1349 - 1355

Chapter 1349: If Only Loulan [1] Was Still Around

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

It was the first time the bald crane had said such a thing, and when Su Ming heard its words, he felt slightly miserable. He stared at the bald crane. To him, the bald crane was not a pet, but a friend. In fact, it was of equal status to Lei Chen, his eldest senior brother, second senior brother, and Hu Zi in Su Ming's heart.

Their friendship was like old wine. As time passed, it became more fragrant, and once he drank it, he would be drunk, and he could laugh happily his entire life.

"She is…" Su Ming said softly.

"She should be Fei Hua… I think so," the bald crane murmured.

It had watched the woman for one hundred something years. It did not know whether she had noticed it. The bald crane only knew that it wanted to watch her very much. There seemed to be a period of time when it had watched a woman like that before as well, and at that time, it seemed to have also noticed that there was a pair of eyes watching it.

And at that time, the bald crane did not think that it was a bald crane. To it, who was a being that could transform, the bald crane's form was the one it adapted the most, but it… had already forgotten whether this was really its original form.

It was a form of sadness, and even more so, a form of pain. It had already forgotten its earliest appearance and forgotten how it became the bald crane… It only vaguely remembered that it did not look like that in the past, but had been a cultivator.

Su Ming was silent for a while before saying softly, "I still have your physical body with me. If you want to… you can fuse with it. This will bring more of your memories back."

The bald crane fell silent… It had chosen not to fuse with its physical body in the past because it had a feeling that if it did so, it would have its memories restored… Once that happened however, another set of its memories would disappear.

The choice made it feel lost. Yet a voice that had been suppressed for years at a corner of its mind cried out shrilly at that moment. That voice became louder as time passed as if it wanted to affect the bald crane's mind.

"Fuse with your physical body and restore your memories. You are Kong Mo, a powerful warrior who has absolutely no respect for laws in this universe belonging to Harmonious Morus Alba. You are Kong Mo!

"Awakening Kong Mo would mean allowing yourself to wake up. It's Old Man Extermination who caused your physical body to be torn apart. It's Old Man Extermination who made you lose yourself after you fought with him. Wake up… find Old Man Extermination, and fight him again!"

"Get lost! Get out of my head!"

Blood capillaries appeared in the bald crane's eyes, and it swiftly began growling, suppressing the voice that was becoming louder in its heart. When it lifted its head, it looked at Su Ming.

"I don't want to turn into Kong Mo…"

As it spoke, the bald crane trembled slightly. It turned its head back and looked at the old woman sitting under the wooden house beside the lake. At that moment, she raised her head as well, and their gazes seemed to meet.

Tears fell from the bald crane's eyes, but they could not reach the ground. They could only disappear into the air…

"Let's go. We're leaving. Damn it, I still need to find more crystals!"

The bald crane swiftly turned around and changed into a long arc to leave. Su Ming watched it quietly. He could sense its sorrow and all the complicated emotions in it. When he turned his head around, he looked at the old woman, and he also saw tears in her eyes.

With a soft sigh, Su Ming brought his right hand and pointed at the old woman in the distance. With it, a vortex appeared at the center of the old woman's brow. Once it appeared, the ferocious figure of the Five-Faced Beast Deity rushed out from within. It turned into a long arc that charged at Su Ming. When it landed on his palm, Su Ming shook his head, turned around, and left.

"I've broken your Curse and restored your cultivation base…"

When Su Ming went away, he left a few words behind. They echoed in the ears of the old woman, whose face was slowly changing to that of a teenage girl.

The girl looked at the other side of the lake in a daze. It was the spot where the bald crane had lain during the one hundred something years.

Fei Hua did not care about the Curse's dissipation, and neither did she care about her face changing. But… there was no way she would not know that the person she had been waiting for had been quietly watching her for over one hundred years.

Even if his appearance had changed, it was impossible for her to forget that feeling, and it was also impossible for her to forget how many years she had waited for him. She did not long for him to appear before her. His companionship over the one hundred years from across the lake already made her feel content…

They were the warmest one hundred years in her life since she had reached Avacaniya Realm.

The girl sighed softly and lowered her head. When she brought her right hand up, she spread out an ancient picture before her. The canvas were already yellow, bearing the signs of time, but it could not hide the mischievous expression on the smug boy grinning brightly as he stood beside two girls.

"If only Loulan was still around…" the girl mumbled softly. She watched the boy in the picture for a time, then slowly closed her eyes.

…..

Su Ming left.

With the bald crane, he returned to Arid Triad's gap, and from there, they went back to Arid Triad's Expanse Cosmos.

A familiar galaxy, a familiar presence, and a familiar Morning Dao…

Su Ming was familiar with everything in that place. It was his home. Ninth Summit was as magnificent as ever. Its development over the one hundred something years turned it into an existence that reached the skies.

The intruders from Dark Dawn and Saint Defier had returned to their own Expanse Cosmoses when Su Mings formed by the three black-robed men had gone to slaughter their people. After that… they did not return.

The four war-torn True Worlds in Arid Triad had obtained a period of rare peace. The remaining cultivators started restoring their True Worlds, but it did not look like the four Great True Worlds could ever return to their former glory.

However, only a few people knew that the disaster was about to arrive; only a few people were aware that several hundred years later… they would no longer exist.

Su Ming stood beyond the disappeared Heavenly Incense Rune and stared quietly in the north. After a long while… he turned around, and with the still dispirited bald crane in tow, he appeared in a seemingly calm spot in the galaxy, located beside Ninth Summit.

It was a calm and quiet place. It seemed like a lake that would not billow. There were no ripples on its surface, but Su Ming still stood there for a long, long time.

"I'm going to meet two old acquaintances." Su Ming looked at the bald crane.

It nodded and looked at Ninth Summit.

"I miss the Abyss Dragon… We'll meet in Ninth Summit," the bald crane said dejectedly, then turned around and left.

When the bald crane disappeared, Su Ming stared at the calm galaxy and sighed softly. He noticed that once he woke up from his epiphany regarding Boundless Dao Realm, he was sighing for all the one hundred something years he had been gone. His expression grew slightly complicated when he took a step forward.

With that one step, the galaxy distorted. When it returned to normal, Su Ming felt as if he had stepped into another galaxy, one that was isolated from his True Morning Dao World's will.

At the instant he entered it, the three black-robed men sitting and meditating immediately lifted their heads.

They were the three great Apostles and had actually descended in Arid Triad under Old Man Extermination's orders quite a long time ago. However, when Su Ming was in the boy's planet and cast his divine ability under the sycamore tree, he had closed his eyes. Nothing unusual seemed to have happened at that time, but in truth, the moment he closed his eyes, he had appeared in Arid Triad. He did not execute any shocking Art, but had just distorted the galaxy and bound the three black-robed men.

When he stepped in and the three black-robed men looked in his direction, they stood up from their seated positions… and Su Ming appeared in front of them.

More accurately speaking, he appeared in front of each of the three black-robed men.

That was because in the galaxy Su Ming had distorted with his will, the three black-robed men might have seemed to be together, but they could not see each other. The world was divided into three layers, and each layer… bound a single person.

Su Ming divided himself into three when he arrived, sending one of himself in each layer.

In the first layer was the incredibly big and built black-robed man. He looked at Su Ming and snorted coldly. The noise he made had a domineering air, and when it appeared, it shook the galaxy.

Su Ming looked at the big and built figure, wrapped his fist in his palm, and said softly, "I, the Fourth God of Berserkers Su Ming, greet the First God of Berserkers… Senior Lie Shan Xiu."

The big and built black-robed man was silent for a while before he took off the hood over his head to reveal an extraordinary valiant face. It had an ancient air, but looked somewhat boorish. He… was Lie Shan Xiu!

There was a slightly complicated look on his face when he looked at Su Ming, but it could be clearly seen that his mind was clear, just as clear as that of the Progenitor of Abyss Builders. There was not a hint of his mind being controlled.

Their gazes met, and after a long while, Lie Shan Xiu spoke in a hoarse voice. "You should not have refused to become the fifth Apostle in the past."

