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Chapter 1141: Separating from the Seed of Life Extermination

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"You promised me that even if you are going to use Su Ming as a host, you will not harm his life, and that this will be a great serendipitous event for him."

Not a single hint of emotion could be detected on Sang's face. However, it was the first time he ever used that tone to speak with Su Xuan Yi in the countless years he had been by his side!

It was also the first time he did not have respect stemming from the bottom of his heart in his words. Instead, there was only a cold chill in his voice, and Sang did not even bother hiding it. Instead, he showed it without holding any of it back.

Su Xuan Yi turned his head around and cast Sang a deep look. A darkness gradually rose in his eyes.

"What did you say? Say it one more time, I didn't hear you clearly," Su Xuan Yi said faintly. His voice was awe-inspiring, and it sounded like a calm before a storm.

"You promised me that you wouldn't harm Su Ming!"

Sang trembled lightly. Su Xuan Yi's mighty pressure was incredibly hard to bear, but he still gritted his teeth and enunciated his words clearly.

"Sang, you have indeed grown to love that child as his parent, but his family name is Su. He is an Abyss Builder, and he must be prepared to sacrifice everything for the Abyss Builders. I can promise you as I have already promised him that I will make it up to him. I will make it up to him for everything that I've done in the end!

Su Xuan Yi stayed silent for a moment before a complicated look appeared on his face, and he said softly, "What I need the both of you to do is to believe in me completely. Hand me your lives and your destinies, and one day, I will fulfill my promise and will make it up to all of you for everything."

"I have always believed in you. It has been the case in the past, it still is now, and it will be so in the future, but I have one request. Don't harm him anymore. Let him go. You promised me…" Anguish appeared on Sang's face as he said those words in a low voice.

Su Xuan Yi fell silent. In the galaxy with the roaring whirlwinds, his silence lasted for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

"And if I refuse?" Su Xuan Yi's calm voice spread out slowly through the howling whirlwind, and a resolute expression appeared on Sang's face.

"If you don't keep to your promise, then I… can't be sure whether I can keep to my own promise to help you complete the second part of your plan."

The instant Sang said that, Su Xuan Yi whirled around, and with an electrifying gaze, he stared at Sang. After a long, long time, a smile suddenly appeared on his face.

"I promised you, and I will fulfill my promise."

Su Xuan Yi decided not to search for Su Ming. Instead, he raised his right hand, formed a seal, and swung his arm. Immediately, whirlwinds filled the space in the galaxy, and a complicated runic symbol appeared. It flashed a few times before disappearing without a trace.

In a galaxy far away from this place but still within True Morning Dao World was the territory which had once been the core of the Immortals' Union. It was also the spot where the whirlwind began and where Saint Defier's Heaven Penetrating Pillar was once located. Su Ming, who had just executed the first invisible battle of Possession against the resistance of Xing Ji Dao suddenly felt a ripple in his heart. The half of the Seed of Life Extermination which was about to mature in his soul had trembled.

Right after, Su Ming felt a great suction force in his soul. It shrank by three-tenths of its original size, and the speed of Seed of Life Extermination's growth instantly increased exponentially.

All of this happened the instant Su Ming suppressed Xing Ji Dao's Nascent Divinity with the power from Possession!

When nearly three-tenths of his soul were forcefully devoured by the Seed of Life Extermination, a feeling of weakness he had never felt before rose in his heart. At that moment, the final bit of disbelief towards this matter shattered in Su Ming's heart. It was followed by a great pain due to the destruction of that disbelief.

The Seed of Life Extermination seemed to have gone through a catalysis due to the control of someone from a boundless distance away. In just the span of one breath, it sucked his soul again, and this time, it took another three-tenths!

Most of Su Ming's soul had been absorbed by that point, and a strange and enchanting light spread out from the Seed of Life Extermination. It traveled through Su Ming's soul, and it could be clearly seen that the Seed of Life Extermination longed to become complete and was rapidly growing for that purpose. Judging by the looks of it, as long as it could absorb a little more of the soul, it could reach completion.

Su Ming stared at it in silence. He did not fight back, and neither did he struggle against it. To Su Ming, all of this was already unnecessary. It was just like a dream that a child might have, and now, he was about to wake up from it. He… was about to fully grow up.

In silence, Su Ming saw the Seed of Life Extermination shudder. Right after, the third violent suction force appeared. This time, it absorbed the remaining thirty nine-hundredths of Su Ming's soul, leaving behind only a sliver of it. Everything else was absorbed cleanly.

When nearly all of Su Ming's soul was absorbed, the Seed of Life Extermination finally became completely. The statue resembling half a ship was filled with great power. It also seemed like it contained the will of all lives. Once it was completed… it left Su Ming's soul and flew out of his body. With a flash, it left the white ring and charged towards the whirlwind in space.

Su Ming watched this scene. He stared at the Seed of Life Extermination leaving and felt like his past had also been taken away by the Seed of Life Extermination. At that moment, Su Ming died, and the one who survived would be a person who loved silence, refused to show his face, and in all the people's eyes would only appear as a stranger.

Su Ming's soul had not been completely absorbed. A sliver of it was left, but if Su Ming did not receive any serendipity, then while he might not die, he would become incredibly weak. He would be reduced to a mere mortal, and even one who had forgotten everything about his past.

Perhaps instead of saying that it was a sliver of his soul, it would be better to say that it was a thread of life force. It was the life force Su Xuan Yi had given to him once his elder had fought and exchanged himself for him.

However, to Su Ming, the existence of the sliver of life force was not important. Even if he did not have it, he could still rise to power. It would just take a bit longer.

Su Ming stared at the Seed of Life Extermination leaving into the distance and watched it disappear into the whirlwind while he mumbled under his breath, "Su Ming has died. From now on… I am Mo Su!"

His eyes slowly fell shut. He had lost ninety-nine-hundredths of his soul. During that instant, he had fused with the pure soul left behind by the black-robed old man once the other's consciousness was wiped away from it.

At the same time, the sliver of Su Ming's original soul started absorbing the black-robed old man's soul in a mad rush. The so-called fusion was in truth Su Ming's soul treating the black-robed old man's soul as nutrients, just like the seed had done to him. By doing so, he could make himself grow swiftly.

Time trickled by. As he continued absorbing this soul and executed the extreme devouring, the black-robed old man's soul became smaller while his own soul gradually grew larger.

When the black-robed old man's soul was completely absorbed, Su Ming's soul had already recovered to nearly six-tenths of its original power.

This did not mean that the black-robed old man's soul was too weak. After all, based on their levels of cultivation, the black-robed old man was far stronger than Su Ming. However, in the process of devouring, the black-robed old man's soul suffered from a form of deterioration, and Su Ming was not executing a simple fusion either. He was using the black-robed old man's soul to nourish himself. Because of it, once he got rid of the impurities, he could return to nearly six-tenths of his soul.

This was akin to piece of land having a seed. As the seed grew, it absorbed all the water from the ground. Once it matured and absorbed all the water, the land would turn into a desert.

The cracked, dry ground would also be land, but if it was used to describe the black-robed old man's soul, it could be said that the desert was the impurities in it.

Once Su Ming absorbed the black-robed old man's soul, he opened his eyes, and without any hesitation, he cast his gaze on the suppressed Xing Ji Dao.

The man's resistance was as fierce as ever, but Su Ming had taken full grasp of timing and seized the opportunity to gain an upper hand on him. He only needed to maintain this advantage over Xing Ji Dao and continue using his inborn talent in Possession to suppress him.

Even if Su Ming was an Abyss Builder, two consecutive Possessions was an act of complete madness. Yet at that moment, Su Ming could no longer care about it. He wanted to live, and he wanted to live properly. He wanted to live another life so that he could overturn his destiny.

When Su Xuan Yi formed a seal and swung his arm in the whirlwind within the galaxy beyond Morning Dao Sect which was located incredibly far away from where Su Ming was, the complicated runic symbol flashed three times before it floated in the galaxy without moving. However, in just a few dozens of breaths, a long arc with a speed exceeding that of shifting came from the distance.

There was dark light spreading out from that long arc, and it was so quick that it surpassed what divine senses could detect. It instantly appeared beside the runic symbol and fused with it. As that item came to an abrupt halt, what appeared before Su Xuan Yi and Sang's eyes was Su Ming's Seed of Life Extermination—the statue of half of a ship!

As Sang stared at it, a hint of pain and grief appeared in his eyes.

There was only determination in Su Xuan Yi's eyes as he slowly raised his hand to seize the space in the direction of the ship formed by half of the Seed of Life Extermination Immediately, it shot through the distortions of time around Su Xuan Yi and appeared on his palm. He wrapped his fingers around it.

"Su Ming didn't die. I fulfilled my promise to you." Su Xuan Yi swung his right arm and put away the Seed of Life Extermination before he raised his head and stared at the distant galaxy.

"Let's go. We should leave True Morning Dao World now. Let me bring you to the True World that belongs to me." Su Xuan Yi took a step forward in space, and his body instantly disappeared. Sang followed him silently, but before he vanished, he turned his head around and cast his gaze into the distance with a complicated expression on his face. A hint of resolution which Su Xuan Yi could not see appeared in his eyes.

