1180 - 1187
Chapter 1180: Four Years
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Su Ming's Ecang clone led nearly one hundred thousand cultivators through True Morning Dao World. Wherever he passed, all the remaining cultivators would either deliver their souls and join the Ninth Summit, or their blood would flow in rivers. The instant Su Ming and the ring were Relocated by the Sun Sinking Talisman, he shuddered.
The Ecang clone had long gray hair, and there was a blood-red light shining in his eyes. A murderous, bloodthirsty air fused with his madness to form an aura of death filled with a destructive intent that brought with it a heinous malicious air. This was a clone that was almost identical to the darkness itself once Su Ming's destructive personality fused with the Ecang clone!
This clone was filled with aloofness. His appearance was slightly different from Su Ming's, and it would be difficult for anyone to notice his presence, but he was still Su Ming.
The clone stopped in space at that moment. The near one hundred thousand cultivators behind him were silent. No one dared utter a single word. All of them only looked at the black Ecang clone with respect in their eyes.
"Sun Sinking Talisman…"
The eyes of the black Ecang clone sparkled at that moment, and a pensive expression appeared on his face. He could sense that his original body had been Relocated. At that moment, the connection they shared had been severed, and he could not detect where his original body had gone. He could only vaguely sense that it had not ran into any dangers. But even though their connection had been severed and it looked like they had become two people who were completely unrelated to each other, the black Ecang clone still acted according to Su Ming's will.
He was Su Ming. This was the inborn talent of the Abyss Builders that nothing else besides the Heavenly Incense Rune, as far as Su Ming knew, could interfere with the clones they Possessed.
After a moment of pensive silence, red light shone in the eyes of the black Ecang clone. He knew that he could not help his original body, which was why he decided to not bother himself with it. He could only act based on his original body's will and build the Ninth Summit in True Morning Dao World.
'I will gather enough power of the laws of fate in the world around me, then when the original body returns, he can… replace True Morning Dao World!' Resolve appeared in the eyes of the Su Ming's black Ecang clone. Without any hesitation, he charged forward.
Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, half a year passed. During that time, almost all the remaining cultivators in most of the regions of True Morning Dao World were gathered together under the joint efforts of eldest senior brother, second senior brother, Hu Zi, Su Ming's Ecang clone, and the hundreds of thousands of cultivators who had spread out to search for them. Their efforts seemed seemed to have kickstarted a huge snowball rolling down a cliff, and it was slowly getting larger.
Huge rocks were gathered from all over the world, and they combined together to form the Ninth Summit's territory. They made up a huge continent with tall mountains in it. Towers rose up right after, and the outline of the Ninth Summit's Sect was slowly formed.
Another half a year passed, and the outline of the Ninth Summit could no longer be seen. What was contained within the continent was a huge sect. It had an extraordinary air, and there were nearly five hundred thousand cultivators practicing cultivation over there. Some of them had become disciples of the Ninth Summit willingly, some were forced, or some joined due to other reasons.
They were made up of various races. Some of them were originally from Morning Dao Sect, and some were once from the Immortals' Union. Yet at that moment, Morning Dao Sect was no longer around, and neither was the Immortals' Union. All of those people were members of the Ninth Summit.
There were nine huge mountains within the Ninth Summit, and they were the most distinct creations of the sect. Mighty pressure spread out from them and enveloped the entire continent. In the distance, it turned into white ripples that blocked the whirlwind from entering the region. Even though Su Ming's original body had gone missing, his Ecang clone was still around.
Once the Ecang clone wore the black robe, besides his senior brothers, all the other people did not know that the black-robed man known as the Great Sect Elder in the Ninth Summit in the open and the malicious fiend in private was just a clone.
The first Sect Master of the Ninth Summit was second senior brother. Eldest senior brother was not willing to take up that position, and Hu Zi was far too lazy to do it. Su Ming's Ecang clone did not care about statuses, so it was only natural that the title fell on second senior brother's head.
As for eldest senior brother, he was also a Great Sect Master, just like Su Ming's Ecang clone. He was in charge of punishments. With his murderous aura, he intimidated all the disciples.
Hu Zi had nothing to do, but he was already accustomed to fighting, so he took up the responsibility of bringing more disciples to the Ninth Summit and continuously expanding its territory in True Morning Dao World by ceaselessly conquering new areas. It did not matter to him whether the territory had once belonged to Morning Dao Sect or the Immortals' Union. At that moment, there were only cultivators who had lost their foundation in these places.
Within the Ninth Summit were nine huge mountains, and the ninth summit was where the sect's great hall was located. Su Ming's Ecang clone occupied the fourth summit. Once he let Hu Zi take care of the battles, he went into year-long isolation to refine the power of the fate in the world gathered on him. The third summit belonged to Hu Zi. The second summit was their second senior brother's chamber, and the first summit belonged to eldest senior brother.
Time passed, and it soon were two full years since Su Ming had disappeared. During them, the Ninth Summit continued growing stronger. The sect had expanded and become a gigantic object in the galaxy.
In the two years, the number of cultivators in the Ninth Summit had grown from its initial five hundred thousand to nearly eight hundred thousand. This might not sound like much, but it has to be remembered that a disaster had struck True Morning Dao World. Before it, there were tens of millions of cultivators, but they had been reduced so greatly that not even one-tenth of the original number remained.
There was also one time where the Ninth Summit's continuous expansion had come to an end. It was when Hu Zi had brought the cultivators from the Ninth Summit to engage in a fierce battle against another group of cultivators in the northernmost area.
This matter had even shocked Su Ming's Ecang clone, causing him to end his isolation. Once he egressed, he personally went to the northernmost area of True Morning Dao World. Once he went through a battle of Arts that shook the universe, he severely wounded the most powerful warrior there, but he was also heavily injured, so he retreated to the Ninth Summit to enter isolation once more.
After this event, Hu Zi ended his conquest of the galaxy. Once he returned to the Ninth Summit, he placed his full attention on Su Ming's initial request of cracking the Relocation Rune leading to Morning Dao Sect.
Even Hu Zi, who had extreme talent with Runes, needed some time to crack the Rune. After all, it was a Rune that served a function similar to protection for Morning Dao Sect for countless years. It had been shut down from the inside, so if it could be easily cracked open from the outside, it would not live up to its name.
But Hu Zi was confident. With just a few years, he would definitely be able to crack it.
However, based on that battle, it was made sure that even if Su Ming had disappeared, he was still the strongest person in the Ninth Summit. Even if the Ecang clone fought against him at full power, he would not be Su Ming's opponent. This was something publicly acknowledged by his senior brothers.
It was also because of this that the Ninth Summit stopped its expansion. They halted right beyond the spot which belonged to the sect which had appeared around the same time as the Ninth Summit.
It was known as New Dao Sect, and all the cultivators in it had once belonged to Morning Dao Sect. If anyone continued making deductions based on this, they would be able to guess that they were once an army sent from Morning Dao Sect to fight against the Immortals' Union. They might have suffered a blow under the disaster, but they still had nearly one million cultivators in their New Dao Sect.
It was them who had stopped the Ninth Summit from continuing their expansion. Their strongest warrior, someone known as an Almighty in New Dao Sect, had an unfathomable level of cultivation. It was him who had personally fought against Su Ming's Ecang clone. That battle had even forced the Ecang clone to reveal his true form, which resulted in both of them being injured badly, and they isolated themselves due to their injuries.
This had stopped the Ninth Summit's expansion, but it was the same for New Dao Sect. They could not do anything to the Ninth Summit. No large-scale battles occurred between them anymore, but small-scale scuffles were a constant event.
If True Morning Dao World only had the Ninth Summit and New Dao Sect, then the scuffles between them would only continue growing until they reached a point when one of them could no longer hold on. But this did not happen because Su Ming and New Dao Sect's Almighty were not the only ones who had the idea of creating a sect. There was a third force to the south of Morning Dao Sect.
It was known as the South Union, formed by many small races who were remnants of the Immortals' Union. There were also nearly one million cultivators among them, and plenty of them were powerful warriors. In fact, their overall strength surpassed that of the Ninth Summit without Su Ming and New Dao Sect. However, the gap torn through Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos existed between the South Union and the Ninth Summit. That region was where the whirlwind was the strongest. As it raged there, it indirectly stopped most of the movements of the cultivators in the South Union. Even if they had found a way to move through the whirlwind, it was still difficult for them to move through the region with the strongest whirlwind in large numbers.
They did not have the protective ripple which could allow them to move for long periods of time in the whirlwind, so even if they decided to circumnavigate the whirlwind, once they suffered a setback, they would all perish. This was why they had not engaged in major conflicts with the Ninth Summit and New Dao Sect.
Just like that, during the period of two years Su Ming was missing, the three great forces in True Morning Dao Sect slowly expanded. They kept each other in check, and a rarely seen balance existed among them.
However, this balance was incredibly fragile. With the slightest mistake, it could be broken. Once it happened, a battle among the three great forces of power would break out, and each of them would have to reveal their trump card.
The Ninth Summit had no way to know about the trump cards of the South Union and New Dao Sect, just like how the other two forces had no way of knowing theirs. The Ninth Summit's trump card was Su Ming's return, and their other trump card was cracking Morning Dao Sect's Relocation Rune.