He had a dignified and domineering tone that brook no argument, which stemmed from his personality. He was once the first God of Berserkers, and he had led the Berserkers to power. He had created the kingdom of Berserkers and even fought against the Immortals. He had accomplished feats that could not be surpassed and created the God of Berserkers Song.

Although had uttered only a few simple words while standing before Su Ming, it felt as if the laws in the galaxy around him were changing.

"You should not have stood against Master Extermination. You… don't understand his Dao, but since you acknowledge me as the God of Berserkers, come with me and meet our master. You will then understand that his Dao is the path all of us should pursue!"

Lie Shan Xiu turned his head and looked into space. He might not be able to see Ninth Summit, but he seemed to sense the many Berserkers there.

"We are not enemies. Let's go. Come with me and meet our Master Extermination…"

"What is his Dao?" Su Ming asked while staring at Lie Shan Xiu.

"The universe is about to be destroyed, and Harmonious Morus Alba is bound to die. His Dao is one that can create a chance for all of us to survive before we die. That chance will be slim, but if we can grab hold of it, then be it the Berserkers or the other races, we will be able to continue living in another Harmonious Morus Alba!" Lie Shan Xiu said without hesitation.

"That chance of survival… requires the use of my appearance and my name to stir up a bloody massacre in Dark Dawn and Saint Defier?" Su Ming asked softly.

Lie Shan Xiu fell silent, but it only lasted for three breaths before a firm look appeared in his eyes.

"That's right!".

Chapter 1350: Tian Xie Speaks with a Smile of Old Man Extermination's Rise to Power

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"His Dao is wrong," Su Ming said faintly.

"All lives have a small chance of survival… If they truly have that chance…" Su Ming did not finish his sentence.

"It doesn't matter whether it's wrong or right, whether you acknowledge it or not, if you serve to be an obstruction to this person who will provide this chance of survival… then no matter who you are, you are my enemy."

A brilliant glint shone in Lie Shan Xiu's eyes. When he spoke, a powerful presence erupted from his body.

"You cannot win against me."

Su Ming stared at Lie Shan Xiu. No matter how astonishing his presence was, in Su Ming's eyes, he was so weak that he was like a candle flame that could be extinguished easily if Su Ming ever so desired.

Lie Shan Xiu closed his eyes. When he opened them again, fighting spirit burned in them. He took a step forward and instantly closed in. When he lifted his right hand, he clenched his fist and threw a punch in Su Ming's direction.

When it struck space, the galaxy roared. Space distorted and tumbled about as if the galaxy had turned into an ocean. It swept up a huge wave that charged towards Su Ming as if it wanted to drown him. Su Ming did not move. He simply allowed the galaxy to distort and charge towards him, but at the instant it touched his body, it was as if he had turned invisible. Nothing about him changed.

Lie Shan Xiu narrowed his eyes. He moved again. This time, he appeared to Su Ming's right. He formed his left hand into the shape of a claw, then went to attack Su Ming… but his hand just seeped through Su Ming' body. What he touched was merely an illusion. It was as if Su Ming was standing before him and was real, but under his Art, he turned into a mere illusion.

"His Dao… Oh well, since you insist in believing in his Dao and that there is that small chance of survival… I will let you leave and let you follow Old Man Extermination so that you can pursue his Dao.

Su Ming closed his eyes. When he opened them, he said softly, "Three hundred something years later, let's see… just who is wrong."

Fatigue appeared on his face, and he swung his arm. Immediately, a vortex appeared not far from them. It led to Heaven Lacking Expanse Cosmos.

Su Ming was tired. His heart was tired, and his body was exhausted. Everything about him screamed fatigue when he saw Lie Shan Xiu's determination and saw him attack even though they should not have been enemies.

All of it left Su Ming incredibly tired. He still remembered how he had sensed Lie Shan Xiu's hesitation when he was still in Black Ink Planet, of how he had felt before he left the mountain.

At that moment, Su Ming finally understood what Lie Shan Xiu had been hesitant about. It was about Old Man Extermination's Dao, and once he chose to leave, perhaps in the depths of his heart, he had already come to believe in it.

Lie Shan Xiu stopped moving. He quietly pulled his hand back and stared at Su Ming with a complicated expression. He then turned around and walked towards the vortex. In his heart, he did not want to attack Su Ming either, but he believed that Old Man Extermination's choice was correct, which was why… he had to attack.

At the instant he stepped into the vortex, Lie Shan Xiu stopped. He did not turn his head back, but he spoke slowly,

"You are truly, without a doubt, the God of Berserkers… I am very happy to see that you have grown to reach such heights. If I am proven wrong three hundred years later…"

Lie Shan Xiu fell silent. He did not continue speaking, but instead lifted his foot and walked into the vortex until he disappeared.

Disappearing with him was the galaxy created for him as well as the Su Ming in it.

Within the second layer of the galaxy, Su Ming sat cross-legged in front of a black-robed man. He had already pulled back his hood to reveal a kindly face. There was gratification on his face along with a gentleness that a person would have when they looked at someone who was considered their junior.

That smile and that gratification would only be worn by two people when they were before Su Ming, one of them was his elder, and the other was Tian Xie Zi.

"You've grown up. You're no longer the child I took away from Han Mountain City in the past." Tian Xie Zi smiled faintly and stared at Su Ming as he spoke with a sentimental tone.

Su Ming looked back at Tian Xie Zi in a daze. This person was his Master in its truest sense. The old man had taught him how to calm and clear his heart, and it was this old man who had taught him to experience changes of the heart. If he did not do it, Su Ming would have definitely not accomplished his feats.

It was also the old man before him who had allowed him to experience the warmth of home. He brought Su Ming with him see what it meant to be powerful and showed the land of Shamans to tell him what it meant to hunt. After Su Ming went missing, the old man had stepped into the land of Shamans many times to search for him… until the moment he went missing himself.

Without him, the ninth summit was no longer complete. Without him, Su Ming and his senior brothers always felt pain in their hearts…

Su Ming stared at the old man and remembered his journey while searching for Tian Xie Zi in Divine Essence Star Ocean… In the end, he had reached the fifth ocean, and only during the very final moments he was there did Su Ming come to realize that Tian Xie Zi was there, but he had not noticed his Master.

"Master…" Su Ming's eyes were slightly moist as he murmured that one word.

"You resent me for not going to all of you, I know. Your eldest senior brother could take up the responsibility as your leader. Your second senior brother needed to experience even more trials, and as for Hu Zi… he is still young, but his potential is so great that it surpasses that of your eldest and second senior brothers. If he doesn't change that trouble-making attitude of his however, it will be difficult for him to accomplish great things.

"Only you…

"Your accomplishments are something I never expected. When I learned from Old Man Extermination that you have become the strongest in this aeon, I was very happy.

"I remember arguing privately with Lie Shan Xiu at that time about whether you belong to the Berserkers or whether you solely belong to the ninth summit. I can tell you that he is very happy. He is happy that such a powerful warrior appeared from the Berserkers," Tian Xie Zi said with a smile. His kindness and the gratified expression on his face were real.

Su Ming had already grown up. In fact, he had become so smart that he was already like an old monster. His wisdom was so great that it was larger than the galaxy. He was a darkness that night could not cover, but when he was before his elder and Tian Xie Zi, Su Ming felt as if he had returned to the past. He was still the child from Dark Mountain and the youngest in the ninth summit.

"Old Man Extermination's Dao… isn't as what Lie Shan Xiu had said. It isn't that accurate. Lie Shan Xiu isn't very certain whether Extermination's Dao will be successful either."

When Tian Xie Zi spoke, no surprise appeared on Su Ming's face. Tian Xie Zi could sense what Lie Shan Xiu had said. It was something Su Ming had realized from the moment he saw Tian Xie Zi.

Compared to Lie Shan Xiu, Tian Xie Zi's presence was not great, but there was a feeling about him that bordered on bizarre. Even Su Ming had to observe him carefully before he could tell what it was.

After all… Change of Heart was an Art created by Tian Xie Zi!