Chapter 1142: Tears from a Beauty

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Standing beyond the palace floating in the air which towered into the sky in the Emperor of Abyss' True World was the Emperor of Abyss, who was also the Kalpa Lord of that World. He had his hands placed behind his back as he stood there as if waiting for someone's arrival.

He was very patient. It looked like even if he had to wait for ten thousand years, not a single hint of emotion would appear on his face. Time trickled by, and after an unknown amount of time had passed, the air in front of him suddenly distorted. In time, Su Xuan Yi walked out. Sang followed behind him quietly. The Emperor of Abyss of the Emperor of Abyss' True World did not appear at all surprised when he saw Su Xuan Yi and Sang.

"Greetings, Sublime Paragon!" At the instant the Emperor of Abyss saw Su Xuan Yi, he immediately swung his arm… and knelt on one knee, then bowed like a disciple greeting his Master.

"Dao Er, there aren't any outsiders here. You don't need to do this. Raise." A smile appeared on Su Xuan Yi's face.

"Master!" The middle-aged man raised his head, and respect appeared on his face. When he cast his gaze on Sang, his lips curled up into a smile, and he nodded towards him.

"Junior brother, it has been many years since we last met. You look as fine as ever."

…..

The door to Yu Xuan's room within the Emperor of Abyss' True World was pushed open silently, and Su Xuan Yi walked slowly into the room.

Yu Xuan had her back turned to the door, and she was sitting by the window as she stared at the starry sky outside. The moment Su Xuan Yi walked in, she shuddered, and a complicated expression appeared on her face.

Su Xuan Yi stared at Yu Xuan quietly. After a long while, he sighed softly and brought out an item from his bosom that he placed on the table. He then said softly, "You've suffered over these years… but he doesn't suit you. From now on, he will only be a mortal."

Su Xuan Yi stood silent for a moment before sighing and turning around to walk out of the room. He gently closed the door behind himself.

When Su Xuan Yi left, Yu Xuan turned her head around. Tears flowed down her face as she stared blankly at the statue of the ship formed by half of the Seed of Life Extermination placed on the table. More and more tears streamed down her cheeks.

…..

Endless whirlwind could be seen howling everywhere in the broken True Morning Dao World. The terrifying power of the World could tear through many planets and even rip apart space. It could also easily destroy all cultivators' bodies.

Countless torn limbs could be seen in various places within the gigantic True Morning Dao World. They were from the cultivators which belonged to the Immortals' Union and Morning Dao Sect, but no matter on which side they had fought, they were in truth… all people of True Morning Dao World.

Perhaps they had not managed to put the hatred they harbored against each other behind them before the disaster struck, but it could be disregarded when facing it. The hatred could even be forgotten… because surviving was their only goal.

As endless numbers of cultivators from the Immortals' Union died, they longed to receive help from the Immortals' Union, but they did not manage to live till that moment, because the only thing waiting for them was the madness of the disaster. It was a nightmare from which no one could save them.

It was especially so for the cultivators near the core of the Immortals' Union. They had began laughing brokenly, because they saw the galaxy of the Immortals' Union collapsing and the region being reduced to ruins.

However, they were also fortunate, because they knew that from then on, the Immortals' Union would no longer exist, which was why they chose to escape. They chose to use every method in their disposal… to survive through the disaster!

Those cultivators who did not know that the galaxy of the Immortals' Union had shattered still harbored the hope of returning. Yet what awaited them would be only the fear and bewilderment which would rise in their hearts once they saw the wreckage.

Compared to the Immortals' Union, the cultivators from Morning Dao Sect were more fortunate. This did not mean that fewer of them died, but that those who survived would forever have hope, and its name was Morning Dao Sect.

Since all the Relocation Runes in Morning Dao Sect had been shut down, they might never be able to return and would never be able to see what had happened, but in their minds, Morning Dao Sect would always exist.

This was hope. It would forever remain in the hearts of the people who survived, and perhaps it would be passed down generation by generation��

Seven days after the disaster passed, not only did the whirlwind in True Morning Dao Sect not disappear, it had become even stronger. No one knew how long it would last, and perhaps not even those from Saint Defier's camp knew precisely when it would disappear.

As long as there was power of the World surging in from the gap formed in Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos, the endless whirlwind would exist. Yet whether it was one year, ten years, or even one hundred years or one thousand years, there would come a day when the power of the World would stop. The whirlwind in True Morning Dao World would also disappear at that moment.

Once it was gone, Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos would come face to face with a slaughter and disaster brought by Saint Defier or Dark Dawn, or even both. Compared to the whirlwind, this was the true disaster, because this would be a bloodbath which would affect the entire Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos instead of a single True World!

Before this disastrous bloodbath arrived, True Morning Dao World would remain filled with whirlwinds formed by the power of the World. It would be the calm before a storm for Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos.

There was nothing anyone could do about that. It was impossible for them to mend the gap formed by Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos. They could only continue making themselves stronger, making their sects stronger, and making their True Worlds stronger so that they could have a sliver of hope to survive in the final disaster.

While working hard, they would wait silently for the dazzling arrival of that disaster!

To Saint Defier and Dark Dawn, which lay beyond Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos, the period of peace and quiet was the critical moment for them to wage war against each other.

They had to fight to seize the gap, and since the gap was in Saint Defier's camp, Dark Dawn had to pay several times the price to seize it.

Yet if Dark Dawn was going to attack with everything, Saint Defier had to fight back with everything they had as well.

No matter what, it might be the final period of peace in Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos. It might last only for a short moment or maybe a long time, but no matter how much time it took, it would definitely come to an end one day.

That moment might no longer be far away.

When the seven days passed in the broken True Morning Dao World and the whirlwind became even stronger, at the spot right under the gap formed in Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos where the whirlwind was born, a white light rushed out from the spot where the pillar of light which connected to the heavens had once been. The white light traveled so quickly that it instantly rushed out of the strongest whirlwind which was located at the core of the Immortals' Union.

When it ventured out, the cocoon which was formed by Bai Feng only had a thin layer of it left. It should have been impossible for the cocoon to last till that moment. In truth, it should have shattered many days ago, and everything in it was supposed to be destroyed by the whirlwind.

The only reason it had been able to do so was because Bai Feng had executed an irreversible Forbidden Art from Phoenix Sect for the sake of surviving. It used her life as a source of power and would burn it to provide the cocoon with several times the support. This was how she had been able to last that long.

However, the price she paid was incredibly devastating to her as a woman. It could be seen within the thin cocoon that Bai Feng's face was no longer as beautiful as it was in the past. Instead, it was full of wrinkles. She no longer looked youthful, but like she had just crawled out of a coffin. An old and decaying presence spread out from her body.

She was still dressed in white, but she was no longer beautiful. Instead, she was filled with sorrow and misery.

It stemmed from her very soul. To her, the seven days had felt like her entire life.

She did not have to do act like that. She could have welcomed death in a more dignified manner and choose to die beautiful if she could not survive.

However, she could not accept this. She was afraid of death, and she could not accept that she had lost everything. She had always dreamed of ascending to Saint Defier Expanse Cosmos, and for this dream, she could give up on everything.

Yet now, she was swathed in deep despair. She could only stay in the thin cocoon and wait for Su Ming's arrival. There was no longer any life left for her to burn. Even if the cocoon could continue existing, she had less than a month left to live.

Just when the white light flew out from the core of the whirlwind in the distance and was about to leave, it came to a stop and changed its direction to charge towards Bai Feng. It approached the cocoon in an instant.

The white light pierced Bai Feng's aged eyes. If it was two days ago, she would have been excited. If it was three days ago, Bai Feng would have been so excited that she would have cried. No matter what she would have been asked to give up, as long as the person in the white light would save her, she would promise it all away.

If it was four or five days ago, Bai Feng's choice would still not change… but all of the seven days had passed.

She only had one month left to live, and she knew clearly that she could not reverse what had been done. With numbness, she stared at the white light beyond the cocoon. There was not a hint of emotion on her face, and there were no tears in her eyes. However, if anyone looked at her, they could hear faint cries echoing in space.

After a short moment of silence, a soft sigh that seemed to come from a day filled with snow and wind from the distant past traveled through space. White light shone beyond the cocoon and seeped into it to sweep up Bai Feng. The next moment, the light left into the distance.

The white light was a white ring that was about a hundred something feet big. Naturally, it was Lord Saint Defier's supreme treasure, but right then, it no longer belonged to anyone from Saint Defier. It belonged to Mo Su, who had bid farewell to his past and had been reborn!

Only Su Ming himself knew just how hard it was to devour Xing Ji Dao and all that had happened within the white ring during the past seven days.

Yet all that mattered was that the moment the white ring flew out of the whirlwind, it meant that Su Ming had devoured Xing Ji Dao and his soul.

Su Ming's appearance had changed drastically. He no longer looked as old as the black-robed old man, but much younger. He appeared to be a young man, and he had a handsome face, but there was a hint of ghastliness to it. When his eyes shone, there was life in him, but there was also a dead stillness within his gaze.

He was still dressed in black robes, but the soul in the body underneath them was stronger by nearly three-tenths to Su Ming's previous soul.

His level of cultivation had also increased exponentially. The level of its increase was even more shocking than that of his soul. However, if anyone compared all of these to the white ring, they would not say that those were serendipities, because the real serendipity was the white ring!

