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Chapter 1316: Fragment!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
'Harmonious Morus Alba's presence!'
Su Ming instantly reached a conclusion. The thin membrane stuck on Cang San Nu's chest had Harmonious Morus Alba's presence. It was so thick that it even surpassed the presence he sensed previously on Harmonious Morus Alba's will!
'This is…'
When Su Ming's pupils shrank and Cang San Nu's ferocious laughter echoed in the air, he brought up his right hand and took off the thin membrane from his chest. He flung it forward, and the thin membrane instantly fused with the air before it reappeared the next instant before the shuddering End of Wills Sword. When it passed through it gently, the End of Wills Sword began shattering and breaking down inch by inch…
The racial vessel of Great Abyss Tribe shattered to pieces at that instant!
It was as if no existence could not stop the thin membrane no matter what they did. Everything that touched it would be instantly destroyed. The air shattered, the galaxy shuddered, and a powerful sense of danger enveloped Su Ming's heart.
If he had not met the black-robed young man, this would be the strongest presence he had ever felt, but now, while the thin membrane gave Su Ming a feeling that it could kill him, it was unable to shock him.
Su Ming also understood from where Cang San Nu confidence stemmed and why he dared to provoke him. All of the answers to his questions lay in that item!
The thin membrane instantly closed in on him, and a brilliant light appeared in Su Ming's eyes. He did not retreat. When he lifted his right hand, the wills of Morning Dao, Immortal Sect, Sky Hill, and the Emperor of Abyss' True World instantly gathered on him.
The full power of his cultivation base erupted from him. His will spread out until it reached two fingers on his raised right hand. He pointed them towards the incoming membrane, but he did not tap it. Instead, he had his fingers clamp down on it!
Su Ming was definitely not thinking about just resisting the item. He wanted… to make it his own!
Derision appeared on Cang San Nu's face. There were a lot of people who had died under his supreme treasure, and among them, there were those who believed that they had great divine abilities and wanted to claim this item as their own. Yet the moment they touched it, either their bodies would be crushed or they would be wiped off till even their souls were gone.
Based on his experiences, with Su Ming's level of cultivation, he should not be reduced to ash. Instead, he would become an empty shell suitable for him to refine into a puppet.
Cang San Nu's ferocious smile became even more brilliant as he watched the thin membrane come into contact with Su Ming's fingers and Su Ming clamping down on it with his fingers.
"Die! DIE!"
Cang San Nu laughed arrogantly and walked towards Su Ming. That was his personality. He would not attack and kill his enemies with this method straight away, but would first toy with them, causing them to believe that they were the ones toying with him. Only at the end would they realize that the one toyed with was never Cang San Nu himself.
In fact, he had already thought of how he wanted to refine Su Ming into a puppet. He took another step forward, but right at the moment his foot landed, his smile froze, and true shock appeared on his face.
He saw Su Ming shuddering… but there were signs of him shattering or his intelligence being wiped off. Instead, he gave off a feeling that he was fighting against the thin membrane.
"This… This is…"
It was the first time Cang San Nu was completely and truly stunned. Su Ming was not the only one trembling, after all. The thin membrane was shuddering too.
Su Ming fixed his stare on the thin membrane in his hand. At the moment he touched it, his will boiled with a bang. It was boiling so intensely that Su Ming felt that an endless, boundless storm had stirred up in his mind, and it was sweeping through his divine sense.
His will was fighting against the thin membrane. As they suppressed each other, Su Ming's eyes filled with blood capillaries. At the instant a hint of madness appeared on his face, the image of a butterfly appeared behind him!
Regardless of whether it was Harmonious Morus Alba or Arid Triad, their wills took the form of butterflies, and as the third great will, Su Ming would naturally have the image of a butterfly once he brought out his full strength.
At the instant the butterfly's shadow appeared, the thin membrane began shuddering even more violently. A brilliant light shone in Su Ming's eyes. He pulled back his right hand, and a loud bang shot up into the air.
Su Ming staggered ten thousand feet backwards and coughed up eight mouthfuls of blood. His face was pale, but crazed delight was in his eyes. He lifted his hand slowly and looked at the thin membrane clamped between his fingers!
Standing not too far away was Cang San Nu with a stark pale face. The scene before him overturned all that he knew. His body shuddered, and for the first time… real terror appeared in his heart.
This was the first time he met someone that the thin membrane could not kill. It was also the first time he met someone else besides himself who could subjugate it, and he had only been able to do it because his tribe had been worshiping it for countless years before they obtained a hint of power to control it.
However, he could only stick it to his chest, then throw it to kill someone. He did not know about any other methods to use it, much less how to utilize it well.
When he saw that Su Ming was staring at the thin membrane, Cang San Nu shuddered, and he felt his skin crawl. Without any hesitation, he turned around and used all his power to execute his fastest speed. He fled as if he had gone mad.
He was afraid, and it was fear and terror that he had not felt before. He did not know why Su Ming could subjugate the thin membrane, but in his mind, he could still see how the membrane had shuddered.
At first glance, the shudders were due to the membrane struggling and fighting against Su Ming, but when he recalled what had happened, those shudders… were clearly a form of excitement!
When he thought of this, Cang San Nu felt so indignant that he coughed up a mouthful of blood. He felt indignant, incredibly indignant. He had come with great confidence, but in the end, he had run over in vain and even delivered his supreme treasure into Su Ming's hands…
Su Ming did not pay any attention to Cang San Nu's departure. At that moment, he had directed all his attention to the thin membrane in his hand. He caressed it. The crazed delight in his eyes was gradually hidden away, replaced by a glint of surprise.
'This is… a fragment of Harmonious Morus Alba's wing!
'Judging by how it looks and its presence, it clearly came from the same source as Harmonious Morus Alba's will. Unless it belongs to another butterfly, it has come from Harmonious Morus Alba itself, which is the Expanse Cosmos I currently reside in!
'But… there were no damaged parts in all the Expanse Cosmoses in Harmonious Morus Alba to which I've gone. Then where did this fragment come from?' A profound look appeared in Su Ming's eyes, and his gaze suddenly focused.
'The butterfly has four wings. One of them is Harmonious Morus Alba, another is Arid Triad, and one of them is Dark Dawn and Saint Defier… then that leaves the fourth Expanse Cosmos. Could it be… that the fragment came from that place?
'If it truly came from there… then how did Cang San Nu obtain it?!'
A brilliant light shone in Su Ming's eyes. When he raised his head, he no longer found any traces of Cang San Nu in his line of vision. He let out a cold harrumph and put away the fragment of the butterfly's wing. With a single move, he stepped into the air to gave chase.
Chapter 1317: Viridian Gods
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Cang San Nu's face was pale. Cold sweat continued breaking out on his forehead. He was afraid now, completely terrified. It was not that he did not know about Su Ming's strength, but before this, he had absolute confidence that he could win. He believed that the so-called strongest of this aeon could only turn into a puppet before his supreme treasure.
He did not think that any sort of unforeseen circumstances could ever appear because the fragment had been unbeatable multiple times in the past. This nature of the membrane had brought him indescribable confidence. Regardless of whether it was Dark Dawn, Saint Defier, or even Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos, he did not regard them with any heed.
With the fragment, he stood above all cultivators. If Su Ming had not stepped into Yin Death Vortex and entered Harmonious Morus Alba Expanse Cosmos, then before the fragment, he could only die. It would be virtually impossible for him to escape this disaster.
In fact… even if Su Ming had come out of Yin Death Vortex and had obtained the wills of four Great True Worlds to become the strongest will second only to Arid Triad and Harmonious Morus Alba in this butterfly's universe, he would still have been unable to subjugate the fragment so easily!
The main reason why he could do it was because Su Ming had used the aura in the stone and cast the Art of Time to return to the past, allowing him to personally witness the black-robed man absorbing the butterfly. Once he saw that shocking scene, Su Ming overcame his fears and launched his strongest strike with his will against the black-robed young man from the past.
Su Ming's will might have disintegrated because of that strike, but in exchange, he went through a metamorphosis that allowed him to gain a new life. It was born after he overcame his fears and obtained a different mindset. Once he saw a powerful existence who could destroy a butterfly, it was naturally impossible for him to be shocked in any way when he saw a butterfly's wing fragment.
That was why Su Ming could use his will and fight against the fragment until it acknowledged the presence of Harmonious Morus Alba on him and let itself be subjugated.
All of this might sound simple, but to Su Ming, it had been a great, life-threatening disaster. Once he resolved it, he narrowed his eyes and lifted his head to look in the direction Cang San Nu had left. With one step, he rose into the air to give chase.
With Su Ming's level of cultivation, it was incredibly easy for him to catch a person, especially since the Expanse Cosmos in this place had already been filled with his will. With one thought, his figure appeared in the galaxy, and not too far away from him was the pale Cang San Nu.
Great regret filled Cang San Nu's heart. At the instant Su Ming's figure appeared, he turned his head around, and despair appeared on his face. The regret in his heart was one he had never experienced before in his whole life, and the despair drowned him like an ocean.
Once he was submerged, he could no longer remember anything. Su Ming's figure grew larger in his eyes until it replaced everything in his mind. A ferocious look appeared on his face, and in desperation, he chose to self-destruct.