"He did not choose it, but only believes in it, because if he did not believe in it, his beliefs would crumble. Not everyone can be free of their burdens before they die. Sometimes that burden isn't their own lives, but for the most important things in their hearts. Because of that, Lie Shan Xiu cannot take a gamble.

"It is just like how the ninth summit and your tribe are the most important things to you. To Lie Shan Xiu, the most important thing is the Berserkers. He does not want their bloodline to end.

"That is why Old Man Extermination went to him. Once he made Lie Shan Xiu understand everything, he spoke of the small chance of survival, and naturally, Lie Shan Xiu chose to obey. Lie Shan Xiu is very smart. You are one of the paths for the Berserkers, and he is the other one. He does not care who is right and who is wrong, what he cares about is that in the end… someone must be right," Tian Xie Zi said slowly while looking at Su Ming. There was a profound look on his face.

"Old Man Extermination… came to me when I experienced my ninth change of heart. He turned all the ideals I had gained through my various changes of heart unstable, and he planted the thought that I couldn't fuse them together in my heart. That is why I have to see whether he is correct. If he is, then my thoughts will be clear and I will complete my Dao. If he isn't… my thoughts will still be clear, and I will still complete my Dao.

"What exactly do cultivators cultivate? To me, what we cultivate are simply beliefs. Lie Shan Xiu harbored no guilt in using your appearance to slaughter those from Dark Dawn and Saint Defier. He was not merciful, and he couldn't be merciful. This is related to his personality. Since he wants to gamble, he must put everything on the line.

"I don't like Lu Ya. He's far too sinister. I don't care if he has an evil heart, but that sinister and cold presence makes me disgusted When he kills, he never feels any sort of discomfort, because it is just what he wants. After all… before you he was the one known as the strongest in this aeon!"

Tian Xie Zi smiled softly and looked at Su Ming. Without him even needing to ask anything, Tian Xie Zi told him all of it.

"Do what you should do. The path is under your feet, and no one can interfere with it. They're not allowed to. Those who do… just kill them."

Tian Xie Zi stood up slowly and cast a glance at Su Ming again.

"I'll be leaving now to return to Old Man Extermination. Since he insists on interfering with my ninth change of heart, then I will either cut him down, or he will do it to me. This is my business. You can't interfere with it, and you don't need to. Three hundred years later… If I fail, come and take revenge for me. That will be enough."

Tian Xie Zi smiled in a manner that said he was free of his burdens and swung his arm, then walked into space.

"Tell your eldest senior brother that a head isn't a symbol of his aspirations. Not growing it is just him not being able to reconcile with himself. What does he think he is? Does he think it's cool? It's just plain stupid.

"And your second senior brother too. He had long since gone past his change of heart regarding love. Phantoms might receive the disaster of love most commonly, but he can't act this way. He just had his heart hurt once, so tell him to stop moaning about nothing. I can sometimes see him, and even I get angry when I see him being so useless.

"As for Hu Zi, tell him to sleep more. Entering Dreams is his Dao. When he needs to drink, let him drink. When he should sleep, tell him to sleep. When he wants to peek, let him. Why isn't he practicing his cultivation but getting addicted to fighting? With all that fighting, his whole body is covered in blood. Does he think it makes him look charming?"

Tian Xie Zi reached Su Ming's ears from a distance, and a smile slowly appeared on his face. He watched his Master disappear, but his words still lingered in his ears, which made his smile grow brighter.

That was the Tian Xie Zi Su ming knew. That was their Master. He did not have any inhibitions with his words, and when he scolded them, it made Su Ming feel as if he had returned to the ninth summit of the past…

Suddenly, Tian Xie Zi poked his head out from space. "By the way, I don't like Lu Ya. If you can kill him on the way, it'd save me the time of killing him myself." Once he said that, he disappeared once again…

Su Ming was momentarily stunned, then his smile became even wider. He stared at the spot where Tian Xie Zi had disappeared, and the love of a disciple for his Master was very obvious in his expression.

"Master, don't worry. Lu Ya will certainly die.".

Chapter 1351: Lu Ya Dies

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Su Ming did not know anything about Lu Ya. He was not unfamiliar with this name. He was the Sublime Paragon of the Fifth True World and the master of the treasured gourd. He once chased the bald crane to the ends of the universe after it lost its memories, though Su Ming had no idea which time it was.

The fact that he was one of the four Apostles of Happiness, Anger, Grief, and Resentment was everything that Su Ming knew about him.

But no matter who he was and how he had lived his life, Su Ming would obey Tian Xie Zi. Since Tian Xie Zi wanted that person to die, then Su Ming would attack.

Besides, Lu Ya had once chased the bald crane to the ends of the earth. With how protective Su Ming was of the ones he cared, regardless of whether what the bald crane did was right and whether Tian Xie Zi's words were objective, Su Ming would still choose to kill Lu Ya.

He watched Tian Xie Zi leave into the distance, then slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them, he was already standing before a black-robed man in the third layer of the galaxy.

There was a sinister and cold presence spreading out from that person. His eyes under the hood were freezing, and he looked at Su Ming coldly. He was the one who had said that the drop of blood would be able to deceive Su Ming while he was in Dark Dawn's camp.

Su Ming cast a glance at the black-robed man and said faintly, "Lu Ya?"

A glint appeared in the black-robed man's eyes. His expression grew wary, but also ghastly. He took a few steps back before turning into a long arc that swiftly rushed back. He seemed to be able to sense killing intent from the person before him.

Su Ming watched the black-robed man leave into the distance, then lifted his right hand and swung his arm. With it, the galaxy before him roared, distorting as if it was about to crumble. It swept towards the black-robed man, who was retreating swiftly, but who was still unable to avoid the destructive power that came from Su Ming.

When he saw that he was about to be struck, the black-robed man let out a shrill cry, came to a halt, and turned his head around. He formed a seal and pointed forward. The next moment, the shadow of a huge gourd appeared behind him. It had ninety-nine eyes, and at that moment, all of them opened to look at Su Ming.

"Treasured gourd, please kill him!"

When the black-robed man spoke hoarsely, the ninety-nine eyes shone, and ninety-nine wisps of white smoke flew out from the gourd. They turned into ninety-nine small humans that screamed together before turning into Su Ming charging towards him.

Thick murderous aura spread out from them. Su Ming immediately understood that all ninety-nine of the small humans had participated in the three black-robed men's act of pretending to be him while slaughtering the cultivators from Dark Dawn and Saint Defier.

"The strongest of this aeon… That young Tian Xie Zi's disciple and the brutish Lie Shan Xiu's fellow kinsman, hmm? I'd like to see just what makes you the strongest!"

Lu Ya swung his arm, and the ninety-nine eyes staring at Su Ming shone with killing intent. They rushed towards him, and a powerful presence erupted from their bodies. In the blink of an eye, they caused the galaxy to tremble.

During that moment, the ninety-nine Su Mings raised their right hands together and swung their arms, imitating his previous action. The moment they did that, the space before them distorted and shattered. They had completely imitated Su Ming's divine ability.

Booming sounds spread in every direction. The ninety-nine Su Mings' act of destroying space turned into a destructive power that formed a storm in the galaxy. It charged towards the destructive Art Su Ming had cast.

At the instant the two forces crashed into each other, deafening bang spread through the area with an intensity that could shake the sky and earth. As space shattered, the destructive power before Su Ming enveloped the ninety-nine Su Mings formed by the small humans like a tidal wave.

When it swept through the area, the little humans let out shrill screams of pain, and their flesh and blood were torn apart. They fell back, and most of them were immediately reduced to ashes.

The remaining few fell back in a disheveled state. Their bodies trembled, and it was difficult for them to keep Su Ming's form. Soon, they turned back into their original forms.

Shrill, crazed screams tumbled out of their mouths, but before they could do anything, the galactic storm Su Ming had formed when he flung his arm turned into a black hand that closed in on them. It spread open and seized them.The palm had grown to the size where its end could not be seen and seized the galaxy as well as all the remaining small humans.

With one squeeze, the galaxy rumbled. The remaining small humans all shattered while screaming in pain. But this was not the end. The black fist formed by Su Ming might have seized the galaxy, but it did not manage to grasp Lu Ya.