Once it was gone, the people of the Ninth Summit could occupy Morning Dao Sect. Even if it had been reduced to ruins, as long as they were there, they could swiftly grow stronger. In fact, they could then disregard the whirlwinds in the world outside. With one hundred-something Relocation spots, they could instantly appear anywhere they wanted.
Time continued to pass, the slowly, the third year went by, and then the fourth was gone. The scuffles between the three forces gradually grew more intense, and they seemed to be reaching a point where they could no longer be controlled.
Chapter 1181: If You Desire Life, Then You Must Possess Life!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Four years…"
Fog covered an area so great it seemed boundless. The humidity there and the occasional sounds of water dripping that came from far in the distance and just nearby had accompanied Su Ming for four years.
The fog was divided into different colors. They would occasionally change and occasionally intersect with each other…
There was a figure in the purple layer of fog. He was stumbling forward, and his footsteps were slow. It was as if with every single step he took, his body would suffer great pain. After a moment, the figure revealed itself out of the purple layer of fog.
It had a head full of white hair and a face full of wrinkles. The person seemed to have just crawled out of his grave. No signs of any ripples of cultivation bases could be detected from his frail body. He was just like a mortal.
If it was not for the resolve in his eyes and because Su Ming could be barely recognized from his features, no one would be able to imagine that this old man who looked like he would fall from a single gust of wind… would be Su Ming, who was sent to this place four years ago.
He panted harshly while walking out of the fog at a slow pace. The moment he stepped out, a long arc charged over from within the purple fog. It rushed towards Su Ming and shot through his body before leaving with a trail of nearly black blood. That blood splattered on the floor and let out sizzling sounds. The thing that had shot through Su Ming was a flying fish.
Right after hitting him, it melted due to the black blood in his body. Su Ming staggered, then fell to the ground, still and unmoving.
Time trickled by. When the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn passed, signs of the purple fog about to undergo a change in color appeared. When red shade slowly appeared, a figure flew out of the fog. It was a wild dog with flames spreading out from its body.
The wild dog had six eyes, and they were all shining at that moment. The creature was so quick that it instantly reached Su Ming, but it did not immediately approach him. Instead, it circled him a few times, occasionally lifting its head to look at the fog changing color. When it saw that the fog was about to turn red, hesitation appeared in all six of its eyes. Then, it lowered its head and went to bite Su Ming's neck.
The moment it opened its mouth wide, Su Ming's still body suddenly moved. He raised his right hand, and he was so fast that he sent his fist straight towards the wild dog's wide open mouth before it could react. He grabbed its tongue, then yanked it out in one swift, clean motion as if he had done this countless times.
At that same time, he stood up and rammed himself against the wild dog. When it let out a broken groan, Su Ming grabbed the wild dog's neck with his left hand, forced it to run with him. When the fog behind them turned from purple to red, Su Ming had already vanished without a trace with the wild dog.
About ten thousand lis away from where Su Ming was originally was a black mountain. It was barren, and not a single plant could be found on it. On the mountainside was a hewed out cave abode.
The moment a body appeared inside it, the fog in the distance turned completely red, and an indescribably hot wave of air erupted from that place. Wherever it went, the ground would immediately melt. Every single existence disintegrated, and several wild dogs could be seen fleeing swiftly, but they were engulfed by the hot wave of air in the blink of an eye and reduced to ashes.
Su Ming stepped into his cave abode without any hesitation. At the moment he did so, the hot wave of air crashed against the mountain with a bang. A huge force rushed into the cave abode. When it was about to touch Su Ming, he charged forward and avoided it by a hair's breadth. Like this, he entered the depths of the cave abode.
A sullen look appeared in his eyes. Su Ming turned his head back and cast a glance behind him. In silence, he lifted the dead dog and bit down on its neck, devouring its blood in large mouthfuls. That blood trickled down the corner of his lips, faint golden in color!
As he swallowed up the blood, the wrinkles on Su Ming's face slowly disappeared. His hair, too, gradually changed. By the time he drank all of the wild dog's blood, his appearance had changed drastically. He looked similar to how he was four years ago, but a faint, undefinable, imposing aura had appeared about him. That imposing air did not come from his expression, but from his blood and his aura.
He flung the wild dog's corpse to the side. It landed in a large pile of skeletons in the cave. There were thousands of them, and they were packed densely together, which gave them an incredibly ghastly air.
'Four years… this damned All Spirits Hall has trapped me here for a full four years!'
Su Ming wiped off the blood at the corners of his mouth and sat down cross-legged by the side while staring at the sky beyond the entrance of the cave. The sky was red, and below it was a hot wave of air that could burn even him to a crisp.
Its heat surpassed the destructive power of the fifth kiln. In truth, it surpassed all forms of destruction Su Ming had ever witnessed.
'All Spirits Hall… This damned All Spirits Hall, one of the three great mysteries in Divine Essence Star Ocean, is actually connected to the Sun Sinking Talisman. They form one whole entity!
'This is the birthplace of all spirits spoken of in the legends among the tribes in Divine Essence Star Ocean. It is the source of all Ancestral Spirits…'
Su Ming's expression was dark as he stared at the crimson red sky beyond the cave. It reminded him of all that he had went through during the last four years.
Four years ago, he had been Relocated to this place. While ceaselessly searching for an exit, he had ran into the changes in the fog. In the face of the terrifying red light and the hot wave of air that could burn him, he experienced and survived many perilous situations.
He also noticed that while his level of cultivation was back to its normal level, he could not replenish it. Every single time he wasted a bit of it, it was gone forever. If he could not find the exit by the time he used up all of his cultivation base, there was a high possibility that he would die in this place.
Because of this, he didn't dare to casually use his Enchanted Treasures, especially the white ring. In this strange place where he could not recover his cultivation base once he used it, retaining his strength was his best option.
When the scenes from the past four years flashed through Su Ming's mind, his pupils suddenly shrank. His presence immediately disappeared. An aura of death surrounded his body. He fixed his gaze on the small red layer of sky he could see beyond the cave.
Figures bathed in faint golden light charged past there. He could tell that most of them were in human form, but there were also existences like ferocious beasts among them. When they charged through the sky, they let out piercing screams that could make a person's soul ache in pain.
"One form of life was born before heaven and earth. It allowed all the other forms of life to be born, and it nourished them…"
"Heaven and earth could exist for so long because they do not operate for their own survival. This is what allows them to stay eternal [1]. If you desire life, then you must possess life…"
"Ancestral Spirits precede Antecedental Spirits. They come from before the time of the universe, which is why those who live must destroy lives…"
Amid the piercing voices were jumbled up murmurs that echoed without end.
Su Ming fixed his stare on the figures in the crimson red sky. In his ears he heard the murmurs he could not understand. He clenched his right hand into a fist and did not move. He would never forget those figures.
On the third month since he had arrived in this place, he saw them for the first time. In the face of these bizarre entities which disregarded all divine abilities and power from his cultivation base, almost all of Su Ming's life force had been sucked out, forcing him to activate his supreme treasure. Only by sparing no pains and using up his cultivation base could he crush one.
However, he had not expected that once he destroyed one of them, thousands or mo lire ten thousand of them rose in its place. A huge hall had suddenly appeared in the crimson sky and chased Su Ming through the bizarre world.
During the relentless pursuit, Su Ming's body had become increasingly weaker. When his life force was almost extinguished, the crimson red sky disappeared. The fog in the place turned white, and all the strange creatures chasing Su Ming disappeared without a trace.
Everything had returned to normal.
Red appeared in Su Ming's eyes. He stopped recalling the scenes which had happened in the past four years to stare at the figures in the sky beyond the cave abode. After a long while, he turned his head around and cast his gaze on the ferocious beasts' skeletons.
If he had not accidentally noticed that some of the strange, ferocious beasts with flesh and blood in the area could allow him to restore his life force when he drank their blood while also allowing him to restore his cultivation base a little, it would have been very difficult for him to persevere.
'But the ferocious beasts in this place are all incredibly cunning. It's clear that they possess intelligence. If I want to kill them, I need to do it one strike, or else even if I manage to kill them, I won't be able to make up for what I lose.'
In silence, Su Ming raised his right hand and touched the bloody mess on his chest. The blood there was black, and it was a poison he had formed after killing numerous ferocious beasts and drinking their blood.
This blood had already spread through Su Ming's entire body, but if he stopped drinking the golden beast blood, he would not be able to replenish the cultivation base and life force he used up. This was… a dilemma. He had contemplated over this in the past, and in the end, he chose to drink the creatures' blood.
His blood might have turned black, but this wasn't the only change in his body. His chest was a good example of that. The injury he sustained when he was pierced had already healed completely without Su Ming needing to use any of his power.
As time trickled by, the crimson shade in the world outside slowly disappeared after lasting seven whole days. It was replaced by a white world. Only when the sky beyond the cave abode turned white in Su Ming's eyes did the aura of death around him disappear. When he returned to normal, his expression became gloomy.
'Over the past four years, I've walked through all the regions. This is a world that seems to have no end. Yet I didn't see any signs of cultivators… Perhaps the exit is not on the ground, but in the palace that appeared in the sky in the past.'