This was Lord Saint Defier's supreme treasure, an item which was incredibly rare even in Saint Defier's camp. It was so valuable that it could not be described with words. Yet it had become something which belonged to Su Ming!

In the supreme treasure, there was a hint of presence which belonged to those in Avacaniya. If Su Ming could gain an epiphany from it, then the help it would provide him would be enough to shake the entire universe. In fact, as long as he kept this supreme treasure by his side, it would be the same as having… a chance to step into Avacaniya Realm in the future!

This sort of thing could make all cultivators go mad. This was the real serendipity Su Ming had obtained!

Right then, he sat and meditated within the white ring. Before him was the woman he had saved. Bai Feng, who had now become an old woman, sat quietly in front of him and stared at the world that flashed beyond the ring in a daze. She had not spoken for three days.

She was silent, and Su Ming didn't have anything to say to her either. In truth, he had only saved her due to a hint of sentimentality. He was feeling sentimental about the past, about the relationship they had, about Dark Mountain, about the game of walking in circles they had shared, and about the sigh in the snow.

Chapter 1143: Mortal Refinement Art

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Su Ming was silent. He sat in the white ring and stared at the galaxy beyond. It looked boundless when he cast his gaze on it. With countless whirlwinds rampaging around, he could not see a single planet. There were only stones floating in space.

Occasionally, some large ones would sweep past them in the whirlwind. The stones had once been part of the planets in True Morning Dao World, but most of them had been destroyed, filling the galaxy with stone fragments and dust.

There were also fragments from quite a large number of Enchanted Treasures. In fact, there were even some torn pieces of flesh and blood, which filled the galaxy of True Morning Dao World with a bloody stench.

As he stared at the world outside quietly, Su Ming felt like he had returned to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. In fact, even that place was in a much better shape than True Morning Dao World at that moment.

The white ring charged forward with a howl, and the whirlwinds in the world outside looked like they had been cut apart. The instant the ring touched them, they crumbled on their own.

And it was able to do that when Su Ming had only activated one-hundredth of the ring's power, which was all that he could use so far. Su Ming might want to make the white ring bring forth even stronger power, but he lacked the strength to do so.

The power of this treasure was something that not even the black-robed old man and Xing Ji Dao could fully bring forth. They could only use their power to activate the cultivation base left behind in the ring. It was a type of indirect control.

This was why it had been so difficult for Xing Ji Dao activate the treasure. He had used up all of his power, and the pressure on him had also been incredibly great. Because of it, Su Ming had gained a chance to Possess and devour him.

Su Ming's method of controlling the supreme treasure was different from that of Xing Ji Dao. He did not activate the cultivation base contained in the treasure to indirectly control it… but was having the bald crane for that.

"How is it?" Su Ming delivered a divine thought flatly to the bald crane in his heart.

"I'm still a little off. Darn it all, this thing is really quite hard to deal with," the bald crane answered with a pant in Su Ming's mind.

"Are you sure that the method you mentioned will work?" A barely noticeable glint shone in Su Ming's eyes as he delivered his thought.

"Of course it'll work. Heh heh, don't worry, when I saw this treasure, a memory appeared in my head. It's definitely not wrong.

"Mortal Refinement Art was a famous Art used to refine treasures in the past. It has been lost for many years, but thankfully, I still know it. You only need to refine this based on what I said. I can't promise that you'll be able to perfectly control this treasure, but you'll certainly be able to use at least one or two-tenths of its true power." The bald crane's smug voice echoed in Su Ming's mind.

When he devoured Xing Ji Dao and was about to control the white ring, the bald crane had suddenly sent him a thought and told him about the Mortal Refinement Art. This method could allow Su Ming to use his own power to perfectly control the supreme treasure, but the process of refinement was a little problematic.

"With Mortal Refinement Art… you will enter the cycle of reincarnation as a mortal and refine it during the cycles of reincarnation. Once you go through nine cycles of reincarnation and refine it nine times, you can form a connection through the cycles of reincarnation with this treasure, and with that connection, you can control its Essence. You won't need to have a matching level of cultivation to control it." A glint shone in Su Ming's eyes, and he nodded quietly.

"You said that this Art was once very famous? Since it's so peculiar, why was it lost?" Su Ming suddenly asked in his head. He had a vague bad feeling about it. He had a constant, nagging sense that the bald crane did not seem to be too reliable…

"I don't know about that. I just know that in my memories, this Art looks very powerful… Huh? I seem to have remembered something. It seems like there is something lacking about, but I can't remember what it is. Hey! Are you going to use it? Su Ming, if you don't use it, then I'll stop making the preparations. This is too tiring," the bald crane mumbled under its breath.

Su Ming fell silent. In just a few breaths, determination appeared in his eyes.

"Continue with it," he said faintly.

Another seven days passed. When the seventh day arrived, Su Ming finally saw a planet in the whirlwind-filled galaxy.

It was the first planet he had seen in seven days. It was a cultivation planet which had been mostly destroyed, but a part of it still remained.

As he stared at the broken cultivation planet, a glint shone in Su Ming's eyes.

'This disaster affected the entire True Morning Dao World, but there are still planets remaining. That means that there are definitely cultivators who survived the disaster!

'True Morning Dao World has already been destroyed. I wonder what happened to Morning Dao Sect, and what about… my senior brothers? Was Yin Death Region affected?'

The light in Su Ming's eyes darkened. After a moment of silence, he sent a divine thought to the bald crane. Immediately, the white ring turned into a white long arc that changed direction to charge towards the cultivation planet. It instantly approached it and flew straight inside.

The moment Su Ming arrived, the cultivation planet shuddered violently, and more of it shattered. Several crushed rocks were swept away by the whirlwind, as if the cultivation planet had already been destroyed to its limit, and Su Ming's arrival caused the stress it suffered to become greater, causing the edges to start crumbling again.

Thankfully, the crumbling did not last for long before it gradually came to a stop. When Su Ming walked out of the white ring, he stepped onto the ground of the cultivation planet. Above, he saw a broken sky filled with whirlwinds. Beneath him, countless layers seemed to have been lifted off the ground to reveal a bloody-red land.

There was no mountains in the distance, because all them had already been destroyed by whirlwinds. There were no seas either, because they had already been wiped off.

Heat spread out from the ground, and as it intersected with the cold chill in the sky, it formed a violent gust of wind which blew up the sand and swept it across the planet.

There was no presence of lives. In fact, all of them had also been extinguished a long time ago. This was a dead planet, a world with no life force.

Su Ming swept his gaze past the area, then lifted his right leg. Immediately, a huge vortex appeared with a bang on the ground. It lifted the sand and swept it outwards, but it was immediately blown away by a violent gust of wind, clearing the place. In just a few breaths, a gigantic basin appeared under Su Ming's feet.

He cast a glance at it, then sat down at the bottom of the pit. When he lifted his head, he cast a glance at Bai Feng, whose life had already reached its end. Her presence was weak, and she was about to die.

At most, she could live for one more month.

Su Ming had saved Bai Feng had due to his sentiments. She was someone he had loved when he was still ignorant about love. Perhaps it was just a mere joke and the young love had already withered. However, when Bai Feng died, she would not know that the black-robed person beside her was Su Ming.

The invisible destiny connected the two of them, bringing one of them to the other's side when they were about to die. However, the love had been blown away by the wind and turned into a single snowflake. It lingered, refusing to leave, and they could only lament at destiny as well as their lives…

Su Ming closed his eyes and waited for the bald crane to finish its preparations so that he could use the Mortal Refinement Art to refine the white ring with the will of reincarnation. The bald crane had began making preparations at the very start, but even then, it had yet to finish with them.

Su Ming sat silently as days passed. Gradually, another seven days went by. To Su Ming, they only lasted for an instant. It was a short period of time for him to familiarize himself with his new body, but to Bai Feng, the seven days were nearly three-tenths of what remained of her life.

She only had half a month left, only two cycles of seven days.

Humans were complicated life forms, but no matter how complicated they were, as long as they had emotions, then right before they died, they would find that those emotions were the purest things in their lives.

Bai Feng stared at the sky quietly, and when seven days passed, the aged look on her face became even clearer. Her presence was so weak that she looked like she had turned into a mortal.

"Thank you for saving me," she mumbled her first words in the half a month they had spent together.

The sentence landed in Su Ming's ears. He listened to the familiar voice and watched the woman whose figure he could still recognize even though she had grown old. He sighed in his heart.

It seemed like there were always sighs between the two of them whenever they came in contact with each other. He might have sighed just then, but it might as well have been her too. They had walked in circles in the past, gotten to know each other when the blood moon appeared, and it had determined this unchangeable and indefinable conclusion.

"I only have half a month left, but I still want to thank you for letting me die on this planet instead of the whirlwind," Bai Feng mumbled.

Anguish could be seen on her face. It was not due to her life flowing away, but because she seemed to have remembered something. A faint light shone in her eyes when she immersed herself in her memories.

"In the past, to ascend, I agreed to Di Tian's plan. To ascend, I could sacrifice everything…" Bai Feng stared at the sky while mumbling softly to herself.