Once he fisted his hand, he threw a punch that instantly closed in on Lu Ya. At the instant the punch was thrown, Lu Ya distorted and changed places with the illusory gourd behind him, making it so the gourd had to face the punch formed by Su Ming's divine ability.

The punch landed, and loud booming sounds filled the galaxy, causing it to tremble and show signs of shattering. When the loud bang echoed in the air, the huge gourd shuddered. It was only able to last for three breaths before it shattered to pieces.

The force from it tumbled backwards, affecting Lu Ya, who was retreating at that moment. Lu Ya jolted, feeling as if a violent gust of wind had come crashing against his face. Most of his black robe was immediately torn, especially the hood covering his face. It was ripped to shreds… revealing a middle-aged man's face!

It was a face filled with firm resolution. Only his dark and sinister gaze caused the feeling he originally gave off to change. Because of his eyes, he gave off a sullen and cold-blooded air. There was a mark at the center of his brow, and it shaped into a gourd.

His gaze was like a blade, and it was fixated on Su Ming at that moment. Blood trickled down the corners of his lips, and it served as a background for the dark expression on his face. He exuded a feeling that Su Ming did not like.

"You should not have appeared, the Fifth True World should not have appeared, and the Abyss Builders should not have appeared even more so… The strongest in this aeon should have been me. The one with all the kismet gathered on me during the final aeon of this Harmonious Morus Alba should have been me!"

Lu Ya's voice was low. He did not shout. Once he spoke, he brought his right hand up and swiftly struck the center of his brow. With it, the mark of the gourd instantly turned red.

At the same time, his aura increased exponentially. His right hand also swelled up several times its original size. He raised his head and lifted his right hand, then with a cold sneer at the corners of his lips, he punched the space beneath him.

That punch stirred up a ripple whose center was his right hand. The ripple spread out like a tidal wave, and it looked like it would crush the galaxy, reducing the world formed by Su Ming's True Morning Dao World's will into pieces.

In truth, he could really do so. The world manifested by Su Ming's True Morning Dao World's will shattered under his punch, and True Morning Dao World's galaxy revealed itself.

Lu Ya threw his head back and laughed. He lifted his right hand and struck space again. This time, his body trembled violently, and overlapping shadows immediately appeared on him. In the blink of an eye, he gained thousands of clones, and all of them tumbled backwards in all directions, tearing through space and stepping into the galaxy. They were not running away, but were using different methods to head to Ninth Summit's world.

"Su Ming, you only have a little time. If you can't completely wipe off all of my clones… then your Ninth Summit will disappear from this world forever!" Lu Ya's thousands of clones said at the same time. Their voices echoed from every direction as if they were about to reach every corner of True Morning Dao World.

From the beginning till the end, Su Ming's expression remained indifferent. Even when Lu Ya escaped from the world he formed with his True World's will and the thousands of clones spread out, his expression did not change.

Only when Lu Ya said that he wanted to make Ninth Summit disappear from the world did a cold glare appear in Su Ming's eyes. They shone with killing intent, and he slowly lifted his head.

"You gave me… another reason to kill you," Su Ming said faintly in response to Lu Ya's crazed laughter.

Lu Ya's clones had already ripped apart the space, and Ninth Summit could be seen in the distance. In fact, some of the clones had already rushed over, and once they ran into the cultivators of Ninth Summit, they attacked.

But… Lu Ya soon realized that Ninth Summit disciples his clones met did not seem to have noticed any danger. It was as if they could not see Lu Ya's clones. They did not seem to have noticed or even heard them, and it filled Lu Ya's heart with trepidation.

When, the clones that charged into Ninth Summit were about to begin their slaughter, Lu Ya discovered to his shock that Ninth Summit disciples seemed to have become illusory. Divine abilities cast by his clones simply seeped through them as if they did not exist.

Soon, he came to a realization as to what was happening. What were illusory were not Ninth Summit disciples, but his clones!

"You never left," Su Ming said faintly, and the hearts of all Lu Ya's clones trembled. They looked around and immediately found that they were still in the world that Su Ming had formed and which was isolated from the rest of the universe.

It seemed to be a world inside a mirror. They could see what was happening outside, but could not touch it…

Lu Ya might have thought that he had left, but in truth… right when that thought appeared in his head, he was already stuck in that world forever.

Lu Ya's expression was incredibly sour. His clones moved again and spread through the area. They tore at space again, then stepped through those cracks again, then saw True Morning Dao World once more…

This process repeated itself again and again. Lu Ya continued tearing at the world as if he had gone mad, but every single time, he found that he was still in True Morning Dao World, and there seemed to be countless worlds around him that were all… also True Morning Dao World.

Only Su Ming remained standing in place. His expression had never changed since the beginning. He only watched Lu Ya's clones continue tearing space with an uninterested expression.

"Since you can't escape, then may everything turn to dust."

When Su Ming said those words out of the blue, he closed his eyes. As he did so, the entire world shuddered and shattered. Lu Ya's clones shattered along with it, which made Lu Ya's expression change drastically.

Chapter 1352: Snow Continued Falling

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Lu Ya's clones swiftly gathered together before turning into his body again. The galaxy around him seemed like it was True Morning Dao World, but it was like a huge net to him. Forget leaving, just trying to retain his existence was already an incredibly difficult task.

When Su Ming shut his eyes, the entire world shattered. Fear appeared on Lu Ya's face. An intense feeling that he was about to die rose like a roaring wave in his heart. The world shattered around him, and the destructive presence grew incredibly thick.

Madness appeared in Lu Ya's eyes. He lifted his right hand and struck the center of his brows again. With it, the mark of the treasured gourd at his forehead shone brightly. At the same time, Lu Ya's body withered, as if his life, his soul, and even his flesh and blood had been sucked into the mark between his eyebrows.

When he looked like a skeleton, the mark of the gourd shone with brilliant colors. When it shone in seven different colors, it left the center of his brow. A pained look appeared on Lu Ya's face, and when the destruction of the world closed in on him, a seven-colored gourd appeared before him.

Without the mark of the gourd at the center of his brow, Lu Ya looked much older, but the madness on his face grew stronger. He roared towards the heavens, and the seven-colored gourd shone with an even more brilliant seven-colored light. It immediately spread through the area, and once it wrapped his body within it, it launched its strongest counterattack against the incoming destruction of space.

At that moment, Su Ming's eyes had completely fallen shut.

There were no rumbles, no loud bangs, no shocking divine abilities, no changes, no Arts that caused the galaxy to tremble. The moment Su Ming's eyes fell shut, the entire world disappeared as if it had been wiped off, and that included the seven-colored light, the worlds that seemed to continue cloning themselves… as well as Lu Ya.

Once Su Ming closed his eyes, all struggles and resistance were so weak that they could not withstand even a single blow.

It was as if they no longer existed in his eyes, and that was why they were no longer in his mind… Hence, they ceased to exist.

When Su Ming opened his eyes again, everything around him returned to normal. He was in True Morning Dao World, and nothing in it had changed.

When Su Ming lifted his right hand, a seven-colored gourd appeared in his hand. There were countless cracks on it, and soon, it fell apart as ashes.

"Han Bu Zi's Dao is so overbearing that it is no weaker than the power of something existing if I just believe in it," Su Ming said softly.

Everything ended.

When Su Ming turned his hand over, he cast the ashes of the seven-colored gourd away. He then turned around and walked towards Ninth Summit.

He wanted to go home. In the hundreds of years left before the disaster, he did not want to go anywhere. He only wanted to go back to Ninth Summit, and while there… he wanted to quietly be beside his friends and family while waiting for the disaster to come.

Su Ming returned to Ninth Summit.

He had not come back for over a hundred years, but Ninth Summit had not stopped developing because of his absence. Instead, it flourished even more than before. The number of disciples had increased by a huge margin. Under second senior brother's lead, Ninth Summit headed towards the direction of becoming one of the great sects in the universe.

When Su Ming returned, he saw his senior brothers, Cang Lan, Xu Hui, Yu Xuan, his elder, and many familiar faces.

