Spear in front of Su Ming.
This light swept through the area swiftly. Booming sounds instantly echoed in space. That Reng Wus' Progenitor tumbled backwards. When he was touched by that purple light, he coughed up a mouthful of blood. Behind him, most of the Virtue Rooters' Progenitor instantly had most of his body disintegrate. As he was reduced to a bloody mess, his Nascent Divinity was separated from him, and with a loud scream, he retreated swiftly.
The three of his kind who were Almighties in Mastery Realm and who had followed behind the Reng Wus' Progenitor also looked as if their bodies were about to evaporate during that instant. They looked as if they were about to be destroyed and disappear. The Reng Wus��� Progenitor pounced on them, and a large amount of blood fog erupted from his body with a bang before he swept them up and retreated ten thousand feet away. When he reappeared, he coughed up blood again. As for the other three, they were covered head to toe in wounds.
The four of them had clearly activated their full power to resist Zhu You Cai's attack, but they still could not fight against it. They had only managed to barely resist that attack after the Reng Wus' Progenitor had that blood fog erupt from him and after he infused some of that strange power from his race, but they were all still heavily injured.
As for the Virtue Rooters' Progenitor, he retreated swiftly and appeared thousands of feet away. Then, his entire body trembled before he was torn into shreds, and his body as well as his soul were destroyed!
With one strike, the sky and earth were shocked. This was the power of the War Immortal.
The three clones fighting against Zhu You Cai also disappeared instantly from before Zhu You Cai under the purple light from the Life Inequity Spear, as if they were dust that was blown away by the wind.
With a buzz, the Life Inequity Spear was held by Zhu You Cai. He stood in front of Su Ming and swept his spear sideways.
"I am here. Who dares to come forth?" Zhu You Cai asked flatly. His voice echoed in the area, causing the entire region to fall incredibly quiet during that instant.
"As expected of an Almighty in Life Realm!" The Reng Wus' Progenitor wiped off the blood at the corners of his lips. A surprised glint shone in his eyes. As he mumbled to himself, the four real masked people of happiness, anger, grief, and resentment from the fifth ocean had their eyes sparkle at the same time before they instantly took a step forward and charged to towards Zhu You Cai simultaneously.
"Happiness!" the person with the Mask of Happiness immediately spoke while he moved forward. His voice was ancient, but had a force akin to thunder roaring. As booming sounds shook the area, his mask instantly melted. As it melted, it started spreading out swiftly until it covered his entire body. Then, his body started abruptly twisting before he turned into a large runic symbol in the middle of space.
An ancient, prehistoric presence spread out from that runic symbol. If there was anyone who could understand the ancient alphabet, then they would be able to recognize that the meaning of the runic symbol was the source of all joy in the universe.
This was an ancient runic symbol that would cause all who saw it to be unable to help themselves but feel happiness immediately rise within the depths of their hearts!
When that runic symbol appeared, a thick wave of happiness surrounded the entire galaxy. As that presence spread out, a happy smile immediately appeared on the Flame Fiends' Progenitor, but the look in his eyes was clearly that of fear.
At the same time, those Reng Wus also came to a stop, and fear appeared on their faces. In fact, the three heavily injured Almighties in Mastery Realm all reacted in the same manner.
Only… three people did not react the same way.
One of them was Zhu You Cai. His expression remained the same and there was not a hint of change on him. The second was the Reng Wus' Progenitor. His expression was dark. The space around him distorted, a telling sign that he had activated the laws of fate's power to fight against the Runic Symbol of Happiness that hailed from a time long past.
The last… was Su Ming.
The gray-haired Su Ming was the master over all administrations regarding death. In his mind, which was dominated by complete rationality, not a single hint of emotion would appear. Even that Runic Symbol of Happiness from ancient times would find it difficult to fuse even a single bit into his heart.
He closed his eyes and still did not take any action towards everything happening around him.
However, at the instant the Runic Symbol of Happiness appeared, the person with the Mask of Anger immediately had his mask melt, and as it covered his entire body and twisted his figure, he turned swiftly into the second runic symbol.
This was the Runic Symbol of Anger!
When that runic symbol appeared, the presence in the galaxy was forcefully changed. Once it changed from happiness to anger, the emotions of the Flame Fiends' Progenitor changed and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. When he fell backwards, his entire body was filled with rage. However, this rage formed an indefinable, bizarre air when it was compared to the even greater fear in his eyes.
He was not the only one. The three Almighties in Mastery Realm from the Reng Wu Race and all the other Reng Wus were the same.
This change in their emotion was not due to their will, but was a forceful change in them brought by the power of the world, and it was the most damaging of all attacks.
At the same time, the third runic symbol appeared with a bang. At the instant the Runic Symbol of Grief appeared, the presence in the universe changed again. This time, almost at the moment the change occurred, the fourth runic symbol immediately appeared with a bang.
