1126 - 1132

Chapter 1126: This Art is Ocean Remover!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Perhaps even he doesn't know about this," Su Ming mumbled. "Perhaps this is just a misunderstanding. Perhaps these are just guesses and this is how the Seed of Life Extermination grows. Once it becomes complete, everything will change. It must be."

Su Ming fell silent, and he suppressed the anguish and doubts in his heart.

As he remained silent, the pain from his Nascent Divinity continued attacking his senses. Su Ming was forced to shift his attention to his Nascent Divinity again. This time, he did not look at the Seed of Life Extermination, but intentionally ignored it. He did not want to continue thinking too deeply about this problem, so he chose to observe the only other thing he could.

The Abyss Gate, which had devoured a large amount of Su Ming's life force, countless cultivators, and even planets had began nourishing Su Ming in the world with the ocean of light, thereby allowing his Nascent Divinity to become an imperishable existence.

Su Ming stared at the Abyss Gate formed by crystallization. It gave off a feeling that it was very feeble, that it could be crushed with the slightest squeeze.

It was just like a door which belonged to a poor man's house in the mortal world. There was a huge difference between it and the doors of those with illustrious statuses or the royal family.

It was not a difference in growth, but a difference in foundation.

Su Ming stared at his rather shoddy Abyss Gate quietly.

As time passed, he averted his gaze and stared at the ocean of light around him. He could not move his body, because the moment he did so, intense pain which was thousands of times stronger than before would course through his body. He had also noticed that the Aura of Abyss spreading out from his Abyss Gate was gradually lessening.

Once it stopped, his Nascent Divinity would stop healing. At that time, what would await him would be his Nascent Divinity being instantly crushed.

And if he moved, he would just speed up the release rate of his Aura of Abyss and shorten the time till his death.

'Perhaps… I will really need to stay here for eternity. Baldy, you're late…'

Su Ming believed that the bald crane would come, but perhaps it had gone off to another direction in the vast ocean of light.

But even at that moment, Su Ming did not fear death. He only felt slightly regretful. He regretted that he did not manage to save Yu Xuan, find his senior brothers, and fulfill his wish of creating a home for himself.

These regrets turned into a sigh. As he lay in the ocean of light, he overlooked the amount of Aura of Abyss spreading out from his body and ignored the signs of death because he suddenly realized that the light around him… was actually very beautiful.

This sort of beautiful sight could not be seen in the universe. It could only be seen in this place, and it was an indescribable beauty formed by an innumerable number of light rays.

He paid no heed to what would happen after he died and just watched the lights, admiring the beauty which would become the last thing he saw in his life when his Nascent Divinity vanished.

As he continued watching, Su Ming forgot his current condition. He felt as if he had become a part of the endless light and as if they had fused together. He swam about in the world without restraint.

"This ocean is formed by light which can be seen and wind which can be detected…" Su Ming mumbled. He ignored his imminent death and immersed himself in the strange feeling.

While within it, he felt like he had returned to the past, when he was in the land of Berserkers and gained his epiphany to clear his mind in the ninth summit. During it, he had understood how to clear his mind with drawing and what it meant to have changes of heart.

This time, as he watched the light, he was immersed in a situation akin to gaining an epiphany. However, he was not in a trance as he went through a change of heart. Instead, he was in a trance because of the ocean of light's magnificence and beauty.

Perhaps only when a person was about to die yet completely forgot its shadow looming over their heads would they be able to observe the beauty of this light so wholeheartedly.

Maybe because Su Ming knew that he would not be able to watch it for much longer, he valued what little time he had.

Time trickled by. As the ocean of light moved about, Su Ming was swept even further away, and he saw more light rays. There was no end to them, and his body was surrounded by light.

He did not notice though that the Aura of Abyss spreading out from his body had become thinner and that it seemed like before long there would be no more Aura of Abyss left to nourish his body.

And his Nascent Divinity was being torn apart even more violently while he was swept about in the ocean of light.

"What a strange light. Once it fuses with the wind, it forms an ocean, and it possesses the power that can destroy everything…" As Su Ming mumbled under his breath, he saw a flash of black among the many lights. He was familiar with it, for it was the Light of Extreme Darkness.

"Then… how was the light formed?"

Su Ming had forgotten that he currently existed only as a Nascent Divinity and was immersed in the strange condition. He stared at the endless light around him with the question in his mind.

He wanted to know the answer, to learn how the light appeared and understand why there were countless variations of it, how it formed the ocean, and how it possessed such an astonishing power which could destroy everything in the world.

Before he came into contact with the Light of Extreme Darkness, Su Ming had not believed that light was a form of energy. It was something which could be seen and was indispensable in the galaxy. However, the Light of Extreme Darkness he encountered in Morning Dao Sect's Striking Lands had overturned his thoughts. He gradually came to accept… that light was a form of energy.

While he disregarded the problem of his upcoming death, Su Ming had a feeling like he had turned into light. The brightness of the Light of Extreme Darkness among the countless rays of light seemed to have taken away all what remained of his will in the Nascent Divinity, causing Su Ming to feel… as if he had become a part of the light beyond the universe.

He felt like the Light of Extreme Darkness, and he swam about all sorts of other lights. As he continued thinking, he felt like the rays of light were continuously being magnified. He had done it to the limit of his third eye, and what he saw… was no longer light.

Instead, there was nothingness surrounding two huge runic symbols. They were not drawn by man, but seemed to have been born naturally beyond the universe. They also only looked like runic symbols, but were not. Their complexity was definitely not something that cultivators could create or copy.

Su Ming saw the two symbols crash against each other before fusing together. The fusion rate was perfect, and once they become one, he saw that their complexity had increased even more. It was as if the runic symbols Su Ming had seen just then were just a Brand of a lowest grade, and once they fused together, they rapidly rose to a higher level.

As the runic symbol evolved from a lower to a higher form of existence, threads of power that Su Ming could not see but could feel and which terrified him rushed out from the void. They fused into the runic symbols like they were the nourishment the symbols needed during their process of moving from a lower to a higher form of existence.

When the transformation of the runic symbol reached its peak and its absorption of the power seemed to have reached a boundless state, Su Ming suddenly saw that the runic symbol—now so complicated that it was impossible to describe it with words—experience a reversion. It no longer continued improving, but instead started changing from a higher to a lower form of existence.

During the transformation, there was no longer any power from the void fusing into the runic symbol. When it changed from a higher to a lower form of existence, an indescribable, terrifying power was released from within it.

As it was released… light appeared!

When Su Ming saw this, his heart started trembling furiously. He had a vague feeling that he seemed to have understood something, but the simplicity in this complexity was always a hair's breadth away from giving him an epiphany. He lacked something to connect all of it to himself.

'Breathing! It's breathing!'

Su Ming's mind trembled. During that instant, he found the connection—it was breathing. The feeling he had from the scene he'd just watched was similar to one of his own breathing.

First was inhalation. This action was the runic symbols absorbing a large amount of power from the space around it to transform into a higher form of existence. When it reached the peak, it exhaled, and it was the same as releasing the power from the void which it had absorbed. Then… light would be formed!

At the instant Su Ming came to understand this, a loud roar rang out in his mind. His Abyss Gate no longer released the Aura of Abyss, and his Nascent Divinity was about to be torn apart by the ocean of light.

Yet during that moment, Su Ming closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath of the light. His Nascent Divinity came to a swift halt, and the instant Su Ming exhaled, his Nascent Divinity swiftly started recovering. Strong rays of light also swiftly spread out from it.

His Nascent Divinity shuddered. His eyes flew open, and understanding appeared in them.

'There isn't any wind here! The light formed this ocean because it is a type of energy, and it looked like it was being moved because it was being released. This released light is thus strong enough to destroy everything!

'Light… This is light!'

The light from Su Ming's Nascent Divinity reached one hundred thousand feet. He moved slightly in the ocean of light and fused completely with the light around him.

Dazzling light shone in his eyes. He sucked in a deep breath, and loud rumbles immediately spread out from his Nascent Divinity. Two faint balls of light appeared within him, and in them were the two complicated runic symbols Su Ming had seen earlier. As he breathed in, they fused together in his body.

Immediately after, a large amount of power from the void turned into the air that he sucked in, causing the fusion of the runic symbols in his body to jump from a lower to a higher form of existence before they swiftly reversed and released a powerful light.

Su Ming's breathing became more rapid. The light from the runic symbols in his body became stronger as they ceaselessly moved from a lower to higher form of existence before reversing. The light spread out to one thousand, ten thousand, one hundred thousand feet… After a short span of a dozen breaths, Su Ming threw his head back and roared. The light in his body had already reached hundreds of thousands of feet in all directions.