"What about now?" Su Ming asked calmly. His voice had changed once he obtained his new body through Possession. It belonged to Zhang Ji Dao, not Su Ming.

"Now…" The anguish on Bai Feng's face slowly disappeared, and a smile replaced it. That smile made it seem like she had seen through everything, and there was an air of freedom about her. However, there was a hint of regret in that freedom.

"It's strange. Right now, I'm not thinking about trying to obtain life or dreaming about ascension. Instead… some of the memories of the past keep resurfacing in my mind. Perhaps this is a memory that belongs to my clone, but when it died, her encounters were buried in a corner of my memories eternally.

"Now… I think that those memories are of the incredibly happy and beautiful moments of my life," Bai Feng said softly. However, her beautiful voice had turned hoarse due to the aging. Instead of dark locks, her head was covered in white, and her bones seemed about ready to crack.

Chapter 1144: Him in Emperor's Robes!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

In True Morning Dao World, there was a spot that had once belonged to the Immortals. It was an incredibly strange place even to the four Great True Worlds and the whole of Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos.

Over there was the homeland of Su Ming's memories—Yin Death Region!

The entrance to it was a vortex that seemed to have no end. While Su Ming was listening to Bai Feng's quiet murmurs in the pit on the broken planet in the galaxy, there were countless whirlwinds formed by the power of the World which could destroy cultivators and planets howling before the vortex, but even they… could not affect Yin Death Vortex. They could blow around it, but not enter.

Countless dimensions were within Yin Death Vortex, and there were plenty of races living there. The Berserkers were simply one of them.

In one of the many dimensions was a fiery red world. Its sky was red, its earth was red, and it was filled with countless seas of fire that swept up hot air. When wind blew, it would stir up flames which were so bright they were blinding. The world looked like a burning hell!

Over there was a mountain surrounded by flames. It was a volcano that had been extinguished countless years ago. In it was a huge lake of fire. Red light shone from it, casting the volcano in a dark red light.

Floating in the lake of fire was a purple coffin. No one knew how long it had been in that place, but the ancient air spreading out from it made it clear that it should have been around for at least tens of thousands of years.

Countless runic symbols were branded on the coffin, and once every nine breaths, they would flash. It seemed like this would continue without end for all eternity. However… banging sounds suddenly came from the coffin. This was the first time since countless years that this happened, and it changed the rhythm of the runic symbols. Instead of shining once every nine breaths, they began to shine once every eight breaths.

The banging sounds became increasingly louder, as if something was continuously hitting the coffin. The runic symbols began to shine even more frequently, changing their interval to once every seven breaths, then once every six breaths. When it became once every three breaths, a louder than before bang came from the coffin.

At that moment, the lid of the coffin lifted, and it slowly floated into midair. The lake of fire around it started tumbling about furiously, as if it was roaring loudly. At the same time, an arm shot out from the coffin.

It was a thin and shriveled arm with all five fingers parted from each other. At the instant it shot out of the coffin, all the lava in the volcano erupted. The land in the area outside roared at once. The sky, too, trembled furiously. Tumbling red clouds immediately appeared above the volcano.

It was as if the entire world had been affected the instant the arm shot out from the coffin. Soon after, the five parted fingers slowly clenched into a fist. The entire world's flames and heat immediately started surging madly towards them as if they were centering themselves towards the arm.

All of this only lasted the duration of the hand clenching itself into a fist. If anyone looked from the highest point in that world, they would have been able to see that the sea of fire had tumbled backwards. Wherever the flames passed, all heat would be taken from the land, and the ground would turn black.

At the same time, all the flames in the place, including the flame clouds in the sky, were absorbed by the volcano. They gathered on the palm from the arm that had reached out from the coffin. Once the person seized the flames, a crimson pearl appeared in his hand.

Within it, a sea of fire was tumbling, and fire clouds were swimming. It looked like an entire world.

A sigh came from the coffin. Gradually, a tall figure slowly sat up. When he eventually stood up, a crimson robe could be seen. That robe was not a normal robe… but an Emperor's robe!

A crown was also on the man's head, giving him the domineering air of an Emperor. It filled the volcano and the entire world.

"I failed, huh?" the person said softly.

He had a strange, imposing tone, like he looked down on all forms of life in the world. He might have said that he failed, but no one could hear even a single hint of regret towards his failure in his voice.

"I have long since guessed it. The possibility of success for it was too low. Su Xuan Yi was the most formidable man of his generation. There was no way that he would not have any backups, but since the start, my main plan was only to learn what he was planning.

"An enemy who can no be understood is frightening, but once they reveal themselves, they are no longer frightening.

"The intention behind this plan was to make Su Xuan Yi go through with his plan so that I would know what he was planning…"

As he spoke, the man in the Emperor's robe and crown slowly raised his head to reveal his face. Needless to say… he was Di Tian!

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he looked exactly the same as Di Tian, but his face was even more ancient. The domineering air about him was also stronger, and his level of cultivation was also greater!

"I had sent out a soul fragment as a test. It would have been good if I could succeed, but even if I failed, it doesn't matter. That tiny Immortals' Union holds no importance to me," the man said faintly.

A glint shone in his eyes, and he raised his head to stare at the sky above the volcano. Gradually, the hint of a smile appeared at the corners of his lips.

"Three Sovereigns and five Emperors, my fellow Daoists, have all of you rested well?"

His voice traveled through the world and echoed within all of Yin Death Region. After a moment, powerful ripples charged towards him from seven different dimensions.

There were terrifying divine senses touching each other in that place, as if they were communicating with each other. After a long while, they disappeared to return to their own worlds, and Yin Death Vortex gradually regained its calm.

"It is just as I thought. We'll have Su Xuan Yi change the world outside. There is no need for us to get out so soon. We'll let him continue with his plan, and at the final moment, we will let him know that he… is just a farce."

Di Tian smiled faintly before he slowly lay down in his coffin once more. He unfurled his right hand, allowing the crimson pearl in it to spread out and fill the world with seas of fire once more.

"My injuries have completely recovered from ten thousand years ago… Avacaniya, Avacaniya… I've come to understand the basics of this Realm. If I get more time, then perhaps I will truly have the right… to reach this Realm. I have you to thank for this, Su Xuan Yi…" Di Tian mumbled, and the lid of the coffin fell with a bang. Once the coffin was sealed, it slowly sank back into the lake of fire, disappearing without a trace.

…..

"That damn Immortals' Union, that damn Morning Dao Sect, this damn universe, and this damn whirlwind!"

In another broken planet within True Morning Dao World was a young man dressed in black robes who looked incredibly disheveled and had madness in his eyes. He brought his arms up as if he was pushing up the sky while shouting at it.

"Hey, you bastards! Persevere! The Rune is about to be completed! This damn whirlwind will not be able to destroy us cultivators from the War Chamber!"

As the young man roared, the near twenty thousand cultivators behind roared as well, and all of them sent forth their power for it to fuse with the air. Gradually, a screen of light appeared. It looked like it wanted to envelop the planet within it.

In the crowd was Flame Fiends' Progenitor and Zhu You Cai. They were both there!

…..

In a galaxy which was in True Morning Dao World was a lone ship which seemed to treat the whirlwind as a huge wave in the ocean. It treated the galaxy as seawater, and it was swimming forward through it.

"O wind, o stars, you're so pretty… O wreckages, o space, it's a pity that there isn't any sunlight. Ah, why are you not pretty?" A bright and clear voice rose from the ship. When it reverberated in space, it held a hint of exultation.

"What a lovely poem!"

"Sir, your literary talents are great, a gift rarely seen in a million years. This is definitely the best poem I've ever heard." The voice filled with exultation was soon followed by a woman's giggles.

As the ship went forward, it could be seen that there was a layer of fog surrounding it. The fog appeared to be thin, but it seemed to keep the whirlwind at bay, not allowing the power of the World to reach the ship.

It could be seen that there was a table on the ship. Sitting beside it was an incredibly handsome long-haired man. He had an air about him like he was as gentle as a flower.

By his side were three women as beautiful as flowers. With gentle gazes, they stared at the man. It looked like even if the man spewed out a pile of utter crap… that crap would still sound poetic to them…

One of them was pouring wine for the man while another was holding a sweet fruit for him. The third one was gently massaging his legs. The women's petite faces had gentle and loving expressions.

The man shook his head, as if he was thinking back about his poem.

From behind the four people, in other words the end of the ship, came a discordant sound that broke the poetic air.

It was a snore as loud as thunder, and it even had a rhythmic pattern to it. Occasionally, it would be loud, while at other times, it would be soft. The one who produced it was an incredibly large man that looked like a fierce tiger. In his hands, he held a pot of wine.

At that moment, he was dreaming, and there was drool trickling out of his mouth. No one could tell what he was dreaming about, but he seemed to be very happy.

The man turned around and murmured, "Youngest junior brother, come drink this pot of wine." After those words, his snores became even louder.

"Hah…" As if he had heard the murmured words, the man who was as gentle as a flower slowly opened his eyes to stare at the distant galaxy before he lowered his head and sighed.

"Youngest junior brother, where are you?"

…..

At the same time, within one of the 999 continents in the third plane of the now ruined Morning Dao Sect was a figure gradually crawling out from the wreckage. He looked rather pathetic, but monstrous hatred could be detected on his sleazy face.

