1210 - 1216
Chapter 1210: The Mere Power of a Speck of Light
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Those in Fate Realm locked down the laws of the universe, and those in Life Realm killed the living. The cooperation between these seventeen people was flawless.
It was especially so when the thirteen Almighties in Fate Realm spread out. The feeling as if the region had been separated from True Morning Dao World became even stronger at that moment. The thirteen people turned themselves into keys of the Rune, the Great Space Sealing Rune!
The four old men in Life Realm were the blades of the Rune. When they flew out, the killing intent of those in the Endless Cycles of Life Realm erupted from them. With a presence of a tidal wave, they charged towards Su Ming.
"Live!"
At the instant the four old men in Life Realm approached him, the thirteen Almighties in Fate Realm around the area roared together. They formed seals with their hands and pointed towards the four. Immediately after, the power of the four people increased exponentially, pushing them infinitesimally close to Death Realm.
This did not mean that their levels of cultivation had increased, but that once the galaxy in this region had been changed, the laws had changed as well. It was as if it had become the thirteen people's world. They were akin to masters of it, and they had ordered the four old men's cultivation bases to reach a boundless state. Then, within the boundaries of what the thirteen people could endure, they were brought infinitesimally close to Death Realm!
At the same time, the thirteen people formed a seal and pointed at the indifferent looking Su Ming before saying one word together.
"Die!"
This word sounded like rolling thunder, and it was an order from those people who acted as the master of the region. They wished that Su Ming's life force be extinguished and his power weakened. It would be difficult for any of them to execute this Art alone, but when the thirteen of them worked together, they could do it perfectly.
Weakening one party to strengthen the other was the effect of the rune. From the skillfulness of seventeen people's actions, anyone could tell that they had worked together many times, and the confidence on their faces was not fake either. There should be plenty of powerful warriors who had died in hatred due to their Rune.
As the orders of those who would live and who would perish were given, the four Almighties in Life Realm came charging at Su Ming with confidence and great murderous intent.
A hint of derision appeared at the corners of Su Ming's lips. Those people had still not discovered what was wrong in the area and did not notice the difference in power between them. In Su Ming's eyes, they were grossly overestimating themselves, and he could only view them in contempt.
His scorn was seen by the seventeen people, and their hearts let out a thump in their chests. However, they were arrows that had been notched on bows and fired. They could not stop their attack.
The four Almighties in Life Realm approached Su Ming and executed their divine abilities. They then charged towards him.
A loud bang shot up into the heavens. When it shook the galaxy, Su Ming's figure was submerged by the divine abilities, but the expressions of the four people soon changed drastically. When they turned their heads around, they found Su Ming standing behind one of the thirteen Almighties in Fate Realm
He had moved in a manner similar to warping, but no ripple of power was stirred up by his movements. He lifted his right hand then, and the instant the Almighty in Fate Realm realized that something was off, Su Ming had already pressed his hand against the person's back, right over their heart.
A bang shot up, and the Almighty in Fate Realm jolted. In fact, he did not even have time to turn his head around before he coughed up a large mouthful of blood and his body was torn to pieces. He turned into flesh and blood that filled the area.
Su Ming licked the corners of his lips, and an evil smile appeared on his face. When the twelve Almighties in Fate Realm looked over in shock and the four old men in Life Realm rushed at him, he vanished into thin air again.
When he reappeared, he was already behind another person. That cultivator from Fate Realm had spread his divine sense and was on guard, but he could not sense Su Ming at all. Only when an icy cold hand touched the nape of his neck and intense pain wrecked his body that he noticed.
A loud bang shot up again, and the bloody stench became even thicker. Yet Su Ming's expression remained the same. His body moved like a phantom, making it impossible for anyone to figure him out before he disappeared again.
"Damn it! Why are you not locking down the galaxy in this region yet?! Lock down space! Make it so that he cannot wrap!" one of the old men among the four Almighties in Life Realm roared.
"It's useless, we've already locked down the space in this—"
The hearts of the eleven cultivators in Fate Realm were trembling. They were also in shock. They had clearly locked down the space in the area.
Yet the cultivator who had begun to speak could only say this thoughts halfway before his heart shuddered. He saw look at him, and his heart let out a thump. Without any hesitation, he rushed forward.
However, the instant he tried that, an intense pain rushed through him. It only lasted for two breaths before it disappeared, since his body lost possession of its head. It was in Su Ming's hand, and with a flick of his wrist, he crushed it.
When the cultivator's Nascent Divinity rushed out from his headless body, it was also casually crushed by Su Ming's destructive power.
In the blink of an eye, three people had died. The four Almighties in Life Realm simply could not catch up to Su Ming. Even if they wanted to shift, it required some time, but Su Ming could do it instantly. It was as if with one thought, his body would disappear and reappear in any place he wanted.
"Mo Su, you are Ninth Summit's Great Sect Elder, but do you only know how to ambush people behind their backs?! Do you dare fight against us fair and square?!" the old man of the four Almighties in Life Realm who had roared towards the heavens before demanded.
There was anger on his face. The seventeen of them had cooperated multiple times and killed plenty of powerful warriors, but this was the first time they ran into such a strange situation. Even though they had a slight feeling that something bad was about to happen, anger was a more prominent emotion in their hearts. In fact, they even had a sense of determination.
They felt that since Su Ming did not dare to face them, it meant that he was about equal in terms of strength, or perhaps he was even slightly weaker than the,.
"Fair and square? Alright then."
Su Ming's voice drifted around the area, and it was followed by a contemptuous chuckle. In an instant, ten Su Mings appeared at the same time behind the ten Almighties in Fate Realm.
The ten Su Mings looked identical to each other. The moment they appeared, Su Ming lifted his right hand and threw a punch at the ten cultivators.
Booming sounds surged into space and caused the galaxy to tremble. The ten Almighties in Fate Realm did not have the power to dodge or fight back. Amid the booming sounds, their bodies were torn to shreds. As their flesh and blood flew in all directions, the ten Su Mings moved, and in a flash, they fused together back into one. Once that happened, Su Ming turned around and looked at the four Almighties in Life Realm whose faces had went pale.
"Then the four of you will have to receive my punch fairly and squarely."
When Su Ming said those words in a flat voice, he lifted his right hand and punched the space in the direction of the four people.
That punch seemed ordinary and did not stir up a single ripple. It was as if it could not cause the universe to tremble at all, but when he threw that punch, the expressions of the four old men from Life Realm changed drastically.
Their hearts trembled, and their pupils shrank to reveal a hint of shock. At the same time, the four people growled. It seemed like they had been connected together to form a seal moments before all their power erupted from them. The cultivation base formed by the life force of those in the Endless Cycles of Life Realm gathered together, causing the power erupting from the four people to no longer belong to Life Realm, but near that of Death Realm.
"Imperishable Aura!" the four old men growled.
Their expressions were incredibly grave, and their hearts were filled with shock. At that moment, they had a strong feeling that they were about to die. The simple punch from Su Ming caused them to feel as if the world was about to crumble, and they were right in the middle of that destruction. They had a strong feeling that their hearts would be torn apart at any moment.
When the four people growled, a candle flame manifested around them. As it burned, a piercing light erupted from it. This light swept outwards to fight against Su Ming's punch.
As long as the candle flame did not get extinguished, they would not die. The candle flame did not just burn their cultivation bases, but also the years of their lives. It was a pure Protective Rune.
It didn't have a single offensive property since the four old men had already come to an understanding the moment Su Ming threw his punch that they… were absolutely not his opponent. At that moment, their greatest serendipity would be to come out alive.
"The mere power of a speck of light," Su Ming said flatly.
When his punch landed, the world did not move, but an astonishing roar swiftly reverberated through the space before the four old men. As it echoed in space, it was as if a huge, invisible hand had seized the four people. With a squeeze, it instantly extinguished the trembling candle flame.
At the instant its light disappeared, the bodies of the four old men jolted simultaneously. They coughed up blood and fell back. As they did so, their bodies were thrown into a violent gust of wind that could not be put to words. Their hair was burned to a crisp, their robes were torn to shreds, their skin became a bloody mess in the blink of an eye, and once their flesh and blood were reduced to nothing, the four old men turned into four skeletons.
But this was not the end. Shrill screams of pain that would cause people's skin to crawl rose into space at that moment. The skeletons were crushed to ashes, and they disappeared straight away. The only thing that remained after that was the Nascent Divinities, but even those… were reduced to nothing the next instant.
Everything which marked the existence of the four old men was wiped off the plane of existence with a simple punch. Not even a speck of them was left.