Su Ming was silent. This was a theory that had appeared in his mind a long time ago, but he was always a little uncertain about it. He turned his head around and cast his gaze at the cave abode around him. The signs of hewing made it clear that the cave had not formed naturally.
Su Ming had found it coincidentally. The cave abode was already like this when he arrived.
After being silent for a while more, Su Ming directed his gaze towards another direction in the cave abode. Near one wall… there was a black skeleton that belonged to a human. It was a cultivator, most likely the previous owner of the cave abode.
Even after he had died, waves of mighty pressure still spread out from his skeleton.
Translator's Note:
1. Up to this point, everything said there refers to Tao Te Jing, written by Laozi during the Spring and Autumn Period.
Chapter 1182: Path of Life
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
'All Spirits Hall, the place rumored to be the spot where all Ancestral Spirits appeared…'
Su Ming cast his gaze at the skeleton and frowned. There was an ancient air to it, making it clear that it had been there for a countless years.
All Spirits Hall was completely separated from the world beyond. If it was not for the Sun Sinking Talisman, it would have been impossible for Su Ming to step into this place and be trapped in it for four years.
He stared at the skeleton, and the skeleton's empty eyes seemed to be staring back at him. There seemed to be a hint of derision in that look. He was mocking Su Ming for expecting to leave the place. The skeleton was waiting for him to end up like it in the future, for the day when his blood and flesh will disappear and he will turn into mere bones.
The black color of the bones might be due to time leaving its tracks on the them, but there was also a possibility… that the cultivator had drank even more blood from the ferocious beasts than Su Ming. In time, it not only his turned his blood black, but even his bones.
"Make… the offering…" Su Ming sighed softly.
He still remembered that the Sun Sinking Talisman had been activated for some unknown reason four years ago. Once he was Relocated to this place, a buzzing sound from the Sun Sinking Talisman had reverberated in the area.
'It said that there is no offering… so the ritual master shall offer himself as an offering…The ritual master it referred to should be me. Based on the situation at that time, some unintentional action of mine had fulfilled a condition for the activation of the Sun Sinking Talisman, which has existed for countless years.
'But another action of mine after that made me unable to complete the Sun Sinking Talisman's request, which is why as a punishment, I was sent to this place as an offering.'
In truth, Su Ming had come to understand this a few years ago. There was only one thing that could work as the so-called offering—the soul of the clone that practiced the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole.
Perhaps only this sort of independent will born due to the Heavenly Incense Rune could somewhat fulfil the requirements for the offering and fit the description of the spirit within the All Spirits Hall's name.
However, Su Ming had put away the clone's soul, which meant that he removed the offering right before the Sun Sinking Talisman activated, which was why everything after that had happened.
'Since this skeleton exists here and I could be Relocated to this place, then even if it has been a long time since the last time someone came in, there has to be more skeletons in this place, and in fact, there is a high possibility that there are still living people.'
Locating the survivors could be a method for him to get out. Even if he could not, he could still come to understand this so-called All Spirits Hall.
After a period of silence, Su Ming stared at the white sky beyond the cave abode. He knew it would last for seven days. At that time, the color of the fog would change again, and new types of dangers would appear until the red shade descended on the ground again. This was like a cycle.
Su Ming turned his head and cast a glance at the cave abode again, and a determined expression appeared on his face. He had already stayed in this place for several years, only moving around in the area nearby so that he could rush back when he needed to avoid the bizarre existences in the red fog.
However, this could not be a long-term plan. If he wanted to leave, he had to gain more knowledge of the world outside. At the very least, he had to learn about the origins of the figures in the red fog. Also… he had to be able to step into the gigantic palace which had once appeared in the sky. There was a good chance it was the way to leave.
Su Ming sucked in a deep breath. His eyes shone, and his skin immediately aged. His body slowly turned old, and his hair started graying. An aura of death slowly filled his body. This was the way of existing which required the least amount of his cultivation base. It was something he had found out during the the four years through trial and error. With this method, he could keep his precious cultivation base instead of wasting it.
Once he turned into an old man, Su Ming stood up and walked out of his cave abode. He cast his gaze into the distance, and everything tithing his line of sight was white fog tumbling by the ground. The sky was filled with it as well, so there was only a white shade all around him.
There was no sign of anything breathing either. The place was as silent as a gigantic grave. Su Ming quietly went down the mountain, ignoring the white fog. He quickly headed in the easternmost direction. He did not use his cultivation base, only his legs. This might not be able to compare to his speed when he traveled with his cultivation base, but he was still much faster than mortals.
It was something that Su Ming had been incredibly unused to when he just entered the world of the fog. His speed had become much slower, and the weakness from not using his cultivation base made him feel as if his body could not accept this fact. However, as he drank the beasts' blood and his own blood changed, his physical constitution went through a gradual change.
Su Ming did not know whether this change was good or bad, but he needed it to survive.
He had already become very familiar with the area around him, and he did not stop along the way. When the fourth day arrived, he stood at the summit of a tall mountain in the easternmost direction. When he turned his head back, he could still locate the cave abode he had lived in for years, even though his vision was obscured by the fog.
The place where he stood was the furthest spot he had ever traveled to during the years he had investigated the area.
As he stared at the concealed cave abode in the white fog, resolve appeared on Su Ming's face. Hiding was indeed much safer, but being safe meant dying while trapped there. If he remained there, he would turn into a skeleton in the end, just like the other cultivator in the cave.
If Su Ming wanted to leave the damned All Spirits Hall, he needed to leave the cave, which was his safe haven, first. There might be plenty of dangers in the world outside, but this place also held the chance to ever escape.
It was not easy to make this sort of decision with unswerving resolution. After all, it was human nature to refuse leaving a safe place they found in a dangerous land only to be place themselves in danger once more. This sort of act was instinctively rejected by all forms of life.
Most of them would choose to stay in the safe haven. Even if they knew that nothing would change by doing so and they would just end up dead, dying later was still better than dying sooner.
Su Ming had also only made up his mind after staying there for years. At that moment, he cast a deep glance at the cave, and turned his head away to walk along the mountain marking the spot he had moved the furthest in the past. He then dashed into the fog beneath him, stepping where he had never gone to in the past four years.
The fog obscured his vision, making it impossible for him to see even a few inches before his eyes. Every single time he used his divine sense, it used up a bit of his cultivation base again, which was why Su Ming rarely did so. Besides the fact that it would make him spend his cultivation base, he would also attract unnecessary trouble to himself.
This was a lesson, a lesson Su Ming had learned four years ago. The main reason behind why he was chased down by the living creatures in the red fog in the past was because his divine sense had attracted a figure in the red fog to him.
All of the living creatures in this place seemed to be incredibly perceptive to divine senses. They would instantly notice it even if he used just a tiny bit of it.
That was why unless it was absolutely necessary, Su Ming would not use his divine sense. The white fog, however, had the safest white light among all the colors, so Su Ming attempted to use his divine sense to scan the area.
His divine sense was weakened and limited in the fog, which was why even if he used his full strength, it would not reach too far. But if he wanted to leave a Brand of the terrain in his mind, it was still possible, and it would help him to not get lost even if he could not see the area.
Days passed as Su Ming continued moving ceaselessly. Without any time to rest, he walked for seven days. When the fog gradually turned from white to blue, he had already traveled an incredibly long distance. When he saw the blue shade appear in the white fog, Su Ming visibly relaxed a little. His constantly vigilant heart even allowed him to sit down cross-legged and rest for a while.
During the four years, Su Ming could not find the pattern in the fog. He only knew that white would definitely come after red, but it was completely impossible for him to deduce what would come next. There was a possibility that it could be blue, but it could also be green, and even purple. In fact, there was even a possibility that it would turn back to red.
That was why the span of seven days was a limit and a gamble. It was also the reason why Su Ming would never move for more than four days, making it the furthest distance he would travel in the past. He never risked not having enough time to return to his cave abode.
Unless… he went out to hunt.
Caution, vigilance—Su Ming was constantly on alert during the four years he had stayed in this place. Even if the white fog turned blue, Su Ming only relaxed for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before focusing and looking around himself with caution. Then, he slowly walked forward.
He knew that the white fog and the red fog would definitely last for seven days, but the period of time the other-colored fog would last was uncertain. They might last for a day, but they could also stay for seven days. In fact, there was even a possibility that they would remain only for half a day, or even just two hours. Su Ming had personally witnessed this.
While remaining vigilant, he continued running forward without hesitation, using the full speed he could muster at that moment…
'It's a pity that I couldn't Possess my clone, or else I'd be much faster.'
Su Ming sighed in his heart. He had tried multiple times in the past four years to bring out his clone and its soul from his storage bag so that he could Possess and fuse with it, but every single time the clone appeared, the fog in the world outside would instantly turn red. Even if it had been the completely safe white fog previously, it would still change, and a large number of figures would instantly appear.
The amount of time he had was not enough for Su Ming to Possess his clone. If he persevered, he would only find himself drowned out by the existences in the red fog.
The blue fog lasted for three days before it turned orange. Five days after the orange fog, which marked half a month since Su Ming had set out, it turned purple.
The instant Su Ming saw it, an extremely vigilant expression appeared on his face. During the past four years, he had learned that the purple fog was the fog for hunting.