The passing of time seemed to become gentle at that moment. After returning to Ninth Summit, he did not leave again.

One day, snow fell from the sky. When it drifted down, it adorned the ground in white, making it shine with a silver light. The falling snow seemed to create the outline of a beautiful tomorrow.

There was snow, and there was wind.

Su Ming stood on a cliff and watched the snow falling from the sky. He remembered Bai Ling, but when he thought of her, he felt as if too much time had passed since then. There was a feeling of time and unfamiliarity.

Yet he could still see a boy and a girl walking into the distance on a snow-covered ground. Footprints were left behind them, but they were slowly covered by snow, deleting the way back home.

Vaguely, Su Ming also remembered Xiao Hong. He saw Dark Mountain and a boy dressed in beast skins. He was climbing the mountain and picking medicinal herbs while a red Fire Ape accompanied him. It was a period of time when everything was beautiful.

A smile appeared on Su Ming's lips. He saw the boy smiling as well, but his smile was unfamiliar. It was as if even his memories had become something of a distant past to him.

Yet he could still recall Dark Mountain Tribe and all the people in it.

Snow continued falling.

"What are you thinking of?" an old and kind voice asked from behind Su Ming. His elder had hobbled over to his side. A thick fur coat was draped over his shoulders.

Su Ming turned around and looked at his elder. There was a sentimental expression on his face.

"About all the nice moments in the past."

"You seem to like to think back on the past, just like someone as old as me." The elder smiled and looked at the snow in the distance.

"In the past, the tribe would be at its busiest during this season. The food for winter would be pretty much be ready by now. Bonfires would be lit in the tribe, and our tribesmen would surround it to get through the winter.

"You young La Sus would be the most excited." The elder smiled and shook his head.

"Yeah, I still remember young Tong Tong…" A little girl of six holding a pet in her arms appeared in Su Ming's mind.

"It's all in the past now." The elder was quiet for a while, and the ancient air about him seemed to become heavier. His body also seemed to have become much frailer. In the wind, it looked like he could even sense the cold.

"I'm old now…"

The elder shook his head and cast a glance at Su Ming. He then turned around and walked into the distance.

Su Ming looked at the elder's retreating back. It was no longer as big as he remembered from when he was young. He no longer looked as if he could lift the tribe up with his shoulders alone, as if he was the sky.

At that moment, that back seemed to belong to an old, mortal man. During his final years, he looked rather desolate… He was no longer the sky, but in Su Ming's eyes, he would forever be the elder of the past, his elder who protected him and the tribe.

Snow would did not fall for ten years, but a cycle of sixty years had already passed.

It allowed Su Ming to let go of everything in his heart. He no longer thought about the disaster and Arid Triad. He only placed his heart and soul in Ninth Summit, immersing himself in his friendship with his senior brothers as well as the companionship provided by Cang Lan, Xu Hui, and Yu Xuan.

It was his home as it had always been.

Eldest senior brother was no longer headless. Instead, after going into isolated training, he rebuilt his body and turned into the man Su Ming was once familiar with. During the ten years, second senior brother had married six women, and he would occasionally laugh happily, causing Su Ming to smile when he heard it.

Once Hu Zi heard Tian Xie Zi's lecture—delivered by Su Ming—he looked very hurt for several days, then he picked up his wine, started snoring without a care for the world, and very willingly… picked up his habit of peeking at others again.

The targets for his voyeurism included the female disciples of the sect as well as his second senior brother, which filled Ninth Summit with the atmosphere that sent Su Ming's mind back to the past.

Winter passed, and spring arrived. There were many flowers and plants that rose up all over Ninth Summit. Second senior brother was the one who had planted all of them. He seemed to like them a lot, but it was a pity that a figure that would occasionally appear during the night no longer showed up.

Autumn arrived, and in the autumn breeze, Su Ming sat outside his cave abode. There was wine placed beside him, and he sipped at it while he watching leaves fall. He savored the fragrance of wine drank during autumn. By his side was Cang Lan. She was quietly accompanying him while they watched Yu Xuan and Xu Hui sparring with divine abilities and Arts.

Xu Hui's competitiveness and Yu Xuan's refusal to back down caused the two women to constantly squabble and argue. Usually, when the sparks were about to be ignited, Cang Lan would say a few words that were seemingly spoken unintentionally, and the two women would start fighting.

At such a time, Su Ming would pick up a pot of wine and watch by the side with a smile. The time spent like that was incredibly beautiful, so beautiful that Su Ming would sometimes think… that if everything continued like that, it would be perfect.

Compared to him, the bald crane, who had long since returned to its usual self and had brought the Abyss Dragon outside in search for crystals because it felt bored. It took up all sorts of shapes and made the crystals in the disciples' pockets into its own with the Abyss Dragon.

This became the thing that it prided itself for the most. Every single time it succeeded, it would run excitedly to Su Ming, making him duplicate another set of crystals for it. To the bald crane, Su Ming's Art of making crystals was the best divine ability that had ever appeared in the universe, and it longed for it with all its heart.

Day after day, and year after year passed by. When second senior brother married his 37th wife, one hundred years had passed.

During them, Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos began trembling, and the tremors grew more distinct. Some cultivators had noticed that it seemed like the entire world was tilting. An invisible suction force seemed to turn the galaxy chaotic, and gradually, a barely discernible ripple appeared.

Oceans began to dry up in some planets. The lands cracked. It seemed like the planets were losing their life force…

Su Ming knew those changes. He could sense that they natural when Harmonious Morus Alba's wings were about to overlap. With each year, the signs became more prominent, and when the wings overlapped with each other, the disaster would descend.

During the hundred years, elder's body gradually became weaker. His life was about to end, and all signs of his life were about to be wiped off of the passage of time. He would not be able to last forever…

Su Ming remained in Ninth Summit, but when he shut his eyes, his body would appear in every part in Arid Triad. One morning, rain poured from the sky, coming down in torrents. When it fell on the ground, a curtain of rain was formed, causing the entire world to become indistinct.

"I should make a decision now…" Su Ming whispered softly while staring at the rain.

He could not choose the path to head to the Vast Expanse because even he did not have the confidence to survive there, and the second path was to fight against the black-robed young man. To Su Ming… this was a huge gamble, and he practically had no chance of winning.

He only had the third path… but Su Ming did not have the right to choose it himself.

Chapter 1353: Ferryman for One Life

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"My path goes from death to life, from midwinter to spring, the one in which all lives are resurrected… Right now, where am I on my path?" Su Ming stared at the rain while softly speaking to himself.

"I walked through the four seasons, walked through life and death, and I only ask to have my questions answered. I only wish to pursue the truth…" Su Ming shook his head.

"There are two hundred something years left… a cycle of four sixty years. It's very short. It's not long at all. I can't tell whether we will live or die. The matter of life and death is like the rust on a dagger under the setting sun. I don't understand it, and perhaps I will never be able to understand it." Su Ming sighed softly.

"I don't have the right to help them decide whether they want to live or die. I respect all the decisions made by the people beside me. I have never interfered with their choices and their resolve, because we are all equals, and because I care about them." Su Ming stared at the rain, and resolve gradually appeared on his face.

"But this time… I will not ask you to choose. Please let me… be selfish for perhaps the last time in my life. Please let me choose this path for you.

"I will not choose the first path, and I cannot choose the second path. As for the third path… if that world truly exists, I, Su Ming, swear that if I am not dead, be it millions of years or a period of time that will seem like an eternity, I will find all of you…

"If you can no longer see me, then please be like the tree Arid Triad knew and please forget me… treat it as if everything had never happened. Treat Harmonious Morus Alba as if it was someone else's dream. Treat it like a tale written by someone else.

"Pretend… that there has never been a person known as Su Ming in this world," Su Ming mumbled. As he spoke, the rain showed signs of stopping. The rate at which it poured down slowed down.

"Eldest senior brother, second senior brother, Hu Zi… the ninth summit is ours. It is the spirit our Master left behind for us. Right now, there are millions of disciples in Ninth Summit, but I can't send them all over. I can only send one hundred thousand and have to… give up on the others.