Su Ming then lifted his head to look at the cultivators from South Union on the hundreds of logs. All of them looked dumbfounded and had fear on their faces.
"What other tricks do you have? Continue bringing them out. Since you're already here, don't think about leaving," he said in a flat voice.
The cultivators from South Union fell silent. They stared at Su Ming in shock, and at that moment, their hearts trembled. Su Ming was so strong that even if they could not tell his precise level of cultivation, the deaths of thirteen Subsect Elders and the annihilation of four of their Great Sect Elders had occurred in just a few dozen breaths. The ease of Su Ming's actions, his faint voice, and the derision in his smile turned him into the embodiment of death in everyone's eyes.
"Bring forth the Enchanted Vessel!"
When the cultivators from South Union were intimidated by Su Ming, an ancient voice laden with an unprecedented grave tone shot through the whirlwind. It came from the direction of the whirlwind where more people hid.
The next moment, hundreds of cultivators lifted their heads. Blood-red light instantly appeared in their eyes, and they flew out simultaneously while roaring towards the heavens as if they did not possess any intelligence. There was a total of 999 cultivators, and they turned into nearly one thousand figures who surrounded the area around Su Ming. Once they did so, each of the cultivators roared.
Their bodies were then reduced to a bloody mess. Crystals seeped out of their bodies as if having grown there. A powerful light spread out from them and connected together to form… a Rune of crystalline light!
Chapter 1211: Seven Ultimate Yin Transformation Rune
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The outline of the Rune with crystalline light resembled a cauldron used to make medicinal cores. It shone with a dazzling light and looked like it enveloped Su Ming within itself.
Su Ming had a calm expression on his face as he moved forward. At the instant his body touched a ray of the crystalline light, he sensed a powerful rebounding force trying to prevent him from walking out.
"This item…"
The old man from Heavenly Spirit Tribe had stayed by Su Ming from the start. When he cast a glance at the Rune with the crystalline light, he fell into a period of silence before he smiled faintly.
"This item is somewhat similar to the Sacred Vessel of Wei's Corists, but it's clearly just an imitation. It has some fragments of the Corists Sacred Vessel though. Looks like there are descendants of the Corists among these cultivators," the old man from Heavenly Spirit Tribe said faintly.
When he finished speaking, nine long arcs flew out from the direction of South Union. They stopped in front of Su Ming and revealed themselves as nine old men.
They had ordinary power. They were only in Solar Kalpa Realm, but there was an air that made it seem that they had inherited an ancient legacy. Once they cast a glance at Su Ming, they formed a seal with their hands, then pointed simultaneously at the medicinal cauldron shining with crystalline light, which was formed by the 999 cultivators.
"The Saint of Medicinal Cores has the will of heavens, and the will of heavens makes medicinal cores sacred!" the nine old men said together in a strange tone, then coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The instant they spoke, the light of the Rune of crystalline light soared one hundred thousand feet into the air. When booming sounds echoed in space, the 999 people moved simultaneously based on some law. If anyone looked at them from a distance, they would clearly see that there seemed to be a huge medicinal cauldron spinning around them.
As it did so, the will of the universe seemed to tear through space and descend from the passage of time. It enveloped the medicinal cauldron, making those who looked at it to naturally feel an ancient presence from it. At that instant, the will of the universe gained a vast presence, and there was a feeling in the air as if it was about to gain corporeal form.
It was a will even stronger than the one used by the thirteen Almighties in Fate Realm to lock down the galaxy around them and separate it from True Morning Dao World. Su Ming could even sense it was infinitesimally close to the will of heaven that belonged to the Antecedental Spirits.
However… it was just very close to it and that was it.
"You're a mere South Union, but you have quite the foundation," Su Ming said faintly.
He would have found the will of the universe that was infinitesimally close to the one possessed by Antecedental Spirits to be incredibly difficult to deal with if his soul had not become an Antecedental Spirit. It was just like how a cultivator in Mastery Realm would be completely suppressed if he came face to face with a cultivator in Fate Realm.
"But it's not enough."
Su Ming's expression had not changed much since the start. When he looked at the nine old men, he shook his head. Then, he stopped and did not try to leave the Rune again.
The nine people had gloomy expressions on their faces. With a cold harrumph, they formed a seal with their hands, then formed another and pointed at the Rune.
"With the will of the Saint of Medicinal Cores, we will strip thee of thy soul!" the nine people said simultaneously with aloof and ghastly expressions.
The medicinal cauldron formed by the Rune of 999 people started spinning even more swiftly. The will of the universe contained in it became even fiercer, as if there was an invisible blade that was about to cut down Su Ming.
It did not aim at his body, but his soul. A chilling glare shone in Su Ming's eyes at that moment, and he lifted his right hand to point forward. Immediately, the invisible blade shuddered and crumbled to pieces. This scene could not be seen by anyone, but the nine old men could clearly sense the invisible blade crumble.
Their expressions changed at that moment. They coughed up blood at the same time, and when their bodies tumbled back, they formed a seal again.
"With the power of three Saints and the will of the universe, we shall strip thee of thy soul!"
Once they roared together, the rotation speed of the Rune formed by the 999 cultivators increased again. The cultivators trembled, and their bodies turned even more messy. It looked like they were about to turn into skeletons.
Su Ming smiled coldly. He moved forward, and the instant his body touched the crystalline light, the light grew to a blinding degree, but it was obviously trembling, as if it could not bear the burden and was about to crumble. The nine people immediately sat down, and as their bodies swiftly withered, their expressions filled with disbelief. They formed seals while shouting.
"Saint of Medicinal Cores, please descend. We offer the souls of these 999 cultivators to turn it into the will of the universe so that we can strip him of his soul!"
Their voices were hoarse and shrill. At the instant they reverberated in the air, the 999 people who formed the medicinal cauldron shuddered. Their life force instantly vanished, and all their flesh and blood disintegrated while their bones vanished. Only blood-red crystals which seemed to have sucked out all of the 999 people's blood remained. For a moment, they floated in the air, then they shrank inwards and formed a huge medicinal cauldron with Su Ming as its center!
Bang!
It looked like an invisible fire had been lit in the medicinal cauldron. As it burned, the cauldron swiftly spun around. Moments later, a great will that was like the will of heaven descended. It brought with it a mighty pressure, the cheers from the people of South Union after their initial shock, and the nine old men's cold sneers and derision.
Within that will of the universe was the nine old men's wills. They wanted to strip Su Ming's soul from his body, and it was like an order that no living being could withstand. It was like… the will of heaven.
"The soul of Ninth Summit's Great Sect Elder Mo Su will leave his body and be made into an offering for the Saint of Medicinal Cores!" the nine people said together, and once they formed a seal, they placed their hands at the center of their brows.
But the instant the will of the universe turned into the will of heaven that wanted to descend on Su Ming, he shook his head.
"This will of heaven… is merely formed by incomplete thoughts. If you worship the will of heaven so much, then let me show you just what… is the will of heaven," he said faintly.
When he lifted his head, a freezing glare shone in his eyes, and his divine sense left his body. His will of an Antecedental Spirit also spread out. When it enveloped the entire area, it caused space to shake, the universe to tremble, and the will of the galaxy in all directions to turn into Su Ming's will.
With a single thought, he could make it so lives were born, and with another, destroy the universe.
At the start of Su Ming's thought, the descending will of heaven shuddered, and the medicinal cauldron formed by the crystals let out a loud boom. Huge cracks appeared on its surface. The expressions of the nine old men completely changed then. Disbelief flooded their faces and filled their hearts.
The moment Su Ming finished his thought, the descending will of heaven crumbled. The crystal medicinal cauldron shuddered, and with a bang, shattered to pieces. When they fell backwards, they shattered again, and Su Ming walked out from within the rain of dust with a calm expression.
The nine old men coughed up blood. Eight of them exploded right after. Their bodies were reduced to a bloody mess, which was a telling sign that they could not withstand the backlash of the crystal medicinal cauldron. The only surviving old man coughed up blood continuously. When he looked at Su Ming, there was indescribable fear and shock in his eyes. His disbelief was so great that it turned into speech.
"Antecedental Spirit… You are an Antecedental Spirit… This is impossible. All the Antecedental Spirits in this era are either suppressed in True Spirit Hell world or are sealed up so that they cannot venture out. How… How is it possible that you're an Antecedental Spirit?!
"Unless you have just become an Antecedental Spirit… This is the only possibility. You still haven't been suppressed! You still haven't been suppressed by Arid Triad's will!"