The ferocious beasts which could allow him to recover his cultivation base after he drank their blood would only appear in the purple fog, but Su Ming was not just on guard against these creatures. There was another pattern that he had noticed happen almost every single time during his countless observations.
Red would definitely appear after purple!
Chapter 1183: The Red Fog Descends
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Boom!
While in the purple fog, Su Ming had his right hand wrapped around a ferocious beast that looked like a fierce tiger. The creature might resemble this familiar creature, but it had a horn on its forehead.
At that moment, the tiger look-alike was pushed tightly on the ground by Su Ming's hand on its neck. Veins popped up on Su Ming's right hand. The power of his cultivation base reverberated between his fingers.
With a calm expression on his old face, he swept his gaze across the area, then with a powerful squeeze, he crushed the tiger-like beast's neck, resulting in a loud crack. He then lowered his head to bite down on the creature's neck and sucked in a large mouthful of its blood, swallowing it all down.
Even if the tiger-like beast had its neck crushed, it still struggled, but with Su Ming's right hand pushing it down, its struggles were futile, no matter how hard it tried. As Su Ming drank its blood, it gradually stopped moving.
When Su Ming finally raised his head, the corners of his mouth were covered in blood. If anyone saw him at that moment, they would definitely be terrified, and their hearts would tremble. At that moment, Su Ming looked incredibly horrifying and hideous. Even if his Ecang clone was not around, there was still a malicious air spilling out from him.
He wiped off the blood at that corners of his mouth and unfurled his right hand, letting go of the ferocious beast he had pushed down. He stood up, and with a single move charged into the distance. This time, he no longer used his feet to walk, but his cultivation base to do so. If this was a usual hunt, Su Ming would not do so, but right then, he was in the world outside, and he had no idea when the purple fog would turn red. He had to charge forward.
This was part of his plan. Only when the purple fog appeared would the ferocious beasts appear to become his replenishment, making him have fewer misgivings about using his cultivation base.
Su Ming was so fast that he instantly disappeared into the distance. After a moment, a ferocious beast resembling a python had its skull seized by his left hand. No matter how tightly the python wound itself around his body and bound him, Su Ming's speed did not decrease.
As he charged forward, he bit down on the python's body and swallowed large gulps of its blood. After a moment, he let go and simply allowed the python's body to slide off of him. His speed then increase once more.
Time trickled by like that. When the first day of the purple fog was over, Su Ming came to an abrupt halt and let go of a wild dog whose blood he had completely drained. Dark red light shone in his eyes. Besides the color of his blood changing, this was another thing the came from him continuously drinking the beasts' blood over the past four years.
When he stopped, Su Ming's eyes shone, and he turned his head to the side to cast a glance at the fog to his right. He had sent out his divine sense outwards before retrieving just as fast. He sensed that there was a small hill in the fog to his right. The inside of the hill was empty, but there were faint ripples from a Rune in it.
He only hesitated for the span of a few breaths before changing his direction and charging towards the small hill. He moved quickly since he had already activated his cultivation base. Before long, he arrived near the small hill. When he looked at it, his pupils shrank.
Before him was a small white hill. Even though there was a purple tint to the hill due to the purple fog, Su Ming could still tell that it was white. The hill was empty inside and there were indeed ripples of a Rune coming from it, but they were damaged. With a single move, Su Ming appeared on the hill. He saw a gigantic pit at the top of the hill, and within it was a cave abode.
The inside was a wreck. There was even dust in it. In fact, there was even some purple fog seeping into the cave and filling it. Su Ming walked in and immediately saw two corpses pinned to the wall of the cave.
One of them was large, and the other small. He could tell that the larger corpse belonged to a man, and the smaller one was clearly a child of only five or six years. Their bodies were twisted, a telling sign that they had suffered great pain before their deaths. The twisted angles on their bodies made Su Ming remember the pain he had suffered when he had almost all of his life force sucked out by the figures in the red fog.
The corpses were pinned to the wall, and the thing which held them there were two red spears made of bone. They had pierced their skulls an unknown amount of time ago.
There were quite a lot of shattered rocks on the ground around them. Su Ming stood there and quietly stared at the two corpses before shifting his gaze to the two bone spears which still exuded waves of murderous, chilling aura. He lifted his head silently and looked at the huge opening above him.
A scene naturally formed in his mind. He saw the two people who were originally not corpses, one an adult, and the other a child. They lived in this place to hide from the dangers of the outside world, but one day, perhaps when the fog in the world outside turned red, their cave abode was blasted apart by someone…
Shattered stones fell, and two bone spears descended, pinning the two people, who might be father and son, to the wall. They screamed shrilly when a bunch of figures from the red fog pounced on them and sucked out all their life force.
Su Ming stared at the opening quietly, his wariness growing stronger. A fierce light lit up in his eyes. In the cave abode, he learned that the dangers in his new world were not just exclusive to the figures in the red fog. There was another equally dangerous existence who could throw bone spears around.
'Just what happened in this world..?'
In silence, Su Ming left the cave abode. He might not know when the purple fog outside would turn red, but the cave abode was already damaged. With the hole around, it was impossible for him to use it to hide. That was why before the fog turned red, he had to quickly find a spot to hide from the disaster.
As time passed, the purple fog tumbled more intensely. While Su Ming charged through it, a dark look appeared in his eyes. His experience of the last four years told him that once the purple fog reached its most intense, it would then descend into a relative calm. Usually, once this happened, the red fog would descend.
Although this was not absolute, the probability of it happening was six out of ten.
The second day, the third day… When the fourth day arrived, the purple fog around Su Ming became like a roaring wave. It tumbled around while roaring. This was the moment when it was at its strongest, but during the past few days, Su Ming had not managed to find a place to hide from the disaster. He did not give up, however. In silence, he continued charging forward.
When the fifth day arrived, the fog suddenly calmed down, and Su Ming came to a halt. He sighed softly, then threw a carcass of a ferocious beast drained of blood down.
'I can only use this method now. It might be slightly dangerous, but since I chose to walk out of the cave, it's only natural for me to hold onto the resolve to face dangers.��
Su Ming shook his head. He raised his right leg and stomped on the ground while facing the calm purple fog. With a bang, cracks appeared on the ground. Su Ming lifted his right hand, then threw a punch down. With booming sounds reverberating in the air, a deep pit appeared in the ground.
Su Ming swung his arm, and the pit immediately sank deeper. The next moment, Su Ming sensed a powerful repelling force spreading out from the ground. Even if he wanted to continue downwards, it was beyond his capabilities to do so.
He knew that this was his limit, so he sat down cross-legged, formed a seal with his hands, and pushed outwards. The earth above him immediately gathered together, and in just a few breaths, the land became flat, burying Su Ming underneath it.
Around two hours after Su Ming hid himself, the calm purple fog in the world outside suddenly started changing color. In an instant, it turned red, and at the same time, the sky was covered in crimson, casting a world in its shade.
At the same time, shrill, piercing screeches echoed in the red fog. Figures who looked like they were born in the red fog walked out and devoured all the life force of the lives they saw.
Murmurs echoed in the world during that instant as well.
"One form of life was born before heaven and earth. It allowed all the other forms of life to be born, and it nourished them…"
"Heaven and earth could exist for so long because they do not operate for their own survival. This is what allows them to stay eternal. If you desire life, then you must possess life…"
"Ancestral Spirits precede Antecedental Spirits. They come from before the time of the universe, which is why those who live must destroy lives…"
The piercing sounds seemed to possess some sort of strange power. Even if Su Ming had hidden himself in the depths of the ground, he could still hear the voices.
He had made his presence disappear and filled his body with the aura of death while hiding from the red fog in the depths. Su Ming had used this method when he was chased down by the figures in the red fog, but he understood that it was only a temporary measure. It could not be used for a long term. During the span of the seven days that the red fog was around, he had at most lasted for four days before he was found.
'Four days. It's alright even if I last for only four days. If I can last for one more day, I will have one day less to be pursued by them…' Su Ming had to make himself calm down and count down the time quietly in his heart.
Days slowly passed. The second day, the third day, and the fourth day went by… While Su Ming waited quietly and vigilantly, the fifth day passed, but when the sixth day arrived, he suddenly jolted, and a fierce light shone in his eyes. Without any hesitation, he raised his right hand and punched the earth above him. As booming sounds surged into the air, the ground trembled, and Su Ming rushed out of it.
At the same moment, more than a dozen red figures pounced at the spot where he had hidden previously. If it was not because Su Ming had noticed them quickly, he would have instantly had all his life force sucked out.
'Two more days…'
Su Ming's eyes flashed. Once he rushed out of the ground, he immediately charged into the red fog. He did not choose to hide in the depths of the ground again. He had tried it before, and he had gained some experience after paying a price for it. He knew that he could only hide in the ground once in the red fog. It was completely useless if he tried it again.
As he charged forward through the fog, the piercing voices behind him grew stronger. Figures appeared and charged towards him, dashing in his direction in a frenzy.
In less time than it takes for an incense stick to burn, numerous red figures surrounded Su Ming.
He gritted his teeth and leaped up. With the power to fly, he charged into the distance. Right away, many red figures manifested above him. Once they saw him, they screeched and chased after him.