During that instant, Su Ming was the ocean of light. The light he released had already become an ocean. From within it, all the other rays of light were chased away, and only Su Ming's light remained. It was… the Light of Extreme Darkness!

"This Art is what appears after Mountain Shifter, and it will be known as Ocean Remover [1]!"

At the instant Su Ming's voice reverberated in the air, he leapt up. From the distance, it looked as if an ocean of light had risen, and with a vast presence, it shook the whole world!

When Su Ming rose to the heavens with the ocean of light, he pushed down fiercely. The space roared, and a rarely seen sight of a loud roar breaking the silence in the world in the ocean of light could be seen!

Translator's Note:

Mountain Shifter and Ocean Remover: This is so much of a genius it has to be mentioned. It's actually an idiom known as 移山倒海 (yi2 shan1 dao3 hai3), literally meaning to move mountains and seas, and the real meaning is humans changing nature.

Chapter 1127: Essence of Light!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

'Light of Extreme Darkness. Right now, I am the Light of Extreme Darkness. I wonder if I can be considered to have reached the fulfillment of the Light of Extreme Darkness?!'

A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. His body turned into endless light and formed the ocean of light. When booming sounds spread out in all directions and the light disappeared, all the Light of Extreme Darkness swiftly shrank to form a single figure.

It had fluttering black hair, a dazzling black robe, and a profound dark light shining in its black eyes. Naturally, it was Su Ming.

He stood alone in the ocean of light. At that moment, he was a part of the ocean and no longer felt any hint of himself being torn apart. Instead, he had a feeling like he had the power to move the universe with just a flip of his hand.

'I haven't reached fulfillment yet. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. If I had reached fulfillment, then when I sent out this Light of Extreme Darkness, the Light of Extreme Darkness born from the ocean of light would have come to me as well.

'Light of Extreme Darkness… The word extreme shows its domineering nature, and it will belong solely to me if I reach fulfillment in cultivating it!'

Su Ming's eyes sparkled. After a moment, determination appeared in his eyes. He closed them, and when he stretched out his arms, the two runic symbols in his body fused together and released their energy. The black Light of Extreme Darkness instantly erupted from Su Ming's body.

This time, he did not even try to intentionally stop it. He did not think about his own limits. He wanted to release all the Light of Extreme Darkness which could be produced in his body, and he wanted to release it to its limits!

These thoughts seemed to stir up his Light of Extreme Darkness and form a strange sort of unity with it. Immediately, the Light of Extreme Darkness spreading out from Su Ming's body erupted and spread out at an indescribable speed.

Ten thousand, one hundred thousand, three hundred thousand, around one million feet, and eventually, millions of feet. If anyone cast their gaze across the area, they would find that all the light around Su Ming had been chased off. The only thing remaining was a ball of extreme black. Only the Light of Extreme Darkness was left!

Even when the light had spread out to this extent, Su Ming did not intend to stop. He could sense that he had yet to reach his limit and that he had not reached the extent which he expected.

His intentions were very simple. There were countless differing rays of light in the world, but he had chosen to become the Light of Extreme Darkness. And since he did so, he would become the only Light of Extreme Darkness in the universe!

The one and only!

The light from Su Ming's body was still spreading out in all directions. In the blink of an eye, it covered an area that was nearly ten million feet in diameter. As time passed, it surpassed this area and continued spreading boundlessly until Su Ming finally sensed his limits.

However, he still chose not to give up, because he sensed that he had yet to become the only Light of Extreme Darkness. That was why even if he had reached his limits, the two runic symbols in his body continued absorbing and releasing power.

When Su Ming reached the point when he no longer knew how far his Light of Extreme Darkness had expanded, a loud rumble came from his body. At the instant it resounded within him, Su Ming felt that his Light of Extreme Darkness had reached a boundary and broken through some sort of seal. His heart trembled.

The Light of Extreme Darkness spreading out from his body seemed to have become slightly different from before, but Su Ming could not tell what exactly was different. The only thing he could see was that the two runic symbols in his body had fused together and become even more complicated. He had a strong feeling… that they had truly fused together.

They were no longer fusing together to absorb the power from the void and separating to release light. It looked like they would no longer separate from then on.

At the same time, Su Ming sensed that he no longer needed to control anything or release anything. The Light of Extreme Darkness which had appeared around him in this area of tens of millions of feet seemed… to have become an eternal existence!

'Essence of Light!'

Su Ming came to a swift realization. At that moment, not only was he no longer required to continuously release power to form the Light of Extreme Darkness, he himself had become an Essence of Light which could constantly release it.

Soon after, Su Ming sensed that there were four origins of the Light of Extreme Darkness which were the exact same as him in the boundless ocean of light!

These were four ancient origins of light, and it was clear that they had existed for countless years. They had naturally formed after the scattered Lights of Extreme Darkness in the endless streams of light had gathered together.

An ancient feeling rose in Su Ming's heart at that moment. When he perceived the four origins of light from the distance, a brilliant glare shone in his eyes.

Since he had become the Light of Extreme Darkness, he would become the one and only Light of Extreme Darkness in this world. This thought stemmed from Su Ming's personality. As his eyes sparkled, he swept up the tens of millions of feet worth of ocean formed by his Light of Extreme Darkness, and as a loud bang shot up into the air, he swiftly traveled towards the closest origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness.

The memory of him devouring the portions of Ecang's real self in the past arose in Su Ming's head. However, this time, he was not going to devour the sentient Ecang. Instead, he was going to devour the Light of Extreme Darkness born in this world.

He would do so to become the one and only source in this place. This was Su Ming's personality, and also an unseen law in this world. No one had set it down, and neither was there any living beings who had the right to form this law. It was just how nature was.

It was similar to that moment. The boundless lights in the ocean of light shone with a dazzling brilliance, but they were not sentient. This meant that once one of them became a sentient being, the other similar forms of light would be made to merge with it.

The ones who were sentient would gather the others to fuse with them. This was one of the unseen laws in the universe. It could not be changed, and no one would want to change it.

Time trickled by. With his speed after he turned into the Light of Extreme Darkness, Su Ming reached a vast mass of black seawater several days later. It was an ocean formed by black light, and it was born from the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness which was the exact same entity as he.

The process of Su Ming devouring it began the moment he saw it. The black Light of Extreme Darkness fused with him, and there was not a single bit of struggle from it. In just a few breaths, a long howl reverberated in the ocean of light. At that instant, both origins of light fused completely. A gigantic ball of light exuding light which could spread to one hundred million feet appeared in the ocean of light.

As that huge ball of the Light of Extreme Darkness appeared and Su Ming's howl reverberated in the ocean of light, his heart trembled again, and the feeling as if some sort of seal had been broken rose in his heart. At that instant, the other three balls of the Light of Extreme Darkness which he had perceived from the distance earlier collapsed simultaneously to turn into countless Lights of Extreme Darkness that charged towards him at an extreme speed from all directions.

Their act of drawing closer to him made it seem like Su Ming had become the Progenitor of the Light of Extreme Darkness, and all of the Lights of Extreme Darkness born in this ocean of light longed to fuse with him. They charged forward, and within several days, they continuously approached him. The ball of light which was Su Ming continued expanding from its previous one hundred million feet.

Every single time he fused with a ray of the Light of Extreme Darkness, the ball of light would become slightly larger. Once he had fused with all the Lights of Extreme Darkness within his perception, his heart roared, and the ocean of light within a circular area of three hundred million feets turned black!

Yet it was also at that moment that six other huge origins of light appeared in Su Ming's perception. They were all larger than Su Ming, and they were so far away from him that even if he turned into the Light of Extreme Darkness and charged forward at full speed, he would still need hundreds of years to reach them.

The ocean of light was simply too big; there was no end to it. In fact, Su Ming had a very strong feeling that even if he fused with the six origins of light, he would still sense even larger origins of the Light of Extreme Darkness in the endless ocean of light.

"Cultivating light is like cultivating Dao… There is no end to light, and there is… no end to Dao," Su Ming mumbled. He seemed to have come to understand something from the Light of Extreme Darkness, but when he pondered over it, he felt as if he had not understood anything.

In silence, he gave up on continuing to fuse with the other Lights of Extreme Darkness. It was not because he could not do it, but because it would require too much time, and as of then, time was incredibly precious to him.

"It's about time that I leave, but before I do, I still need one more light."

All the Lights of Extreme Darkness around Su Ming vanished, and he changed into the figure with the black attire. While standing in the ocean of light, he looked like he was the master of the area. Mumbling under his breath, he took a step forward.

He walked among all the colorful lights until he found… the light with dashes of red and white intersecting with each other, the one which allowed him to see the veins from the Seed of Life Extermination on his Nascent Divinity.