"Elder, the Berserkers are the continuation of your hope, and I am the God of Berserkers. I will protect the Berserkers' legacy. I'll try to send all one hundred thousand Berserkers to that world.

"Chang He, I promised you I would resurrect your wife. I have not forgotten this matter!

"Flame Fiends' Progenitor, I asked you to follow me while we were in Divine Essence Star Ocean. From the moment you agreed to it, I swore to do my best to not disappoint you.

"Zhu You Cai… I don't know what your relationship with the bald crane is… but you are you.

"Yu Xuan, should we have another life, and should we be fated to meet again, I will find you.

"Cang Lan, you've protected the Berserkers for years, and you are already in my heart. It is very cold, and it beats very slowly, and because of that, there aren't many faces within it… but you are there.

"Xu Hui… even if something similar to De Shun happens again, I will still do the same thing. Whether you agree to it or not, from the moment you decided to follow me, this was set in stone.

"Elder…" Su Ming shut his eyes.

"Lie Shan Xiu… our choices are different.

"Master… I cannot wait for you until your change of heart ends…"

As Su Ming mumbled, he lifted his right hand, then pushed down swiftly at the stones on the cliff under his feet.

The entire universe shuddered without a sound! The rain completely stopped, and Ninth Summit as well as the whole True Morning Dao World froze alongside it.

Yu Xuan was glaring at Xu Hui while about to to say something, but her expression had frozen like that for all eternity. Xu Hui looked smug, countering whatever Yu Xuan was doing, but similarly, her expression had also turned into an eternal picture.

Cang Lan remained smiling, but it was not directed at Yu Xuan or Xu Hui. Instead, she was looking at Su Ming. There were… tears in her eyes. It seemed like she knew everything due to her special power.

The elder sat by the lake quietly, watching the water. His eyes were closed.

Eldest senior brother sat cross-legged, meditating. No one could say how long he would remain like that. Second senior brother watched the women around him with a smile while shaking his head. He did not notice that there was a Rune shining in a mirror located at the door.

That Rune in the mirror led to Hu Zi, who was drinking wine while sniggering, though there was a cautious look on his face. He continuously watched another mirror on his palm as well.

Everything froze, including Chang He, the Flame Fiends' Progenitor, Zhu You Cai. Even all the Berserkers and the bald crane had also become still.

The bald crane had its beak clamped down on a crystal while talking about something to the Abyss Dragon beside it. However, at that moment, it did not move.

All of Ninth Summit and True Morning Dao World was like that. Only Su Ming could move right then.

"I believe that the world truly and surely exists."

As he mumbled to himself, he bit the tip of his tongue and coughed up a mouthful of blood. It instantly turned into blood fog that immediately enveloped all of Ninth Summit.

"Even if it did not exist to begin with, after this, it will surely exist. It is just like creating a world. With my beliefs, my will, and my everything… I will create that place!"

Su Ming swung his arm, and the blood fog immediately surged in the air. It filled the entirety of Ninth Summit, then tumbled in every direction.

"In that world, you will live well. You will not remember me, because I don't know whether there will be a day when I will appear in front of you…

"You will take with you my blessings. I will complete the most important execution of this Art in my life. For it, I will need a total of two cycles of sixty years to succeed.

"All of this is because I need to be sure that I will succeed. I have to ensure your success. You… will truly enter that world, and for that, I must believe… that the world truly exists!

"I don't know its name nor have I seen the universe where it exists, but I believe it exists. Its name… will surely be related to dust, because Harmonious Morus Alba will turn to dust soon. You will all be sent into that world by my hands. You will not decay. You are all… my family!" Su Ming declared calmly with deep love contained in his eyes. He then sat down an closed his eyes again.

When he did so, he made his yearning for everyone scatter, turning it into memories that repeated themselves in his mind, but they became stranded in his head.

When he closed his eyes, the repeating memories faded away, and his mind became quiet, but he felt as if someone was knocking at his mind in the wind, forcing him to remember.

When he closed his eyes, he found that… he could not forget all the things that had happened to him. His resignation could not win against the mortal sky, and in the end, it would just fade away. Everything in the world changed, and all the living had to bear the corrosion of time.

"I will use one hundred and twenty years to watch the version of myself hidden behind the Three-Life Stone [1] while he quietly depicts a normal life in words… In that life, I will be Su Ming, a disciple of the ninth summit, a member of Dark Mountain. I will be the loneliness you see.

"During that one life of one hundred and twenty years, I will be… your ferryman." Su Ming bowed his head. When he did so, wind blew through the silent Ninth Summit…

The wind formed a whirlwind that turned everything indistinct, then changed it into the one cycle of life that would last for one hundred and twenty years in Su Ming's world, because Su Ming could not just send everyone over just like that. He had to make sure he would succeed, which was why… he needed that much time. He needed an entire cycle of a mortal's life to do so… and for his will to turn into an illusory world where they could bid their final farewell.

In that world, the sky was clear and the wind gentle. It had no disaster nor any cultivators. It was a mortals' world, a blessing in the form of peace.

'The laws of fate I cultivated in my previous life have gathered on me for thousands of years, which is why I can personally row the boat for you and take you across the river known as the River of Forgetfulness. I can steer the boat… and bring you to the other side.'

The river rustled while an old boat was tied to its bank. Beside it was a wooden house with a teenage boy. He sat quietly and watched the sun rise and set. He watched the four seasons change and waited for people to come.

Spring, summer, autumn, winter. In the spring, the boy raised his head. He heard the sound of a horse galloping forward and saw a person in white on a white horse. It was a woman. She had a graceful and beautiful face, and her expression was gentle.

Her eyes were very beautiful, and the emotions contained within them were even more beautiful. When she stared at a person, they would forget the world. They would to stare into her eyes for all eternity.

'I've waited for seven seasons, and the first person to cross the river has arrived. It is Cang Lan.' The boy watched the approaching woman, and a smile bloomed on his face.

"Ferryman, what is this river?" The woman stopped by the river. Her beautiful eyes first examined the river before coming to the boy.

"The River of Forgetfulness."

The woman blinked and asked from her white horse, "And where does the other side of the river lead to?"

"I've never gone there before."

"Nonsense. If you've never gone there before, how can you steer your boat?"

The woman chuckled. She turned her horse and was about to leave, but then it seemed like she had thought of something, and she got off her horse.

"Oh well, let's see what's on the other side." As she spoke, she took a few steps forward and got onto the boat. She then looked at the boy.

He entered the boat too and began to row. The sound of rustling water could be heard. Under the setting sun, he slowly rowed the boat towards the other side of the river. During the entire journey, the boy sat at the end of the boat and did not speak. The woman, too, was silent. She sat at the bow of the boat and stared at the waters of the River of Forgetfulness. Gradually, anguish appeared on her face.

It was as if a wave of sorrow and grief she could not put to words had surged into her heart. It was as if the trip across the river had made her finish her previous life's journey. Its emotions gently dabbed her heart moist and turned into clear drops of tears that fell from her eyes, making her thin clothes wet.

The teardrops seemed to contain the yearning of her previous life, and it turned into waves of cold air that came crashing into her face. She woke up to the world, but those emotions fell gently into her heart again to turn into bits and pieces of sorrow. She wanted to wash them away, but they became light waves of sadness in her eyes that she could never wash away.

When they reached the other side of the river, the setting sun turned into a crescent moon. It was reflected on the River of Forgetfulness. The woman sat on the boat for a long time… She then turned her head around and looked at the boy. When she did so, she saw that the boy had grown up into a young man. He was Su Ming.

"We're here," Su Ming said softly while looking at the woman before him. A reluctance to part and deep affection was in his gaze.

"I know, but I feel… that I should be waiting for someone…" the woman whispered.

"He will come, if he can also get on my boat." Su Ming sighed softly.

The woman lowered her head. After a long while, she stood up, and at the moment she stepped off the boat, she turned around and stared at it leaving into the distance as well as the waters of the River of Forgetfulness.

"I'll wait for you…"

Her soft whisper reached Su Ming's ears. He heard it clearly.