Chapter 1184: Heavenly Spirit Tribe
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Whoosh!
The sound caused Su Ming's expression to change. When he formed a seal with his right hand, the power belonging to those in Fate Realm immediately appeared around him, turning into layers of seals that enveloped him. Yet right away, they crumbled layer by layer, and Su Ming shuddered. He opened his mouth, but he could not even cough up a single bit of blood. His aura had obviously become slightly weaker.
The whooshing sound came from the red figures around Su Ming breathing simultaneously. With each breath, quite a large amount of Su Ming's life force would be sucked out. Even though he did not directly come into contact with the figures and the indirect manner of absorbing his life force meant that only a little bit of his life would be absorbed, there was nearly a hundred of the red figures around. This meant that the amount of life force lost was still terrifying.
If it was not because Su Ming had enough experience and immediately executed the seals formed by the laws of fate at the instant he heard the voices, he might have already had two-tenths of his life force sucked out.
'Damn it…'
With a dark expression, Su Ming became even faster. At that moment, he no longer bothered about the use of his cultivation base. He gathered up his power and had it erupt in an instant. This was the greatest reflection of his cultivation base's power.
Su Ming had tested the red figures before. They did not care about any sort of divine abilities attacking them. All Arts seemed to be non-existent to them. In fact, even physical attacks were useless, and it was the same for Enchanted Treasures. Only… Su Ming's white ring could kill them.
However, Su Ming had already experienced the price for killing them in the past. Unless it was absolutely necessary, he did not want to pay it. Yet as Su Ming charged forward, more and more red figures appeared around him. Their numbers had already increased to the point that they were six-tenths more numerous than before.
In fact, they did not even need to chase him anymore. They only needed to breathe in like before, and they could reduce him into a mummy. He would lose all his life force and die.
Whoosh!
When that sound appeared again, killing intent rose in Su Ming's eyes. He had always been an unyielding person and a man who killed to a heinous degree, to a point where his murderous aura reached a maddening degree. And at that moment, he was filled with a ruthless aura after being oppressed in this strange world for four years.
The transformation of his blood had also made Su Ming's mind to often fill up with great killing intent. At that moment, while being chased by the red figures, he decided to just throw his head back and roar before raising his right hand and pointed at the sky. Immediately, the white ring on his index finger absorbed a large amount of his cultivation base, and with a bang, a powerful ripple exploded from it.
It spread outwards, making the red fog disappear layer by layer, as if it was melting. The one hundred something red figures, too, instantly let out piercing screams of pain. All of those who were touched by the expanding ripple immediately had their bodies and forms destroyed while screaming in pain.
In the blink of an eye, all the red figures around Su Ming vanished without a trace.
But Su Ming did not relax. The usage of the white ring had made him spend quite a lot of his cultivation base. With that thought on his mind, he charged into the distance at full speed.
He knew that there was no end to the red figures, and it was impossible to kill all of them. When he had killed one of them in the past, he had brought upon himself a frenzied chase by the red figures. And now he killed a hundred-something of them, so the consequences for it might be even more severe.
There were countless red figures drifting around in the boundless red fog within the strange world. The instant Su Ming charged into the distance, they stopped moving. Swiftly, they turned their heads and simultaneously turned to look in Su Ming's direction.
With piercing screams, their bodies disappeared. Just like a cultivator shifting, they immediately appeared around Su Ming. They came in the span of a few breaths, and there were more than one thousand of them covering the sky and earth. Their appearance made Su Ming's skin crawl.
But that was not all. At that moment, the sky roared, and a tall, majestic hall manifested in the sky out of nowhere. When this hall appeared, a vast, mighty pressure descended on the ground. It was the second time Su Ming saw it, and this time, he saw it even clearer. While the hall was grand and majestic, there were quite a few areas of it that were damaged and cracked. It did not seem complete.
At the same moment the hall appeared, countless red figures who looked as if they had red robes on their bodies flew out. There were thousands of them, and their piercing screams reverberated through the air, shaking the fog so much that it began to tumble and shaking the ground so much that it trembled. They rushed together towards Su Ming.
He suppressed the urge to use the power of the white ring again, which had surfaced in his mind. As he charged forward, he used his advantage of having widened the distance between him and the red figures to grit his teeth and charge forward.
There were thousands of the red figures chasing after him. Their piercing screams echoed in the air, causing Su Ming's heart to trembled. There were red figures continuously appearing from the hall in the sky as well. In fact, many of them had shifted to appear around Su Ming.
In the blink of an eye, another few thousand red figures appeared. They surrounded the area and encircled Su Ming. Before they even approached, the sound of their breathing reached his ears. The whooshing sound shook the sky and earth, deafening the ears. This was an inhale which could instantly suck Su Ming dry. It was powerful enough to instantly take away all his life force.
A ferocious look appeared on Su Ming's face. He had been waiting for the moment more red figures appeared. When they started breathing, he raised his right hand again. He could no longer care about the loss of his cultivation base at that moment. He sent all of it surging into the white ring, and with a low growl, an even more powerful ripple erupted from the ring.
Humming, it spread outwards with loud rumbles and stirred up an unseen wave of sound. In the mid of the rumbles, all the fog within a circular area of one million feet disintegrated. The near ten thousand red figures surrounding Su Ming were simultaneously destroyed as they screamed in pain.
In fact, the hall in the sky had also shuddered at that moment, but it resisted the power of the ripple. At the instant all the fog within a million feet disappeared, a mountain which had previously been concealed by the fog was revealed in the distance. It was all white.
Su Ming shuddered and coughed up a mouthful of black blood. Without any hesitation, he charged towards the mountain that been hidden in the fog. During the instant it was revealed, Su Ming immediately noticed that there was an empty space in the mountain, reminding him of a cave abode.
Similarly, Su Ming had now become sure that the destruction of hundreds of red figures would attract thousands of red figure, so the destruction of thousands of red figures… would definitely attract tens of thousands of red figures to him.
And his level of cultivation could only allow him to trigger a wide scale explosion with the ripple from the ring one more time. After that, even if the red figures did not chase after him again, Su Ming would lose all his cultivation base and turn into a mortal. Like this, he would also lose the right to hunt.
With a lunge forward, Su Ming rushed through the area of the one million feet that were cleared of the red fog. During that instant, a furious roar came from the hall in the sky. Upon hearing it, countless red figures walked out of thin air. They did not appear in groups of hundreds or thousands, but tens of thousands.
They were packed densely together, and the sight alone was enough to cause a person's heart to tremble viciously.
But that was not all. As booming sounds reverberated in the air from the hall in the sky, a tall figure walked out of the hall. It was about fifty feet tall, and its body was like that of a mummy. Red light shone in the person's eyes, and in his hands he held a red bone spear.
He was not alone. Three such creatures appeared in succession.
A terrifying ripple of power erupted from each of their bodies. Yet their presences resembled a state of emptiness, as if they had no souls. In fact, when Su Ming swept his gaze across them, he saw a scene which caused his pupils to shrink. The mummies were not originally fifty feet tall, but there were multiple dried up heads and rotten limbs attached to their bodies. Clearly… they were terrifying existences formed by multiple corpses by using some unknown method.
Their appearance caused Su Ming's heart to instantly let out a thump.
Tens of thousands of red figures rushed towards him while shrieking, and the three mummies roared in anger. When they stepped forward, ripples appeared under their feet, and they too immediately charged towards Su Ming.
The hall in the sky was still humming, as if more figures would appear soon.
Su Ming was in the face of a perilous situation which might spell his imminent death. Before him was the white mountain, however. It might have been concealed by the fog again, but he was already very close to it.
As the three mummies arrived and the tens of thousands of red figures charged towards him with piercing whistles, Su Ming used his full speed to charge forward. In an instant, he appeared on the mountain, and once he scanned the area with his divine sense, he immediately found the middle section of the mountain housing a cave.
He instantly rushed inside it, and the three mummies in the sky roared in anger at once before lifting their right hands. The bone spears turned into red bolts of lightning. With a momentum to tear apart the sky and earth, they charged towards Su Ming, who was already in the white mountain.
With a bang, Su Ming stepped into the cave. He was immediately pushed forward by the impact formed by the bone spears behind him stabbing at the mountain, but a ray of protective light immediately surrounded him. When it fought back against the impact, Su Ming coughed up blood. He rushed forth a few more steps before turning around. A fierce and murderous expression appeared on his face. He was prepared to fight against the creatures in the cave.
But at that instant, an old voice suddenly shot out from the mountain. It had a domineering tone, and a will that said that the speaker looked upon the universe in scorn and stood above all lives.
"Begone, all of you substandard life forms who have failed in the ascension of your spirits! Get out of the territory of my Heavenly Spirit Tribe! Go back to your Spirit Descension Hall! BEGONE!"
When the voice rang out, the red sky trembled, the tens of thousands of red figures retreated while shrieking, and the three mummies tumbled back like kites.
The voice thundered and stirred up the lightning in the world, causing the red fog in the area to tumble about. Countless bolts of lightning descended from the sky, making the piercing screams from the red figures to grow stronger, and the red light in the eyes of the three mummies faded away. They all quickly retreated.
Chapter 1185: A Theory of the Four Eras!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Leave this place in three breaths, all of you substandard life forms who have failed in the ascension of your spirits!