The old man's eyes widened before he suddenly began laughing loudly. That laughter was filled with madness as well as delight.
"So what if you're an Antecedental Spirit?! All the Antecedental Spirits have been suppressed by Arid Triad's will since ancient times. The day for you to be suppressed isn't far off!"
As the old man laughed, he let out a shrill roar, then coughed up blood and breathed his last.
His life force had been crushed by the backlash, and the moment of life then was only a momentary spurt of vitality before death. As he laughed and coughed up blood, his body fell down.
When Su Ming walked out from the crumbled crystal medicinal cauldron, two long arcs suddenly charged forth from the hundreds of logs in the whirlwind. They had a presence an undying and imperishable will spreading out from them, which meant that those people were clearly two powerful warriors in Death Realm!
They were two of the three leaders of South Union and were also the strongest cultivators in the expedition. They had not appeared previously because the two of them were cautious. If they were not completely confident in winning against Su Ming, they would not attack personally.
However, at that moment, even if they were still not confident, the old man's words forced the two of them to attack even while their hearts trembled.
"All five hundred thousand cultivators of South Union, hear our words, form South Union's Seven Ultimate Yin Transformation Rune and seal this person!"
When the two people flew out, one of them immediately gave a command. His voice rumbled, containing the vast, mighty pressure belonging to those in Death Realm. It enveloped the entire area and turned into a vast power that seemed to be able to stand against Su Ming's presence.
Hundreds of logs flew over after the command was given, and even those hidden in the whirlwind charged out. On one of the logs was Xu Hui with a hint of arrogance on her face. She stood with her chin lifted while staring at Su Ming coldly. The look in her eyes was one a person used when looking at a stranger. There was no longer even a hint of the gentleness she had when she looked at him in the past.
Behind her was De Shun. Naturally, he could not tell that the Mo Su before him was the Dao Kong he had met before. He simply stood vigilantly behind Xu Hui with an obsequious expression on his face.
As nearly five hundred logs charged towards Su Ming, they formed a Rune of seven circles with Su Ming as their center. Their actions were swift and precise, like they had formed the Rune hundreds of times in the past.
The seven circles were of different sizes and were made up of the logs which had attached themselves to one another. They encircled Su Ming while giving off a majestic feeling.
This was an attack executed by all five hundred thousand cultivators of South Union. The mighty pressure formed by nearly five hundred logs surrounding a single person was so great that vortices formed between the logs. There were seven of them, and each one was connected to the other, just like the circles of logs. They moved based on different trajectories, and from a distance, they looked like they were a galactical vortex.
Within the innermost part of the circles of logs was Su Ming fighting against the two old men. Red light shone on one of their faces, and he a head full of white hair. He looked like an old man, but the life force in his body was so abundant that it reached an indescribable state.
The other one was a thin old man. He had a sinister cold presence spreading out of his body, and there were no emotions on his face. He stood like a block of ice, and no sign of any vast life force could be detected in him. However, he gave off a presence as if he was never melting ice. It was as if even if the galaxy crumbled while he stood there, he would not die because of it.
This was what it meant to be in Death Realm!
While the seven circles of wood formed a Rune and surrounded Su Ming, an indistinct figure was hidden in the whirlwind in the distance. It was a woman with an icy cold but incredibly beautiful face. She was staring at Su Ming with a hint of surprise in her eyes.
"Antecedental Spirit…"
Chapter 1212: Destruction in Five Breaths!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
When a woman's figure appeared in a barely discernible fashion in the whirlwind and she looked at Su Ming, even she did not notice that the old man from Heavenly Spirit Tribe was near him.
She did not see the old man, but she could feel a sort of vortex beside Su Ming. Yet when she cast her gaze there, she saw nothing.
At that moment, the old man from Heavenly Spirit Tribe lifted his head slightly while staying by Su Ming's side and cast a glance at the spot where the woman was standing in a seemingly casual manner. Even upon noticing her, he did not say a single word.
Even if he was surrounded by the Seven Ultimate Yin Transformation Rune, Su Ming watched the formation of the Rune and at the two old men in Death Realm before him, who looked as if they were facing off a great enemy, with calmness.
Su Ming did not interfere with the formation of the Rune, for he was completely unconcerned. He wanted to make South Union use their full strength. Only by doing so could he crush their confidence as well as defeat them. The blow had to be strong enough to turn into despair, so it would be much easier for him to turn the five hundred thousand cultivators into the laws of fate of the world around him, and then turn them into a part of his own laws of fate.
If it was not because Su Ming needed many cultivators to worship him so that they could provide him with the power of the laws of fate in order for him to complete the next step of his plan to Possess True Morning Dao World, he would not have wasted his time playing around with South Union. He would have killed them in cold blood a long time ago.
The moment the Seven Ultimate Yin Transformation Rune was formed, the two old men in Death Realm cast each other a glance. They took a step forward at the same time, and when their feet landed, ripples spread out from beneath their feet. They then charged towards Su Ming like waves of impact.
The two old men came to his sides in no time. The person with red light on his face was by his left, and the thin old man with the sinister aura was by his right. The two of them did not form any seals. Instead, at the instant they spread out, they swung their arms, and different Enchanted Vessels appeared in their hands.
The red-faced old man had a whip in his hand. There were countless runic symbols rising as bumps on it, and right when the weapon appeared, the space around it seemed to be on the verge of shattering. There was even a feeling resembling that of planets coming from that whip.
The red-faced man had refined 108 planets and extracted their essence to refine the whip. Then, he had his origin soul gather on it while turning the hundreds of divine abilities he had mastered into different runic symbols before eventually Branding them on the whip. This made the whip his one and only lethal Enchanted Treasure.
He would not easily bring out this Enchanted Treasure, but when facing Su Ming, he brought it out without any hesitation. He knew that several dozens of breaths would be needed for the formation of the Seven Ultimate Yin Transformation Rune to finished, and for this period of time, he had to hold Su Ming back.
He could not let Su Ming interfere with the formation of the Rune. As long as it formed, he was confident that no matter how strong Su Ming was, he would definitely be suppressed.
The thin old man by Su Ming's right brought out a small black cauldron. He held it with both hands and stood unmoving in midair. There were wisps of freezing air spreading from inside the cauldron.
In an instant, they surrounded the old man, and he closed his eyes. Complicated and abstruse incantations then came from his mouth. When they turned into buzzing noise, the freezing air from the cauldron became thicker. Shrill roars came from inside it, and there seemed to be countless faces belonging to cultivators and ferocious beasts protruding. It looked like they wanted to rush out.
The cauldron was the strongest of the many Enchanted Treasures the thin old man possessed. He had not refined it on his own, but had obtained it purely by coincidence many years ago in a ruin. From then on, he had refined it constantly. Due to the chilling properties of the cauldron, he collected countless cultivators and ferocious beasts with freezing aura, then brutally put all of them into the cauldron so its aura could fill an entire galaxy.
And this was not the full power of the cauldron. The thin old man knew in his heart that he could only bring out three-tenths of the item's power, but it was his trump card, because he had a way… to make the cauldron self-destruct!
When it self-destructed, the cauldron would have its full might erupt from it. This would bring forth a terrifying storm, and the old man was confident in it happening.
When the two old men in Death Realm brought out their Enchanted Treasures, it was time to fight. The thin old man did not move, but the red-faced old man swung the whip in his right hand in Su Ming's direction. As thunderous booms surged into space, the whip charged towards Su Ming.
It felt as if there were more than a hundred planets trying to attack him. There were also hundreds of divine abilities among them, which was why when the man cracked his whip, Su Ming felt as if he was staring at more than one hundred planets roaring while charging at him. He also saw a large number of divine abilities erupting around the shadow of the whip, covering all of the space through which they charged at him.
One crack of the whip could kill those in Life Realm!
Those in Life Realm might have endless life, but if that whip touched them, it would immediately shatter their physical bodies, destroy their souls, and disintegrate their cultivation bases.
Even if they had endless life and could swiftly recover, the destructive power of the whip would not allow them any time to heal. Any cultivator in Life Realm would just die.
When the red-faced old man attacked, the thin old man growled. A loud shout came from the small cauldron and reverberated in space. A green, freezing air gushed out the next second and turned into a creature of ice that was about thirty feet tall. The creature was like a tiger, and when it roared, freezing air surged from its body into the heavens. That freezing air could extinguish all life force, and the creature also had the power of Death Realm.
With a roar, it charged at Su Ming, but that was not all. Roars came from the small cauldron once more, and another creature of ice resembling a tiger charged out and rushed towards Su Ming.