Even if he had to die, he would do it by indulging in an act of madness. This was his pride as a cultivator in Avacaniya Realm, but it was insignificant before absolute power. When facing Su Ming, he did not have the right to self-destruct.
Su Ming's hand pushed down on the top of Cang San Nu's skull, then with a light tap, the tremor immediately shattered Cang San Nu's entire cultivation base. At the same time, his soul scattered, and Su Ming's soul surged into him. He… used his will to perform a Soulseek on Cang San Nu!
As Su Ming searched through his soul, Cang San Nu trembled violently. His face contorted. The pain he felt at that moment was the worst he had felt in his whole life, but he could not fight against it. From the moment he decided to attack Su Ming, his fate had already been sealed.
Su Ming did not show any mercy. He had killed his whole life, and his murderous aura surged to the heavens. He had always been incredibly ruthless against those who came on their own to provoke him.
And it was especially so since Cang San Nu's memories contained something that perked his interest. Since that was the case, there was even less reason for him to let the man escape.
Time trickled by. When the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn was over, Su Ming lifted his right hand from Cang San Nu's head, and with a jolt, Cang San Nu's soul shattered completely. Cracks appeared on his body, and they continued spreading until his body broke apart and he turned into ashes that fell away from Su Ming's hand.
It was just like how ashes would return to ashes, and how dust would return to dust. All things would eventually return to the embrace of earth, never to return.
If time could reverse and if Cang San Nu knew about it, he would definitely not choose to stand against Su Ming. The truth had also proven that Yan Pei's actions were correct, and… that Zi Ruo was also correct.
The moment Cang San Nu died, Yan Pei, who was searching for the signs of Tian Xie Zi and the others in a galaxy within Dark Dawn's camp suddenly shuddered. His expression changed, and he brought his right hand up to pat his storage bag. Immediately, a jade slip appeared on his palm.
That jade slip had cracks on it. At that moment, right when Yan Pei cast a glance at it, the jade slip turned to powder.
Yan Pei was silent. After a long while, he let out a long sigh. The jade slip was Cang San Nu's Slip of Life. As Sovereigns of Dawn, the three of them each had their own Slips of Life so that they would know whether the others were still alive.
'Cang San Nu… died. The only person who could kill him… is Su Ming. I gave him a warning, but Camg San Nu's character…'
Yan Pei shook his head and no longer thought about it. Instead, he raised his chin up to complete Su Ming's orders even more enthusiastically than before.
If Yan Pei could sense Cang San Nu's death, then the only woman among the three Sovereigns of Dawn in Dark Dawn's camp, Zi Ruo of the Heavenly Foxes, naturally sensed it as well. She was sitting at the center of a complicated Rune on the altar belonging to the Heavenly Foxes. Before her was a swirling pink fog. Her beautiful face was very peaceful, but suddenly, she opened her eyes with a hint of shock.
Because of it, she appeared even more striking than before. It was enough for the hearts of all those who saw her to be tempted, regardless of whether they were men or women.
This sort of beauty surpassed all other forms of beauty in the universe. In fact, it would cause people to have the urge to keep this woman hidden after they saw her. If they did not have this beauty in their possession, they would be committing a slight against themselves!
She bit her bottom lip and stood up gently. There was a piece of silk gauze draped over her body so that no one could see her skin, but they could see her willow-like petite figure. It was enough to gather all gazes on her. It almost seemed like the woman had collected all beauty to herself.
She lowered her head, and when she lifted her hand, a cracked jade slip appeared on her palm. As she watched the jade slip turn into ash, Zi Ruo sighed softly.
"Why did you have to do this? Even if you had absolute confidence, you should not have done this. It's impossible for Yan Pei to have lied about that person's strength. Even if he lied, he would belittle that person instead. He would not exaggerate his strength.
"But since he clearly did not belittle that person's strength nor exaggerate it, then based on our understanding of Yan Pei, that person must have surely subdued him and filled him with admiration to the point that he was willing to return to his past self, which was obsequious to others to curry their favor." When Zi Ruo sighed, and a strange, brilliant light instantly appeared in her eyes.
"This is what it means to be the strongest person. Looks like I'll have to be faster with my plan. If I can push him down…" As Zi Ruo mumbled, a faint red hue dusted her cheeks, but the resolve on her face grew firmer.
With a calm expression, Su Ming watched Cang San Nu's body turn into nothingness. Then, he lifted his head and stared into the distant galaxy.
'Viridian Gods… a tribe that loved going to all the strange places in the universe when the three ancient kingdoms were still around. The people of this tribe ventured out in search of all sorts of ruins once they became of age…
'As for the fragment, a Viridian God obtained it at some unknown place and brought it back to his people…
'Viridian Gods were eventually killed by Cang San Nu, and he obtained this item by chance.'
Su Ming thought back on the scenes he saw in Cang San Nu's memories. After a moment of pensive silence, he moved and disappeared into the air.
When he reappeared, he had already left Spiritling Expanse Cosmos. He moved through Expanse Cosmoses, and when he went to each, he would spread his will through it without hesitation. In an instant, the weak wills that had just been born in each Expanse Cosmos were absorbed, and as he walked past them, Su Ming's own will became stronger, but he did not attract Arid Triad's attention.
This was because Su Ming did not Possess them, and neither did he occupy the Expanse Cosmos. He instead devoured the wills and made them fuse with him to complete himself.
However, even after Su Ming had obtained the butterfly's wing fragment, he did not notice that every single time he walked past an Expanse Cosmos and devoured its will, the three black-robed men would split themselves to appear before each powerful warrior there, telling them in the name of Life Extermination Hall that the spirit of their Expanse Cosmos had been devoured, that their levels of cultivation would no longer increase, their lives would wither away, and all of it was because of a person called Su Ming.
If Su Ming was not sealed, they would surely die, and a disaster would definitely fall on their heads. There was only one way to solve this predicament—they had to work together to seal the evil Su Ming.
Every Expanse Cosmos Su Ming walked past filled with rumor. A hatred towards Su Ming gradually grew in many cultivators' hearts. They believed in Life Extermination Hall, and they believed even more so in their divine senses, which told them, when they sent them sweeping through their Expanse Cosmoses, that it had become much more withered than before.
When one or two people hated a person, that power would not be strong. If hundreds or thousands hated one person, they could no longer be underestimated. If ten thousand or one hundred thousand people hated a person, then the force of their hatred would begin to take shape…
If one million, ten million, or more people hated a person… then no matter what that person did, it was evil. Even if he was doing good, it would still be evil!
And at that moment, every single time Su Ming walked past an Expanse Cosmos, this sort of seeds would be scattered, and they were slowly showing signs of growing… but Su Ming did not notice the three black-robed men. They simply did not exist within the area covered by his will.
In fact, he was not the only one who did not notice them, for even Arid Triad did not notice them. Harmonious Morus Alba could not do it either. Unless it possessed its complete body once more, it would be unable to notice them.
The main reason for all of this was because someone had placed a drop of fresh blood on the three black-robed men's foreheads, and that blood could deceive heaven itself!
That blood was the Heaven Deceiver Blood.
Chapter 1318: It Came from the Vast Expanse!!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Su Ming moved so quickly that he managed to move through the Expanse Cosmoses in a flash, and he only stopped at an Expanse Cosmos that was located rather far away from Bear Chart Tribe. The place was in ruins, and the barrier to that Expanse Cosmos had been sealed.
The person who had done so was Cang San Nu. When he destroyed the Viridian Gods in the past, he had sealed up their Expanse Cosmos and turned it into his private property. No outsider was allowed to step foot in it.
His seal was so strong that only those in Avacaniya Realm could break it, which was why no one dared to try it. Cang San Nu was also so strong that he was the leader of the Sovereigns of Dawn. Hence, even those in Avacaniya Realm would not dare to break the seal to his place.
After Cang San Nu died, the seal became like a tree without roots. It started gradually dissolving. Su Ming watched the barrier of the Expanse Cosmos before him and took a step forward. The bald crane was the first to fly out, and as it let out a loud cry, it rammed its head against the barrier. When it phased through the barrier, Su Ming also walked through it.
Everything before him was ruins. Countless corpses floated in the galaxy, but they did not rot. The wreckage of the planets filled the galaxy. The space was full of the aura of death, which made it look like hell.
Su Ming swept his gaze over the area before his eyes landed at the center of the Expanse Cosmos. There was a tall palace there. It was damaged, but it did not collapse. It exuded an ancient presence, and the opened gates showed that everything inside was dark. It looked like a dead creature with its mouth wide open.
Based on Cang San Nu's memories, he had obtained the wing fragment from the palace. Su Ming swept his gaze over it, and with one move, he crossed an incredibly great distance to appear outside the palace. Then, he stepped inside it.
At the instant he walked in, the oil lamps all around him lit up on their own, showering him in light. With it, Su Ming saw a chair at the center of the palace. Sitting cross-legged on it was a corpse. It belonged to an old man who had lost his life force.
He was sitting quietly with his back straight. His right palm faced upwards, as if there was originally something placed there.
Su Ming stared at the old man's corpse. In Cang San Nu's memories, when he stepped into the palace, the old man was already dead, and he had been holding the wing fragment in his right hand.
Su Ming swept his gaze past the old man and looked around himself. There were a few murals around him, but they were very faint. Due to the passing of time and the destruction of the Viridian Gods, everything that remained was only a relic of the past.