"If any of you dares to not obey, I will slaughter my way into Spirit Descension Hall and destroy all of your spirit plates. I will destroy all of your spirit forms!"
An ancient voice with an unparalleled, domineering tone reverberated through the air with loud rumbles. Upon hearing it, not only did the red figures retreat while shrieking, even the red fog in the area tumbled about as if shivering and fell back.
In a span of two breaths, not a single red figure could be seen in a circular area of one million feet. Even the hall in the sky had faded away and disappeared without a trace. Everything returned to a state of calm. Even the red fog in the distance gradually gained a white shade as if it was about to turn white ahead of schedule.
Su Ming stood at the entrance of the cave. All that had happened caused his eyes to flash rapidly. A hint of shock and uncertainty appeared on his face. He stood unmoving, still hearing the old man's words echo in his ears.
Su Ming did not move as the area sank into a state of dead silence. Not a single sound could be heard. It was as if Su Ming's presence did not gain any attention from the voice which declared itself to be part of Heavenly Spirit Tribe.
���Failure in the ascension of their spirits… Spirit Descension Hall… Heavenly Spirit Tribe.'
Su Ming's eyes sparkled. He turned his head around and cast a glance at the depths of the cave. After a moment of pensive silence, he did not step in. Instead, he walked out of the cave and stood right outside the entrance. He stood at the mountainside of the white mountain and stared into the distance.
He could clearly see the fog in the distance changing. White fog took up half of it, and before long, the red fog would disappear, replaced by white, and the world would welcome seven days of relative safety.
'So these red figures and the mummies who held the bone spears in their hands are products of people who failed in the ascension of their spirits in this place… Then since there are beings who failed in the ascension of their spirits, there must be those who succeeded…
'Ascension of spirits… Could it be that the so-called Ancestral Spirits and Antecedental Spirits are a product born after someone succeeds in the ascension of their spirit?'
Su Ming's eyes sparkled. He remembered the words that Yu Family's Yu Rou had told him when he was in Black Ink Planet in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence.
"Legend has it that when the sky, the earth, the universe, the heavens, the galaxy, and the cosmos had yet to take form, the first living things that were born were known as… Ancestral Spirits.
"They created life, which is why we have so many races and so many different types of living beings.
"These living beings worshiped the Ancestral Spirits. In the endless passage of time, among the races that did so, life forms that could bear the power of the Ancestral Spirits slowly came into existence. They were known as Antecedental Spirits.
"A disaster no one knows about caused all manner of living to die or fall to sleep. It didn't matter whether it was the Ancestral Spirits or those who became Antecedental Spirits due to their worship, none were able to escape from the disaster.
"As the disaster went on, the races fell to ruin. They were either dissolved or destroyed, and in the end, they were no more. In the endless passage of time after the disaster, there were no longer any Ancestral Spirits or Antecedental Spirits, but the people could see the changes in the universe, could see the world, the planets, could sense the rules and laws in the universe, and from then on, consolidate some of the cultivation methods to slowly create their own cultivation systems.
"It was… a cultivation system that aimed to achieve perfection and become a superior life form. The system for each race was different, but their goal was the same. Over the course of time, the outstanding ones who practiced this sort of cultivation system were known as Succeeding Spirits.
"By now, even Succeeding Spirits are incredibly rare, and due to dissemination and growth of the numerous races in the universe, the people who practice these sort of cultivation systems are known as cultivators. Based on the ancient titles, some of them could be known as Succeeding Spirits."
This was the explanation Yu Rou had provided him in the past. It was also the first time Su Ming had come to know of the meaning of titles like Ancestral Spirit, Antecedental Spirit, Successor Spirit, and Succeeding Spirit.
When Su Ming heard it, his heart had been stirred up slightly, but he did not take it to heart. He believed that the understanding of the tribes in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence towards cultivators was not complete. They only had superficial knowledge about them.
Yet when Su Ming went to True Morning Dao World and met the Predecessor of Dao Ocean, when he saw the red figures and All Spirits Hall, the place spoken in the legends of the Barren Lands of Divine Essence saying that it was the birthplace of all lives and heard the keywords in the old man's words, his heart was shaken greatly.
'Based on the words from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence, cultivators are in truth Succeeding Spirits… The Barren Lands of Divine Essence are part of Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos, so is there a possibility… that Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos has already gone through four eras? Perhaps, Sui Chen Zi, Ecang, and Old Man Extermination are just people who existed or were outsiders during one of the eras.
'Besides the era of the Succeeding Spirits, the other four eras have already been buried in the long river of history. Only a speck of information has been passed down… Only due to ancient history and still living tribal lives in Divine Essence Star Ocean, the people there have the complete version of the four eras.'
Su Ming remained silent as a contemplative expression appeared on his face. The more he thought about this, the more shocked he became.
He suddenly thought of another problem—even though the Almighties in Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos were in the same Realm as the cultivators from Saint Defier's camp and should have been equals in terms of strength, when they fought against each other, a cultivator in Solar Kalpa Realm from Saint Defier Expanse Cosmos could win against those in Fate Realm from Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos. In fact, they even had the courage to fight against those in Life Realm.
Just what was different between them that could create such a disparity? Su Ming had always been puzzled about this. He had once believed that Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos was simply slightly more primitive, which was why they did not have the cultivation system which had been formed over countless years in Saint Defier Expanse Cosmos.
In fact, Su Ming had even been slightly envious of the core of Saint Defier Expanse Cosmos' cultivation system—Essence!
Those from Saint Defier cultivated Essence, and those from Dark Dawn cultivated spirit cores. When he learned about this, Su Ming had sighed in his heart, because he did not know what Arid Triad cultivated. He had no clue about it, and feeling perplexed, he had tried to learn from Saint Defier Expanse Cosmos and cultivate this so-called Essence energy.
He had really taken a few steps down this road, but he could never forget how casual the Predecessor of Dao Ocean had been when it analyzed Essence while Su Ming was undergoing the trial of the Dynasts in True Morning Dao World in its illusion. Its voice might have sounded no different from other people, but Su Ming could still tell how dismissive it was.
It was as if… to the Predecessor of Dao Ocean, Essences were very simple and not at all complicated. It only needed to think about it for a moment before being able to help Su Ming sense the existence of Essences of tremors.
This made it clear that Essences were not mysterious to the Predecessor of Dao Ocean. They were merely some simple principles. As long as one could comprehend and master them completely, they could execute them.
Su Ming's breathing quickened slightly, and a brilliant light shone in his eyes. These were questions and doubts which had always existed in his mind. At that moment, when he heard the old man's words, they became keys in his mind which instantly made him think of many things. They slowly turned into a theory which was incredibly mad, but Su Ming still somewhat believed in it.
'It's not that the cultivators in Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos are not strong, but that they are now fourth generation cultivators. They have lost the cultivation system they owned in the past. It can be said that they have tried to develop it again… but while Saint Defier Expanse Cosmos might have also gone through several eras, there is no doubt… that even though they might have also lost their cultivation system in the past, theirs is still more complete. This is why there is such a huge difference between us.
'The fourth era is the Succeeding Spirits' Era. Then based on this, I can tell that the third era is the era of Successor Spirits, and they watched the changes in the universe and the planets in the galaxy. They sensed the laws and rules in the world, then merged it with what little remained of the cultivation system of the past, and slowly, they created a new cultivation system.
'It is… a cultivation system which allows them to perfect themselves and make themselves become a greater life form. During the third era, the people practiced cultivation with this cultivation system. They were known as cultivators who were Successor Spirits.
'In that era lived Sui Chen Zi, Ecang, and Old Man Extermination. During those glorious days, the cultivators of that time should have been able to fight against those in Saint Defier and Dark Dawn… Even if their overall strength was still not enough to win against them, their combat abilities should have been strong enough to stand on equal grounds.
'But when the third era was destroyed, Sui Chen Zi and the others died while Ecang fell asleep. This is why when the fourth era started, the cultivators became weaker; after all, they could only practice cultivation based on some of the incomplete cultivation methods passed down to them from the third era. That is why… they are no longer able to fight against those from Saint Defier's camp in terms of their combat power despite their levels of cultivation being just as high.
'And the third era's destruction… might be because of Old Man Extermination's ballad!'
Su Ming's heart trembled. He had a vague feeling that even if his guess was not completely accurate, he was definitely close to the truth.
His breathing quickened. If he continued making his deductions based on this train of thought, then the second era belonged to the Antecedental Spirits. It was completely dislocated from the third era. It was to the point that even their cultivation systems were completely different.
The cultivators of the second era worshiped the first era's Ancestral Spirits, and from this, they obtained overwhelmingly powerful cultivation bases. They slowly stood out among their tribes and became known as Antecedental Spirits. In time, they brought their tribes to glory… but in the end, they still faced the decline and destruction of their era. That destruction submerged everything they had created.
'Antecedental Spirits… Antecedental Spirits… There's a high possibility that the Predecessor of Dao Ocean is an Antecedental Spirit from the second era, and it's still alive!'
A brilliant light which had never appeared in Su Ming's eyes before shone at that moment. He felt that the more he analysed things in this manner, the closer he came to the truth.