A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. Only when he was faced with two Almighties in Death Realm that a spark of fighting intent lit up in him. He did not even bother looking at the Seven Ultimate Yin Transformation Rune being laid out around him, but lifted his right hand and pointed at the sky.
"Mountain Shifter!"
Mountain Shifter, Ocean Remover, and God of Berserkers Transformation were Su Ming's strongest divine abilities.
The moment he spoke, the galaxy rumbled and space trembled. The illusion of a mountain instantly appeared around Su Ming.
There might have only seemed to be one mountain, but as it swayed, it turned into an image of a thousand mountains overlapping. They roared, and the next instant, they went to push down on the whip and the ice tiger.
The Mountain Shifter Art was an Art Su Ming had come to understand after having a close shave with death. This Art had also become stronger as his level of cultivation increased. The one thousand mountains might have looked normal, but they swayed the moment they sank and turned into one hundred thousand mountains!
Thunderous booms came from them as if they wanted to shatter space and tear apart the universe. This was the limit of what Su Ming could execute with his Mountain Shifter Art at that moment. When the one hundred thousand mountains descended together, the whip shuddered upon contact.
All the divine abilities on it crumbled, but the power of planets was not so easily shaken. When the two attacks intercepted, a portion of the one hundred thousand mountains crumbled, and only then did the whip tumble back.
As for the two ice tigers, they were suppressed by the mountains and only managed to last for the span of a few breaths before their bodies crumbled.
"All mountains in Mountain Shifter, turn into one!"
After those words, Su Ming raised his hands and swiftly put them together in front of him before pointing at the red-faced old man. With it, the remaining mountains overlapped with a loud bang, and the one hundred thousand mountains became one before charging out.
At that instant, the red-faced old man's expression changed. He could clearly see the killing intent in Su Ming's eyes.
Su Ming swung his arm, and when the mountain formed by one hundred thousand mountains descended on the red-faced old man, he spoke while rushing forward. "Within five breaths, I will take your head!"
With a bang, the mountain formed by one hundred thousand mountains descended on the red-faced old man, but he lifted his whip and used it to defend himself. Booming sounds surged into the heavens. The mountain cracked, but it did not shatter. Instead, a vast amount of power stirred up by it continued to descend on the old man.
The thin old man's expression changed. His eyes swiftly flew open, and the green smoke coming out from the cauldron in his hand immediately grew much thicker.
The instant he was about to execute his divine ability, however, Su Ming swung his right hand. Immediately, buzzing sounds reverberated through space, and a large number of locusts charged at the old man.
At the same time, a gourd the size of his palm appeared in Su Ming's hand. As he swept his hand across it, the gourd immediately looked like it had opened its eyes. Killing intent shone in its eyes, and two small humanoids shot out from it. With heinous murderous aura, they charged towards the old man.
At that instant, ferocious roars rang out around the old man. A malicious spirit appeared in space. In its hand was a scale, and its weight was an elephant. Needless to say, this was Su Ming's picture of the Malicious Spirit Weighing the Elephant!
This treasure had been damaged in the past, and Su Ming had nearly lost it, but he had relocated it afterwards and restored it. Even if it had yet to completely recover and its might was not as powerful as before, it was still usable for Su Ming's needs.
Boom!
The red-faced old man had a ferocious expression on his face. A sense of danger rose in his heart, but it was not great. It did not warn him that he was in a life-threatening situation. However, when his whip touched the descending mountain again, a piercing black light swept out from Su Ming's body in all directions.
"Ocean Remover!"
The Ocean Remover Art formed by the Light of Extreme Darkness was another one of Su Ming's most powerful Arts. It was created entirely from his own understanding. When he became the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness, the Light of Extreme Darkness spreading out from him instantly covered the entire area.
The thin old man's vision immediately turned dark, and his body froze. The ice from that attack surpassed the ice-oriented cultivation method he practiced. His heart shuddered at that moment. Su Ming's Enchanted Treasure was also charging towards him, which made him unable to care about the red-faced old man for the time being. He had to immediately defend himself.
The instant the Light of Extreme Darkness spread out, the red-faced old man's expression changed drastically. The sense of danger he previously had turned into a feeling of death looming over him.
Without any hesitation, he swiftly moved backwards. Yet he could not see the area around him clearly. Darkness enveloped his mind and heart, and the freezing sensation caused the life-threatening sense of danger to become even stronger.
He swung the whip in his hand and had all of his power erupt from him. Even if the mountain was about to collide with him, he couldn't care less about it. He swiftly moved back, but the moment the chills covered his body and even his heart froze, Su Ming appeared in front of him. He lifted his right hand and grabbed the attacking whip, then, without any hesitation, Su Ming pushed his left hand into the old man's chest.
It had been precisely five breaths.
Chapter 1213: A Great Tribute
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"You…" The red-faced old man's face turned pale as if he had lost all his blood. He kept his gaze fixed on Su Ming, seemingly completely unbothered by Su Ming's palm pushing at his chest.
He stared at Su Ming's right hand and the whip. He could clearly see the divine abilities contained in the whip continuously crash against Su Ming's palm and subsequently collapse. It was as if Su Ming was completely unbothered by all his divine abilities.
The old man also heard the whip letting out creaking sounds when Su Ming squeezed down on it, as if it could not withstand the force. It felt like if Su Ming wanted to, he could instantly crush the whip.
It was the physical power of a powerful person, one that surpassed what the old man understood.
He had only said a single word when his eyes were instantly covered in blood capillaries. As they spread through the whites of his eyes, they popped and burst in there. Bursting along with them were the old man's eyes. Two blood-red branches instantly crawled out of his eyes. They squirmed around in a bizarre manner, looking incredibly terrifying.
If anyone tracked down the source of the two blood-red branches and could see clearly into the old man's body at that moment, they would notice many branches growing in the old man's body. Their source Su Ming's left hand placed on the old man's chest.
The old man's body withered, and he turned into a mummy. He then breathed his last and died. His soul, Nascent Divinity, and his everything turned into nutrients for Ecang and were used to nourish this clone. All of its injuries healed instantly cured, and it even became more powerful.
The powerful warriors in Death Realm were known to be imperishable, but they were not truly imperishable existences. It was only because there were few forces in the universe that could destroy them that they were known to be imperishable.
Yet Su Ming was not included in that list of things that could not destroy them. It did not matter whether it was his Berserker Body or his Ecang clone for both of them were life forms that far surpassed any normal standards of power. There was no way… those in Death Realm would not die when they went against him!
Su Ming slowly lifted his left hand, and the branches went back in. No one could see any traces of Ecang about him. All they could observe was the old man turning into a mummy and falling from the galaxy.
As he stared at the old man's corpse, Su Ming sensed his own growth and strength. This was a great power he did not possess when he had just returned from Divine Essence Star Ocean. At that time, he could not fight back when he faced those in Death Realm, but right then… killing a person in Death Realm was not difficult for him.
He had not even used his God of Berserkers Transformation and the ring!
It was also during that moment that Su Ming knew that he was no longer a puppet whose fate could be decided by someone else. He had already grown into a powerful warrior in the universe. All those who tried to manipulate his destiny would have to pay the price with their lives.
A fierce light shone in Su Ming's eyes, and the Light of Extreme Darkness instantly dissipated. When he looked at his other opponent, the thin old man's face paled.
An ice giant behind him was fighting against the malicious spirit at that moment. Under the ice giant's feet was a howling ice turtle, and it was charging at the elephant.
Black centipedes were swimming about in large numbers before the old man. They were fighting against the locusts.
Near them was a child frozen in ice. His eyes were open, and there was a strange light shining in them. His gaze seemed to have gained corporeal form, and it enveloped Su Ming's two humanoids from the gourd, preventing them from moving forward. However, there was pain on the frozen boy's face, which was a telling sign that he could not last for long.
As for the thin old man, he had already given up on forming seals, as if he had forgotten about Su Ming's Enchanted Treasure. Instead, he stared at the falling corpse in a daze. There was disbelief and grief in his eyes. After a long while, he fixed his eyes on Su Ming.
"Do you still want to continue fighting?" Su Ming asked. He had already showed his strength, so he simply asked the question and waited for the old man's answer.
The old man was silent, and all the cultivators on the circles of logs forming the Seven Ultimate Yin Transformation Rune fell silent as well, but there was a storm raging in their hearts at that moment, along with a feeling of despair. Su Ming's strength had already crushed most of their confidence.