He swung his arm and took a strand of it into his own body. Once he placed it in his Nascent Divinity, he prepared to leave the ocean of light. Suddenly though, his expression changed and he turned into the Light of Extreme Darkness. The ocean of light of three hundred million feet appeared in his heart.

Su Ming saw the bald crane carefully swimming through the ocean of light in the distance. It would occasionally scream and at other times curse. It looked like the damage to it from the rays of light varied; some of them would hurt worse, while the others would only injure it lightly. It was evading all the ones which would deal heavy damage while moving forward through the ocean of light.

At the same time, Su Ming saw an existence which was clearly a soul thread moving in another direction. It had attached itself to a ray of light and was struggling to keep itself afloat. However, it looked like it was about to dissipate.

After a moment of pensive silence, Su Ming raised his foot and took a step forward. His body vanished, and when he appeared, he was right in front of the bald crane. The moment he showed up, the bald crane screamed.

"Darn it all, just what sort of rotten luck do I have?! T-T-This is… This is an Essence of Light! I'm done for! I'm seriously done for! Su Ming, you thrice cursed bastard, it's not that I don't want to save you,but I'm in trouble myself!!" As the bald crane screamed, it swiftly retreated with fear on its face.

But the bald crane could not be blamed for not recognizing Su Ming. In its eyes, there was no Su Ming, but a figure with the Light of Extreme Darkness spreading out from it. That light cut off all forms of presences from appearing beyond it, and all other rays of light avoided the area, not daring to get any closer. To the bald crane, this proved that it was faced with an Essence of Light.

Su Ming smiled faintly, but the bald crane could not see it. With swing of his arm, a ball of Light of Extreme Darkness enveloped the bald crane. He brought it through space, straight where he had sensed the soul thread.

Chapter 1128: Do Enter My Trap

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"O Lord Essence of Light, please spare me, and you can be my grandson… This is just nonsense, what am I saying? Spare me, please, take pity on me. I have a wife and children, y-you… Damn it, you stupid Essence of Light, you're not sentient, so there's no use for me to even bother begging for mercy!"

As the bald crane screamed, its body shuddered. It was enveloped by a large ball made of the Light of Extreme Darkness. As Su Ming moved forward, the bald crane's voice continued echoing around him.

"Damn it, why was there an Essence of Light here? I avoided all of them so carefully, and I even sensed that the closest one was very far away from me just moments ago. The region in which I was should have had no origins of light!

"Little Boy Su, you seriously came to be the death of me. My crystals, farewell! I'm such a pitiful crane, I haven't even collected enough of you. I only have such a small amount. I'm such a pitiful crane for not fulfilling my grand wish to buy an entire True World…"

While the bald crane wailed, Su Ming reached the spot where the soul thread was. He saw it at first glance. The soul thread had attached itself to a ray of milky white light which was a little strange. It was not harmful, and instead nourished Nascent Divinities, which was why the soul thread was only dissipating. Otherwise, it would have disintegrated a long time ago.

Clearly, the soul thread knew about the milky white light, which was why it had thought of such a method to prolong its life.

As he stared at the soul thread, surprise appeared in Su Ming's eyes. He lifted his right hand and pointed at the milky white light. Immediately, a memory rose in his mind; it came from the milky white light. In it, Su Ming saw the soul thread appear a month ago.

It had arrived at the exact same time as Su Ming.

"Huh? You're just an Essence of Light, so what are you doing? You know how to lift your hand? Ah! I understand now, you can move freely! You intentionally appeared in front of me! This is impossible, origins of light are not sentient! How could they move?"

The bald crane stared at Su Ming's figure from the envelopment of the Light of Extreme Darkness. The person before it looked incredibly bizarre, and the bald crane shouted out in surprise and disbelief.

Su Ming lifted his right hand and flicked the space in front of him. Immediately, the milky white light started twisting, bouncing off the soul thread, and Su Ming caught it.

"You… You… You have an arm! You are sentient! Oh heavens, you are sentient!" the bald crane shouted out and began rambling on. When Su Ming seized the soul thread with his right hand, he sent over a crystal with a fling of his left hand.

The bald crane caught it on instinct and placed it in its beak to bit down hard. Its expression lit up the next moment. In fact, both its bald tail and butt were shaken several times.

Su Ming gripped the soul thread. It struggled feebly in his hand, but under the Light of Extreme Darkness, its struggles were futile. A divine sense possessing Su Ming's Light of Extreme Darkness fused swiftly into that soul thread, and when it could no longer resist him, he sent it straight into its core.

During that instant, Su Ming saw a memory from the soul thread, and several pictures immediately appeared in his mind.

The first picture was of an unfamiliar universe. A black-robed man took a step from a tall mountain and plunged down. As his body scrapped against air, he disappeared without a trace.

The second picture was of the same black-robed man standing beyond a gigantic pillar of light. By his side was Bai Feng, whose existence still made Su Ming's heart clench in pain, along with an old man whom Su Ming could recognize at first glance. It was the old Di Tian.

In fact, Su Ming could even hear most of their conversation.

The third picture was of the black-robed man sitting cross-legged in the pillar of light and executing the replacement plan. It was due to him that the Ancient God had self-destructed out of nowhere.

Once the pictures disappeared, the soul thread shattered in Su Ming's hand.

'A replacement plan… This soul thread was prepared for Possession. If I hadn't stepped into the world beyond the universe, then once the Ancient God self-destructed, it would have crawled into my body and Possessed me.' A hint of contempt appeared in Su Ming's eyes.

'If that's the case, then the three Hidden Dynasts, Dao Hua, and Dao Lin should have been successfully Possessed and become part of the Immortals' Union. This soul thread… was a portion of the black-robed man's soul.

'If he could do this with a portion of his soul, then it's clear just how powerful his real strength is.

'Sublime Paragon Di Tian… so he wants to cast the Life Changing Art on my real physical body. He wants to borrow my real physical body to change everything about himself with the help of the Saint Defiers and become an Abyss Builder!' A freezing glare shone in Su Ming's eyes.

'Three months, huh? I've been here for about a month. I should be able to make it back!' Su Ming closed his eyes, and a myriad of thoughts flashed through his head. It was a chance… a chance for him to seize his real physical body back!

While Su Ming thought, the bald crane put away the crystal and stared cautiously at him while completely enveloped by black light. It was feeling slightly anxious. At that moment, it let out a dry cough and put on an obsequious expression.

"Um… o one and only sentient Lord Essence of Light in this ocean of light, do you need a handsome, smart, all-knowing, efficient, intelligent, wise, and kind great bald crane?

"Let me be your follower… I…"

When the bald crane began to speak anxiously, Su Ming opened his eyes. With a smile that the bald crane could not see, he sized it up.

"Kind?" he asked languidly. Through the Light of Extreme Darkness, his voice held a chilling tone in the bald crane's ears. It caused its body to shudder, but its spirit was immediately lifted.

"That's right, I'm a kind soul. When I see people in need, I will lend a hand. When I see people dead, I will shed tears for them and bury them. When I see children, I will be happy. I—" the bald crane quickly said.

"You lend yourself a hand to their storage bags to see how many crystals they have. You loot the corpses for their crystals, and since children are gullible in your eyes, you scam them for their crystals," Su Ming said flatly.

These words momentarily stunned the bald crane.

"Um… do we know each other? Y-Y-You… Are you..?"

Su Ming smiled. The Light of Extreme Darkness surrounding him vanished to reveal his Nascent Divinity, and he stared at the bald crane with a smile.

The bald crane placed its wing over its chest and let out a pained scream. It took a few steps back with anger overtaking its features. It raised its claw and pointed at Su Ming as extreme sadness showed up on its face.

"SU MING!!! All of my hardships were in vain! I was walking at death's door and was even prepared to die! I sacrificed a large number of crystals and spent tens of thousands, no, hundreds of thousands of years worth of my life to find you, and you… y-y-you… how could you, just now… Oh! I am sad, I am too sad! I've been scammed! Darn you! I've been bullied!"

The bald crane started wailing, then decided to fall down and start rolling about.

Su Ming brought his right hand up and flicked a crystal towards the bald crane. Once it caught it, it immediately beamed, but then immediately suppressed the smile and started screaming again.

"Do you think you can compensate me with just one crystal?! This is a humiliation to me! I, the great bald crane, will definitely not bend over for just one crystal, I—"

With a tinkle, another crystal fell. The bald crane watched dumbly as the crystal fell in front of it. A brilliant smile appeared on its face. This time, no matter how hard it tried, it could not suppress the excitement on its face.

Especially when…

With another tinkle, the third crystal landed. It was followed by the fourth crystal and the fifth. The bald crane immediately stopped rolling around and grabbed all of the crystals, then coughed dryly.