"SU XUAN YI!!!"

The man quivered with rage. He had an extremely low level of cultivation, but the hate spreading out from his body at that moment could destroy anything.

Tears fell from his eyes as he stared at his surroundings. After throwing his head back and roaring, he flew out. He wanted to see if there were any other survivors. Even if there was only a sliver of hope, he would not give up.

Chapter 1145: Xu Hui…

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The person was De Shun.

The De in his name meant morality, and Shun meant having everything going one's way when they bought things.

It was the De Shun who had went to Su Ming's lotus platform when he was going through the challenges as a Dynast in True Morning Dao World. The things he said had left the ten million cultivators in the area flabbergasted, and even Su Ming had been stunned for a moment.

The man had great talent, but did not have the heart to practice the ways of cultivation and only wanted to conduct small business. Yet now, the cheeky grin on his face had been replaced by searing hatred, along with deep sadness.

"They died. They're all dead!" De Shun screamed forlornly as he charged through the ruins of Morning Dao Sect. He had survived not because he had great power or Enchanted Treasures. It was just pure coincidence; one that even Su Xuan Yi had not paid attention to.

After all, there would surely be a few people who would manage to avoid a destruction that caused the deaths of several millions of people.

With a broken smile, De Shun charged through the ruins of Morning Dao Sect before he came to a sudden halt. Then, he rushed to a fragment of a broken continent floating in the area below. When he descended, he immediately formed a seal with his hands, and the fragment let out a bang. As dust and dirt flew into the air, a body buried in a pit was revealed.

It belonged to a woman which De Shun had never seen before, but if Su Ming saw her, he would definitely be able to recognize, for she was… Xu Hui.

Her face had drained of color. While seated, her eyes were shut tight. There was blood at the corners of her mouth. Her hair was no longer black, but had turned white. There was a purple layer of light around her, and its shape resembled that of a scorpion. In fact, there was also the mark of a scorpion occasionally shining at the center of her brows.

The instant De Shun saw Xu Hui, her eyes fly open behind the purple screen of light. Dark light shone within them, as if there was a scorpion hidden in her pupils. Malice spread out from her, and she moved at that instant and appeared right beside De Shun, whose expression changed drastically change and who was just about to say something. Without any hesitation, Xu Hui grabbed his neck at lightning speed. It was too fast for De Shun to dodge.

"You…" De Shun's expression immediately changed, but a vast power instantly came from Xu Hui's right hand, suppressing him. The moment fear appeared in his eyes, Xu Hui raised her left hand and struck the center of his brows. At the same time, the shadow of a scorpion rushed out of her left hand and went into De Shun's body through her palm.

"I've planted the Scorpion Shadow Gu Poison in you. Bring me to Su Ming. He will break this Shadow Gu Poison in your body and will also grant you a great serendipity! No one else but the people I've acknowledged can cure this gu poison. If you try it recklessly, you will surely die an unnatural death!"

The moment Xu Hui said those words, her body shuddered. Then, she closed her eyes and fell to the ground, unconscious.

With a pale face, De Shun immediately took a few steps back. Fear lingered on his face. The power Xu Hui had showed just then was incredibly great in his eyes, reminding him of the Almighties he had faced in the past.

In fact, he could sense clearly that if she wanted to kill him, she could have easily done so.

"Damn it, did you just return my kindness with enmity?!"

Anger appeared on De Shun's face. He circulated his cultivation base to check his body, and his facial color immediately went even paler. He even shuddered a few times.

He could clearly sense his veins twisting in his body, intersecting with each other to form the shape of a scorpion. Cold chill filled his body, making him suck in a sharp breath. He remembered the words Xu Hui had said before she fell unconscious.

Outrage filled De Shun's body as he thought about what had happened. It had been out of good intentions that he had checked to see whether she was alive, yet he ended up in such a situation. If anyone else was in his position, they would definitely feel as indignant as he was.

"Damn it, who is Su Ming? Where am I supposed to find this Su Ming? I can't even get out of Morning Dao Sect, y-y-you…"

De Shun fumed with rage. He took a few steps forward to check the unconscious Xu Hui, then raised his leg, intending to kick her, but the instant he raised his leg, her eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes.

This instantly caused De Shun to shudder, and he put on an obsequious smile while moving backwards in a submissive manner.

Yet the instant Xu Hui opened her eyes, her body started shrinking in a bizarre manner, and in just the span of a few breaths, she, who was originally an adult, turned into a little girl of around six or seven years old.

"Who-who are you?!"

The instant De Shun moved back, fear and panic appeared in Xu Hui's eyes, and she swiftly moved backwards as well, as if she was terrified of him. She hugged herself while her face filled with wariness and fear. She looked as if she was about to cry.

"Where is this? Wh-who are you?!"

De Shun was taken aback. He stared at Xu Hui in surprise, then once he scrutinized her, he asked a question as a test.

"Um… Lady Immortal, don't you remember me?"

"Big brother, who are you? I-I don't know you." Xu Hui's face was pale. She looked around herself in panic, and the fear in her eyes grew stronger.

A thought appeared in De Shun's head. He took a few more steps back before asking another question to test her.

"Who is Su Ming?"

"Su Ming? Who is Su Ming? Are you Su Ming?"

Confusion appeared on Xu Hui's face as if she was somewhat familiar with that name, but almost the same moment, pain clouded her features. The mark of the scorpion shone, and Xu Hui immediately wrapped her hands around her head. As she shuddered, her pain grew even more intense.

"Aha!" De Shun's eyes instantly brightened, and great joy filled his heart.

'Looks like this diabolical woman has lost her memories. But it's not a surprise. After all, I might have been lucky enough to live through this disaster, but not everyone was as fortunate as I. She must have activated some sort of divine ability which allowed her to live, but its great side effect is that it will cause her to lose her memories and even turn her into a child. Yup, that's definitely the case!

'That's why she planted that Scorpion Something Gu Poison in me the first time she woke up… She had also referred to me as big brother. Could it be? that's right, her memories must have become jumbled up, and by the looks of it, she's filled with fear. Her body is that of a child as well. Could it be?

'Could it be that her memories have regressed to the period of time when she was still a child and she has yet to walk down the path of cultivation?'

De Shun let out a dry cough, and with shifty eyes, he took a few steps forward. A sleazy look immediately appeared on his face.

"Little girl, where are your parents?" De Shun delivered his question in an incredibly natural manner, and there was not a hint of falsehood in it, as if he was truly treating her as a young girl he had met coincidentally.

"Papa… Mama… I don't know. I want to go home…" Xu Hui started crying like a child. While doing so, she started moving backwards.

De Shun's expression immediately changed to glee. He threw his head back and laughed, then leaped towards Xu Hui. He had already made up his mind to beat her up so that he could force this diabolical woman to break the gu poison in her.

De Shun did not think about anything else. After all, the woman was in Morning Dao Sect. She might not be a disciple of Morning Dao Sect, but she definitely had some connection with it. Morning Dao Sect had already been destroyed, so when he looked at her, he had a feeling that they were in the same boat.

"Y-you… Don't come any closer! Go away!" Xu Hui immediately screamed. She quickly moved back, and the fear on her face reached its peak.

Xu Hui, who had turned into child, looked pitiful at that moment, as if she had just gone through a great scare.

However, the moment she finished speaking, disbelief appeared on De Shun's face. He could only watch helplessly as his body moved back, no longer under his control.

"Go away, go away, go away…" Xu Hui repeated in fear. Every single time she said those words, De Shun would immediately move dozens of feet backwards. Gradually, great terror showed up on his face. An ominous feeling rose in his heart.

'This… Could this be?'

"You're a bad person. Mama said that bad people will fall on their faces when they walk…"

Right when Xu Hui said that, De Shun suddenly slipped and fell. His face landed straight on the ground, and intense pain immediately filled his head. However, the pain in his body at that moment could not compare with the fear he felt in his heart. His expression had already changed completely.

'Puppet poison! Damn it, that gu poison she used was puppet poison!'

As if she had become slightly happier because De Shun had fallen on his face, Xu Hui no longer seemed to be so terrified. She clapped her tiny hands and broke into a smile before she started speaking again.

"Bad people use their hands to walk.

"Bad people walk on their hands and feet like turtles.

"Bad people lie on the ground and crawl about on their backs.

"Bad people…"

"Mistress! You're my mistress! I'm begging you, I-I-I… I was wrong! I was really wrong! I… I'll take you back home!" De Shun immediately cried out, pleading for mercy. He was really worried that the girl would next say something like bad people use their tongues to walk…

…..

While De Shun was being tormented by Xu Hui, Bai Feng raised her head with nostalgia on her face to look at the sky of the broken planet beyond Morning Dao Sect. In faint murmurs, she talked about the past while the whirlwind howled outside.

With only half a month left to live, she no longer cared about who was beside her. Even if she was alone, she would still talk about her memories. It was as if only by doing so could she not be alone before her life ended…

Su Ming listened quietly until the bald crane's divine thought appeared in his heart.

"It's done! Su Ming, I already told you how to cast that Mortal Refinement Art. Cast it here. If you're fast, then you'll go through nine cycles of reincarnation in a year. During that period of time, remember to have the Light of Extreme Darkness spread around you. I'll also protect you, so don't worry." There was a smug tone in the bald crane's voice as if it was very happy that it could remember the Mortal Refinement Art.