But this did not affect Su Ming in the slightest. He walked to the old man and lifted his right hand to push it against the old man's own. At the moment they touched, Su Ming executed the Art of Time.
He continued standing in the hall, but the things he saw before his eyes were countless scenes that looked as if they were turning backwards. They passed by his eyes swiftly, as if time was moving in reverse. The murals became clearer, and the dust gradually vanished. When everything was as good as new, Su Ming saw Cang San Nu's figure appear in the hall.
With a murderous blood lust, the high-spirited Cang San Nu rained down bloody murder. Once he appeared in the hall and saw the old man's corpse, his expression turned incredibly complicated. After a long while… he took the fragment away from the old man's hand.
"Elder… when you chased me out of the tribe, did you ever think… that I, Cang Nu, would one day return like this?!"
A ferocious expression appeared on Cang San Nu's face, but after remaining silent for some time, he chose to only sigh and take the fragment with him. Then, he turned around and left.
Time continued reversing, and Su Ming saw that before Cang San Nu arrived in the hall, it was frequently cleaned and tidied up. There were also people worshiping it. The Viridian Gods lived in an age of prosperity, but while the murals were no longer blurry, the carvings depicting only normal ceremonies of people coming for worship. There was nothing about them that could benefit Su Ming.
That was until he saw many people carving those murals. They went from being clear to being indistinct again. When the walls became blank, new murals appeared, and these events repeated themselves. The murals were continuously carved out by someone, then repeatedly changed, but none of them were useful to Su Ming. But he was not in a hurry, so he continued to execute his Art of Time and watch in silence.
He lost track of how many times the murals around him had been changed. It lasted until the corpse before Su Ming slowly regained life force. When it came off of the corpse in thick waves, the old man returned to the time when he had yet to die. He stood in the hall with a pained expression while berating a teenager. That teenager knelt on the ground with his head lowered, but Su Ming could see the unwillingness to admit his wrongs and his resentment. The teenager was Cang San Nu.
Then, Su Ming saw the hall in an even more complete state. Time continued reversing…
The old man was silently looking at the wing fragment. He then lifted his right hand and wiped off all the murals around him.
At that moment, Su Ming's pupils contracted. He saw that the murals that had been wiped off were completely different from the ones he had seen previously. When Su Ming directed his attention on them, he saw that the murals that were wiped off were personally carved by the person who would end up dying in the chair!
The entire mural was divided into four parts.
The first part was a young man leaving the tribe after he worshiped his ancestors. His people sent him off to begin his personal journey to become an adult.
The second part of the mural was an old mausoleum into which the young man walked in. Around him were countless living creatures with different appearances. When a Rune appeared in the depths of the mausoleum, the young man stepped into it, and his figure became indistinct before he was Relocated.
The third part was clearly what had happened after he was Relocated. The young man appeared in a strange world. It looked like it was the Vast Expanse. Within that universe was a huge gap, and no one knew where it led to. When the young man approached the gap, an old man suddenly appeared in the gap.
The old man was covered in blood, and he stood on an ancient ship, as if he had been wandering about outside the gap for a long, long time before he managed to find it. This would allow him to step into the place for the first time.
The fourth part was the young man giving some medicinal pills to the old man as well as a jade slip containing a map. The old man wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed to the young man. When he raised his arm, he tore a fragment from the gap and gave it to him.
The murals ended.
When Su Ming saw this, his heart trembled. As he continued watching it, the murals on the wall came to a point of time when they had yet to be carved onto the walls.
The four pictures eternally disappeared from the passage of time. It was difficult for anyone to be able to see it. What they saw was only another set of murals that appeared after the original was wiped off.
Su Ming opened his eyes, though in truth, he had never closed his physical eyes. At that moment, the eyes he opened were those of his will. He lifted his right hand from the corpse's hand. Everything around him returned to its previous state. It was still broken, it was still old, and the murals were still indistinct.
Su Ming was silent. The four murals clearly spoke of the experiences the corpse went through before he died, or rather, it spoke of the process he obtained the wing fragment. Clearly, he had never spoke of this with other people. Even the murals had been personally wiped off after he carved it. He did not want anyone to know about it.
Su Ming knew what had happened, but while he seemed calm, a raging storm had stirred up in his heart. It was impossible for him to be calm, and once he closed his eyes, the scenes on the murals continuously appeared in his mind.
'If those murals are true, then I can be certain that this fragment… isn't from another butterfly. It's a part of Harmonious Morus Alba's wings!
'Similarly, I can be certain that one of the four wings… has a gap… It's a gap that will lead us out into the Vast Expanse beyond!
'Since this gap isn't in Harmonious Morus Alba Expanse Cosmos, in Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos nor in Dark Dawn and Saint Defier. It should be… in the fourth wing's Expanse Cosmos!
'If all of this is true, then… he went to the fourth Expanse Cosmos in the past. The old man he saw when he was there… is from…' When Su Ming thought of this, he opened his eyes. His pupils shrank, and a thought which he could not control appeared in his mind. It caused his mind and heart to tremble.
'The old man… came from the Vast Expanse beyond!' Su Ming's breathing quickened. The scenes on the murals continuously appeared in his mind before he eventually fixed on the scene in which the old man stepped into the gap.
'His entire body is covered in blood. He should have been injured badly, and he used the ship as an Enchanted Vessel to move through space to arrive here. Who could possibly injure someone as strong as him, and just where did he come… Hmm?'
Su Ming jolted, and he instinctively took a few steps back. He remembered the scene of the black-robed young man destroying the butterfly.
Su Ming's expression changed swiftly.
'Is there a possibility… that he came from another butterfly's world? And before that butterfly was destroyed, he fled to this place! A ship… ship… I can remember a person who is always on an ancient ship. He is… the Old Man Extermination [1]!'
Su Ming took a few steps back, and his expression continued changing. After a long while, he lifted his head swiftly to look at the corpse on the chair.
'Old Man Extermination brought with him a ship and searched through Arid Triad for the things he needed. All those whose offering he accepted had the right for their names to be entered into his ballad. That ballad would not die, and so all those whose names were inside it would not die too.
'He appeared in Arid Triad during the third era. This corresponds with the contents on the murals. Then, perhaps at that time… it was the first time he entered the world of Harmonious Morus Alba!
'He is the Old Man Extermination, and he came from Dark Dawn… Dark Dawn… This is also indeed Dark Dawn!' Su Ming's pupils shrank again. A cold chill rose from the bottom of his heart and filled his body.
'Then… what were his goals when he fled from his world once the black-robed young man destroyed it?!
'And where is he right now? Rumors say that the Old Man Extermination died during the end of the third era and turned into the Seed of Life Extermination. I have nourished half of it before. Now, the Seed of Life Extermination is completed… and it's with Su Xuan Yi and Lei Chen!
'Su Xuan Yi… what else does he know?!'
Su Ming closed his eyes. Only at that moment did he realize that even if he was the strongest power in his aeon, the fog of mystery before his eyes had only become thicker!
Chapter 1319: Will You Sit on a Sedan Chair or Will You Walk?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"The Old Man Extermination…" Su Ming mumbled. He had never expected that the origin of everything that had happened to him would be connected to this legendary person. Su Ming was not unfamiliar with the Seed of Life Extermination either. He had in fact nourished it for a long time until the one half of the Seed of Life Extermination grew fully.
Yu Xuan was also the same. All of it seemed to have a vague connection to Su Ming at that moment, especially since…
Perhaps other people would just say that the Old Man Extermination was just a legend, but Su Ming remembered clearly that he had indeed seen an old man on an ancient ship while he was in the Seed of Life Extermination.
In fact… even the bald crane had seen the Old Man Extermination before. At that time, the bald crane had even tried to obtain eternal life.
'He was a powerful warrior who managed to escape from his world when it was destroyed by the black-robed young man. He managed to move through the Vast Expanse to arrive in this place. I… absolutely won't believe that he has died in the passage of time!
'Then since he hasn't died, where is he and what are his goals? Su Xuan Yi had been obsessed with the Seed of Life Extermination, so he must surely know a lot more.' Su Ming remained silent for a long time before he cast a glance at the hall again. Then, he turned around and left. With one step, he disappeared from that Expanse Cosmos.
Before he arrived in Dark Dawn and Saint Defier's camps, Su Ming had thought he had come to understand Arid Triad as well as Harmonious Morus Alba, but only at that moment did he realize that there were some secrets that perhaps even Arid Triad and Harmonious Morus Alba did not know.
There was the black-robed young man who devoured the butterfly and the Old Man Extermination who entered through the gap from the Vast Expanse beyond. Compared to these, the formation of Harmonious Morus Alba's gap was no longer something important.
The more he knew, the more Su Ming felt that the worlds formed by the four wings on Harmonious Morus Alba were too difficult to understand… Who created the nine butterflies in the Vast Expanse, and who gave them the ability to create worlds and lives?
Who was that black-robed young man, and why did he want to devour the butterflies?
Then there was also the Old Man Extermination. He had fled to this place barely escaping death. What… were his goals?
All these questions filled Su Ming's mind, and he left the Expanse Cosmos in silence. A brilliant light shone in his eyes at that moment. No matter how things would develop and regardless of whether Harmonious Morus Alba was damaged, whether Arid Triad's Possession would be successful, whether the black-robed young man would come, and what goals the Old Man Extermination had… Su Ming did not know those things well, and since that was the case, it would be pointless no matter how he mulled over them.