He was akin to a barrier that could not be shaken no matter how many cultivators were brought over. It was as if as long as Su Ming stood there, even if there were more than ten times the number of cultivators up against him, they would not be able to move half a step past him.
Xu Hui fixed her gaze on Su Ming. A freezing glare appeared in her eyes, and she frowned. She did not recognize him. Even if Su Ming had taken Dao Kong's appearance, her current self would still not have been able to recognize him.
However, her instincts told her that the person before her was not an enemy. The paradoxical feeling agitated Xu Hui. By her side, De Shun felt his heart tremble.
On one hand, he had noticed Xu Hui's agitation and was worried that he would be bullied. On the other hand, he was intimidated by Su Ming and was worried that the people from South Union would not be able to escape from this disaster.
Within the whirlwind in the distance was the female Spiritling who was part of the Sacred Race from Dark Dawn. An unprecedented grave look was in her eyes. When she noticed that Su Ming was an Antecedental Spirit earlier, her heart trembled, but that had been it. Yet at that moment, her expression changed, and all of it was because of Su Ming's Light of Extreme Darkness!
'Is it a Dragon of Destruction? Over the countless years, only one Dragon of Destruction had ever appeared among the Spiritlings, and it was also during that one time that the Spiritlings became the Sacred Race of Dark Dawn and received the ninth World… Could it be that the second Dragon of Destruction is about to appear on him? But he clearly only has part of big sister's blood in his veins…
'But if it's not the Dragon of Destruction, why can he turn into the Light of Extreme Darkness? Even he doesn't know himself that he can only turn into the Light of Extreme Darkness because he has the ice properties of the Spiritlings in his soul!
'The source is about to take shape, and with just one more step, it will manifest into a shape. It's a pity that it'll be a long time before that happens, unless someone offers up an incredibly thick, chilling aura for him. Then, I'll be able to find out whether this person's Divine Mirage is a Dragon of Destruction'
A rarely seen incredibly complicated expression appeared on the woman's face, as if she was hesitating whether she should act to solve her confusion.
"I WILL FIGHT!"
In the face of Su Ming's words, the thin old man suddenly threw his head back and roared. At the instant a ferocious expression appeared on his face, he lifted his right hand and struck the cauldron. It let out a buzz and swelled up before leaving the old man's hands. It floated in midair, and when it grew larger, freezing air spread out from it and surged into the heavens.
At the same time, the old man bit the tip of his tongue and coughed up blood. He then pointed at the cauldron again.
"Explode!"
It was a single word delivered in an incredibly crisp manner, a telling sign of the determination and resolve in the old man's heart. Even if it was this Enchanted Treasure, he could still force down the pain in his heart over having to explode it.
He did not hope to kill Su Ming, however. As long as he could gravely injure him with the complete power that would erupt from the cauldron when it collapsed, he could seal Su Ming with the Rune.
At the instant the old man spoke his command, the cauldron let out a buzz. Its presence instantly went into a rampage, and a loud bang shook the heavens and earth; the cauldron crumbled and exploded. A great, chilling air instantly swept through the area. The locusts and black centipedes were instantly encased and turned into blocks of ice. Even the two humanoids from the gourd were also instantly frozen. The ice giant, ice turtle, the malicious spirit, and the elephant behind the old man were, too, sealed in ice.
The rampaging power of the ice showed faint signs of surpassing the power of those in Death Realm. It chased away the will of the universe when it erupted. Its explosion did not spread too wide, for almost the entire blast gathered on Su Ming.
When it charged at him, Su Ming lifted his right hand. Yet when he was about to activate the ring, a part of his soul suddenly trembled.
Su Ming immediately felt the hint of familiarity which he had sensed in his soul when it split while he was going through his spirit ascension. As he shuddered, that familiar feeling surged up violently in him as if there was an endless desire within it towards this chilling aura surging towards him.
This desire caused Su Ming to hesitate for a moment, then he gave up on using the ring. He simply allowed the chilling aura to submerge his body. Cracking sounds reverberated through space, and layers of ice instantly encased Su Ming.
A piercing, brilliant light shone in the thin old man's eyes. At that moment, he no longer had much time to think about too many things. After he formed a seal with his hands, he pointed at Su Ming, and nine pearls flew out of his storage bag.
They charged at Su Ming, who was surrounded by the chilling aura. At the moment they closed in on him, they erupted and turned into an even greater wave of chilling aura. In an instant, it submerged Su Ming, causing the ice to swell up and become one thousand feet tall.
"Die, just die!"
The thin old man had nearly gone mad. The red-faced old man had been his best friend. The friendship they shared for years caused the thin old man to only have one single thought in his mind at that moment, and it was to kill Su Ming and murder all the cultivators of the Ninth Summit to exact revenge for his best friend.
In truth, even if the red-faced old man had not died, the two of them would still have destroyed the Ninth Summit, since that was their original plan to begin with!
"Die!"
The thin old man struck his storage bag, and six ice crystals flew out from it. Each of them contained a terrifying amount of chilling aura. When he flung them out, he coughed up blood. When the drops landed on the ice crystals, they instantly rushed at Su Ming.
When they crumbled and exploded as well, they turned into an indescribable chilling aura. It was so thick that when it fused with the freezing aura that was already in the area, the ice sealing Su Ming grew three times larger. The thousands of feet tall ice block instantly became an incredibly shocking sight in the galaxy.
"Die! Die! Die!" the thin old man said screamed and spat out a black piece of ice the size of his fingernail.
When it appeared in his hands, the old man's face became slightly withered, but he pointed at it without any hesitation, and the black ice closed in on the ice sealing Su Ming. At the moment it reached it, booming sounds surged into the heavens, and the ice sealing Su Ming instantly grew from thousands of feet to one hundred thousand feet large!
Once he was done, the thin old man swiftly retreated while gasping. Then, he shouted,
"Seven Ultimate Yin Transformation Rune, activate the Rune and eternally seal this person!"
Boom!
The spirits of all the cultivators on the seven circles of logs were immediately lifted once they saw what was happening. The innermost layer of the seven circles began spinning, and in the span of a few breaths, the seven circles began rotating layer by layer as if time had gathered on them. Like that, they swiftly began sealing up Su Ming.
All of this fell into the woman's line of vision while she stood in the whirlwind. There was a strange look on her face as she cast a glance at the thin old man who had a slight look of nervousness along with a little hint of anticipation on his face. She couldn't help mumbling softly under her breath,
"Could this person have known him from a long time ago? This isn't a slaughter, but clearly… him offering the boy the greatest help when he needs it, without keeping back a single bit of his strength and even offering up his life as well as the origin treasure he had refined over ten thousand years…"
Chapter 1214: Soul Nucleus
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The seven circles of logs forming the Seven Ultimate Yin Transformation Rune were swiftly spinning based on different trajectories. They turned into galactical vortices and surrounded Su Ming, who was sealed in a ten thousand feet tall block of ice. As each of the circles of logs spun, a sealing power swiftly appeared and turned into threads that surrounded the ice as if they wanted to turn it into a silk cocoon and seal Su Ming within.
Anticipation appeared on the thin old man's face, along with a hint of ferociousness. Under his command, the might of the Rune erupted forth. He had the confidence that even if Su Ming was an Antecedental Spirit, he would still get sealed by the Rune.
"I even offered up my life and spared no pains in transforming the origin treasure I have nurtured for ten thousand years into freezing aura to fill the universe. I refuse to believe that I cannot seal you!
"I do not hope to seal eternally you in ice, but as long as I can seal you until the Seven Ultimate Yin Transformation Rune can be activated fully, you will be sealed up forever!"
The thin old man had a ferocious look on his face. His body might have been weakened and he might have used up most of his cultivation base, but he still continued letting out all of his power without any hesitation for it fuse into the Rune so that he could control it. He gathered the power of the five hundred thousand cultivators and the power of the Rune to fight Su Ming to the death.
Time trickled by, and the Seven Ultimate Yin Transformation Rune formed by the seven circles of logs continued spinning around and forming more threads. The sealing power also grew stronger.
When the ten thousand feet block of ice enveloped within the logs did not show signs of melting but instead grow stronger, the thin old man to immediately felt delight in his heart. However, when the freezing aura of the ice grew thicker, it created a muddled sensation. It prevented divine senses and gazes from being able to see into the ice, which was why the thin old man could not see what exactly was happening inside it.
'Could this person possess a heat-oriented body, which is why he's being suppressed so tightly? Otherwise, he would have definitely fought back, at least a little bit…'
The old man's eyes brightened, but he was still a little uncertain. Yet soon, he erased his own uncertainty and laughed loudly.