'That's why the Predecessor of Dao Ocean could investigate the cultivators from Saint Defier Expanse Cosmos and the Ancient God as it pleased. In fact, it could imitate all their divine abilities and execute them in the illusion even after they died. It could even… imitate Essences that is the core of the cultivation system in Saint Defier Expanse Cosmos!
'From this, it can be seen just how powerful the Antecedental Spirits of the second era are!
'Then… I now have the perfect explanation for the use of the All Spirits Hall and the failure in spirit ascension mentioned by the ancient old man. This All Spirits Hall is a legacy which can allow the people from the second era to become Ancestral Spirits!'
Su Ming shuddered. As the shock traveled through him from his own theory, a great desire suddenly erupted in the depths of his heart!
Chapter 1186: The Figure Behind Him
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
'That's why the voice mentioned failure in spirit ascension. This means that there is a high possibility of failing in this spirit ascension. If I fail, I will turn into one of those mindless red figures!'
As Su Ming's heart shuddered, he remembered the red figure's murmurs once they appeared.
"One form of life was born before heaven and earth. It allowed all the other forms of life to be born, and it nourished them…"
"Heaven and earth could exist for so long because they do not operate for their own survival. This is what allows them to stay eternal. If you desire life, then you must possess life…"
"Ancestral Spirits precede Antecedental Spirits. They come from before the time of the universe, which is why those who live must destroy lives…"
'That must be it!' A brilliant light shone in Su Ming's eyes, and his breathing quickened. When he lifted his head, he stared at the now white sky. He watched the spot where the hall had floated and longing born from resolve appeared in his eyes.
'Make the offering… the Heavenly Incense Rune should be something from the second era as well. That is why the soul with the independent will born in the clone that practiced the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole would naturally possess the required characteristics and could be treated as an offering. I can activate the All Spirits Hall and obtain a chance to make my soul ascend!
'This is… This is…' Su Ming forced down the desire in his heart. He suddenly thought of Old Man Extermination. The ballad he spoke of in the past also required all lives to give him offerings…
'If that's the case, then was Old Man Extermination imitating the second era's All Spirits Hall? Or was he misleading people? There is another possibility… He could have known the secret of All Spirits Hall and wanted to become an Ancestral Spirit, but lacked offerings, so he used the ballad as bait to gather the power of the entire Expanse Cosmos to find the offering!
'With this method, he could destroy the third era, and he could also obtain the right to enter the All Spirits Hall…'
Su Ming did not know whether his assumption about Old Man Extermination was correct, but regardless of it, this was not what was important. What mattered was that Su Ming would never give up on this chance.
He stared at the sky, and after a long time had passed, he murmured, "Then… what about the first era? Just… how strong were the people during the first era, the most ancient era in Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos?
"If my assumption is correct, then the Predecessor of Dao Ocean is just an Antecedental Spirit, someone who worships the first era's Ancestral Spirit, and from this obtains great power. Then… just how strong… were the Ancestral Spirits of the first era in Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos who had the universe at their beck and call?
"Where did they come from? Why did they disappear? Do they… still exist now?"
Su Ming narrowed his eyes. If he could verify these assumptions then… He suddenly had a feeling that perhaps he was wrong in certain things that he thought he knew.
For example, his experiences as well as those of the old black-robed man he had Possessed all pointed towards Saint Defier and Dark Dawn with 180 Expanse Cosmoses being ancient, eternal existences, while Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos was like a newborn universe. It might be weak, but if it had enough time, it could grow into an ancient Expanse Cosmos just like Dark Dawn and Saint Defier.
But if this was wrong…
What if compared to Dark Dawn and Saint Defier, Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos was not a newborn… but an existence even older than them?
Su Ming did not continue with that train of thought. He stopped himself from thinking about that theory. He had no proof for this, and it was merely a thought that even he felt was slightly absurd.
He threw those thoughts away, but these assumptions were buried in the depths of his heart. He quietly turned his head around and looked towards the white mountain and the black cave behind him. His eyes sparkled, but he did not immediately step inside. Instead, he slowly sat down cross-legged and remained still outside the entrance of the cave.
He simply allowed time to pass, sitting there for half a month. The color of the fog changed continuously. When it turned purple, Su Ming stood up and left the mountain to rush into the purple fog.
Three days later, he returned to the mountain. This time, without any hesitation, he charged into the cave.
He wanted to go to the Heavenly Spirit Tribe. He wanted to see whether his theory regarding the four eras and the spirit ascension was correct. He had not immediately stepped into the cave half a month ago because he had already used up nearly eight-tenths of his cultivation base when he had the ripple erupt from the ring.
He did not know whether there were any dangers in Heavenly Spirit Tribe, so his cautious nature did not allow him to act recklessly. That is why he had went out to hunt many ferocious beasts in the purple fog. Once he drank their blood, he recovered about eight-tenths of his cultivation, and he returned to the mountain.
The cave was narrow and long, and it extended downwards. Su Ming did not move quickly. He sent his divine sense outwards in a barely discernible manner.
Time trickled by as Su Ming continued down the cave. Eventually, after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he reached a large opening. At the instant he walked out of the tunnel and saw the cave abode clearly, he shuddered and sucked in a sharp breath.
It was a huge cave. A small part of it was the inner part of the mountain while the majority was a huge pit dug in the ground.
In the pit… were skeletons of people who had died an unknown number of years ago. He was not in Heavenly Spirit Tribe, but a mass grave!
There were quite a number of skeletons that belonged to children in the pit as well. They might have belonged to a tribe called Heavenly Spirit Tribe while they were alive, but right then, all of them were dead and had been thrown into pit.
The pile was high, and all the skeletons were black, terrifying anyone who saw them. They also gave off a ghastly presence.
Su Ming was silent. He had clearly heard the old voice come from the cave half a month ago, and he had also seen fear appear on the apathetic faces of the red figures who had failed in the ascension of their spirits. They had swiftly retreated as if they were extremely terrified of the voice.
Su Ming looked around him quietly. The place was filled with dead silence. Not a single sound could be heard. When Su Ming cast his gaze on the stone walls around him, his pupils constricted. He saw some carvings on the wall.
They were usually a habit shared among tribes to record certain things. Su Ming knew about this, and he approached the murals to observe them closely.
The first carving was of a beautiful, large tribe. It was peaceful, and the sun as well as the moon were simultaneously in the sky…
Su Ming could tell from the second carving that the people in the tribe worshiped a statue. It was of a man who had long hair, and it had clearly been worshiped in the tribe for years. The people knelt before it, their faces filled with sincerity.
The third carving was of a teenager in the tribe being brought before the statue. Once he knelt down and worshiped it, he seemed to have obtained some sort of legacy…
When Su Ming saw this, his heart suddenly trembled. He was incredibly familiar with this scene. It was clearly the same as Berserker's Initiation from the time he was in the land of Berserkers!
He immediately moved and checked another wall. He saw a tall stone platform in the fourth carving. Kneeling on the platform was an old man. He had both his arms raised as if he was calling to the sky.
There was a gigantic face there, and it belonged to the statue of the man Su Ming saw before. That man stared at the ground and the people on it with a gentle gaze. There was a smile on his face, and he seemed to be bestowing the old man some sort of power. Light spread out from his whole body.
In the fifth carving, Su Ming saw that the face of the man in the sky was no longer smiling. Instead, it held grief. The members of the tribe on the ground were kneeling, and their faces were also filled with grief.
The man's face was no longer in the sixth carving. The sun and moon in the sky had been shattered, and in their place were now countless figures. It was as if they were disappearing somewhere, and most were still staring at the ground. In their gazes was reluctance to leave, grief, and also a thick aura of death.
It was as if they were about to die, but before they did so, they seemed to be worried about the lives on the ground. They joined their hands, raised their arms, and pushed against the air. Then, in that spot, a towering hall appeared!
But a bolt of lightning came from above and struck the hall…
When Su Ming saw this, his heart shuddered. He could understand the meaning pertained in the drawing. There was a high possibility that the figures were the Ancestral Spirits of the first era. Due to some destruction which had descended upon them, they had to leave and walk towards death, but before they died, they gathered all their power and built the hall.
Yet at that moment, a bolt of lightning descended, making it flawed. This was what the carvings wanted to tell him.
Su Ming was silent. He continued observing the final two carvings. One of them showed a hall in the sky. There were plenty of people worshiping it on the platforms on the ground with faces filled with ferociousness and madness. Carved above them were indistinct figures. These figures were filled with the air of death, and they were dressed in long robes. With just one glance, Su Ming could tell that those were the red figures he had seen outside.
When he recognized them, he sucked in a deep breath. The scene in the carving verified some of his assumptions. The red figures who had failed in the ascension of their spirits were once… members of the tribes on the ground.
In silence, Su Ming turned his head and looked towards the final picture. When he did so, he did not notice that a figure had appeared behind him at some unknown point of time.
It belonged to an old man, and he was covered in filth. His gaze was unfocused even though he was staring straight ahead while standing behind Su Ming.
Chapter 1187: Victory in Terms of the Soul
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The last picture was incredibly complicated. It was also slightly crude, as if the carver's heart was not in a state of calm at that time, but they had still insisted on carving the picture to record something.