Chapter 1146: Grandpa, Could You Give Me This Fish

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

A glint shone in Su Ming's eyes. Bai Feng might still be mumbling to herself, but he had saved her because he was feeling sentimental about his past. It was not out of compassion, much less out of love.

From the moment Bai Feng decided to use Su Ming, they were destined to forever be strangers.

As his eyes sparkled, Su Ming looked away from Bai Feng. Black light shone around his body, and the Light of Extreme Darkness swept outwards from his position. It did not spread far, only enough to cover the pit.

At the same moment, Su Ming slowly closed his eyes. Immediately, wisps of black smoke flew out of his body. They instantly turned into the bald crane. It existed in the Light of Extreme Darkness, and as if its body was melting, it looked like it had fused with the Light of Extreme Darkness.

"Mortal Refinement Art. I will surround the supreme treasure with my will, and with my mind as the path, we will enter the cycles of life and death together!"

Su Ming raised both his arms and swung it forward. Immediately, the white ring floated in front of him. It was incredibly big, occupying almost the entirety of the pit.

There was a grim look on Su Ming's face. He continued forming different seals with his hands in front of himself. Those seals were what the bald crane had taught him, Once they were formed, they sank into the white ring.

However, the ring remained still. It floated in the air, not providing any sort of reaction to the seals.

Gradually, Su Ming's speed became faster. The seals changed rapidly, and when nearly one hundred breaths had passed, Su Ming's eyes flew open. He bit the tip of his tongue and coughed up a mouthful of blood. It turned into blood fog and charged towards the white ring. Then, as if it was branding the ring, it carved itself deeply into its side.

The ring shuddered as if the blood Su Ming had offered had transformed under the complicated seals. It seemed to possess some form of strange power that affected the white ring.

However, the shivers only lasted for an instant before the supreme treasure returned to normal. Yet Su Ming's eyes brightened.

'This Mortal Refinement Art is indeed useful. This is just the first refinement, and it could already affect this treasure.'

Su Ming's eyes sparkled. All his attention was directed to his hands.

He changed the seals once more. This time, he lasted nearly two hundred breaths before he coughed up another mouthful of blood. When it touched the white ring, it immediately started shuddering again.

A blood-red thread seemed to want to crawl into the white ring, but soon, the ring started showing signs of recovering. Without any hesitation, Su Ming leaped up and continued moving around the white ring. As he did so, he quickly formed seals with both hands. His speed increased, and more seals were formed. He also occasionally coughed up blood.

If anyone looked carefully, they would find that Su Ming always coughed up blood at the same spot on the white ring. It was the spot where the blood-red thread had almost pushed through previously.

In a short span of time, Su Ming was drenched. Sweat ran down all over him. In fact, even with his cultivation base, he looked like he could not withstand the burden. After all, quite a large amount of his cultivation base was required for every single seal he made. Every single mouthful of blood he coughed up contained a bit of his soul and the blood from his heart.

'998 seals and eight mouthfuls of blood. I only need one more seal and one mouthful of blood to be able to activate the first refinement!'

Su Ming was panting, but determination appeared on his face. With a single move, he brought his right hand up and formed the 999th seal. At the instant he pushed it at the ring, he opened his mouth and coughed up his ninth mouthful of blood. it instantly caught up to Su Ming's right hand, about to land on the spot where the blood-red thread had appeared on the ring.

"Bald crane!!" Su Ming immediately sent a thought in his heart.

The bald crane had long since been prepared for this. At that moment, it let out a shrill shriek. Its disappeared body manifested, and it turned into a black needle. It did not stab the white ring, but went straight to the center of Su Ming's brows. He did not dodge and simply allowed the bright glow of the black needle to close in on him. It stabbed the center of his brows, and once it sank in, it went straight to his brain!

Su Ming immediately sensed sharp stabs of pain that came from a loud roar in his head. It echoed ceaselessly in his mind, growing only louder until it replaced his consciousness.

During that moment, a drop of crimson blood appeared at the center of Su Ming's brows. It turned into a long arc and charged towards the spot where the blood-red thread had appeared. Once it touched it, the drop of blood was immediately absorbed into the blood-red thread, as if it had been sucked into it. Immediately, the blood-red thread looked like it had received nourishment and began spreading outwards.

Su Ming's consciousness scattered. His mind instantly turned blank, as if all of his thoughts were cut off at that moment. Soon though, his scattered consciousness gathered together once more. Yet when Su Ming opened his eyes, he no longer saw a planet surrounded by the Light of Extreme Darkness. His body was no longer in the shattered planet either, but had instead appeared in a world which he had never seen before.

"Grandpa, could you give me that fish?"

A lively voice reached Su Ming's ears. It instantly grounded his confused mind. His gaze focused, and he saw the world around him.

Above was a blue sky filled with white clouds. There were a lot of mountains before Su Ming while was located on a small island beside a lake. Some villagers were moving about nearby.

Su Ming was sitting on a fishing platform. He wore a straw hat to provide shade for himself against the sun. Before him was a fishing rod, so it seemed that he was trying to catch fish.

Beside the edge of the wooden fishing platform was a net attached to one of the pillars. The net was submerged in the lake, and it could be seen that there was a fish swimming inside. It wanted to escape, but was unable to do so.

Squatting behind Su Ming was a little girl. With childish naivety, she pointed at the fishing net and pleaded for the fish inside.

Su Ming was momentarily stunned. He lowered his head to stare at himself. He had an old man's body. His hands were rough, but even though they were old, they weren't cracked. It was a clear sign of time caused by constant fishing and his constant contact with water.

He stared at the fish, then at the girl, and a hint of understanding appeared in Su Ming's eyes.

The words the bald crane had said rose in his head. They reminded him about the will of reincarnation of the Mortal Refinement Art.

"You will share the nine reincarnations with the supreme treasure. They might be short, but they can also be incredibly long. During the reincarnations, you will no longer be you, and the supreme treasure will no longer be the supreme treasure.

"It will turn into a will that will fuse into the cycle of life and death. If you form a link of fate with it during these nine cycles of life and death, then once the Mortal Refinement Art comes to an end, this link will turn into the connection between you and the supreme treasure, and it will belong to you.

"This might seem simple, but there are actually quite a lot of difficulties in it. First, you'll have to find the treasure during the cycles of life and death. Only then would you be able to form a link of fate with it.

"Reincarnations are abstruse and profound. Very few people are able to understand them fully. That's why searching for the treasure during the cycles of life and death will be the most critical part of this whole process. If you can't find it or focus on the wrong thing, you won't be able to form the link of fate, and the Mortal Refinement Art will fail.

"As for how you're supposed to find it… Well, I don't know either…"

"Grandpa, that fish is really pitiful. Please don't eat it and give it to me…"

While the bald crane's words echoed in Su Ming's head, the little girl by his side stared at him with a pleading look. Since he didn't reply, she once again begged him in her youthful voice.

Su Ming lifted his head slightly. The sun was blocked off by the straw hat and could not land on his face. He stared at the girl in front of him, then at the fish in the net before gradually furrowing his brows. He could not tell whether the will formed by the supreme treasure was the little girl… or the fish in the first cycle of life and death!

…..

On the broken planet outside, the bald crane sat in the pit enveloped by Su Ming's Light of Extreme Darkness. It would occasionally cast its gaze at him, who was sitting cross-legged in the distance while meditating. There was a black thread at the center of Su Ming's brows, and it was connected to the white ring.

The bald crane yawned and cast a glance at the floating white ring, looking incredibly bored.

"Heh heh, aren't I just smart? I can't believe that I managed to remember this powerful Mortal Refinement Art. Looks like I was very powerful in the past. I might even be someone very influential."

While swathed in boredom, the bald crane started lavishing praise on itself. This manner of boasting was what it loved doing the most. When it started getting bored, it would be very willing to do such a thing.

"Speaking of me… Hmm? I seem to have remembered something. This Mortal Refinement Art seems to have some kind of drawback, and it seems… to be pretty bad?"

The bald crane was momentarily stunned, and it used its talon to scratch its bald head. Then it instinctively started moving about the Light of Extreme Darkness.

"That's odd. What sort of drawback does it have? Damn it, why can't I remember it?"

With frustration on its face, the bald crane subconsciously flew out of the Light of Extreme Darkness and appeared beyond the pit. The moment it did so, the bald crane widened its eyes and stared at the spot where Bai Feng had originally sat with a blank gaze. The woman had long since stopped breathing, but there was a black thread at the center of her brows that stretched into the Light of Extreme Darkness.

The bald crane put on a long face and immediately flew into the Light of Extreme Darkness along the black thread. Soon, it saw that her black thread… was also connected to the white ring.

"Damn it, now I remember! When someone uses this Art to refine supreme treasures, having other people around them is the most taboo thing. It's over! If Su Ming fails, then the reputation of my wisdom will be ruined…"

The bald crane's face filled with gloom. It had a feeling that it could not cut off the black thread, or else the backlash on Su Ming would be incredibly great. It could cause the refinement to fail straight away.