Within the ten thousand feet layer of ice which the old man could not see through was Su Ming with his eyes wide open. There was a strange light in them. He might have seemed to have been frozen, but there was puzzlement in his eyes.
He could clearly sense that the thickness of the freezing aura in the ice surpassed all forms of coldness he had ever seen in his life. It was also different from the Light of Extreme Darkness. It was a chilling aura with corporeal form, a power that could seal the power of the universe with ice, but even so, the chilling aura in the ice approached him and surrounded him as if it possessed some form of intelligence and wanted to crawl into him.
But that was not all. Su Ming would not have thought too much about this and would have just attributed it to the old man's Art, since he did not have the ability to allow the freezing air to enter his body, or else it would have truly frozen him.
However… the hint of familiarity Su Ming had sensed when he had almost lost himself when his soul split up during his spirit ascension went boiling in him at that instant. It charged continuously against him as if it wanted to rush out of his body and touch the freezing air. This was an instinctive desire. If Su Ming had not ceaselessly suppressed that instinct, the freezing aura around him might have instantly rush into him.
"Instinct…" Hesitation appeared on Su Ming's face, but soon, a glint appeared in his eyes. Resolve soon followed.
'Since this is an instinct within my soul, then I might as well see what is going on. The elder of Heavenly Spirit Tribe will not just watch me be trapped by this thing. He wants to challenge the Arid Triad, and for that to happen, he has to protect me.'
Su Ming gritted his teeth and relaxed his body, removed the defences he had placed to prevent the chilling aura entering his body. The chilling aura that spun swiftly around him immediately surged into his body with a bang.
Su Ming immediately felt as if his flesh and blood had been frozen. That feeling instantly filled his entire body. The chilling aura seemed to be capable of freezing even his mind, but it could not seal Su Ming's soul, because it was the will of an Antecedental Spirit. Unless he ran into another Antecedental Spirit, it would be difficult to seal him.
However, Su Ming could clearly sense the chilling aura fusing into his body simply moving past his flesh and blood. It was heading to his soul, and in the blink of an eye, the chilling aura closed in with a bang. At the instant it collided with his soul, it seeped into it and seemingly fused with him.
The chilling aura was so abundant that it seemed like there was no end to it as it continuously rushed at him from the ten thousand feet tall block of ice. This scene caused Su Ming's heart to tremble, but he did not resist it. Instead, he simply allowed the chilling aura to fuse with him while he directed all his attention to observing his soul.
He could clearly see that when his soul absorbed the vast amount of chilling aura, a certain part of it seemed to have awakened. An understanding towards the cold caused Su Ming to gradually be unable to sense the chill in his flesh and blood. Instead, he gained a feeling as if he was a part of ice.
"This is…"
When Su Ming murmured those words, he clearly sensed that his soul seemed to be slowly forming a nucleus while the chilling aura gathered in him. At that moment, the nucleus was caught between a corporeal state and an illusion, as if some strange life form was being formed.
This scene should have made Su Ming apprehensive, but the life being formed in that nucleus caused Su Ming to feel as if it was he himself that was the strange feeling he sensed, as if the living being that was about to be born in it was incredibly important to him. It was an essential change of his soul.
A freezing glare shone in Su Ming's eyes. He decided to not bother about it and continue observing it as he allowed the freezing aura in the area to continue surging into him. In the eyes of those in the world outside, in just the span of a few breaths, the ten thousand feet block of ice encasing Su Ming shrank so swiftly that nearly three-tenths of its original size were gone.
This scene caused the eyes of the thin old man to shrink. His face twisted into a ferocious expression, and he shouted out, "Seven Ultimate Yin Transformation Rune, first ultimate seal!"
The old man's roars reverberated through space, and the innermost circle of logs out of the seven circles surrounding Su Ming shuddered. It abruptly stopped spinning, and the vortex formed from it seemed to seep through space in an unseen manner and charge towards the block of ice. In an instant, it enveloped the ice, and at the same time a loud bang shot up, a heinous chilling aura spread out.
The thin old man could not relax yet, so he bit the tip of his tongue and coughed up blood. He formed a seal with his hands and pointed at the ice. His blood turned into a blood crystal in midair while flying over. When it touched the ice, it shattered and released an even greater amount of chilling aura.
The old man had used the essence of his blood to turn into a cold chill signifying his life. From this, it could be seen that he intended to seal Su Ming at any cost to himself.
Once the first seal of the Seven Ultimate Yin Transformation Rune and the cold of the old man's life appeared, the ice that had shrank by three-tenths of its original size to swiftly increase in size once more. From its previous seven thousand feet, it grew to eleven thousand feet. It became even thicker than before, and the chilling aura grew even stronger.
This scene caused the thin old man to let out a pleased, cold sneer, but the women who still kept herself hidden in the whirlwind in the distance only sighed softly.
"Is the old man a fool? This Rune is a Rune that transforms the extreme Yin of the world into cold aura. It would already be of great help to him, but the old man even used the cold of his life… This serendipity. This boy… hmph!"
As the woman mumbled, a rare hint of envy appeared in her voice. She was not envious of the cold of the old man's life, but the power of the Rune. After all, it was a Rune formed by five hundred thousand cultivators. All the logs also had the cold property, which was why the cultivators of South Union could use them to move through the whirlwind.
A cold chill surged into the heavens, and Su Ming immediately sensed the chilling aura around him increase by leaps and bounds. It seeped into his body at an even faster speed and fused into his soul, causing the nucleus in his soul to become even larger. The presence of the life being formed in it also grew stronger.
It caused Su Ming to feel as if it was him who was getting stronger, and his understanding towards the cold also became better. In fact, he even felt that the chilling aura around him was no longer his enemy, but had become a part of his body.
He no longer felt any pain. Instead, there was an indescribably comfortable feeling, causing Su Ming to be unable to help but hope that there was more chilling aura around him, and that the chilling aura was thicker…
As it increased, he absorbed it even faster, and as the comfortable feeling grew stronger, the eleven thousand feet tall block of ice shrank swiftly in the span of a few short breaths. This time, nearly four-tenths of its original size went away.
This scene left the thin old man flabbergasted. Madness appeared on his face, and he let out an indignant roar. His cultivation base erupted from him, and a roar echoed in space.
"Seven Ultimate Yin Transformation Rune, second ultimate seal!"
There was madness in the old man's voice. When he shouted, he lifted his right hand and swiftly struck his chest. He then coughed up a large amount of blood again. With a swing of his arm, it charged towards the ice.
A loud bang echoed in space. As the second circle of logs stopped and the second vortex swiftly approached the ice, countless threads enveloped it, and with the cold from the blood crystal, the ice encasing Su Ming swelled in size once more. It became nearly twenty thousand feet tall.
But the next second, it immediately shrank again. This time, it shrank to nearly five-tenths of its original size, but even so, there were still about ten thousand feet of it left. This scene gave the thin old man pleasure and hope, making him feel as if all that he did was not in vain and that he could really seal Su Ming as long as he continued.
"Hmph, even if you can break my ice, the speed at which you do so cannot compare with my Rune!"
The old man's spirits lifted. He struck his storage bag with his right hand and brought out a large number of medicinal cores. He swallowed them while looking like he would fight Su Ming to the death on that day.
A soft sigh came from the whirlwind behind him. It held resignation.
Chapter 1215: Dragon of Destruction!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
It was not that the old man was foolish. Since he could reach Death Realm, there was no way he would be a foolish person, but he simply did not expect that Su Ming would have this level of adaptability to the cold.
It was not as if the old man had not met those who cultivated freezing aura either… but he had never met the Spiritlings from Dark Dawn. He did not know the connection they had with the cold.
The female Spiritlings of Dark Dawn were ice phoenixes, and the men were ice dragons. The cold was a part of their bodies, and it was a power similar to Essence. It was also a power that could not be separated from them. It was like their inborn talent.
Su Ming's soul had inherited the power of Spiritlings due to his mother. His soul had grown during the years, and when it split during the spirit ascension, it finally awakened, allowing him to possess the inborn talents of the Spiritlings.
However, even though his soul had awakened, he still needed time for it to transform and manifest. Yet the thin old man and the Seven Ultimate Yin Transformation cut down the time by a lot.
"Seven Ultimate Yin Transformation Rune, third ultimate seal!" the old man roared excitedly. When the third circle of logs stopped moving, the vortex formed due to its rotation swiftly shrank and charged at the block of ice.
It grew thousands of feet again and looked even more muddled than before. The chilling aura from it surged into the heavens and spread through the area.