Right then, the most important thing for Su Ming was to make himself stronger. Even if he had become the strongest in his aeon, it was still not enough. He had to become the strongest person in all the aeons the four wings of Harmonious Morus Alba had experienced. In fact, he had to take a step further and become someone like the Old Man Extermination who could move through the Vast Expanse.
Only by doing so could he truly fight against all disasters. Even if he could not withstand the disaster, he could still preserve some of his strength so that there was a possibility for him to rise to power in the future.
With this sort of resolve, when Su Ming raised his head, his eyes sparkled brilliantly. He took a step forward and went to more Expanse Cosmoses in Dark Dawn to devour them. Not only would he devour Dark Dawn's Expanse Cosmoses, he would also devour Saint Defier's Expanse Cosmoses. Once he devoured all 360 Expanse Cosmoses in Dark Dawn and Saint Defier, his will would go through another metamorphosis.
It would then be strong enough to support him through his final spirit ascension!
The devouration lasted for nearly half a month. Wherever Su Ming went, no matter what race resided in it, the weak will born in that particular Expanse Cosmos would be fully devoured by him, but he did not bother any of the people in those Expanse Cosmoses.
In truth, this sort of devouration would not have too much of an effect on those people. It was just equivalent to him devouring the will in the Expanse Cosmos formed by the beliefs of the people in their tribe. In truth though, that will could not even be seen as the god worshiped by each tribe.
Once the will was devoured, the only harm to the tribe would be that it would no longer have the feeling of being one with the Expanse Cosmos. However, they could still continue with their practice in the path of cultivation, and the length of their life would remain the same. In fact, after some time had passed, another will would be born, and everything would return to normal.
However, there were only a few hundred years left before the disaster. Even if Su Ming did not devour those weak wills, they would be wiped off by the disaster.
But Su Ming still had not managed to notice that three black-robed men from Life Extermination Hall still followed him through all the Expanse Cosmos. They stirred up resentment and flamed the fires of hate of countless people from multiple tribes towards him. They had sowed a seed that was absorbing all the negative emotions while it grew continuously.
While Su Ming devoured the wills in the Expanse Cosmoses, the bald crane lived its life in an incredibly fulfilling manner. Usually, when Su Ming devoured the will of an Expanse Cosmos, it would rely on its Transformation Art to gather all the crystals it could using all the despicable and dirty methods it could think of. However, to it, these were just small tricks. After all, it had even conducted scam marriages for the sake of crystals when it was in Black Ink Planet. Compared to those days, the bald crane was already much more merciful.
Half a month later, when Su Ming had devoured around seven-tenths of the 180 wills in Dark Dawn and was just about to continue—the bald crane also looked as if it had not looted its fill of crystals yet—Su Ming suddenly stopped when he walked past an Expanse Cosmos. He lifted his right hand and patted his storage bag. A jade slip immediately appeared in his hand.
It was the one in which Su Ming had a wisp of Yan Pei's soul, which could help them communicate. He cast a glance at the jade slip and sent his will to scan it. Immediately, Yan Pei's respectful voice rose in Su Ming's mind.
"Master, I have found traces of the people you asked for, but… Master, you should come to the Expanse Cosmos where the Heavenly Foxes reside first…"
There was some hesitation in his words. It seemed like he did not know how to put his thoughts into words and how to explain the matter at hand. He was worried that he would incite Su Ming's anger, which made him sound very nervous and hesitant.
Su Ming pondered over his words for a moment before he put away the jade slip. With one move, he headed towards the Expanse Cosmos where the Heavenly Foxes were based on the map in his head.
That Expanse Cosmos was one of the three-tenths of Expanse Cosmoses Su Ming had yet to devour. He did not know what sort of tribe the Heavenly Foxes were, but Yan Pei had told him once that the Sovereign of Dawn Zi Ruo belonged to them.
Su Ming did not have much of an impression of Zi Ruo, who Yan Pei had said to be the strongest woman in Dark Dawn's camp. As he moved forward, he did not waste a single moment to loiter around. In just the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, he passed through multiple Expanse Cosmoses and stepped into the Expanse Cosmos which belonged to the Heavenly Foxes.
When he stepped into it, Su Ming immediately frowned. The galaxy in this Expanse Cosmos was not black, but pink. The pinkish hue would cause people to feel their bodies grow warm without their notice when they saw it, but this warmth did not mean that their bodies had truly become warm. Instead, their blood flowed faster, and a hint of heat would pool in their bodies.
The unexpected scene gave Su Ming a very strange feeling, but with the might of his cultivation base and the great strength of his will, he did not think too much about it. After all, each Expanse Cosmos had its own characteristics that differentiated them from the others.
Almost at the instant Su Ming stepped into the Expanse Cosmos, long arcs charged towards him from up ahead. When he looked over, he found that all of them belonged to incredibly beautiful women. They did not wear revealing clothing, but gave off a demure and elegant feeling. All of them were stunning beauties.
They did not have a single flaw. When they came forward, they formed two long rows in front of Su Ming. Each of the women had a smile on her face as they lifted red lanterns high above their heads, illuminating the pink galaxy in a manner that it instantly filled it with a feeling as if it was a rose. It looked incredibly dazzling, and there was an ambiguous air in the area which Su Ming could not put to words.
Yet that ambiguous air was incredibly faint. If there was anyone who had wicked intentions in their hearts, they would be able to sense it incredibly clearly. Yet if those who were pure in heart saw this, they would only think that this place was incredibly beautiful. Su Ming was not the former, and neither was he the latter. He frowned and cast a cold glance at the long path formed by the two rows of women. He had no idea where it would lead to.
Regardless of whether the women were pretty or ugly, they could not catch Su Ming's attention. The urges were not strong in him, because he had never had those kind of experiences in his life…
"We, the Heavenly Foxes, greet senior Su Ming."
The women spoke softly, and their quiet words had a dignified air as they bent their knees in a small bow to Su Ming. Their voices were incredibly pleasant to the ears, sounding as soft as velvet, but not licentious. Their words were respectful, but also seemed as if they were unintentionally teasing someone, though no one knew whether this was just a figment of their imagination.
Even Su Ming could not help but cast a few glances at them. When he heard them speak, he too found them very pleasant to the ears, which made the frown disappear from his face.
"Senior, this way please. Our tribe leader, Sovereign Zi, and Sovereign Pei are both before us. They are kowtowing towards this place to welcome you," one of the two women in the front said softly. Her eyes moved to Su Ming, but there was a pure look on her face.
Su Ming nodded. When he was about to take a step forward, the other woman quickly knelt down and spoke softly.
"Senior, would you like to sit on a sedan chair, or would you like to walk?" The woman's voice was as clear as bells. When it reached Su Ming's ears, it felt like warm rain had poured on his heart. A comfortable feeling rose in him without his knowledge, and Su Ming stopped to look at her.
"What do you mean by sedan chair?" he asked faintly.
When he said that, Su Ming was immediately stunned, because more than one hundred women from among the two rows instantly gathered together. They placed their hands on the shoulders of the woman before them, and in the blink of an eye, they formed the shape of a snake!
At the center of the snake formation was a soft chair formed by the bodies of around a dozen women, creating… an incredibly erotic sedan chair.
"Senior, please get on the sedan chair."
The woman who had spoken to Su Ming previously bent her knees and bowed to him. She spoke softly, and there was not a hint of change on her face. She looked as proper and dignified as ever, as if this sort of sedan chair was universally accepted. If someone thought too much into it, it was not the women's fault, but the person's alone…
Su Ming fell silent.
Chapter 1320: Baldy's Anger
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
If it had been Su Ming from one thousand something years ago, he would have definitely blushed. He might not pay too much attention to the workings between men and women, but he still understood some principles about dual cultivation…
But the current Su Ming was known as an old monster. He might feel slightly uncomfortable and awkward about this, but not a single sign of these emotions showed on his face. He swept his gaze past the sedan chair formed by the coquettish women, then decided to just walk over and sit on the erotic sedan chair.
Underneath Su Ming was a seat formed by the soft bodies of around a dozen women. When he sat down, he immediately sensed the softness under him, but he did not bother himself with what part of the women's bodies he was sitting on. Su Ming just closed his eyes and began meditating as well as exercising his breathing.
Once Su Ming sat down, a look of scorn immediately appeared in the bald crane's eyes. It flew over while looking like it was incredibly unwilling to do so. It sat down next to Su Ming with an expression that spoke about how it was already nitpicking the chair in its head. It looked around itself, and the scorn on its face grew stronger.
"It's just a bunch of skin and flesh, so what's there to show off? Hmph, once I have feathers on my body, I will definitely look even better than these women," the bald crane mumbled under its breath and patted a certain bulging part of a woman's body beside it.
"Sure is soft… But they look so ugly. They don't even have any feathers on them. So ugly, ah, so ugly… Hah… when can I ever find a beautiful female crane who can fly with me?"
As the bald crane sighed with great emotion, it instinctively squeezed the body part with a scornful and contemptuous look on its face. It did not go away…
Su Ming did not pay attention to the bald crane's actions. As the sedan chair beneath him moved, a pleasant fragrance wafted to his nose. The two rows of incredibly beautiful women lifted Su Ming and walked forward. In the beginning, Su Ming could not really get used to it, but soon, he opened his eyes. His expression was calm. While he remained seated on the sedan chair, he looked at the pink galaxy around him. Soon after, he stopped meditating and leaned against a woman who had immediately sat up demurely when she saw Su Ming leaning back. She used her back to support his weight.