And once he failed, it would be almost impossible for him to perform the Art a second time. After all, this was like an initial impression. Once it was left behind, it would be incredibly difficult to change it.

The bald crane continuously scratched its bald head with a talon. Then its eyes suddenly lit up. It raised its talon, then started moving them in front of itself as if counting something. In just a few breaths, it relaxed.

"There is a hidden serendipity in this. Heh heh, since there's a serendipity in this, even if Su Ming fails, he can't blame me for forgetting to remind him of this. That's right. That's how it is. I intentionally did not tell him about this because I wanted him to get a serendipity. That's right. I'm so smart. Haha!"

The bald crane started laughing smugly before it began lavishing praise on itself again…

Chapter 1147: A Cycle of Life and Death

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

'How could this be?'

As Su Ming stared at the little girl, disbelief gradually appeared in his eyes. The girl… looked exactly the same as Bai Feng!

She looked like the child version of the woman. It made Su Ming remember when she was in Dark Mountain.

"Grandpa, what are you doing? Please give me that fish. It looks so pitiful! I want to let it go. Its parents must be very worried…" The little girl stared at Su Ming. Her pleading look and naive eyes made it impossible for people to refuse her.

Su Ming remained silent. He turned his head to the side and cast a glance at the fish in the net. It was an incredibly normal fish. It struggled in the net, occasionally blowing bubbles. By the looks of it, it seemed like it was exhausted to the point of giving up.

'Could it be that since Bai Feng was around when I executed Mortal Refinement Art, her soul was dragged inside as well? But she didn't form the 999 seals I did just now. They're the reason I kept my memories and intelligence, but she didn't form them, which is why when her soul was dragged in, her memories and intelligence were lost. Only her origin soul is left, and it was transformed due to the reincarnation.'

Su Ming cast a complicated gaze at the little girl who was by Bai Feng's soul.

With Su Ming's intelligence, he could already tell that the fish was formed by the will of the white ring, and there were two ways to form a link of fate with it. One was to let it leave, but this choice was a little uncertain. No one could be sure whether it was the correct method. The other was to cook and eat it. By doing so, he would truly form a link of fate with it. Besides, if he did something like this, then once the refinement came to a successful end, it would mean that he had completely suppressed the treasure.

In silence, Su Ming cast a glance at the girl. He shook his head.

When the girl saw his action, tears immediately collected in her eyes. She turned her head to look at the fish in the net, and her expression filled with a reluctance to see it die. Once she took a few steps forward, she lowered her head to look at the net submerged in the lake.

"Grandpa, then may I lift the rope and take a good look at it? Please?"

Su Ming stared at the little girl and sighed in his heart, giving silent consent to her request. When the little girl saw that Su Ming did not speak to refuse her request, she immediately extended her hands to seize the rope, pulling it up with great effort. When the fish was slowly lifted up with the net out of the lake, it started struggling. In fact, Su Ming saw a ferocious glare shining in its eyes.

Clearly, the fish had basic intelligence. It might have been caught by Su Ming, but since the net was submerged in the lake, nothing had changed for it, besides its movements being restricted. However, when the little girl pulled it up bit by bit, removing it from the water, she slowly stripped the fish of its life, and a fierce glare shone in its eyes. At the same time, it also started struggling violently.

The little girl pulled the net with great effort. When she was about to bring it to the fishing platform and the fish started struggling violently, a sly expression suddenly appeared in her eyes. She grabbed the bottom of the net and lifted it, allowing the fish to rush out. With a loud splash, it sank into the lake and disappeared without a trace.

"Thank you, grandpa."

The little girl looked incredibly happy. She turned around and stood beside the edge of the fishing platform with her back facing the lake. Then, she stuck her tongue out at Su Ming, presenting him with the picture of adorableness.

"Is this your choice?" Su Ming's expression was calm, but he sighed in his heart.

"Yes…"

The little girl looked incredibly happy, feeling that she had done a good thing. She had released the fish, and it would definitely be grateful to her, since it could return to its parent. Yet the moment she said her first word, a huge whirlpool suddenly appeared in the lake behind her. The instant it showed up, a black shadow flew out.

It flashed in midair before growing to be about ten feet big. They could vaguely see that it was a creature that had the shape of a fish, and it was so fast that it instantly approached the completely unaware girl. In an instant, it bit into her shoulder and rushed back into the lake on the other side of the fishing platform while dragging its prey.

The little girl's laughter disappeared. When she looked up, she saw that the fierce creature which had bitten her and had caused her such intense pain that she was about to fall unconscious… was the same the fish she had released moments go. If not for the size, they would be identical.

Only at that moment did she see the light in the fish's eyes. It was not gratitude, but a cold, fierce glare.

When the girl sank into the lake and saw the fierce glare, she found that she could no longer speak. Her lips moved slightly, and there was confusion on her face. She mouthed her words, and once Su Ming saw them, he immediately understood what she said.

"Why?"

Su Ming watched what was happening. He did not stop it. This was Bai Feng's choice. When she chose to lift the net, her destiny was decided.

This was not the real world, but an illusory cycle of life and death. Everything was possible in this place.

Splashing could be heard from the water. A large amount of blood filled the area, dyeing a small part of the lake red. Su Ming watched this quietly before closing his eyes. After a moment, he opened them, and a fierce glare shone in in them. However, he only threw the fishing rod into the lake before closing his eyes again.

The sky slowly turned dark, and rain gradually fell from the sky…

The world fell silent and gradually shattered into pieces. Once it was reduced to countless fragments, it regrouped itself, as if nothing had changed… but it also seemed like something had changed.

Su Ming had no idea how much time had passed. When he opened his eyes, he saw a vast sky. It was drizzling, and rain fell on the stone floors, bringing up fog that shrouded the county.

He was no longer the old fisherman, but a middle-aged man dressed in a purplish blue long robe. There was already quite a lot of white in his hair. He sat in a rocking chair under a roof and stared at the rain falling from the sky. He watched the pearls made of water at the eave, the slow moving dark clouds, and the sun which could still be vaguely seen through the dark clouds.

He was in a quiet county town basked in the rays of dusk and drenched by rain.

The house in which Su Ming was sitting had a garden. There were a lot of medicinal herbs planted above the ground. They looked like they were being nourished by the rain.

The house was not big, and only Su Ming stayed in it. He was a slightly famous doctor in this county. He practiced medicine to help people, and he had succeeded in saving quite a lot of lives.

Time trickled by. The patter of the rain grew louder when it fell on the ground. Night arrived even earlier and filled the county with darkness. Only the lights from laps in the houses could be seen, and they looked like some form of guides, allowing people to feel that they were not alone…

Su Ming slowly stood up from the rocking chair. He could still remember that he was Su Ming, but he found that his memories were no longer clear. It was as if he had lived a long, long life, so long that he had almost completely forgotten it.

'Is this the power of reincarnation? This is just the second time, and I'm already like this. Based on this, perhaps during the third or fourth time, I will completely forget why I came to this place…'

Su Ming stood up quietly and picked up a lamp. Its fire shone on his face, flickering, and gave him an ancient aura.

At that moment, banging sounds reached his ears. Someone was knocking on the gate to his courtyard.

"Is Doctor Mo here? Doctor Mo, please, help us!"

Su Ming turned his head around and looked towards the gate, then took a few swift steps forward to push open his gate while under the rain. Once he did so, he saw two men standing right outside his gate along with a shattered palanquin held by eight people.

The two men looked rather similar, and it was clear that they were brothers. At that moment, the one to the left looked at Su Ming anxiously, then came forward to hold his hand.

"Doctor Mo, please help us! My wife is about to give birth, please save her!"

With an anxious face, he dragged Su Ming over. When he was about to call the people holding the palanquin to come forward, Su Ming interrupted him

"Wait, if your wife is about to give birth, you should go to a midwife. This is…"

Su Ming was momentarily taken aback. At that moment, he looked as if he had forgotten about his previous status and seemed like he had completely fused into this world. He instinctively said the fitting words.

"But… ha��� Doctor Mo, this is a long story. In truth, my wife's life is hanging on the line. Doctor Mo, I… I'll kowtow to you!"

The man knelt on the ground with a thump. Without even caring about the water on the ground drenching the cloth covering his knees, he started kowtowing to Su Ming with loud banging sounds every time he did so.

His eyes were bloodshot. No one could tell whether the liquid flowing from his eyes was tears or rainwater, but he looked like a ferocious beast filled with despair. If Su Ming did not agree to help him, he would go berserk and start killing.

"Ha… Get up first. I'll go, alright? Bring me my medicinal box." Su Ming hesitated for a moment before casting a glance at the man and quickly helping him up.

After a moment, with his medicinal box in hand, Su Ming was lifted up to the palanquin. In the distance, he could see lights in the windows shining amid the rain. They had an air of freedom to them.

Su Ming sat down in the palanquin and placed the medicinal box by his feet as he stared at the county beyond the window. As the palanquin was swiftly carried away, he saw a shed built not too far away at the bottom of the county town's wall. There was a noodle stall there, and a few people sitting beside a table were eating steaming noodles.

A loud thunderclap roared in the sky. At the same time, a woman in the distance started crying hysterically. Her voice grew shriller with every second.

"Feng Er, Feng Er… Why aren't you back yet?"