"Alright, I forgive—"

With a tinkle, the sixth crystal landed.

"You're completely right! Darn it all, Lord Su, everything you did was right—"

With another tinkle, the seventh crystal fell.

"Again! Should we do something like this again?!" The bald crane was so excited that its whole body trembled, and it made a suggestion the mere thought of which made it happy.

Su Ming stared at the bald crane, and a smile appeared on his face. He had long since treated the bald crane as his friend, but it was a friend whom he could not let become too conceited, or else the things which had happened in Black Ink Planet would repeat without end.

"Alright, we should leave now. There are important things we need to do." Su Ming raised his head to stare at the endless ocean of light, and a dark glint shone in his eyes. With a swing of his arm, he swept up the bald crane and charged into the distance.

…

Several days later, space distorted in an area in Morning Daro Sect which belonged to the Immortals' Union and was near the core of their territory. It was an empty galaxy in which a ball of black light suddenly shone.

When Su Ming and the bald crane walked out of the black light, it scattered away, revealing the black-haired Su Ming dressed in black robes. Standing with a profound gaze, he looked like he had been reborn. The aura he exuded might still belong to those in Mastery Realm, but he, who could now turn into the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness and had created the Ocean Remover Art, had become much stronger than before.

"Even the world under space and beyond the universe cannot stop me from returning to this place. I… am back," Su Ming mumbled. At that moment, he no longer appeared as Dao Kong, but had instead gained an unfamiliar appearance.

This was because he currently did not have a physical body and only possessed a Nascent Divinity.

Yet even if he was only a Nascent Divinity, he could still bring forth a power that could shock others.

"Do you want to seize back that real physical body of yours that you mentioned was in the Immortals' Union? Darn it all, let's go! Let's go seize back your physical body! I'll go loot crystals." The bald crane spoke with excitement. While doing so, it started shuddering, and the loud racket it created resounded in space.

"The chances of success for entering the Immortals' Union and snatching back my physical body with my current level of cultivation are not high," Su Ming said faintly.

"Then what should we do?" The bald crane was taken aback.

"We will let those from the Immortals' Union and Saint Defier, or even Di Tian himself, personally bring us in." A wicked smile appeared on Su Ming's lips.

The bald crane scrutinized him in surprise before starting to mumble in its heart. It wondered if Su Ming had gone mad after he became the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness.

It suddenly became slightly worried about what would happen to the now crazy man…

While the bald crane was busy being worried, dark light shone in Su Ming's eyes, and the Light of Extreme Darkness surrounded him. It became stronger and stronger before covering the whole area in that part of the galaxy.

'The Light of Extreme Darkness… It is a light with incredibly powerful might, so all those who see it will feel tempted…'

Chapter 1129: Greed

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

'So what if they've seen me use the Light of Extreme Darkness before? They won't be able to guess that I've become the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness!

'And so what if this origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness appeared a little too abruptly? Unless they're completely not tempted…'

A distortion in space that lasted for nearly seven days had appeared in the galaxy near the Immortals' territory. The area of the distortion spread to three hundred million feet, and it caught the attention of plenty of cultivators in the Immortals' Union.

It was especially so when the distortions turned into a gigantic crack on the seventh day. A black ray of light that seemed to be able to freeze the universe popped out then. The light continued spreading outwards and turned into the completed version of the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness!

It shone without end within that area of three hundred million feet. This scene instantly stunned the entire Immortals' Union. In fact, when another seven days passed, even Morning Dao Sect learned of it.

In fact… the battle between the two sides gradually come to a stop after that huge origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness appeared. Countless gazes landed on that area belonging to the Immortals' Union.

Every single day, a large number of cultivators from the Immortals' Union would surround the area of three hundred million feet and observe the Light of Extreme Darkness which had suddenly appeared half a month ago. There was shock in their gazes along with greed.

They could sense a chill that could freeze their hearts spreading out from the Light of Extreme Darkness, and they could also sense the terrifying power contained within it.

Throughout the twenty-four hour time period, there would only be two hours when the gigantic origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness was slightly weaker. However, after those two hours, it would shine brighter than at any other time of the day.

Thee two hours changed every single day. The change was governed by a certain pattern, so many people realized that the Essence of Light was not sentient. It was only changing on instinct.

The cultivators might not know why it had suddenly appeared in the galaxy, but it was a supreme treasure which everyone desired greatly.

If they could obtain and refine it, then the power of their divine abilities would be greatly enhanced. In fact, even the famous Light of Extreme Darkness in Morning Dao Sect was just a light gathered together to form a Striking Land. There were rumors that Progenitor Dao Chen had personally subjugated it tens of thousands of years ago.

But what appeared at that moment was not a single ray of light, but a gigantic Essence of Light. This difference was akin to a bright moon compared to a candle flame, and the greed grew endlessly in the hearts of all the cultivators who learned about this matter.

After all, it was not just a Light of Extreme Darkness, but… a huge Essence of Light. If they could refine it, they would enjoy great successes. If any race took it, they would swiftly increased in power. And if it was taken by Morning Dao Sect or the Immortals' Union, it could be refined into an astonishing supreme treasure, and in any battle, it could bring forth outstanding power.

The appearance of the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness caught the attention of the powerful cultivators in the Immortals' Union. However, the core members which came from the Immortals' sects and Phoenix Sect had locked down the area where the Light of Extreme Darkness had appeared the moment it showed up.

It had appeared practically on the Immortals' doorstep, so they were naturally the first to notice it. The ones who were sent to observe it were then mostly from the Immortals' sects.

"This is indeed the Light of Extreme Darkness…"

When it was the twentieth day since the Light of Extreme Darkness had appeared, the white-robed Bai Feng stood in the galaxy nearly and spoke coldly to himself while staring at it.

By her side was Di Tian, who was also dressed in white and had a head full of white hair. He seemed a little older than he was a month ago. His stare was fixed on the Light of Extreme Darkness, though no one knew what he was thinking.

Between the two was the black-robed man which belonged to the Eight Paramount Daos and who had come from Saint Defier Expanse Cosmos. His face was hidden under the black hood, but it could not conceal the surprised glint in his eyes.

'Origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness is a rare origin which can only be found beyond the universe of the Expanse Cosmos where it is born… It has already disappeared from Saint Defier's camp.

'The Light of Extreme Darkness is something which only grows in developing Expanse Cosmoses and will disappear when the Expanse Cosmos has fully developed! Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos, this boundless galaxy only has a sliver of a chance to evolve into an Expanse Cosmos like Saint Defier and Dark Dawn in the future and develop its own 180 Expanse Cosmoses. This dazzling light can only appear in this developing, primitive Expanse Cosmos…

'To Arid Triad, Saint Defier and Dark Dawn are the elderly, while it is still an infant. Whoever obtains this infant will overpower the other camp and become the one and only existence in this endless universe!

'I didn't expect that I would be able to see… the dazzling origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness in this primitive Arid Triad when my body had just descended for around a thousand years!' The black-robed man's eyes sparkled, and he sighed with great emotion in his heart.

"Make arrangements. I want people to be constantly moving into the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness during the next half a month, and I want them to find its core. Lock down the perimeter and forbid all others from stepping in. Kill all those who violate this!" The black-robed man's eyes sparkled as he spoke slowly.

"Sublime Paragon Di Tian, if I can gain control over this Light of Extreme Darkness, the chances of Life Changing Art succeeding will increase by another two-tenths. Even if I cannot refine it within a short period of time, all I need is to leave the Brand of my divine sense at its core to gain basic control over it."

Di Tian's eyes swiftly focused. He cast a glance at the black-robed man before lifting his right arm. A jade slip appeared on his palm, and once he crushed it, it turned into nine wisps of smoke that left rapidly into the distance. Soon after, all the Immortals' sects executed a tight lockdown on the area.

"Fellow Daoist Bai Feng, you might have been recommended by your Master, but there are still plenty of obstructions before you can become a cultivator of Saint Defier. Your body is unable to withstand the Return Reversal Art, but if I obtain this origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness smoothly, then I, along with your Master, will recommend you. With my status as Eight Paramount Dao, I could increase your chances of becoming a cultivator of Saint Defier by two-tenths!"

Bai Feng's expression remained the same. In silence, she cast a cold glance at the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness.

"Senior, don't you think that this Essence of Light came too suddenly? You do know that Dao Kong had control over the Light of Extreme Darkness before he was forced into the world beyond the universe."

"It's precisely because he had control over the Light of Extreme Darkness that this origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness appeared in this universe. There is a connection between them, though your worries are also noteworthy, Fellow Daoist Bai Feng."