In which year did the moon above the river first shine on the people? Who was the first person to see the moon above a river?

'In our previous life, our fates were tied together. But in this life, who will be the ferryman?'

Chapter 1354: Is the Other Side of the River a Riverbank?

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The ferryman stood on the sky in the endless river.

That sky was reflected on the River of Forgetfulness. The cliff was the never-ending water flowing to an unknown direction with loud rustling sounds, an endless river…

If anyone drank a mouthful of water from the River of Forgetfulness, they would forget the past, just like Su Ming. He rowed the boat and steered the oars. The splashes that rose from the water scattered, but some of them landed on his lips. They tasted bitter.

Su Ming was still at the River of Forgetfulness, and he looked as if he was in the wooden house that would never decay in the passage of time. He sat under its eaves quietly and watched the sky, the world, and the rise and fall of all lives while he waited for the next person to arrive under the rainy sky.

One day when the rain brought with it a hint of freshness in the searing heat, a person finally arrived outside the house at night.

It was a huge man. He was dressed in a long robe, was big and built, and had an awe-inspiring face.

He stopped quietly beside the wooden house and stared at the river silently. A miserable look was on his face.

"Ferryman," he whispered.

Su Ming, who sat under his wooden house, lifted his head. His face was hidden in the darkness. When he looked at the man, a smile appeared on his face. He had sent Cang Lan away, and now, his eldest senior brother had arrived.

"Is this river the River of Forgetfulness?" the man asked while staring at the river.

"Yes."

"Is the other side of the river a riverbank?"

"I don't know."

"I'm waiting for a person." The man turned his head around. When he looked at Su Ming, the moon shone on his face, revealing that there was a great reluctance to leave in his eyes, along with a sadness brought by parting that he could not tell.

Su Ming smiled. He got up and walked to the end of the boat, then turned his head around to look at the man calmly. The man was silent for a while before he laughed. His laughter grew louder, and as he laughed, it looked like tears were about to fall from his eyes. With a single step, he landed onto the bow of the boat and sat down.

The lonely ship headed forward. During the night, rain fell in the River of Forgetfulness, creating endless splashes. The rain also fell in the boat, knocking against the wood, as if it was recalling the passengers' past lives and speaking of their future lives.

In the past, they were fellow brothers under the same Master. In the next life, they sat in the same boat in the River of Forgetfulness. Su Ming stared into the distance. The faint smile on his face gradually turned into a soft sigh in his heart. When they reached the riverbank, the man stood up in silence and stepped off the boat.

"The person I'm waiting for is my youngest senior brother. Ferryman, if I might trouble you, if you see him, tell him… then he must come!"

While speaking, the man did not turn his head back. He took huge strides forward and walked into the distance.

Su Ming stared at the man's back, and after a long while, he nodded slightly.

"I will."

He turned around and rowed the solitary boat back to the place at which he should wait for the next person to arrive.

The rainy nights during that season seemed to leave at a slightly slower pace than before. Even if a few months had passed, rain still poured from the sky, be it day or night. It was as if there was someone crying in the sky. When their tears fell into the mortal world, they turned into rain.

It seemed especially so during the night. When wind blew, the rain would land everywhere: the ground, the leaves, the bow of the boat, the river, and the eaves benath which Su Ming sat . The different sounds created by it reached his ears at the same time, forming a song of the world that could be easily ignored if someone did not listen carefully.

Su Ming sat under the eaves, fusing with the darkness. He listened to the rain and calmed his heart as he stared at the distance. He quietly sat through the chill brought by the rain, and when midnight arrived, he lit a lamp. He placed it under the eaves, then carefully placed a cover over it, causing the wind blowing towards him to be unable to extinguish it. The lap became the only source of light in the darkness… that would lead the way for anyone who would arrive at night so they would not get lost.

As he stared at the lamp, Su Ming no longer thought of his past. He did not think of his level of cultivation nor cared about the disaster descending or Arid Triad. The only thing he cared about was being the ferryman who would carry his friends and his loved ones to the other side of the river during the one hundred and twenty years.

At some unknown point of time, a rain cape made of straw covered Su Ming's heart, and a straw hat was placed on his soul. He bent his head down, and under the straw hat, he stared at the candle flame beneath the cover of the lamp. He saw the world in the candle flame, and he also saw the happiness, anger, grief, and joy of those he was familiar with in it.

When dawn was about to arrive, a phantom came to him.

The phantom was hidden in darkness. He stood across from Su Ming and watched the candle flame protected by the cover with him. As he did so, complicated look he could not describe appeared in his eyes. Slowly, he lifted his head and looked at Su Ming.

"You can fool everyone else, but you can't fool me… Since this is your decision, I only hope… that there will be a day where I will be able to find my youngest junior brother again.

"In this life, you are a ferryman, so let's go. Bring me across the river." The phantom smiled, but his expression was very bitter and filled with anguish.

Su Ming raised his head and stared at the phantom before him, who was his second senior brother. He quietly stood up, entered the boat, steered the oars silently, and reached the other side of the riverbank.

"I didn't bring any money for the fare," the phantom said slowly while standing at the bow of the ship.

"You already gave it to me in your previous life."

Su Ming shook his head and sent his second senior brother off with his gaze. Once second senior brother heard his words, he seemed to have smiled. There was a reluctance to part in that expression, and even if the River of Forgetfulness and the solitary boat were between them, that smile was still very distinct when he turned his head around.

"This should have never been your responsibility."

"It's what I wanted."

The boat left into the distance on the River of Forgetfulness. The two banks were a person's past life and their new life, the past and the present, and perhaps an eternity in which the two people could never meet again… He could not tell whether he was sending him off, or whether he was sending him off…

Su Ming knew who that he was referring, and his second senior brother knew as well. Perhaps other people would understand it also.

He sent Cang Lan to the other side of the riverbank as well as eldest senior brother. He watched second senior brother leaving into the distance too.

Under that gaze, Su Ming returned to the place he belonged to for the one hundred twenty years—beside the wooden house that would never decay in the passage of time. However… while the wooden house would never decay, Su Ming was no longer a young man. He had turned into a middle-aged man.

There was a stubble on his face and a faint sense of age. However, most of his face was covered by the straw hat. The sun could not shine on him, and his gaze could not be seen clearly either. Perhaps only the flame before him could see him sighing softly.

The rainy season seemed about to end.

On one of the rainy nights that Su Ming was staring at the candle flame, he turned his head around and looked at a spot next to the wooden house. At some unknown point of time, a small white flower had bloomed there.

It was very beautiful, but it shuddered in the rain. Still, it persisted in blooming. That flower was a daylily.

A daylily in the rain brought with it a strength and a beauty, just like a woman.

It bloomed quietly. It did not exude a heavy fragrance nor had a natural gorgeousness. It was a very simple and normal flower, but during the rainy night, it was the only thing in Su Ming's eyes.

After seeing it, Su Ming walked over. A paper umbrella appeared in his hand, and he provide shelter for the white daylily. The umbrella was not big, but it could block off all the wind and rain, providing warmth for the small white flower. At that moment, Su Ming thought he could see a woman smiling at him.

Her smile was very beautiful. A faint smile appeared on Su Ming's face too as he quietly watched the flower. It seemed as if he could watch it for his whole life.

The rainy season was over just like that. When the autumn wind came, Su Ming put the small white flower in a pot and placed it beside himself. He used his body warmth to protect it, and it became his companion.

From the distance, it seemed like there was a woman sitting beside Su Ming. She sat shoulder to shoulder with him and watched the sun rise and set. They watched the moon together and counted the stars together.

As the leaves scattered with the wind, one of them flew before Su Ming. It landed on the palm he had raised. That leaf was dyed the colors of autumn, and its distinct veins looked like someone's life. A person could count them to see it.

The most beautiful moment of autumn was not the autumn leaves dancing in the wind, but the setting sun. With red light, the sun slowly sank om the sky. Its lingering rays shone on the ground, elongating Su Ming's shadow , but if anyone looked closely, they would be able to find that the shadow, now growing longer, was also slowly becoming fainter.