This form of treatment and enjoyment was something Su Ming had never experienced since he could remember himself. When he leaned back, a lot of hands immediately stretched out from the chair around him and began massaging him gently. If… Su Ming's willpower was not great, the feeling this brought would have caused even him to be momentarily lost.
The bald crane also received the same erotic treatment as Su Ming, but its body was slightly smaller… so when the hands caressed it, the bald crane's figure was practically buried under the flesh and skin it regarded with scorn just moments ago…
Su Ming did not refuse. He was a temperamental person and always acted as he pleased. He did not have a lot of morals tying him down. Since he had already sat down on the sedan chair, he did not intend to put on the airs of a someone with high moral standards.
But neither would he do anything out of hand. After all… he did not know what sort of action would be considered as out of hand. He only leaned back against the woman and allowed the sedan chair to move. When about an hour passed, a huge circle of light appeared in front of Su Ming.
It shone with a pink light. As it spread out, a girl with a pink silk gauze dress appeared within it. The appearance of this woman was enough to instantly attract all gazes. At the moment she appeared, the beauty of the women surrounding Su Ming instantly paled in comparison.
When compared to normal women, the women around Su Ming were as brilliant as the bright moon, but when they were compared to the woman in the pink dress, they were just the faint glow of a firefly.
The woman in pink was tall. She had a slim figure and not many astonishing curves. However, this gave her a weak and delicate feeling, causing all those who saw her to immediately feel affection for her.
Purple crystals acted as ornaments at the center of her brow. When she chuckled sweetly, an indescribable charm appeared without her notice, causing all those who saw her to never be able to forget her.
The woman's beauty came from her fair wrist that could only be barely seen through her sleeves, her eyes that looked as if they were sparkling water from a spring, her fingers that were long and fair like white jade, and her lips that were so red that she looked as if she had a red pearl in her mouth. Every twinkle in her eye and every smile on her lips could cause a person's heart to pound.
All the women Su Ming had seen in his life, be it Bai Ling, Cang Lan, Xu Hui, or even Yu Xuan could not compare to this woman's beauty. It could be said that the beauty before him was the most gorgeous lady Su Ming had ever seen in his life!
Once the gentle smile, the seemingly indescribable loveliness in her eyes, the dignified air, and her faint charm fused together, the impact could cause all lives to pale in comparison before her.
Even if Yan Pei was also a Sovereign of Dawn, when he stood next to her, he could not help but be a much paler presence, causing all those who looked over to be unable to help themselves but overlook him. Yan Pei seemed to know about this, which was why he chose not to be too close to her, but even so, he still could not avoid being ignored.
There were other Heavenly Foxes around the woman, and about eight-tenths of them were women. Only two-tenths of them were men, and all of them were handsome men. They surrounded the area, and the moment they saw Su Ming, they knelt down and worshiped him.
"We greet Senior Su."
While their voices were echoing in the galaxy, the woman in pink chuckled softly and took a step forward. Her gaze landed on Su Ming who was on the sedan chair. When she saw him, she bent her knees slightly and opened her mouth.
"I am Zi Ruo. Greetings, Senior Su."
Even though they were both Sovereigns of Dawn, but her choice and attitude were completely different from Cang San Nu's. When her gentle voice tumbled out of her lips, Yan Pei cast a strange look at her, and his heart shuddered. Based on his understanding of Zi Ruo, he felt like he could tell what she was thinking, and it left him shocked.
'This… This Zi Ruo… She…' Yan Pei sucked in a sharp breath and immediately lowered his head to bow to Su Ming.
Su Ming was still leaning against the woman while sitting on the sedan chair. He swept his gaze across Yan Pei and Zi Ruo. Even though he had never met Zi Ruo before, he could still tell that this woman… was the third Sovereign of Dawn.
"Well then, tell me why you have asked me to come to this place," Su Ming said flatly while leaning against the woman. Leaning back and sitting on the soft bodies was incredibly comfortable.
Su Ming's voice was flat and indifferent, but when it landed in Yan Pei's ears, it caused his heart to tremble. All his jumbled thoughts were immediately swept away. He steeled his expression and took a few steps forward. When he wrapped his fist in his palm towards Su Ming, he immediately spoke,
"Master, this is…" Just when Yan Pei was about to continue speaking, Zi Ruo took over with a gentle voice. She looked at Su Ming with her beautiful eyes, and her voice was soft and gentle, as if she was a little anxious.
"Senior Su, please don't blame him. This is my fault. That matter all those years ago… There were indeed a few people in Arid Triad's Divine Essence Star Ocean who had not opened the tunnel but used the power of the tunnel to come to Dark Dawn's camp.
"And they… are in the Heavenly Foxes' Expanse Cosmos.
"But we can swear by the Heavenly Foxes' destiny that we have never seen those people before. When they were Relocated to our Expanse Cosmos, they were sucked into… a strange place in our Expanse Cosmos."
Zi Ruo lowered her head when she spoke quietly. She did not lie, for she would she not dare to hide anything. Even though she did not know what sort of divine abilities Su Ming had, the Art of reversing time Yan Pei had mentioned was enough for Su Ming to be able to crush all lies.
Su Ming appeared calm, and his emotions could not be seen on his face, but he was no longer leaning against the woman. Instead, he had sat up straight. While staring at Zi Ruo, he said calmly, "Continue."
This one simple word was enough to make Zi Ruo's heart shudder, but the more it was so, the stronger the fire in her heart burned. It filled her entire body, causing her to gain a feeling of wanting to lower her head before a powerful warrior. There was no form of indignation within this feeling, but indescribable security.
The mighty pressure from Su Ming's gaze caused Zi Ruo's heart to race. The thought… of pushing him down instantly became incredibly strong in her mind.
"They are in the Old Man Extermination's tomb. The Old Man Extermination was once a legend in all the Expanse Cosmoses in Dark Dawn's camp. Before he died, four of the 180 Expanse Cosmoses in Dark Dawn built his tomb, and one of those tombs is in Heavenly Fox Expanse Cosmos.
"The people who were Relocated here from Divine Essence Star Ocean… have been sucked into the Old Man Extermination's tomb," Zi Ruo explained gently with her head still lowered.
"The Old Man Extermination's tomb?"
Su Ming stood up slowly from the sedan chair formed by the women. A brilliant light shone in his eyes. Before he gained an understanding of the wing fragment and had come to the conclusion that the Old Man Extermination came from the Vast Expanse, Su Ming would not have thought too much into what Zi Ruo said, but right then…
Su Ming's eyes sparkled before that glow disappeared. Once a calm look settled in his eyes, he took a step forward and walked out of the erotic sedan chair formed by the women to arrive before Zi Ruo.
When he approached her, Zi Ruo felt a presence that could suppress her come crashing into her face, and it made her instinctively want to move back, but she forced that urge down. Instead, she lifted her head and stared at Su Ming walking towards her.
Her eyes were incredibly beautiful, like stars, but when Su Ming saw them, his expression remained as aloof as ever. He arrived before Zi Ruo and said faintly, "You will lead the way to the Old Man Extermination's tomb."
The bald crane's shriek shot up into the galaxy from the sedan chair formed by the women. As it shrieked, it struggled and finally managed to extract itself from the hands after much difficulty. Then, it flapped its wings and flew while looking incredibly disheveled. The derision and contempt on its face had long since disappeared to turn into terror.
"Damn it, damn it… You can't touch that place, you… you…"
The bald crane flew out in a disheveled state and immediately went to Su Ming. When it turned its head back, the sedan chair dissolved itself into the many chuckling women again. The bald crane immediately shuddered.
"These bags of skin and flesh… these damn bags of skin and flesh, how dare they treat the great Grandpa Crane like this? How dare they touch that place… I… I… I…" The bald crane was livid. Even its featherless body had turned red due to its rage at that moment.
Chapter 1321: Old Man Extermination's Tomb
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The bald crane looked like it was so angry that it could no longer contain its rage. It was about to let out a piercing screech and charge back into the crowd of women, which it thought had humiliated it, when Zi Ruo voiced her obedience while standing in front of Su Ming. She turned into a long arc to lead the way.
With a calm expression on his face, Su Ming went after Zi Ruo and walked towards the distant galaxy. Yan Pei immediately followed suit. When the bald crane saw all of them leave, it immediately stopped halfway through its charge. It threw a fierce glare at the group of women, and as they chuckled while looking as charming as ever, the bald crane's anger drained from its body. It could not even throw harsh words at them. When it turned around, it mustered its fastest speed and left the place as if it was fleeing.
The pink galaxy in Heavenly Fox Expanse Cosmos had a unique beauty to it. After they walked for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Zi Ruo suddenly stopped. The color of the galaxy before them changed. It was no longer pink, but had turned black. That black shade was like a vortex, but it did not rotate. Instead, it looked like it had been frozen in time.
The black hue and the pink color around it formed a stark contrast. The frozen black vortex might not have been rotating, but it still gave others a feeling as if it could devour everything.