The black-robed man laughed loudly. Even though he said those words, he paid no heed to them. In his eyes, Dao Kong had controlled only the Light of Extreme Darkness, while was was before his eyes was the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness. The difference between the two was akin to heaven and hell.

"But we do still need to conduct the necessary tests."

As the black-robed man laughed hoarsely, he appeared near the Light of Extreme Darkness. He rose his right hand and struck the center of his brows. Immediately, a great will rushed out with a bang and like a gust of invisible wind that charged towards the Light of Extreme Darkness.

After a moment, the black-robed man's body jolted. When he retrieved his will, his eyes under the hood shone with excitement.

"It is indeed the Light of Extreme Darkness. There's no hint of any consciousness in it. There's absolutely no chance of it being fake!"

Still laughing, the black-robed man took a few steps back, but he did not immediately make any rash movements. He knew that there was a force in the Light of Extreme Darkness that could gravely injure Nascent Divinities. However, because it was not sentient. there was a pattern to all of its changes. Once he found a path leading to its core, he could put his Brand and claim it for himself.

When he had sent his divine sense into it, he had immediately sensed the great power and changes within it. The separation of light when it intersected made even him not dare to force his way inside. In fact, he had even sensed a hint of danger.

Yet the more dangerous it was, the more it stirred up the black-robed man's greed. He was also anxious though. He knew that in a month's time, Xing Ji Dao would arrive, and if he had not obtained the Light of Extreme Darkness by then, he would have a competitor.

"Then I will have the cultivators of the Immortals' Union continue fighting against Morning Dao Sect so that they will not be able to spare a single bit of their attention to set their sights on the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness. As for your promise, I thank you, senior," Bai Feng said coldly, then bent her knees slightly and bowed to the black-robed man.

"You flatter me," the black-robed man said with a smile, then turned around and vanished to return to the spot beyond the pillar of light in the Immortals' territory. When his body reappeared, the smile on his face disappeared and was replaced by a stern expression. He raised his right hand and struck the pillar of light. Immediately, the colors within it became muddled, and gradually, seven distorted figures manifested.

"The Seven Fingers under me, fuse into the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness and investigate it clearly. Find out whether it is man-made and whether it really is not sentient as the rumors say!

"I will give you ten days. You must finish your search by then," the black-robed man said flatly. Immediately, the seven distorted figures flashed in the pillar of light and turned into seven black-robed man who bent their backs and bowed to him before disappearing as one.

Immortals' Union went into full operation. Every single day, there were numerous cultivators entering the Light of Extreme Darkness to investigate. Usually, only one out of ten people who stepped in would be able to survive.

As time passed and the number of dead and wounded increased, Morning Dao Sect executed a large-scale investigation. However, since the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness had appeared near the core of the territory which belonged to the Immortals' Union, Morning Dao Sect could not do much.

All of the investigations went on methodically. In fact, seven black-robed man had arrived in the Light of Extreme Darkness several days earlier without making a single sound, and they had begun a detailed investigation of it.

Su Ming saw all that happened around him. He saw the divine sense of the black-robed man descend on him, and he also saw the seven presences which belonged to the seven black-robed man who were much weaker than the former. They carried out an investigation in his light.

Su Ming also saw Di Tian as well as Bai Feng who looked exactly like Bai Ling…

Because he was the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness, it matter how and who investigated, Su Ming was still the Light of Extreme Darkness. The only thing he needed to do was hide his will and present to them a being without sentience.

With the bald crane's help, all of this was very simple.

It was Su Ming's trap, a trap in which he used himself as bait. He was waiting for people to take him… and personally bring him into the tightly defended Immortals' Union.

And the day for it… was drawing close.

Chapter 1130: Deceit!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"There's something wrong with this Essence of Light!" When another seven or eight days passed, Bai Feng stood beyond the Light of Extreme Darkness. There was an aloof expression in her eyes, but her brows were furrowed.

She had felt from the beginning that the Essence of Light had appeared too suddenly, and there was even a strange feeling about it.

Bai Feng was not the only one who felt this. It could be said that plenty of cultivators were hesitant, but before them was indeed the Light of Extreme Darkness. Because of that, even if they were hesitant and uncertain, that was all. It didn't affect their actions.

Su Ming did not fine tune his plan. In fact, it could be said that there were plenty of weaknesses in it, but Su Ming did not care. As long as he was the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness, it was enough.

Just this alone was enough!

This could be considered a straightforward plan that everyone could understand. However, it could also be said that it could not even be considered a scheme. It was a game in which Su Ming used himself as bait. During the past few days, he had seen countless cultivators come over and swim about in his Light of Extreme Darkness while investigating it.

Su Ming did not become anxious. He constantly waited for someone who was worthy enough to take the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness. To Su Ming, there were only three people who were worthy to do so in the Immortals' Union. One of them was naturally the aloof Bai Feng beyond the Essence of Light, the other was Di Tian, and the third was the black-robed man who was one of the Eight Paramount Daos.

Di Tian planned to have his Life change while Bai Feng wished to become an Immortal in Saint Defier. Both of them had their own needs, and there was also the black-robed man.

This coincided with Su Ming's previous analysis. He had been waiting for the black-robed man in the first place, since he had learned from the soul thread that another powerful warrior from Saint Defier's camp was about to descend.

It would be a powerful warrior who had the same status as the black-robed man. This would naturally create a competition. That was why Su Ming was certain that if the black-robed man was tempted, he would definitely come to obtain the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness before his companion descended.

Time passed, and the war between Morning Dao Sect and the Immortals' Union reached its climax. Every single day, there would be intense, large-scale battles in numerous places in the True World. The number of casualties reached a terrifying number, but even so, the war did not end. It just went on even more fiercely.

A few more days passed. When there was less than a month left before the other Almighty from Saint Defier's camp would descend, numerous Immortal cultivators surrounded the Light of Extreme Darkness layer by layer. They had investigated most of the interior of the light and discovered its pattern. They had also found a path leading to the core.

Su Ming did steer the direction of their investigation. The only thing he did was to turn himself into the Light of Extreme Darkness. As for the other things, if he interfered too much, it would seem too fake.

On that day, the black-robed man appeared beyond the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness again. This time, he had clearly made enough preparations.

The eyes hidden under the black hood sparkled brilliantly, and vast power spread out from his body. It was a power that was equivalent to those in Life Realm, but it was definitely not something those in Life Realm within Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos could win against. There was a huge disparity between them.

'Arcane Void, the Third Step of the cultivation system belonging to Saint Defier's camp!' Su Ming sensed the presence of the power from the black-robed man as well as the vague and slow-moving ripples coming from his divine sense.

'Dao Kong's body was destroyed, but as long as my Nascent Divinity is still around, then every single body I have will exude the presence of Dao Kong's soul. It's the same for Ecang's body, and I can do the same thing for that clone of mine which practices the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole.

'But this black-robed man… might be suitable to become another one of my clones, a body which will allow me to obtain a status within Saint Defier's camp!

'If I went along with my original plan, I wouldn't need to Possess him, but now… Perhaps Possessing him… would make the process of seizing back my physical body slightly smoother.

'But the difficulty in this is too great. He is, after all, an Almighty in Arcane Void Realm…'

In silence, Su Ming slowly pushed down the thought which had suddenly sprouted in his head. He would not allow anything unexpected to happen when it came to him seizing back his physical body.

Su Ming temporarily gave up on that thought.

The instant the ripples from Su Ming's divine sense dissipated, the black-robed man who was already in Arcane Void Realm standing beyond the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness slowly raised his foot and walked towards the Essence of Light with the respect of the countless Immortal cultivators around him.

Bai Feng was by his side. She formed a seal with her right hand and pointed at space. Immediately, the galaxy distorted, and huge eyeballs appeared. Thousands of them surrounded the area. Dark light shone in each pupil as they stared at the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness.

The black-robed man came to a halt before he turned his head around and cast a glance at Bai Feng. She bent her knees slightly, lowered her head, and bowed.

"Not bad!" The black-robed man laughed hoarsely, and praise appeared in his eyes. Bai Feng's action might not seem to be truly useful, but her intentions could be seen, and this brought the black-robed man satisfaction. Since Bai Feng was always incredibly beautiful and bold, the black-robed man kept on feeling somewhat tempted.

"When you go to Saint Defier Expanse Cosmos, you can stay by my side."

Bai Feng's face might still be icy cold, but a hint of a smile appeared. There was surprised delight within it, and a barely noticeable bashfulness that was just right on her face. It caused the black-robed man to immediately admire her even more.