In that carving was a tall platform. There was an old man on it, and he had his arms raised. Floating above him was the hall, and beneath him were countless members of his tribe kneeling and worshiping him. There was excitement and hope on their faces.
However, if Su Ming looked at this scene from another point of view, then the excitement might not be what it looked like, but fear. Similarly, the hope might not be hope, but despair and sadness.
That was all to the picture.
The last crude carving was completely different from the other pictures. It was as if this story said nothing in the end.
Su Ming was silent. When he turned around, he looked at the area where he stood earlier, but he still did not see the old figure behind him watching him silently.
Su Ming swept his gaze across the area and frowned. He could not sense any life in the place, but the voice had clearly come from here. When he immersed himself in his thoughts, his pupils suddenly constricted. He saw that there seemed to be a different region by the side of the skeletons in the depths of the pit.
He charged towards the bottom, where the skeletons were. In the blink of an eye, he reached his destination and stared at a faint hollow on the ground near the wall.
That hollow made it seem that a person had cultivated there for countless years, causing the stone to slowly sink in and form the brand of someone meditating there.
As he stared at the brand, Su Ming narrowed his eyes. When he approached it, he crouched down, and raised his right hand to swipe it past the hollow. At that moment, the hair on his body stood up, because there was a faint warmth coming from it. This meant that not long ago, there was still someone meditating in that place.
"That is the spot I use to meditate."
Right then, an old voice came from behind Su Ming. He had not noticed the speaker previously, and the voice made it sound as if there was someone whispering by his ears. Su Ming had his cultivation base erupt from his body without any hesitation. He rushed forward, and only when he was some distance away did turn around, but he still did not see anything.
Su Ming's heart raced, and his skin crawled. Suddenly, someone tapped his shoulder lightly.
"What are you looking for?"
Su Ming's expression changed. This time, he did not immediately turn around. Instead, he brought his right hand up without any hesitation. A ripple spread out from the ring, and he chose that time to charge away. While doing so, he turned around to look behind him, but it was still the same as before. He still did not see anything.
His heart began to race even quicker than before. He might not have seen the person's body, but he was certain that the person was definitely behind him. In silence, Su Ming forced down the anxiety in his heart and decided that he might as well sit down.
If the stranger wanted to attack him, he would have done so a long time ago. Since he did not attack even up to this moment… Su Ming laughed wryly. He could only sit down and speak in a low voice,
"Thank you for saving me earlier, senior."
It was quiet all around him. It was as if Su Ming was talking to himself. There was absolutely no response.
Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, an hour went by. At that time, a thought rose in Su Ming's mind. He slowly stood up, then walked towards the entrance of the cave, but when he reached the entrance, the air around him suddenly distorted. In an instant, with a wry smile on his face, Su Ming noticed that he had been sent back to the spot where the person had previously meditated.
Su Ming sucked in a deep breath and murmured, "Senior, since you won't speak and won't allow me to leave, you can just tell me your requests. If this junior can fulfill them, I will do my best to repay you for saving me earlier."
"Young lad, which tribe did you come from?" a faint voice asked from behind him after a long time.
"Dark Mountain Tribe. I am a member of Dark Mountain Tribe."
Su Ming spoke without hesitation, and he prepared the words what he would say once the person said he had never heard of the tribe before, but while he waited for the upcoming questions, he heard the old voice behind him say words that caused his heart to tremble violently.
"Dark Mountain Tribe, one of the thirteen tribes born and split from Great Berserker Tribe…"
When these words fell into Su Ming's ears, his heart trembled. At the same time, an old man's withered right hand appeared on his shoulder. It patted his shoulder, and immediately, a domineering presence seeped into Su Ming's body before it swimming a complete cycle in him. Then, it rushed towards Su Ming's soul.
The old man did not perform a Soulseek, but only touched Su Ming's soul lightly. Then, the presence moved back and returned to his shoulder before retreating to the withered right hand.
"It's indeed the presence of the Berserker's Initiation, but your soul belongs to Great Abyss Tribe. There is also something nourishing you, something that doesn't belong to this World. Hmph, I've been the most vocal objector towards interracial marriage, but at the very least, you showed that you're a Berserker by not lying."
When the old voice echoed in the air, a huge storm raged in Su Ming's mind.
'Dark Mountain Tribe… So Dark Mountain Tribe really exists. Berserkers… Great Berserker Tribe… and he says that my soul is from Great Abyss Tribe. This is…'
Su Ming could not calm down. His heart was in complete turmoil due to the old man's words.
"I'll make a deal with you, young Berserker. Since you can come here, you and I are linked through fate. Your soul and aura might be a little mixed, but it doesn't matter whether you're from Great Berserker Tribe or Great Abyss Tribe, for you're still a member of the younger generation from one of our allied tribes. This deal will grant you a great serendipity," the old man said in a faint, ancient voice. A decaying air even formed due to the sediments of time.
Su Ming did not immediately ask what sort of serendipity he would receive. Instead, after hesitating for a moment, he forced down the storm that had begun raging in him due to the old man's words. "Senior, if you had determined that I wasn't a member of the younger generation belonging to one of your allied tribes…"
"You'd share the fate of all the other people who had come here. You have your soul Sought through, your skin flayed, your bones plucked out, and when you're dried up, I would add some seasoning to your flesh and feed you to the beasts of offering," the old man said faintly.
A barely noticeable glint shone in Su Ming's eyes. He then asked another question. "What about the other members of the younger generation from your allied tribes who received this great serendipity of yours, senior?"
"They are among the substandard beings you saw in the red fog in the world outside." The old man's voice was as calm as usual, but when those words landed in Su Ming's ears, a cold chill went through his heart.
He fell silent, and the old man did not continue speaking either. When the time it takes for an incense stick to burn passed, Su Ming smiled wryly and sighed.
"Senior, this great serendipity you speak of is a chance for me to have my spirit ascend and become an Ancestral Spirit, right?"
"Hmm? Boy, you're a shrewd one. You must have deduced this from how I dispelled those substandard beings. That's right. The serendipity I will give you is a chance for you to have your spirit ascend. Since you like to analyze things, then you can analyze what you will need to do for the deal before I give you the serendipity. If you can guess it, I will give you some rewards."
The old man's words came to a halt then as if some emotion that had not existed in him previously had entered his heart, but he soon finished what he wanted to say in a faint voice.
"You only have one chance to guess."
When the old man's voice reverberated through the air, Su Ming's eyes sparkled.
"You should not be thinking of leaving this place…" Su Ming said, and the old man behind him snorted coldly.
"Don't try pulling some meaningless schemes."
"Senior, you want me to search for the person who killed your tribe!" Su Ming suddenly said in a firm voice.
He was making a bet, but even if he lost, he would not suffer any loss. Still, Su Ming wanted to win because he had constantly been in the passive during his entire contact with the old man. His constant presence behind him had caused a shadow to loom over his heart. It was also growing larger, and it would continue to do so until Su Ming could no longer muster any will to fight back. At that time, the old man would completely control his mind.
Su Ming wanted to seize control even if it was just an insignificant amount of it, for to him, it was still a form of resistance and struggle against the old man.
And Su Ming had not chosen this answer out of the blue. He had formed it from a couple clues. One, the place had been reduced to ruins and become the burial grounds for Heavenly Spirit Tribe, and the old man had chosen to remain with his tribe members. Su Ming could tell a number of things from this.
There was also the very distinct, crude craftsmanship of the final carving. The things shown in the picture had a bizarre air, and they have the feel of the end of the story. This revealed plenty of things as well. Heavenly Spirit Tribe could have walked to their ruin with all the members' lives coming to a natural end, but there were children among the skeletons, which wiped off this possibility.
There was also the possibility of the red figures killing them. But even though this was possible, it made no sense with the old man's strength. There was also the possibility of external reasons causing it, but Su Ming only had one chance to guess, so he had chosen his answer without hesitation.
Even so, he was not certain of it himself. Yet when the person behind him remained silent for a time, Su Ming knew that there was a possibility that his guess had been correct.
"Perhaps I should have agreed to the matter of interracial marriage in the past…" After a long while, a long sigh came from behind Su Ming.
"You're very smart, and you have a good idea for observations… Your guess is correct, but also wrong. The person who killed my people is me…
"Tell me, what sort of reward do you want?" There was a hint of sorrow in the old man's voice as it echoed in the air languidly.
Su Ming was silent for a moment before a glint shone in his eyes, and he spoke in a firm voice. ."This junior does not want any sort of reward, but would like to have a look at your face, senior."
"You are indeed very intelligent… the mental state of a person able to see and unable to see is completely different." After some time, the old voice reverberated in the cave, and the air in front of Su Ming distorted. A moment later, an old man walked out.
His body was filthy, but Su Ming could tell with just one glance that he was the old man in the last picture, who was sitting on the platform with his arms raised in the hall in the sky while being worshiped by countless people!
There was a profound look in the old man's eyes, but there was apathy mixed with loss in it. People could not look straight into them for it would feel like their souls would be sucked into his eyes.
The old man just stood there. There was no ripple of power about him, but Su Ming could sense a mighty pressure much greater than what he had felt from the Predecessor of Dao Ocean. It was as if there was an entire Realm between this person and the Predecessor of Dao Ocean!