In fact, if someone cast their gaze at that place, they would feel as if they were about to be sucked inside. Distortions would appear in the black frozen vortex, but in truth, the vortex did not distort. What was distorted was the people's gazes.
A faint presence filled the vortex, but neither Zi Ruo nor Yan Pei could detect it. Only Su Ming could immediately notice the presence's existence at the instant he saw the vortex.
'As I expected…' Su Ming's pupils shrank in a barely noticeable manner. The presence was incredibly unique. It did not belong to Harmonious Morus Alba, but… to the Vast Expanse beyond!
The presence came from the Vast Expanse beyond!
'This vortex has the presence of the Vast Expanse beyond. So what is its purpose?' Su Ming scrutinized the vortex and frowned. He could not tell what its use was, but he was certain that it was definitely not Old Man Extermination's tomb.
"There are four of these tombs around?" Su Ming asked Zi Ruo, who was next to him, while staring at the vortex.
"There are indeed four of them, but for some reason, two of them have disappeared from their Expanse Cosmoses. One of the two remaining tombs is here, and the other one is in Tiger Cagers' Expanse Cosmos," Zi Ruo quickly said.
Su Ming was silent for a moment. He moved forward, but just as he was about to step into the vortex and investigate it, Zi Ruo grit her teeth and immediately took a few steps forward.
"Senior Su, please wait. Old Man Extermination's tomb lays in our Expanse Cosmos, so even though he might be a legendary figure, our people could not help but go in there to investigate it. Over the years, we have come to understand it very well. If you have anything you need, I can serve as a guide for you."
Once Zi Ruo finished speaking, she looked at Su Ming.
He pondered over her words for a moment before he turned his head around to cast a glance at Zi Ruo. He saw a strange glow in her eyes, then nodded.
"Lead the way." As Su Ming spoke, he walked towards the vortex.
Zi Ruo immediately felt her spirits lift. A smile appeared on her face, and she flew forward to lead the way.
As for the bald crane, a thought appeared in its mind. Just as it was about to follow Su Ming, Yan Pei brought his hand up and caught the bald crane. It flew up in rage, believing that Yan Pei was humiliating it again, but just when its rage was about to reach boiling point, Yan Pei sighed.
"Oh well, since you can't appreciate an expression of goodwill and want to go with them, I will not stop you."
The bald crane was momentarily stunned. It blinked, then asked with a cold harrumph, "Huh? What do you mean?"
"Can't you tell that Zi Ruo volunteered to follow master?" Yan Pei asked in a profound manner while staring at the bald crane.
"So what? If she wants to follow him, then let her. Why can she be the only one who follows him? I'm telling you, young Yan Zi, there might be plenty of crystals hidden in the tomb!" the bald crane said in contempt while laughing coldly.
But just when it was about to turn around and follow Su Ming, Yan Pei sighed long and hard again. His sigh immediately caused the bald crane to feel goosebumps on its skin. It turned around again and glared at Yan Pei.
"Damn it, why do you keep sighing?! If you have something to say, then get straight to the point! I don't have time to indulge myself in flights of fancy!"
Yan Pei sighed in his heart and explained things in detail. "Zi Ruo is a beautiful woman. She volunteered to follow master on her own, and master did not refuse her. So… don't you think there is…"
"You mean, passionate love?" the bald crane immediately continued the sentence, then lifted its claw and scratched its head.
While it thought it over, Su Ming and Zi Ruo stepped into the black vortex and disappeared without a trace. When they were about to step in, Su Ming turned his head back to cast a glance at the bald crane. When he saw that it did not come with him, he did not bother about it either. The bald crane's safety was guaranteed in Dark Dawn's camp.
Besides, with the bald crane's cunning, it would usually come up with astonishing schemes when its life was in danger, or else it would have been impossible for it to have led such a good life before meeting Su Ming.
Its safety was especially guaranteed when it had the divine ability which allowed it to seem to be indescribably powerful when it was cast. It had also allowed the bald crane to deceive others and empty their pockets of crystals.
Once Su Ming stepped into the frozen vortex, his eyes shone as he looked around him.
"There are three layers to Old Man Extermination's tomb. Based on the investigations the Heavenly Foxes have conducted over the years, they are an imitation of the layers of heaven, earth, and man. The first layer is heaven. It is filled with a never-ending stretch of sky. All sorts of sky exist here, and it makes it impossible for people to find the entrance to the next layer.
"The second layer is earth. That place is filled with boundless land. Different sorts of terrain are connected together to form a hell without bounds.
"The last layer is the layer of man. Since ancient times, only one person from our people has managed to step into that place successfully. After he left behind a jade slip in the second layer, we lost all contact with this ancestor of ours," Zi Ruo explained.
Su Ming looked around him and found that they were surrounded by a stretch of blue sky.
Every direction around him was a part of the sky. There were white clouds amid the endless blue sky, and he felt as if he was standing in the sky. In fact, when Su Ming sent his divine sense across the area, he found that he could not figure out whether there was land beneath the stretch of sky despite the strength of his divine sense.
He could not see it!
This sort of matter was impossible, because the strength of Su Ming's divine sense came from his will, but it did happen, which meant that there was only one possibility. There was some sort of seal Su Ming could not understand in this place, and it was precisely because it that the sky appeared endless.
If he tried to search for the depths, he might end up walking in circles and walk through a spot repeatedly without even noticing it.
"Since you can't find the entrance to the second layer, how did your people manage to enter it?" Su Ming asked calmly.
Zi Ruo chuckled softly. She turned her head to look at Su Ming while standing beside him. Her faint makeup made it look as if spring itself was contained in her eyes. They twinkled brightly with intelligence. Her cherry pink lips were red even without lipstick and delicate like water droplets. The two locks of hair by her cheeks gently caressed her face as wind blew against her, adding a tempting charm to her.
She twirled her hair. In her long pink dress, her waist looked as if it would snap if anyone exerted force on it, and when she moved, she looked like a dazzling picture that was so beautiful it had no flaws and seemed like it came from another world.
Zi Ruo knew just how beautiful she was and just when and how she was supposed to present her beauty, such as at that moment. There was wind in the sky right then, and her hair was lifted by it. She used it to present her beauty to Su Ming.
'Hehe, even if you are an old monster with an unfathomable level of cultivation, I won't believe that you won't be tempted.' Zi Ruo looked at Su Ming with a charming smile, but as she stared at him, she saw him frown.
"I asked you a question," he said. The woman before him was indeed beautiful, but to Su Ming, she seemed to be slightly slow in her mind.
Su Ming's words immediately caused Zi Ruo's intention of showing off her beauty like a peacock spreading its tail feathers to instantly shatter. All her previous actions as well as her covert temptations to instantly crack and crumble.
"… That is because there are some strange gusts in the first layer. Once they form a whirlwind, it will create an invisible path leading to the entrance to the second layer, and it will suck us in it.
"But not all people can be sucked into it. There are some who can enter the second layer smoothly, and some who get rejected. There are even some who die.
"There are some type of Air Spirits in the first layer. They are invisible, but they can absorb your Qi and blood. The longer you stay here, the weaker you will get.
"The sky here is different as well. Right now, it is clear where we are, but if we move forward, soon, we will be able to see the sky in other forms, such as thunderstorms, a cloudy sky, a fog shrouded sky, a snowing sky, a rainy day… Different spirits exist in different pieces of sky. They also differ in terms of strength. The weak ones will not be able to even withstand a single blow, and the powerful ones are creatures that even those in Avacaniya Realm will find difficult to handle.
"But in the end, the first layer isn't that dangerous. The true danger lies in the second layer."
Zi Ruo felt a ball of frustration well up in her heart, but she could not show it. Hence, in her gloomy mood, she told Su Ming everything she knew in one go.
When Su Ming was in the first layer of Old Man Extermination's tomb, there were three figures standing in a Rune in the vast layer known as the Layer of Man, which was the third layer of Old Man Extermination's tomb. They were waiting for the activation of the Rune.
Naturally, those three people were the black-robed men Su Ming had been unable to detect!
Several breaths later, the Rune shone with a brilliant light, and the three figures disappeared. When they reappeared, they were already in another world…
It was a world filled with booming sounds. Over the countless years, it had always been filled with those loud bangs, making it seem like it was a world belonging to sound.
The galaxy trembled, and ripples spread out. When the booming sounds filled the area, the three black-robed men appeared before a huge ship.
That ship had an ancient air about it, as if it had come from ancient times. It floated in the galaxy, and behind it… was a huge gap.
The gap looked like it was made by someone tearing the galaxy open… and the Vast Expanse could be seen beyond it!
Chapter 1322: When One Harmonious Morus Alba is Destroyed, an Abnormality Will Definitely Appear
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The Vast Expanse was beyond Harmonious Morus Alba, and due to the existence of the gap, it filled the place with a large amount of aura from the universe beyond. It crashed against Harmonious Morus Alba's world and formed… the booming sounds that would never disappear.
In the gap was a huge ship. A figure could be seen sitting cross-legged at its bow. The person was dressed in a gray long robe, which had a toad with a dragon head embroidered on it.
That picture had never been seen in Arid Triad, Harmonious Morus Alba, or Dark Dawn as well as Saint Defier. It was a picture that did not belong to any of them!
The person dressed in the gray long robe was an old man. He had his head lowered, which hid his face. The only thing that could be seen was his long gray hair. He was only described as an old man because when anyone cast their gaze on him, they would sense the ancient presence coming from his person. It was the most direct feeling that would cause others to think he was an old man.