Di Tian, who was dressed in white and had a head full of white hair, had a calm expression on his face at that moment. He did not need to do anything to prove anything. He might long to become an Abyss Builder, but he knew that Saint Defier's camp longed even more to be able to control an Abyss Builder.

And Di Tian, without a doubt, was the best choice. He was confident that there was no one who could surpass him in this regard, not even those from the Emperor of Abyss' True World, because he was the one who thought of this plan, and he had been preparing for it for countless years.

In fact, even without Saint Defier's help, he would have three-tenths of a chance to become an Abyss Builder. The help from the Saint Defiers would just raise his chances. A hint of a brilliant light flashed briefly in Di Tian's eyes.

'Su Xuan Yi, we've fought against each other our entire lives, and this time, I will stand before you as an Abyss Builder and Possess you!

'In the end, I will be the one who will win between us!' Various emotions surged up in Di Tian's heart. He had been longing for this day for far too long.

Under the gazes of the countless cultivators in the area, the black-robed man took a step forward and stepped into the Light of Extreme Darkness.

The powerful warriors from the Immortals' sects guarded the area with vigilant expressions. They had been given orders to prevent any sort of problems from arising in this area during this period of time, and should they fail, they would die.

But fortunately, they were at the core of the Immortals' Union. This was the entrance to the Immortals' sects, which was why it would definitely not be easy for those from Morning Dao Sect to reach it even if they wanted to.

The possibility of them invading en masse was very small. Perhaps individual powerful warriors might rush in, but Di Tian had already made perfect preparations to prevent this.

When the black-robed man stepped into the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness, the many cultivators in the periphery became on guard. Time trickled by, and soon, the time taken by an incense stick to burn went by.

The black-robed man drifted in the Light of Extreme Darkness. He did not move quickly. Every single time he moved a certain amount of distance, he would stop for a moment to think. Then, he would change his direction before he moved forward. Endless Light of Extreme Darkness moved about around him. The rays of light moved forward with the black-robed man, becoming stronger as time passed.

The stronger they became, the more certain the black-robed man was that the Essence of Light was not sentient.

An hour later, the black-robed man had already completed half of his journey. He became slower. In fact, a large amount of chilling air spread out from his body. The Light of Extreme Darkness around him turned black, as if it had become a gaping mouth that wanted to devour him.

Wariness appeared in his eyes. Occasionally, he would take a few steps and lift his right hand, which made it look like he was calculating something. Like that, he finished seven-tenths of his journey in two full hours.

At that moment, the Light of Extreme Darkness swiftly grew several times brighter and stronger. However, the black-robed man seemed to have expected this since a long time ago. Before the light became stronger, he sat down cross-legged, and as he formed a seal with his hands, he immediately brought out a small cauldron. When he pushed his hands against it, he breathed out a breath of his life at it.

Green light shone on the small cauldron and enveloped him. The light was as smooth as a mirror, and it continuously reflected the incoming Light of Extreme Darkness. Indirectly, the cauldron had become an Essence of Light.

'It truly only weakens for two hours…' A faint smile appeared on the black-robed man's lips. When he closed his eyes, he seemed to relax all forms of resistance. Instead, he placed all his attention on controlling the small cauldron.

When a day passed and the time came for the Light of Extreme Darkness to become weak again, the black-robed man immediately opened his eyes. He put away the small cauldron, then moved forward again.

Since his advance grew harder, when two hours passed, he was still a distance away from the core of the Light of Extreme Darkness.

When the light grew strong again, he sat down cross-legged and used the green light from the small cauldron to fight against it. He closed his eyes and appeared to be very much at ease. He did nothing to fend against anything else.

The third day, the fourth day… When the two hours of the Light of Extreme Darkness weakening during the fifth day nearly ended, the black-robed man reached the core!

It was a dark world, but it could be vaguely seen that there was a perfect runic symbol in the darkness not too far away. It was so complicated that it felt like it would be difficult to remember no matter how many times one looked at it, not to mention that it was barely noticeable in the darkness.

'This is the core of the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness!'

A glint shone in the eyes of the black-robed man, and excitement could be seen ons his face. At the instant the two hours during which the Light of Extreme Darkness weakened were about to end, he spread his divine sense outwards and swept it towards the runic symbol. He could sense no form of consciousness over there, but it seemed like he did not have enough time to leave his divine sense as a Brand.

When the span of two hours during which the light weakened passed, the vast power from the runic symbol erupted, forcing the black-robed man to immediately sit down and use the small cauldron to protect himself. He also closed his eyes, and beside the green light surrounding him, he didn't use anything else to protect himself.

The instant the two hours during which the light weakened arrived on the sixth day, the black-robed man moved swiftly and charged towards the runic symbol. When he approached the it, his body collapsed with a bang. Blood and flesh spilled everywhere, and all of them fell on the runic symbol.

At the same time, a ferocious expression appeared on the black-robed man's face. With disbelief, he swiftly retreated while screaming in a piercing voice.

"This is a trap! You are sentient!"

Su Ming, who had been observing the black-robed man, was taken aback by the bizarre scene, because he had done absolutely nothing.

Chapter 1131: As for Su Ming…

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The black-robed man's soul became weaker and weaker under the Light of Extreme Darkness. As he charged forward, his piercing voice echoed in the air as if he wanted to make sure all the people outside learned of what he had found out.

Su Ming remained composed and did not move in the slightest. He only stared coldly at the black-robed man's soul doing its solo performance.

Around a dozen breaths later, when the black-robed man had fled tens of thousands of feet away, he swiftly came to a halt. When he turned his head around, the panic and fear on his face disappeared, and it was replaced with a faint smile.

He immediately returned to the spot of the runic symbol. Once he observed it carefully, he rushed forward, causing his soul to directly crash against the runic symbol. With a bang, it turned into countless threads that wrapped themselves tightly around the runic symbol.

'This black-robed man is really cautious. He didn't use his real body to come into contact with me, but sent his subordinates to come forth and indirectly retrieve me as well as to continuously test me.'

Su Ming observed the runic symbol which had appeared after he turned into the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness, then sensed that the soul threads were continuously fusing into him.

After a moment, when the second black-robed man arrived, his body also collapsed with a bang. His blood and flesh splattered on the runic symbol, and his soul also turned into countless soul threads that sped up the process of fusing with the runic symbol.

Like that, the third, fourth, and fifth body arrived… All the seven black-robed man who were in Su Ming's Light of Extreme Darkness self-destructed around the runic symbol. The flesh and blood dyed the runic symbol in blood, and the souls completely covered it. Then, the blood and flesh which had scattered all around the runic symbol started swiftly shining with a crimson light that surged into the heavens.

At that instant, the crimson light seemed to form a Rune. It shone several times, and another black-robed man walked out from within!

This black-robed man was in Arcane Void Realm, and he was naturally the black-robed old man who was one of the Eight Paramount Daos of the Saint Defier's camp.

It was just as Su Ming had deduced, everything from before was just a test. The black-robed man had lived for many years, and there was no way he would be reckless. Even if he was incredibly tempted and absolutely certain that there was no danger, he would still remain cautious.

However, even though he might call this a test, it was also his method to retrieve the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness. He did not intend to do what those in the area outside thought he would. He did not wish to fuse the Light of Extreme Darkness into his body… but to refine and turn it into his own Enchanted Treasure.

He had planted portions of his soul in his seven subordinates, and with their flesh and blood, he activated the Relocation Rune. With their souls, he enveloped the runic symbols, and since they were a portion of him, he could indirectly refine the runic symbol without even touching it.

"It's fine even if you are not sentient. I will treat you as if you are," the black-robed old man said hoarsely in front of the runic symbol. When he raised his arms, he pointed at it, and immediately, all the black threads tightened. Ringing sounds reverberated in space, and all the black threads shattered to turn into black smoke that crawled into the runic symbol.

The black-robed man swung his arm and sat down cross-legged. He continuously formed seals with his hands, and all sorts of seals appeared out of thin air to Brand the runic symbol, which was now surrounded by black smoke.

Besides Su Ming's will, the bald crane's will was also in the runic symbol. At that moment, the bald crane was shivering while it used its talent as if it had gone completely mad. It was not fighting against the black-robed old man's brand, but was activating all of the tricks it had left behind beforehand which would cause the runic symbol to go through certain changes.

This was a decision they had come to after Su Ming and the bald crane had a discussion. If they divided the complete runic symbol to one hundred portions, then what Su Ming required the bald crane to do was hide seven-tenths of it. This was not difficult. The difficulty lay in making the others think that the remaining three-tenths were the complete runic symbol.

If it worked, Su Ming could wipe off the other person's will on the runic symbol at any time he wanted to complete his plan since he possessed most of it.