While within the ice, Su Ming stared at the nucleus in his soul. As a large amount of chilling aura fused into it, it continued to grow, and the life contained in it seemed to reach the critical moment when it was about to be born.
'There isn't enough cold! I need more!'
Su Ming's eyes sparkled. Since he had already decided that he would have the cold fuse with his soul to find out what would eventually come out from the nucleus in his soul, he would definitely not easily give up on his idea. He decided to no longer have the chilling aura fuse into him passively. Instead… he would actively absorb it!
Su Ming could not do this previously, but by then, the chilling aura and the ice around him gave Su Ming a feeling that they were a part of him. As long as he wanted to, he could bring them over. Passivity and activity were antonyms, and the difference between them were like the sky and earth.
A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes, and he sucked in a deep breath without hesitation. The chilling aura in the ice instantly surged into him as if it had erupted. If it had been like streams of flowing water before, then right then, it surged at him like a tidal wave. Once inside, it was instantly sent into his soul.
The nucleus in Su Ming's soul grew larger!
As he continued taking the initiative and absorbing the chilling aura, the ice around him started shrinking rapidly. Ten thousand something feet, ten thousand feet, eight thousand feet… When there was only three thousand something feet left, even the people beyond the area could vaguely see Su Ming within the block of ice.
This scene caused the old man's expression to change drastically. At that moment, he could no longer bother with anything else. He formed a seal with his hands and swiftly struck the top of his skull. As he jolted, he opened his mouth and spat out a small blue flag.
The old man's presence instantly became weaker again, but a chilling aura that surpassed all that had appeared earlier erupted from the flag. The old man pointed at it with his right hand, and the flag instantly rushed at the block of ice around Su Ming. It drew close to it and swiftly stabbed it.
At the instant it did so, the chilling aura that erupted from it enveloped the ice with a bang, causing it to swiftly grow to fight against the shrinking.
At the same time, the old man swung his arm and growled while panting.
���Seven Ultimate Yin Transformation Rune, fourth and fifth ultimate seals!"
As he roared, the fourth and fifth circles of logs stopped at the same time. The vortex they formed swept up an endless amount of chilling aura and charged at the ice. Once they Branded themselves on it, the ice grew to three hundred thousand feet with the help of the flag.
The woman in the whirlwind in the distance was watching the ice with a fixed stare at that moment. She seemed to be able to see Su Ming and the nucleus in his soul.
As the ice grew, even Su Ming had a strange feeling that the cultivators from South Union and the thin old man beyond the ice were not his enemies. They were helping him form the nucleus in his soul with all their strength, or else they would not be sending the chilling aura to him as if they were afraid that he would not have enough of it when he was absorbing it on his own initiative.
There was a strange look on Su Ming's face, but he went on to be even more active in his absorption of this chilling aura. As he absorbed it, a cracking sound suddenly came from the nucleus in his soul.
Only Su Ming alone could hear the sound, but and when he heard it, the feeling that the being inside was him became unprecedentedly stronger. At the same time as the nucleus seemed to be about to shatter, a vast absorption force appeared.
With it around, the chilling aura surged into Su Ming like an ocean instead of the tidal wave from before. The thirty thousand feet tall block of ice instantly became only ten thousand feet tall, and in another blink of an eye, it became only one thousand feet tall. It looked like it would disappear fully the next instant.
But the absorption had not ended, and Su Ming discovered that if there was no more chilling aura around him, the life that was about to be born from the nucleus within his soul would wither and die!
But Su Ming did not need to worry about it. The thin old man was even more worried than him. He had already went so far, so he had to give it his all, or all would be in vain.
The thin old man let out a crazed roar and closed his eyes. His Nascent Divinity instantly went out of his body and appeared in the area above Su Ming. Without any hesitation, it used its full power to strike down.
The old man's Nascent Divinity shone with a blinding light, and the chill radiating off it was far colder than all Enchanted Treasures. It immediately enveloped the ice encasing Su Ming, which was now only five feet, and swiftly grew it again.
"I'm giving it my all. If I can't seal you today, I will definitely die!"
At the instant the thin old man's Nascent Divinity roared, the chilling aura spreading from it surged into Su Ming's ice, and it was instantly sucked away towards the nucleus in his soul. In just the span of two breaths, the old man's Nascent Divinity became dim, as if he had been emptied, and only at that moment did he come to a realization.
Shock appeared on his face when he looked at Su Ming. A powerful, life-threatening sense of crisis assaulted him. The instant he was about to control the Rune and activate the sixth seal, all the ice around Su Ming disappeared in an instant. Once he absorbed all of it, the nucleus in his soul cracked again.
At the same time, a ray of black light shot out from there. It instantly swept out and swallowed the nucleus in Su Ming's soul. It then let out a roar and seemed to want to rush out of the top of Su Ming's skull.
Before it did so, an endless chilling aura surged out and reached an area of one hundred thousand feet, causing the old man's Nascent Divinity to shudder before disbelieving shock appeared on his face.
"Seven Ultimate Yin Transformation Rune, sixth ultimate seal!!" he roared without any hesitation. His expression was full of despair along with complete madness.
When he roared, the sixth circle of logs came to an abrupt halt, which resulted in countless spinning images around their original circle. They appeared due to the vortex. It swiftly shrank while spinning, and at the instant the life born from the nucleus in Su Ming's soul was about to rush out, the vortex covered him, intending to seal him.
But the next moment, it disintegrated with a loud roar that surged into the skies. Su Ming was not the one responsible for it though. Neither was it his will that had caused it. Instead, it was a black dragon that had rushed out of the top of his skull!
The dragon was entirely black, and an indescribable chilling aura spread out from it!
"Seven Ultimate Yin Transformation Rune, seventh ultimate seal, seal him! Seal him! Seal him!"
The old man's Nascent Divinity let out a shrill cry. Its voice was piercing and held complete madness.
The outermost circle of logs formed by the five hundred thousand cultivators, which was also the only remaining circle that was still spinning, was the largest of all the circles, and at that moment it stopped. With a sealing power that surpassed all the power added together by the six circles of logs earlier, the newly formed vortex charged at Su Ming with a bang. It was the final power of the Seven Ultimate Yin Transformation Rune.
This vortex gathered everything from the thin old man, the five hundred thousand cultivators, and the five hundred cold-natured logs. It approached Su Ming in an instant and turned into a powerful seal. Its sealing power could even slightly affect Su Ming's will of an Antecedental Spirit.
But the instant the vortex was about to cover Su Ming, the black dragon at the top of his skull let out a roar at the heavens. This was the first roar it made after it was born, and it seemed to be announcing something, like a promise to the entire universe that it would become the emperor of the cold in the world. He would be the master of the Spiritlings of Dark Dawn!
It was a black dragon. It might have only been around one thousand feet long, but when it appeared, it shook the galaxy, freezing everything in the area. It was the Dragon of Destruction!
The powerful vortex formed by the seventh ultimate seal of the Seven Ultimate Yin Transformation Rune turned into ice at that instant. It was sealed around Su Ming and became an unmoving circle.
The thin old man's Nascent Divinity, the five hundred cultivators in the area, and the logs were also frozen. Everything in the area came to a stop at that instant.
Xu Hui's log was also frozen, but it was different from the others.
The breathing of the woman in the whirlwind quickened at that instant. When she looked at Su Ming, the soul of the ice phoenix in her body showed signs of submission. This made her instinctively take a few steps back.
Her expression changed multiple times as she mumbled under her breath, "Dragon of Destruction…"
Chapter 1216: Ancient God, Ta Jia
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The black Dragon of Destruction floated in the universe, and Su Ming was right across it. As he stared at the dragon, the feeling as if it was him suddenly vanished.
It was not that the feeling was gone, but it had just settled in Su Ming's heart and turned into a feeling that was wholly unnecessary. Instead, a feeling that this was what was supposed to happen took over. This dragon… was a part of the manifestation of Su Ming's soul when it was not in his body.
In silence, Su Ming turned his head around and cast his gaze across the frozen vortex and the five hundred thousand cultivators. It landed on the thin old man's Nascent Divinity above him.
It had broken down, but its collapse was not due to Su Ming. Instead, at the instant he was frozen, the old man had chosen to have his Nascent Divinity self-destruct.
Su Ming remained silent for a moment. He then lifted his right hand and swung his arm. The frozen Seven Ultimate Yin Transformation Rune around him shattered with loud cracking sounds, which resulted in ice shards falling all over the galaxy.
At the same time, the ice around the five hundred thousand cultivators vanished. The logs beneath them started shattering then until they were reduced to ashes.