Once the three black-robed men saw the old man in gray, they knelt down and worshiped him.
"Master, after he devoured seven-tenths of Dark Dawn's Expanse Cosmoses, he entered the third marked board. He's at the first layer right now. We've already spread the rumors based on your instructions in the Expanse Cosmoses whose wills he devoured," one of the black-robed men said with a low, respectful tone.
"It's still not enough…" After a long while, an old voice came from the gray-robed figure sitting on the ship.
It had a strange accent. The old man might have been speaking in the language used by all the lives in Arid Triad and Harmonious Morus Alba, but he seemed to not want to change his native accent, causing all those who heard it once to never be able to forget it.
The black-robed man remained silent for a moment before he spoke. When he did, a grim and murderous expression appeared on his face. "Yes! We'll immediately go back and continue spreading rumors about this matter. As for Saint Defier… we'll pretend to be this person and devour the wills of the Expanse Cosmoses in Saint Defier's camp. We'll even begin killing them."
Once he finished speaking, his body immediately disappeared. The other two black-robed men beside him also disappeared with murderous looks on their faces. When they vanished, the ship sank into silence, but it was accompanied by the constant rumbles in the area, which never stopped.
In the relative silence, the gray-robed old man on the huge ship slowly lifted his head to reveal… a face with blue eyes. He was not at all old, but appeared to be nearing his middle age.
"When one Harmonious Morus Alba is destroyed, an anomaly will definitely appear! This is a destiny all nine Harmonious Morus Albas cannot escape… This butterfly is bound to perish in this aeon, and it means… that the strongest person of all aeons the butterfly has lived through will appear in this aeon!
"He'll be just like me in the past…" the gray-robed man mumbled. A tormented look of nostalgia appeared on his face. He lifted his right hand and clenched his fist tightly.
"Since they will be the strongest of all aeons in this Harmonious Morus Alba, external forces will be unable to destroy him. Only… by using Harmonious Morus Alba's own strength… will I be able to seal this person!
"I will seal you. Only once I seal you will I be able to fully execute my plan… How many times has it been?"
As the gray-robed man mumbled under his breath, a thought-provoking smile suddenly appeared at the corners of his lips. He brought his right hand up and swung his arm outwards.
With it, the rumbles in the Expanse Cosmos instantly grew much louder. At the same time, his ship gradually became indistinct amid the loud booms until it completely disappeared.
But it did not mean that the ship had left into the distance. Instead, it had hidden itself.
…..
Su Ming lifted his right hand and swung his arm. With a bang, violent gusts of wind howled in the first layer of Old Man Extermination's tomb. They charged towards the thunder and rain and crashed into them, resulting in a loud bang. Ripples spread through the sky and made it tremble nonstop.
It was a sky plagued by thunderstorms.
As the wind Su Ming stirred crashed against the thunder and rain in the sky, a huge whirlwind appeared. Su Ming stepped into it, but when he touched it, booming sounds shot into the air, and the whirlwind disintegrated.
"This is the ninth time!" Su Ming stood in the thunderstorm and stared at the disintegrating vortex before he turned his head to cast a glance at Zi Ruo.
There was a gentle screen of light around Zi Ruo's body. It blocked off the rain from touching her. At that moment, she looked at Su Ming with a slightly strange expression on her face. The whirlwind should have served as the entrance to the second layer, but they encountered them eight times before the last one, and to no avail. Each one was supposed to lead them out, but when Su Ming touched them, they would disintegrate.
It was the ninth time it had happened.
"This is…" Zi Ruo did not know what to say.
"Since there is someone who does not want to make my journey smoother and to let me step into the second layer, then…"
Su Ming cast a glance at the sky around them. He had long since noticed that there were spirits residing in the air. There were quite a number of them, hidden around them while they stared at Su Ming and Zi Ruo with greed.
"Then I will use my own method to open a gap."
When Su Ming said those words, he lifted his right hand and seized the air in the direction of the sky. With it, the sky roared. The thunderstorm instantly tumbled backwards, causing the rain to shudder. Shrill screams swiftly rang out in the sky.
They came from all the spirits around Su Ming who had been staring at him with greed. Once Su Ming seized the air, they were forced to show themselves, as if Su Ming's right hand had turned into a vortex that instantly sucked all of them towards him.
Su Ming let out a cold harrumph and spread out his will. His will instantly swept out in all directions and filled the raining sky, cloudy sky, snowing sky and all the other sorts of skies. He made them gather together, and the entire sky roared. All the spirits were herded by Su Ming's will towards him. They had to come, because Su Ming's will was like a death scythe. If they did not go towards him, they would surely die.
As the spirits in the sky continued gathering around him, their numbers gradually increased to an astonishing degree. Slowly, they grew to an amount where people could no longer calculate their numbers. Su Ming then pushed down with his right hand. With it, the innumerable spirits in the area charged towards him. They formed a whirlwind that was visible to the eye.
The whirlwind was shaped like a cone. At the instant it appeared, the booming sounds grew deafening. The whirlwind became larger and continued stretching to the area beneath them, as if it had turned into a spinning top.
As the booming sounds echoed in the air, visible distortions appeared in the area below them. Cracks instantly appeared, but they swiftly closed up. However, as the booming sounds became louder and the spirits continued swimming in the whirlwind while shuddering because Su Ming's will forced them to do it regardless of all costs, the mending of the cracks could no longer catch up to the rate they appeared. Cracking sounds rang out, and as more cracks appeared, the sky was drilled open.
Doing such a thing was not difficult to Su Ming. He only drove all the spirits to move, forcing them to break open the sky. However, when Zi Ruo saw this, her breathing quickened. Her pupils constricted, and a hint of shock appeared on her face.
This was the first time she saw Su Ming's true power, though she was a little unsure whether what he showed at that moment was truly the limits of his strength. After all, based on Su Ming's expression, he looked incredibly relaxed… but to Zi Ruo, being able to manipulate all the spirits in the first layer already exceeded the limits of her imagination.
After all, while the spirits varied in strength, the powerful ones were extremely troublesome existences that could even make those in Avacaniya Realm frown. Yet right then, when she looked across the land, she found that there was no end to the spirits, and there were quite a large number of the powerful ones… but not a single one of them showed any signs of disobedience to Su Ming's will. They were swimming around in the whirlwind, obeying his will to make the whirlwind become stronger.
This was enough to tell just how powerful Su Ming was. He terrified the spirits and made them tremble… but this was still not Su Ming's limit. The impact of this truth was incredibly strong on Zi Ruo, causing her breathing to quicken, and when she looked at Su Ming, her desire to push him down reached its peak.
She gave up on the thought to tempt him, because the events before had already proved to her that those methods were ineffective. No matter how she tried to show off her beauty, it was nothing in Su Ming's eyes. If that was the case, then it would be better for her to use other methods.
Zi Ruo forced down her excitement, and a hint of pink appeared in her eyes.
'I can only use the Great Inversing Soul Art! Fortunately, I've already made my preparations before this. Judging by the time, the arrangements I made in the tribe should have already been activated.
'Su Ming, I will definitely obtain you! Only the strongest of this aeon will be able to form the perfect life with me.' Zi Ruo clenched her fists, and as she gave herself motivation, her expression grew more determined.
Su Ming did not know what Zi Ruo was thinking, but when he saw the determined look on her face, a crease appeared between his eyebrows. He constantly felt that this woman only had beautiful looks but no brains, but based on logic, it was impossible for a stupid person to reach Avacaniya Realm.
Yet Zi Ruo was constantly slow to react and daydreamed all the time. Yet right then, for some weird reason, she appeared determined. If she harbored any sort of killing intent, Su Ming would have been able to notice it, but no matter how he looked at it, the woman did not seem to want to kill him.
Since that was the case, he chose not to pay any attention to her. He averted his gaze and fixed his stare on the whirlwind. At that instant, it suddenly let out a bang, and the cracks filling the air suddenly increased in number. When loud booming sounds shot into the air, a huge gap was dug out by the spinning vortex.
At the instant the gap appeared, Su Ming swung his arm, and the vortex dissipated. The countless spirits in it elbowed each other as they rushed in all directions.
Su Ming took a step forward and charged into the gap.
Zi Rui quickly followed him. The two of them turned into two long arcs that instantly vanished into the gap into the second layer of Old Man Extermination's tomb—the Layer of Earth.
At the instant he stepped in, Su Ming lifted his right hand without even looking around him. He seized the air above him, where the gap was, and when a great suction force spread out, the spirits who had dispersed swiftly come to a halt before they tumbled back towards the gap.
"Drill a hole through the second layer, and I will grant you freedom!"
As Su Ming's voice echoed in the air, he seized the spirits with his right hand and pushed them towards the ground. With it, the spirits immediately started howling. They charged towards the ground in resignation and formed a whirlwind to drill open a hole through the second layer as well.
Chapter 1323: Has He Arrived?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The second layer of Old Man Extermination's tomb was earth. The land there was the same as the ever-changing sky, which meant there were different terrains. There were mountains, plains, canyons, rivers, lakes, and oceans. All sorts of terrain could be seen, making people feel as if they could see the entire world when they looked over.