"Darn it all, how dare this man play tricks with me?! Little Boy Su, give me some stimulation. I need stimulation!" The bald crane shuddered and shouted at Su Ming. The black-robed old man's speed as he formed the seals was getting faster while he remained beyond the runic symbol, and the Brands were increasing in number. Hints of connection were swiftly being built between them.

"Two crystals," Su Ming stated calmly.

The bald crane let out an arrogant cry, instantly filled with excitement.

Su Ming had always believed that the bald crane did not have the concept of difference in numbers. As long as the number was greater than one, it was already considered stimulation in its eyes…

The black-robed old man beyond the runic symbol swiftly bit the tip of his tongue and coughed up a mouthful of blood. At the instant it fell on the runic symbol, it let out a bang, and the connection was completely formed.

"Twenty crystals," Su Ming stated flatly, and the bald crane's excitement reached its peak. At the instant the black-robed old man beyond the runic symbol coughed up blood and the connection was formed, the bald crane finally completed all it needed to prepare and activated its Art. The runic symbol did not change, but seven-tenths of it had been hidden away.

In a dozen of breaths, the black-robed old man's Brand occupied the entire runic symbol. Excitement appeared on his face, and he threw his head back to laugh.

He could sense that he had formed an inseparable connection with the ball of origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness. With just one thought, he could make it change, and he felt as if it had become a part of him. This was a feeling that came from his Blood Refinement having worked. It did not matter whether the Essence of Light had been sentient prior to his actions, for at that moment, the only will it had was of that black-robed man.

As he laughed long and hard, the black-robed old man raised his right hand and seized the runic symbol through space. Immediately, the runic symbol with Su Ming's Nascent Divinity shrank swiftly. The Light of Extreme Darkness around the area also shrank rapidly, and in an instant, it disappeared. The runic symbol then landed in the black-robed old man's withered hand.

When he squeezed it, the runic symbol disappeared and entered his body. It floated in his heart,s enveloped by his Nascent Divinity. The feeling that he had gained control of the Light of Extreme Darkness instantly rose in the black-robed old man, and the aura of his cultivation base seemed to grow.

The Light of Extreme Darkness disappeared, and everything in the area was instantly revealed before the group of cultivators waiting outside. They saw the black-robed old man letting out a long string of laughter, and they also saw piercing black light suddenly spreading out from his body when he turned around.

Countless shrill screams of pain immediately rang out in the area. The light surrounded the tens of thousands of cultivators who had been guarding the area vigilantly. When they screamed, their bodies tumbled backwards, and they coughed up blood. Their souls had been severely wounded, and their bodies had instantly filled with a freezing chill. They bled from their eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. In fact, there were thousands of cultivators whose souls crumbled straight away, and their bodies turned into ice that plunged down into the galaxy.

The black-robed old man's laughter grew even stronger. He did not care if the barbaric cultivators died. They were ants and not worthy to enter his sight.

At that moment, he was incredibly at ease and very satisfied with the power of the Light of Extreme Darkness. He made an analysis in his heart. If he spread out the Light of Extreme Darkness with his full power and used his cultivation base to control it, he could instantly kill the hundreds of thousands of people in this place.

Even in Saint Defier's camp, this sort of supreme treasure was rarely seen. With his status, it would be impossible for him to obtain it, but he could get it with extreme ease in Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos. There was no way that he would not be excited over this.

The souls of hundreds of thousands of people in the area had been injured severely, but Di Tian paid no attention to it. He wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed to the black-robed old man.

"Congratulations on obtaining the supreme treasure, Fellow Daoist Zhang Ji Jun!"

A brilliant light shone in Bai Feng's eyes. A hint of a smile appeared on her indifferent face, and she bent her knees slightly to bow to the black-robed old man.

"Do not worry, the both of you. I will fulfill the promise I gave you earlier." The black-robed old man's laughter reverberated in the air.

When he was about to open his mouth and say something else, his expression swiftly changed, and he raised his head rapidly. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"He came earlier that what was planned… Hmph, looks like the Ancient Gods possess methods to send messages back to Saint Defier Expanse Cosmos!" A focused glint appeared in the black-robed old man's eyes, and a cold sneer twisted his lips.

Soon after, Di Tian's expression changed. When he turned his head back, excitement appeared in his eyes. He looked towards the pillar of light that shot towards the heavens from the Immortals' territory!

The pillar of light shone brilliantly, and in just the span of a few breaths, it instantly covered an area of one hundred thousand feet in width. When it surged into the heavens, all the cultivators in the area were able to see it clearly.

"Xing Ji Dao's clone has descended ahead of schedule. Fellow Daoist Di Tian, your serendipity is high. Oh well, we shan't let you wait any longer. We will go to the physical body of that Abyss Builder right now and retrieve it. Once Xing Ji Dao descends, we will activate the Art together." The black-robed old man swung his arm, and with a single move, he charged through space towards where the pillar of light was located.

Di Tian could not hide his excitement. Without any hesitation, he stepped into the Immortals' territory to charge straight towards Su Ming's physical body.

Bai Feng regained the icy cold look she had previously. She stared at the hundreds of thousands of cultivators around her, and contempt, which made it seem like she was staring at ants, showed up in her eyes. When she turned around, she hesitated for a moment before heading after the black-robed old man.

The pillar of light connecting Saint Defier Expanse Cosmos and True Morning Dao World shone with a piercing light. There was a powerful, mighty pressure spreading out from it with loud bangs.

There were countless runic symbols surrounding the pillar of light. Each of them had a pressure that could make a person suffocate.

Booming sounds spread through the entire Immortals' Union. They traveled into each corner of the land until it affected the entire True Morning Dao World.

All the cultivators in True Morning Dao World sensed a mighty pressure that felt like a mountain pressing down on them at that instant. There was also a feeling that caused their hearts to tremble and even their souls to feel as if they were about to be ripped apart.

Almost the instant the pillar of light rumbled and the cultivator from Saint Defier's camp descended, the eyes of Su Xuan Yi, who was still sitting in his isolation grounds in Morning Dao Sect and meditating flew open. Intense anticipation rose within him, something that looked like it had been suppressed for countless years. At that moment, it was finally ready to erupt from his body.

'The first stage of my plan… is about to be completed… True Morning Dao World is no longer useful… I've been preparing for this for many years, Lord Sublime Paragon, you'd best not disappoint me. My fellow Daoists from Saint Defier's camp, you will all have to work hard as well…

'As for Su Ming…' Su Xuan Yi fell silent. A glint shone in his eyes, and he frowned.

Chapter 1132: Rattling Drum

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

'Where did that child go? I can't find him. This is something that has never happened before. The Seed of Life Extermination is about to become fully mature, but it seems like there is a power interfering with it… But as long as it doesn't affect the first stage of the plan, I'm fine with it. There are certain things he mustn't know before the Seed of Life Extermination matures.'

A complicated look appeared on Su Xuan Yi's face. He sighed softly, and a hint of regret appeared in his eyes. He lowered his head and stared at the rattling drum before him, then raised his hand and touched it gently.

'I'm sorry… but you really do not suit Yu Xuan, because you… really don't have the right to… I will use another method to make it up to you…' Su Xuan Yi closed his eyes.

Far away in the Emperor of Abyss' True World was a palace. It had a pink room which belonged to a girl and was filled with a strange, floral fragrance. It was definitely not something ordinary. With one whiff of that scent, a person's cultivation base would increase slightly. In fact, even their soul would be nourished.

If a person trained in that room, they would find that their progress was much faster than when they were outside of it. This sort of place was rarely seen in the entire Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos, but it was present in the Emperor of Abyss' True World.

Yu Xuan was in that room. She sat quietly in there and stared at the starry sky beyond the window in a daze.

Before her was a table, and on that table was a tray with two things. One of them was a rattling drum. It was a toy she had possessed since she was a child. There were originally supposed to be two, but one of them had gone missing…

The other item was a black stone fragment.

If Su Ming was there, he would definitely be able to tell that the fragment… was identical to the one he had received from Xiao Hong.

It was… a fragment of the Seed of Life Extermination!

…..

The cultivators of the Immortals' Union were engaged against those in Morning Dao Sect in all sorts of intense battles in many parts of True Morning Dao World. The hearts of many cultivators from both sides trembled during the numerous battles, but there were few who knew the real reason for their war.

They did not know… that a disaster was about to descend on True Morning Dao World. They also did not know that the pillar of light at the core of the Immortals' Union had become extremely dazzling.

Beyond the pillar of light was the black-robed old man with his hands behind his back. By his side was Bai Feng, and with a gaze full of longing, she stared at the pillar of light. She wanted to become an Immortal. This was something she craved for deeply, and she could give up on everything for it.