"Ha… Bai Family's daughter-in-law is…"

The people in the noodle stall raised their heads when they heard the shrill voice and cast glances in the direction of the voice. They shook their heads and started speaking to each other in whispers.

"It's a pity what happened to that lassie. Three days ago, she was dragged into the lake by a big fish…"

Chapter 1149: How Many Lines Does a Leaf Have…?

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Su Ming sat in the palanquin and shook his head fiercely. He could sense that there was a muddled area in his mind, as if a veil had covered his memories. Some time was required for him to remember his past self.

He watched the people in the noodle stall talking to each other and the woman screaming shrilly in the rain gradually fade away into the distance. He felt like he had understood something.

However, when he tried pondering over it, his mind turned completely blank.

In silence, he sat in the palanquin and slowly went into the distance with the man leading the way in the front. They continued walking until they reached a corner of the county town. There was a courtyard before them. It did not occupy too big of a space, but it was very exquisite. There were two lamps hanging on the gate, but the fire in them had already been extinguished. They only swayed in the wind.

The rain might have been heavy, but there were quite a number of people who were busy with their own tasks in the house. However, if anyone took a closer look, they would be able to tell that almost every single person was panicked and fearful. They were shuddering as if they had been frightened by something.

The palanquin stopped outside the house. The curtain over the window was lifted, and with anxiety on his face, the man looked at Su Ming.

"Doctor Mo, please save my wife…"

Su Ming nodded. With the medicinal box in hand, he quickly walked out of the palanquin. The man started running swiftly, and Su Ming was dragged into the courtyard. The instant he stepped foot into it, a shrill scream of pain suddenly came from the room in front of him. It was a woman's voice. There was frailty in her voice, and she seemed to be in unbearable pain.

At the same time, an old woman pushed open the door to the room. There was fear on her face, and when she walked out, she shuddered before she started screaming loudly.

"Monster! This… This is a monster!" The old woman was clearly a hired midwife. The moment she opened her mouth, a person came forward to drag her out of the courtyard.

Su Ming came to a halt. The man in front of him had tears in his eyes. when he noticed that Su Ming had stopped, he turned around and knelt down with a thump.

"Doctor Mo, we've already asked three midwives to come here, and the one just now was the fourth, but all of them reacted this way. All of them cried out about monsters and refused to continue. Doctor Mo, please save us! Please, I'll kowtow to you."

The man kowtowed ceaselessly, causing Su Ming to sigh softly. He ignored the man and picked up the medicinal box to walk towards the room where the expecting woman was.

Inside, Su Ming immediately saw a woman lying on a bed. Her face was pale, as if she was already on the verge of death. At the instant he saw the woman, Su Ming's heart trembled. She was… Bai Feng!

Her belly was swollen, and Su Ming could vaguely see the shadow of a big fish. It was indistinct, but the fish was the one that Su Ming had seen in his first reincarnation.

When he saw it, a loud roar suddenly rang out at the back of his head. He seemed to have come to a sudden understanding. He also remembered the crazy woman and the dialogue between the people in the noodle stall while he was in the palanquin.

'Reincarnation… So this is reincarnation? It isn't the circle I thought about previously, where the changes occur from the start to the end of a person's life.

'Reincarnation isn't a circle. It take all kinds of shapes, and it is a world formed by countless connecting dots!

'My first reincarnation was as a fisherman, and this is a dot. I personally witnessed Bai Feng being devoured by a fish. Then, in my second life, I am no longer a fisherman. I became a doctor, but I am still in this world. It's just that I've become another connecting dot!

'This is a world, and I… will become all sorts of people in this world due the cycles of life and death. So this… is reincarnation?'

Su Ming's heart trembled as if he had come to truly understand something, but there was still something lacking. He felt that there were a few things which still evaded him.

A scream of pain from the expecting woman interrupted Su Ming's thoughts, causing his gaze to become slightly complicated.

'This person and the baby in her womb… Clearly, the baby is the manifestation of the will of the ring. If I sacrifice the woman and let the baby be born, I will be able to form a link of fate with it… but…'

Su Ming remained silent. He could vaguely sense the power existing in the cycles of life and death. It was a power of destiny that was one of the countless connecting dots in the world, but the things it did could cause a great change in the entire world.

The current situation could be taken as an example. If Su Ming chose the baby and helped it be born smoothly, then the woman would certainly die. The born baby would have no mother, and no one could tell what would happen to it in the future.

But if he chose the mother, he would be killing a baby before it was born. Because of that, the world would be missing a dot, and because of it, the changes which would have happened due to its existence will be lost forever.

'Every single reincarnation is linked together. The story which happened previously has bled countless types of changes to this one. All of them are activated in an unseen manner based on my choices…

'If the fish did not eat the girl, this woman wouldn't have such a difficult labor… and the mother who went mad in the rain wouldn't have appeared either…'

In silence, Su Ming stared at the woman whose breathing was growing increasingly weaker. He also stared at the baby in her womb, whose presence was also becoming weaker with each passing moment. After a long while, he raised his right hand and swung his arm at the woman. With it, her breathing instantly became stronger and steadier, but behind it was a life swiftly flowing away. In just the span of a few breaths, a baby's cries rang out in the air. A smile appeared on the woman's lips, and she closed her eyes, breathing her last.

The adult died and the baby lived. Or rather, the baby was born because the adult died. With a person's death, another person survived!

With the baby in his arms, Su Ming quietly pushed open the door to the room and stared at the anxious man outside. At the instant the man saw the baby, excitement appeared on his face. He took a few steps forward, but when he saw the dead woman on the bed, his face instantly turned pale. He staggered, and sadness as well as anger appeared in his eyes.

He stopped moving, then threw his head back to let out a forlorn roar. He did not stare at Su Ming or the baby, but instead took a step forward to arrive beside the bed. When he saw the woman, who still had a smile filled with maternal love on her lips even though she had already died, tears fell from his eyes.

"Is this your choice?! Why didn't you ask me?! WHY?!"

The man turned his head around and glared at Su Ming. He did not even stare at the baby in his arms, but instead started shouting loudly as if he had gone mad.

The forlorn voice made Su Ming sigh softly, but the next moment, with red in his eyes, the man suddenly raised his right hand and pointed at Su Ming.

With it, a great sense of danger rose in Su Ming's heart. When he turned his head around, his pupils shrank rapidly, and he saw a scene he could not believe!

He saw a vague figure appear faintly behind the man. Its presence might have been faint and fragile, looking like it might disappear when wind blew against it, but at the instant Su Ming saw the figure, his heart trembled in a manner he had never experienced before.

"How could this be?" he mumbled. A hole appeared at the center of his brows. Blood poured out from it, taking away his life and soul with it.

He could not dodge the one finger strike. It was like a destined strike. The moment Su Ming saw the figure behind the man, he was destined to die.

That figure… was himself. Su Ming saw himself.

The body slowly fell down. The instant Su Ming's consciousness scattered, the entire world went silent and gradually shattered to turn into a gigantic vortex. The pieces regrouped and turned into a complete world again. Moments later, Su Ming opened his eyes.

Rain was pouring. It was dark, but the lamps in the area were bright. A shrill scream of pain came from the house, clearing Su Ming's head. When he looked around, he found himself in a courtyard. As he stared around it, he felt that it was incredibly familiar, but there was also a hint of unfamiliarity to it.

However, it was very weak, and Su Ming could not help but disregard it while picking up anxiety. He stared at the servants busying themselves in the courtyard and the figure under the lamps in the room. The person in pain in the room was his wife.

It was the day she was supposed to give birth, but a long time had passed, and they had already brought two midwives. Each of them would eventually run out with fear and panic, announcing their refusal to continue helping with the labor.

"Monster… Monster!"

The door to the room was pushed open swiftly. An old woman ran out while shuddering. Through the door, Su Ming could see his wife struggling in pain, and his heart clenched in pain.

He had forgotten his past. It was as if this was who he was supposed to be. He was a slightly reputable ministry councilor in this county town, and he had a well-off family, a beautiful wife, as well as an official rank in the government. Yet now, he could do nothing but stare at his wife in pain and watch as the midwives screamed that there was a monster.

"Have someone get the palanquin! We're going to Doctor Mo!"

Su Ming gritted his teeth. He remembered Doctor Mo, the doctor who had the greatest medical skills in the county town and whom he disliked for some unknown reason. Yet at that moment, he could no longer care about stuff like that. When he turned around, he went into the rain, and with his servants, he rushed out of the house. At a rapid speed, the group went past a noodle stall with rain pouring down over them. He did not see the old owner of the noodle stall sitting there and taking out his tobacco pipe before casting a glance at him.

Neither did he pay any attention to the crazy woman screaming for her daughter in the rain. Her shouts only brought annoyance to the others in the dark night filled with rain.

When he arrived outside Doctor Mo's house, he went forward to knock on his gate. Rain fell on his body, and there was a cold chill to it, but at that moment, he couldn't care less about that. The only thing on his mind was his wife and child.

"Is Doctor Mo here? Doctor Mo, please, help us!"

The moment the door to the room was pushed open, he grabbed the middle-aged doctor with anxiety on his face.

"Doctor Mo, please help us! My wife is about to give birth, please save her!"