The five hundred thousand cultivators had pale faces. Under Su Ming's gaze, they lowered their heads, not daring to say a single word.
Su Ming's strength had already broken all their will…
"Deliver your souls and have my will be Branded on you. Become the disciples of the Ninth Summit… or die," Su Ming said flatly.
When his words echoed in space, one of five hundred thousand cultivators gradually bowed to Su Ming in silence. Slowly, more people did so, and when all of them worshiped him, he saw the pale Xu Hui and De Shun standing behind her.
When Su Ming saw Xu Hui, heg frowned. Just as he was about to observe her closely, a thought suddenly appeared in his heart, and he lifted his head to stare at the frozen Nascent Divinity of the thin old man.
He noticed that even though the cultivators had bowed to him, there were some who were subconsciously casting glances at the frozen Nascent Divinity.
As Su Ming watched it, a cold sneer suddenly appeared at the corners of his lips. He saw a hint of a refusal to admit defeat in the eyes of the thin old man's Nascent Divinity, as well as determination. He also saw no signs of explosive power from when his Nascent Divinity crumbled. Instead, with his own destruction, he had formed a Rune—a Relocation Rune.
This Rune was not used for fleeing. Instead, it seemed like there was someone who was using it to come over.
"So this is your final pillar of support, hmm?" Su Ming asked faintly, then lifted his right hand to push at the ice through space. He narrowed his eyes, and a glint shone in them.
"The presence of an Ancient God…"
He smiled faintly, then pointed at the ice sealing the thin old man. With it, the ice instantly vanished. At the instant it disappeared, the destruction of the thin old man's Nascent Divinity swiftly continued. As booming sounds surged into space, they spread out to form a Relocation Rune that was tens of thousands of feet big.
At the instant the Relocation Rune was formed, a low growl shot out from it like a thunderous roar. At the same time, a huge hand appeared. It was followed by a thick arm which was about ten thousand feet big. When it stretched out, the huge hand grabbed the Relocation Rune, and with a swift tear, it crumbled with a bang. Ripples spread out in all directions, and the cultivators fell back in all directions when a huge object shot out.
It was a body that was one hundred thousand feet tall, had coarse skin, a presence akin to a giant's, and seven sparkling stars at the center of its brows. It was an Ancient God with seven stars!
The moment he appeared, the Ancient God threw his head back and roared. A powerful presence spread out from his huge body, and it was so strong that it surpassed all the Ancient Gods Su Ming had met in the past. In fact, Su Ming even saw a faint star right by the seven stars!
It was an Ancient God with eight stars, one which Su Ming had never met before!
However, there seemed to be some problems with the eighth star, for it was already dark. But the power erupting from the Ancient God gave off a feeling that he was nearly in Death Realm.
The Ancient God's physical strength had to have surpassed his level of cultivation. His physical power was probably on par with a normal Almighty in Death Realm, and he might even be more difficult to handle than those people. The strength of his physical body was his best weapon. If no one was capable of destroying it, then even those in Death Realm would have to turn tail and run from him.
As he growled, a ferocious look appeared on his face. He lifted his right hand and sent a punch over. Su Ming did not dodge. He stared at the Ancient God before him, and his eyes sparkled. He saw that while there was a ferocious glare in the Ancient God's eyes, it could not hide the emptiness in his gaze.
It was an Ancient God who had lost his intelligence!
At the instant the Ancient God sent his right hand charging towards him, Su Ming vanished. When he reappeared, he was right above the Ancient God's head. With a look down, he saw countless silver needles stabbed into the top of the Ancient God's skull. There were perhaps one hundred thousand of them.
"Controlling an Ancient God? Looks like I've underestimated these cultivators from South Union. But I do wonder just how many of them are needed for this Ancient God," Su Ming murmured. He could tell what was wrong with just one glance.
The Ancient God opened his mouth wide and let out a roar that shook the galaxy. His roar was so strong that it was akin to a soundwave, and as if it had gained corporeal form, it turned into countless ripples that charged towards Su Ming.
'This was originally an Ancient God with eight stars, but for some unknown reason, he fell into the hands of South Union. Since they could not control him while he had eight stars, they used some rather complicated methods to suppress his eighth star.
'Such a battle would be meaningless…'
Su Ming's eyes sparkled. At the instant the Ancient God's roars turned into ripples and closed in on him, he did not dodge, but took a step forward and faced the roar that could make those in Life Realm tremble in fear and ordinary Almighties in Death Realm flee. The next instant, he appeared at the center of the Ancient God's brows, right where the eighth star was.
Su Ming moved incredibly quickly. At the instant he approached the giant, he lifted his right hand and pointed at the dim eighth star with his index finger..
His power and his will of an Antecedental Spirit erupted from him the moment he touched it and gathered on his finger. He tore open a gap in the Rune sealing the Ancient God's eighth star by pure external force. Then, Su Ming lifted his hand and straightened his palm to strike the Ancient God's forehead.
With it, booming sounds surged into space. The Ancient God shuddered and staggered a few steps back. The one hundred thousand silver needles at the top of his skull were pulled one inch higher due to the shock created by Su Ming's palm strike.
The Ancient God let out a shrill howl, but a hint of intelligence appeared in his eyes and gathered together in a barely discernible manner.
"As you are right now, you are not my opponent. I will give you a chance, a chance to restore your eighth star and a chance to make it so that the people who control you can no longer do so.
"If you seize that chance, you can fight against me to your heart's content, but if you don't…" Su Ming said flatly while moving back.
He did not finish speaking, but the spark of intelligence in the Ancient God's eyes gained focus. He had clearly understood what Su Ming had meant. The next second, he roared and struck his own body at full force.
With that one strike, the Ancient God shuddered. The silver needles at the top of his skull were raised a little more, and the dim eighth star at the center of his brows glimmered, but its light was soon suppressed. The silver needles at the top of the Ancient God's skull buzzed, causing him to let out a shrill roar.
"I am an Ancient God, a powerful warrior of my people! You have no right to control my mind!"
For the first time since showing up, the Ancient God spoke. In his words were a hint of arrogance and madness. As he roared, his body grew swiftly. He grew several times his previous size of one hundred thousand feet before lifting his right hand to strike his forehead. With it, the eighth star at the center of his brows lit up once more. It might have become dim moments later, but some of the silver needles at the top of the Ancient God's skull were forced out with a bang.
"When I was going through the eighth star's transformation, you used the Divine Soul Incense to make me fall unconscious, so you must receive the Ancient God's wrath! I am an Ancient God, one who is not to be offended! I am the Ancient God Ta Jia, the one you must worship!" Ta Jia howled.
He struck the center of his forehead with his hands once more. This time, his skull shuddered, and three-tenths of the silver needles were forced out with a bang. The eighth star at the center of his brows grew brighter, and a presence much greater than before erupted from him nonstop.
"I am…"
"So noisy. Instead of howling like this, it's better that you keep all that grudge in you and let it all out in one go to break the seal!" Su Ming said coldly.
The Ancient God was stunned, but he obediently stopped howling. He shut his mouth, and veins popped up on his face. His presence seemed to be pulled back, as if it was the calm before a storm, but he was shuddering slightly.
About ten breaths later, an unprecedented howl came out from Ta Jia's mouth. The eighth star at the center of his brows brightened swiftly, and all the seals in it were crushed. The remaining silver needles at the top of his skull were forced out and shattered right after.
All eight stars started shining, and Ta Jia's roars reverberated through space. His presence swelled up again. In the blink of an eye, he surpassed Life Realm and reached Death Realm from being only near it. He actually went as far as nearing the peak of Death Realm.
The strength of his physical power caused his body to shrink at that moment, and once he became only about ten thousand feet big, his presence grew to a heinous degree, causing the galaxy to tremble.
"Damned Arid Triad, damn the savage and barbaric cultivators, damned universe, damned Saint Defier Expanse Cosmos, I have finally broken through the limit of seven stars and reached eight stars. I will leave this place and return to the world of Ancient Gods!
"Before I leave, I will kill all those damned cultivators of South Union, I will crush their bones into ashes, I will…"
"Are you done?" Su Ming asked flatly.
Ta Jia turned his head around and stared at Su Ming before he suddenly grinned. There was even a good-natured feeling to his smile.
"Oh well, you might have offended me twice, but you were kind to me, so I'll let it slide," Ta Jia said loudly while hitting his chest.
"I helped you because only your current self has the right to let me test… my God of Berserkers Transformation!"
A great fighting spirit arose in Su Ming's eyes.