Di Tian had also returned from the other side. Excitement was on his face. He had been waiting for this day for far too long. The results of his wait were about to show up. Even with his previous status of Sublime Paragon, he could not contain his emotions while he wondered whether he would fail and end up losing.

Time trickled by. The booming sounds lasted for the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn. When they became louder, an afterimage suddenly appeared at the top of the pillar of light. At an extreme speed, it shot down and descended in the area below.

Through the pillar of light, the trio could see that the afterimage had the shape of a person. The figure distorted and changed, as if moving from another world.

Waves of vast, mighty pressure shot through the pillar of light to spread out violently through the area. In fact, even the space in the surroundings started showing signs of cracking when a power that seemed to be able to make space change spread out with loud rumbles.

Di Tian's pupils shrank. He stood without moving, but his hair and robes rustled as they were blown by back by the pressure. Bai Feng's face turned pale. She gradually moved back, forcibly withstanding the spread of this mighty pressure.

"What a powerful cultivation!" Bai Feng sucked in a sharp breath.

The black-robed old man looked as calm as usual. With his hands behind his back, he stood still with a cold smile.

"It's not due to his level of cultivation. This is the power of the World that appeared due to the friction caused by movement between two worlds, and this is just a hint of it. Those who descend all possess this sort of power of the World, but when they come out of the pillar of that, it will disappear.

"But if we're talking about his real level of cultivation, then it'll be stronger than what you are sensing right now… It's a pity that the pillar of light leading to Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos still has flaws. Otherwise, us Eight Paramount Daos could send our real bodies here instead of using our souls to rebuild them.

"Xing Ji Dao is well-matched with me in terms of our levels of cultivation, and he is skilled in the power of stars. The changes in his power are fathomless…" As the black-robed old man spoke, he cast a glance at the afterimage who was rapidly being formed in the pillar of light before he suddenly smiled.

"Xing Ji Dao, it's been a long time since we saw each other."

At the moment the black-robed old man said those words, two spots of dark light shone in the distorting afterimage in the pillar of light. They were at the height of a person's head, which made it seem like the figure had opened its eyes to reveal a fierce light aimed at the black-robed old man.

"Zhang Ji Dao, it's only been one thousand something years since we met. Can you actually consider it to be a long time?" The new voice was not as hoarse as the black-robed old man's, but had a gentle tone to it. When it spoke languidly, Bai Feng's heart trembled, and she took a few steps back again.

Di Tian, however, remained standing still while staring at the pillar of light.

"You must be Fellow Daoist Di Tian." The afterimage in the pillar of light became even more distorted. Yet even so, it gave them a feeling that it was becoming more corporeal. The two lights moved their gaze away from the black-robed old man and looked towards Di Tian.

"It is indeed me," he said with a smile.

During that moment, the distorting afterimage in the pillar of light came to a halt, and an incredibly handsome middle-aged man with long hair appeared. He had an awe-inspiring face, and his eyes seemed to contain an entire galaxy. They had countless planets intersecting with each other to form runic symbols that changed continuously.

While the black-robed man looked towards the afterimage in the pillar of light, Su Ming too directed his attention to it. When he saw the newcomer, he verified that this was the person he had seen in the previous black-robed man's memories.

Yet there was one thing that did not add up. The difference between this person's level of cultivation and the one he saw in the black-robed man's eyes was too great; it was like heaven and earth. However, when Su Ming thought of the black-robed old man's words moments ago, he laughed coldly.

It seemed that not even those from Saint Defier could retain their complete level of cultivation when they descended. They needed to rebuild their bodies which would be akin to clones in which a large amount of power could be sent down. It was also likely that they would require some time to slowly recover.

Once the head appeared in the pillar of light, the rest of the body began to manifest as well. It was without clothes, and it looked like it was slowly growing from the top to the bottom.

The man's body was so perfect, the hearts of teenage girls would let out a loud thump upon seeing it. Bai Feng stared at it without blinking. No one could tell at that moment whether she was doing it intentionally or not, but a hint of red had appeared on her icy cold face, making it even more beautiful than usually.

"Could this beautiful Daoist be Phoenix Sect's Bai Feng?" The torso had already formed in the pillar, and the man's arms were growing rapidly at that moment. He looked towards Bai Feng with a smile.

"I, Bai Feng, greet Senior Xing Ji Dao." Bai Feng immediately lowered her head and bent her knees slightly to bow to him.

At the same time, Xing Ji Dao's limbs formed in the pillar, and a long blue robe swiftly appeared on his body. With his wide shoulders and lean body, he was very attractive to the members of the opposite sex.

The middle-aged man took a step out of the pillar of light. At the instant he did so, the mighty pressure disappeared. It was just as the black-robed old man had said: the mighty pressure from before was due to the power of the World. Once it disappeared, a power that was equivalent to those in Life Realm and Arcane Void Realm in Saint Defier's camp spread out from the middle-aged man's body and started fighting against the black-robed old man's in a subtle but profound manner.

The black-robed old man smiled, and a ray of black light flashed on his body. Needless to say, it was the Light of Extreme Darkness. It might only have appeared briefly, but it was enough to make Xing Ji Dao's eyes shrink.

"Looks like I am still a step too late. The origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness has already been taken, but it seems like you still need to nourish it a little." Xing Ji Dao shook his head and did not bother hiding the regret in his heart. As he spoke, a fierce glare appeared in his eyes.

"Everything in the primitive Arid Triad is still growing, and so foreign treasures that will accompany you for life may appear," the black-robed old man said faintly.

"Then the next time…" A glint appeared in Xing Ji Dao's eyes, and he looked towards the black-robed old man.

"I will let you have it." The black-robed old man smiled faintly.

Xing Ji Dao also did the same. His smile grew wider until he started laughing loudly with the black-robed old man.

"I've finally left Saint Defier Expanse Cosmos. I do like this place with no forms of oppression. We can snatch everything here."

Xing Ji Dao stared at his surroundings, and his expression filled with great emotion. When he raised his right hand, he seized Bai Feng. Her expression changed, but she did not show any resistance. Once Xing Ji Dao grabbed her, he took a sniff of her body.

"The women among these barbarians are also suitable to be made into furnaces, but do not be afraid. I will not turn you into a furnace. You are his, and your Master is mine."

Xing Ji Dao cast a glance at the composed black-robed old man and smiled faintly before letting go of Bai Feng's hand. With a pale face, she swiftly took a few steps back and instinctively stood beside the black-robed old man. Xing Ji Dao's eyes sparkled, and he looked towards Di Tian.

"Fellow Daoist Di Tian, I have come here with Lord Saint Defier's orders to aid you with my full power when you change your Life to become an Abyss Builder. Now, hurry up and place that physical body in Saint Defier's Heaven Penetrating Pillar!"

A brilliant spark shone in Di Tian's eyes. He raised his hand and swung it forward. Immediately, a huge altar appeared with a bang. Lying on it was Su Ming's real physical body!

The instant the altar appeared, it charged towards the pillar of light and fused into it. It floated inside, surrounded by countless rings of light.

Su Ming was hidden in the runic symbol. Even though it was in the black-robed old man's body, it did not affect Su Ming's vision. He saw what happened to Bai Feng, but there was no longer any pain in his heart, only indifference.

That woman no longer had any connection to him. All her paths were chosen by herself. Pursuing the powerful was always a choice made by the weak. There was no right or wrong in it.

Su Ming also saw his real physical body on the altar that fused into the pillar of light. This was the first time he was so close to it!

"I've come with the treasure Lord Ni Sheng specifically created to help you change your Life. It can help you gain extra two-tenths more of a chance to succeed. With my help and Zhang Ji Dao's help, we'll be able to add another tenths of a chance.

"As for the possibility of success, you will have to calculate it yourself, but you still need to make careful preparations. There is a possibility… that you will fail. If that happens, this treasure will make sure that your soul will not be destroyed, but it will mean that you will lose your right to change your Life, and we will search for other people to continue testing this." Xing Ji Dao's expression was stern when he looked at Di Tian.

The white-haired man nodded. His eyes sparkled when he shifted his gaze to the black-robed old man.

The black-robed old man let out a dry cough.

"With my Light of Extreme Darkness guarding your soul, another two-tenths of a chance will be added."

'Nearly eight-tenths of a chance to succeed. I have nearly eight-tenths to succeed in changing my Life! Even if their words are slightly exaggerated and I take off two-tenths, there will still be six-tenths of a chance. It's enough!' A brilliant light shone in Di Tian's eyes.

"Heed my words. Lord Saint Defier's treasure, please fuse the soul into the body, manipulate the heavens to change Life, and overturn the universe!" Xing Ji Dao shouted.

He brought his right hand up. Immediately, a white ring flew off his finger and charged towards the pillar of light.