The volcanoes in the distance erupted. When lava flowed out, black fog spread through the area. The spot in which Su Ming descended was where one of the volcanoes had erupted.
He did not bother about it however. He pushed his right hand towards the ground, and the spirits charged to the ground with a howl and turned into a whirlwind. As they spun rapidly, they touched the ground like an awl. It caused the ground to tremble, and cracks instantly appeared on it.
Su Ming did not need to know how to enter the next layer. He would use his own method to break through all barriers. There were only a few people who could do this in the world, and Su Ming was strong enough to be one of them.
As the strongest of the his aeon, he had learned many secrets, and while Su Ming was lost as to where his future led, he did not have an ounce of respect towards Old Man Extermination. Instead, he was overflowing with fighting spirit.
At that moment, the ground trembled, and cracks swiftly spread out. Loud booming sounds came up from the ground. Su Ming stood on the volcano. At the moment he appeared, the volcano's eruptions ceased, as if Su Ming's appearance had caused the volcano to no longer dare erupt.
In fact, the countless ferocious beasts living in the second layer started trembling and hiding at that moment. They no longer dared to show even a single bit of their presence. Su Ming's descent and brought about an incredibly mighty pressure on these creatures, causing all of them to sense the shadow of death looming over them.
In just the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, a loud bang shook the sky. As the ground trembled, a huge gap appeared in it. The next moment, a great presence spread out from inside it, and when Su Ming sensed that presence, his eyes shrank swiftly.
The presence brought with it a will that strongly suggested that it did not belong to Harmonious Morus Alba. It was all over the place, and if Su Ming had not seen it before when he returned to the past once he cast his divine ability, it would have been difficult for him to tell that this presence… belonged to the vast and boundless universe beyond Harmonious Morus Alba.
Su Ming stared at the gap. After mulling over his thoughts for a while, he stepped into it, and when he reappeared, he was already in the so-called third layer of Old Man Extermination's tomb.
Almost at the same time Su Ming stepped in, Zi Ruo gritted her teeth and moved into the gap as well.
It was the third layer of Old Man Extermination's tomb, and it was also the final layer. It was where the Relocation Rune was located. Everything around there was indistinct, and it seemed as if no end to it could be seen. The indistinctiveness gave Su Ming an incredibly familiar feeling. It was incredibly similar to the Vast Expanse he had seen when he cast the divine ability of time.
However, there were also differences. Harmonious Morris Alba's presence was also in this vast space, which was why it was not truly a vast expanse of emptiness. Clearly, it was a connecting point linking both universes together.
This caused Su Ming to remember the murals he saw in the damaged hall when time reversed while he was in the Viridian Gods' Expanse Cosmos. The Viridian God in the past had also stepped into the Old Man Extermination's tomb and was Relocated when he in the third layer. He personally saw gap in space and Old Man Extermination coming through it from beyond the universe.
'If that is the case, then this so-called Old Man Extermination's tomb should have appeared before the Old Man Extermination arrived, so why… did Zi Ruo say that the tomb was built for Old Man Extermination.
'And there are four of them…'
Su Ming frowned and looked at Zi Ruo, who followed behind him. The woman had come with him all the way, but did not show any unusual signs. Even if she was familiar with this place, with how Su Ming had broken through the two layers, he did not need someone to lead him.
He thought that Zi Ruo was slightly slow-witted, but in truth, this woman was incredibly clever. When she saw Su Ming's gaze, she immediately knew what he was thinking and that she had not shown her abilities along the way. If this continued, then Su Ming would not allow her to follow him any longer.
'If I want to push him down, I must let him know my abilities first.'
Zi Ruo did not wait for Su Ming to speak. With a sparkle in her eyes, she lifted her hand, formed a seal, and pointed forward. With it, an image of a fox appeared behind her. It had white fur, and the instant it appeared, it lifted its head and howled at the sky.
As it howled, a white thread appeared in front of Zi Ruo. It twisted and spread out to quickly turn into a circle. While the white fox continued howling, its tail instantly split into two, then three, four, five…
When nine tails were behind the white fox, nine threads also appeared in front of Zi Ruo. They intersected with each other and stretched out to form a Rune.
Immediately after, the Rune shrank to turn into a white ball of thread the size of a fist. Nine rays of white light shot out from within it. They spread through the area, and after a moment, when the light disappeared, the white ball of thread swelled up, and in the blink of an eye, it grew to be several dozens of feet big.
Su Ming watched the Rune appear and grow larger while absorbed in thought. The white threads that formed the Rune seemed to be part of the laws in the place. Zi Ruo's divine ability allowed the user to extract the laws of the place no matter where they were, which gave it some mysterious aspects.
"This is the divine ability we of the Heavenly Foxes are born with. Senior, please have a look."
Zi Ruo's face was slightly pale. Clearly, executing her divine ability in that place was not easy for her. As she spoke, she lifted her hand and pointed at the Rune formed by the white threads.
With it, the Rune that was several dozens of feet big immediately shuddered. When it twisted again, it turned into a picture that almost looked like it had solid form. The edges around the picture were its borders, and there was a ball of white spots in the middle. Around that ball was a layer of fog.
It was not a Rune. It was clearly the structural plan of the third layer of the tomb!
The Heavenly Fox's divine ability could allow them to make any place reveal their layout to them, and Zi Ruo was pointing at the white spot at the center of the structural plan.
The moment she did so, the structural plan was immediately enlarged. As it continued growing, the white spot at the center showed them that it… was a Rune.
"This is it," Su Ming suddenly said.
Zi Ruo nodded. She lifted her hand and pointed at the enlarged Rune at the center. Immediately, Su Ming noticed that a Relocation power appeared around them. It instantly spread out, and with a loud bang, it devoured Su Ming and Zi Ruo's figures.
When Su Ming appeared again, there was an ancient and old Rune under his feet. Zi Ruo was beside him. Her face had become even paler. It could be said that she was completely in control of the third layer. She had first cast her people's divine ability and drew a simulation of the structural plan. Then, she had Relocated Su Ming where he wanted to be. This sort of Art that allowed its user to Relocate to any place they wanted in any Expanse Cosmos was something that even Su Ming did not see often.
He nodded towards Zi Ruo, and once a hint of admiration appeared on his face, he lowered his head to observe the old Rune beneath his feet. He did not know that once Zi Ruo noticed the admiration on his face, her spirits was immediately lifted.
That feeling was similar to eating a medicinal core that would provide her with great supplements. Zi Ruo's heart filled with excitement, as if obtaining Su Ming's admiration was the first step to success.
'Sooner or later, I will definitely push you down!' Zi Ruo swore in her heart while clenching her fists. She had already sworn this oath in her heart plenty of times during the journey, and it allowed her determination to grow stronger.
When Zi Ruo saw that Su Ming was observing the Rune beneath his feet, she cast a glance at it before she spoke gently. "This is a long-distance Relocation Rune. It should have been around for at least tens of thousands of years."
"You know about Runes?" Su Ming lifted his head and cast a glance at Zi Ruo.
"Just a bit." Zi Ruo might have said those words, but there was a hint of confidence on her face, causing Su Ming to think that while this woman was slightly slow in the head, she had some aspects about her that were adorable.
"Tell me about it."
Su Ming looked at Zi Ruo. He would willingly admit that he did not know much about Runes, and his knowledge could never compare to that of Hu Zi. The woman before him also seemed confident, as if she was certain of her knowledge.
"There are plenty of categories to Runes. Relocation Runes are a rather unique type, but no matter what sort of Relocation Rune they are, their only use is to Relocate." When Zi Ruo spoke of Runes, the confident look that appeared on her face caused her beauty to increase by several times.
"Since it is for Relocation, unless there is no fixed destination, there is definitely another point connected to this place. When the two points are connected together, they will form a path.
"These Runes are split into one-way or two-way Relocations. We can tell based on the structure of the Rune, no matter how complicated they are. They are only complicated to hide the direction of the Relocation and whether it allows a two-way Relocation.
"Look at this Rune. It might be old and complicated, but in truth, based on the loops, we can tell that this is a two-way Relocation Rune! Look at the structure of the Rune. The person who set it up in the past had unwittingly exposed what the Rune was for by trying to cover the truth with lots of complicated and unnecessary patterns. In truth… the distance of the Relocation should be… Huh?"
Zi Ruo spoke while observing the Rune, then she suddenly came to a halt.
The more Zi Ruo observed the Rune, the more she frowned. She then began to mumble under her breath. "This is an Interface Rune! This Relocation Rune will send the person to another world. This is… strange. This world doesn't belong to Dark Dawn, Saint Defier, or Arid Triad…"
A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. "Activate the Rune. When we are Relocated, we will know where it leads to."
Zi Ruo nodded. With Su Ming beside her, even if they did run into any danger, she was confident that he could resolve it.
She immediately lifted her right hand, and the nine-tailed white fox appeared behind her. When she pushed her right hand on the Rune, the nine-tailed white fox turned into nine rays of white light that instantly fused into it.
The Rune rumbled. Powerful light instantly filled the air, covering up Su Ming and Zi Ruo's figures. After a moment, when the light grew dimmer and everything returned to normal, the Rune remained in place, but Su Ming and Zi Ruo, who were originally standing inside it, were already gone.
…..
"Has he arrived?"
A low murmur could be heard from the hidden ancient ship near the gap leading to the Vast Expanse beyond.