That was the Runic Symbol of Resentment. It caused the entire galaxy to immediately be filled with a strong resentment, and as it occurred, the Flame Fiends' Progenitor let out a shrill scream of pain. With a bang, his body tumbled backwards until he fell on a shattered rock not too far away from Su Ming. When blood trickled out of the corners of his mouth, confusion appeared in his eyes, and he looked as if he had lost consciousness. Occasionally, joy would appear on his face, and sometimes, it would be anger, and every now and then, it would be grief, and at other times, it would be resentment.
It was the same for the Reng Wus. In fact, even the Reng Wus' Progenitor was also shivering. The distortions around him were twisting and changing nonstop because he had exerted the powers of the laws of fate to their absolute limit.
However, slight changes had still appeared on his face. The corners of his lips curled up. That was the appearance of joy.
At that moment, it could be seen that mighty pressure from the full appearance of the Runic Symbols of Happiness, Anger, Grief, and Resentment in the area at that moment… had already surpassed that of an Almighty in Fate Realm!
At the same time, a grim expression that had never appeared before showed up on Zhu You Cai's face as he confronted the four runic symbols. He tightened his grip over the Life Inequity Spear, and the four runic symbols let out a loud bang to charge towards him. As they spun around continuously around him, the four of them turned into a spinning whirlwind.
As the whirlwind spun, those people dressed in black leather armor from the fifth ocean immediately sat down cross-legged, and their bodies instantly vanished into the fog within the fifth ocean.
When all of them disappeared and as the whirlwind spun even faster, a loud bang that surged into the heavens immediately rose in the fifth ocean. The entire fifth ocean started spinning during that instant to form a gigantic whirlpool that swept through the entire area with loud booming sounds. Its waves shook the entire universe.
At that moment, as the whirlpool rotated and as the fog in the ocean gathered together, a gigantic face immediately formed in the fifth ocean. There was a smile on that face, and when it rose up from the fifth ocean, it said one single word towards the cosmos, the universe, and the galaxy.
"Happiness!"
When this word appeared, a shocking bang immediately travelled out of the whirlwind that surrounded Zhu You Cai.
"Anger!" That voice appeared again.
"Grief!
"Resentment!" At the instant that gigantic face formed of seawater said each word each time, its face would also change, and the whirlwind which surrounded Zhu You Cai would also let out a loud bang that shook the sky and earth.
Zhu You Cai's face while he was in the whirlwind was sullen but pale. As his entire body distorted, he lifted the Life Inequity Spear in his right hand and thrust it downwards swiftly.
"Impermanence… of Life and Death [1]."
As he mumbled these words, the long spear at his feet let out a loud bang, and black light erupted from it. This light swept through the entire area and crashed into the whirlwind as well as the four runic symbols. As the world roared, the whirlwind stopped spinning for a moment right under everyone's eyes before it swiftly disintegrated into its surroundings. The impact that stirred up swept through the fifth ocean, and as the whirlwind collapsed, a ray of black light shot out swiftly to turn into a long arc that charged towards the face in the fifth ocean.
Booming sounds rose again.
At the instant the face from the fifth ocean collided against the long spear, it was torn to shreds. At the same time, when the disintegrating whirlwind scattered in all directions, the four runic symbols were flung out and turned into four figures in the middle of space. They coughed up a mouthful of blood and raised their heads swiftly to look at Zhu You Cai coldly.
Zhu You Cai's face was pale as he stood in space. When blood trickled out of the corners of his mouth, he staggered and plunged to a shattered stone beside Su Ming. At the instant his body landed, he swiftly gained his footing, and when he lifted his right hand, black light shone in the fifth ocean before it returned to his hand to turn into the Life Inequity Spear. He stabbed it into the shattered stone to support himself so that he would not fall.
"Endless Cycles of Life!" A brilliant light shone in Zhu You Cai's eyes, and he lifted his left hand to swiftly point at the center of his brows.
However, at the instant the tip of his finger touched the center of his brows, the Reng Wus' Progenitor in the distance suddenly laughed loudly. He had been waiting for a long time, and this Almighty in Life Realm had finally executed the Endless Cycles of Life Art.
At the instant his laughter echoed in space, an ordinary looking Reng Wu behind him immediately lifted his head swiftly and took a step towards Zhu You Cai. He was so quick that he moved like a flash of lightning. When he moved over, his body withered swiftly, and he became so emaciated that he looked like a skeleton in the span of a breath. At the instant he appeared beside Zhu You Cai, his body immediately turned into powder under this speed.
However, that powder turned into a huge hand that seized Zhu You Cai's head. A power… that surpassed Life Realm also spread out from that hand, and it was… the power of Death Realm!
Translator's Notes:
1. Impermanence of Life and Death: Impermanence itself is related to one of the three existences in Buddhism, and it is also known as Anicca or Anitya. The basic gist here is that life and death is unpredictable.