When dusk was over, his shadow would disappear. No one would then be able to tell whether it had fused with the ground or the darkness, just like how a person would not be able to tell when time ended, and whether… there would truly come a day when they could meet in a distant world.

That feeling was a sadness brought by autumn. At that moment, while staring at the autumn leaf on his palm, Su Ming sighed. It made it seem like he wanted to let out all his yearning during the latter half of the one hundred and twenty years.

Dusk was almost over. When Su Ming's shadow fused with the River of Forgetfulness, he could no longer see his shadow behind him, and neither could he see that there was a woman's shadow beside his.

Time seemed to have paused at that moment, and the scene was very beautiful.

Autumn leaves fell, and some of them landed in the River of Forgetfulness, stirring up ripples. It made Su Ming's shadow waver slightly, and the woman's shadow looked like it was about to melt.

The picture no longer seemed to be one of calmness.

When Su Ming lowered his head, he noticed that the small white flower was about to wither, but she was making itself stay out of sheer force of will so that it could be by his side for a little longer.

When Su Ming raised his head, he saw a woman in a red dress with a hint of arrogance on her face and a sword behind her back walking from the distance in the dusk. She did not move quickly, but when she appeared, she attracted all attention. This was not due to her beauty, but the strength of her heart.

She did not have an average woman's grace, but a mature charm. She was just like her robes, as red and as proud as the sun. From the distance, she looked like a feisty horse. If someone had the ability to tame her, she would belong to them.

But if they could not tame her, she would stay in the distance.

"Ferryman, do you have wine?" Upon coming closer, the woman stopped by the wooden house. There was a profound look in her gaze as she looked at Su Ming.

He lifted his head and smiled.

"Hmm? You aren't that young, but you look rather charming."

The woman cast Su Ming a glance, then suddenly took a few steps forward to get close to him and scrutinize his face.

"I don't have wine, but perhaps there is some at the other side of the river," Su Ming said with a smile.

"Then what are you waiting for? Row the boat!"

The woman smiled, and her expression was like a rose blooming.

When she stepped into the boat and turned her head around, she saw Su Ming getting up and bringing the almost withered white flower to the tail of the boat.

At the instant the sun set, a boat set off on the River of Forgetfulness. There were… three shadows on the other side of the river.

Chapter 1355: Home… Was No Longer Far Away

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Cang Lan had left. Eldest senior brother, second senior brother, Xu Hui, and Yu Xuan had also sat on Su Ming's boat and reached the other side of the River of Forgetfulness. Su Ming went back and forth through the river in circles, just like how life and death moves back and forth in circles.

Time passed, and an unknown number of years went by without Su Ming's knowledge. He was no longer a middle-aged man, but had white hair on his head. He had already turned into an old man.

In the setting sun, he was an old man with a straw hat sitting on a lonely boat.

He stayed alone as time passed outside the wooden house. One cycle of sixty years went by just like that. From the start to the end, Su Ming never took even half a step into the wooden house. It was as if its door was a ravine separating the sky and earth. On the other side of it was a place where everything woke up, and on this side were the lights from all the houses on the ground while Su Ming sat and stared at the lamp he had lit.

The winter arrived incredibly early. Snow fell and covered the ground. If anyone took a look outside, they would no longer remember how green looked like. The cold brought with it a chill that seemed to be able to freeze everything, but the waters of the River of Forgetfulness were a flame that the cold could never freeze…

The other riverbank seemed to still be in spring. The vague beauty and brilliance of flowers on the other side could be seen.

The river's two banks were separated by the cycles of life and death, by the world, and by each individual person…

The freezing wind howled, and sow filled the entire world. On a day when the sun hung high in the sky and a person would only see a world covered in snow when they raised their head, the sound of horse hooves rang in the air. Judging by the sound of them, there was more than a single person coming over, but a group…

When Su Ming looked over, he saw nearly one hundred thousand people donned in armor and riding war horses charging forth from the blizzard in the distance. The person in the lead was a man riding on a purplish red horse. He was dressed in golden armor atop a fur shirt while his blood-red cloak fluttered in the wind.

There were nails embedded into his horse's horseshoes to prevent it from sliding down. The noise the horse made when it galloped forward was incredibly clear, despite the snow and mixing with all the other sounds of the horses charging forth.

There was no other sound coming from the one hundred thousand people. Each of them silently followed the person in the blood-red cloak in the lead. They seemed ready to go with him through mountains, worlds, and their present and next lives.

They were a huge army that existed in the world which belonged to all lives. The huge, tiger-like man in the lead had eyes that seemed to burn with rage. When he glared, his face was awe-inspiring, and it was enough to make the cowardly shudder once they saw him. They would not dare to meet his gaze.

That man was clearly the army's general, who was shrouded with a murderous aura. In his left hand he held the reins of the horse, and in his right he held a pot of wine. He drank from it nonstop.

The fragrance of wine filled the air, but the man did not appear drunk. Instead, his murderous aura grew stronger. He exuded a heroic presence, and the white smoke he breathed out seemed to fuse together with the white puffs of air from his horse. The army of one hundred thousand people seemed to be hidden behind a storm of white sand.

When anyone looked at the geneal, they would be unable to avoid getting a deep impression of him.

The sound of horse hooves ws not chaotic and gradually stopped before Su Ming's wooden house. Su Ming lifted his head and looked at the army—it stretched to an endless distance. He loooked at the one hundred thousand faces, then directed his gaze to the man in the lead.

The man who looked like a tiger took a big swig from his wine pot, but he did not look tipsy. A murderous light shone in his eyes when he glared over.

Su Ming was looking back at him. When their gazes met, the tiger-like man picked up his pot of wine and took a big gulp from it again. The breath he exhaled turned into white mist when he shouted loudly.

"Hey, ferryman, why do you look so familiar? Could it be that this Grandpa Hu has met you before? Tell me, have you seen me before?!"

The man's voice was like a tidal wave and a thunderous clap. When it echoed in the area, the horse under him shuddered from the shock delivered by the volume of his voice. It was as if it was not carrying a person, but a real tiger.

Su Ming smiled. His smile was very happy. He had finally seen Hu Zi as well as the one hundred thousand Ninth Summit's disciples he led. They had once followed him to conquer the galaxy and swept through all places with him.

The right to decide which Ninth Summit disciples were to go to the other side of the riverbank was clearly not in eldest senior brother's hands, since he did not care, and not in second senior brother's hands either, because he had handed this right to Hu Zi.

Even though Su Ming had already told Hu Zi Tian Xie Zi's words and Hu Zi understood what he meant, but in this life, he still chose to be with Ninth Summit's disciples until eternity and until they reachedd the other side of the riverbank.

And then, they had finally reached the river.

"Of course you know me, you're my senior brother," Su Ming said softly. He stood up and walked into the boat. When he turned his head and looked at Hu Zi, he nodded with a smile.

"I've waited for you for a long time. Our eldest senior brother is there, and our second senior brother too. They are both waiting for you…"

Su Ming's voice echoed in the winter land. When it reached the tiger-like man's ears, he was stunned. Confusion appeared on his face, as if memories from his past and new life had overlapped at that instant. His grip on the pot of wine loosened without his knowledge, and the pot fell to the ground… The porcelain shattered, and the wine in it spilled out…

The wine seemed like one hundred thousand drops of water that fused with the snow and ice on the ground…

The man shook his head, then seized the air with his right hand. The time on the shattered wine pot seemed to distort, and the wine that had fused with the snow and ice gathred back. In the end, the shards turned into an undamaged pot of wine that appeared in the man's hand again.

At that moment, the one hundred thousand man army behind him turned into nothingness and disappeared.

There was some sort of understanding on the man's face. He got down from his horse and stepped into Su Ming's boat, where he sat down at the bow of the boat.

A moment ago, they were still by the riverbank, and the next instant, they had already crossed the River of Forgetfulness and reached the other side . The person at the bow of the boat seemed to have immersed himself in a cycle of life and death during that moment. He sat in a daze with a pot of wine in his hand. When he turned his head around, he looked at the ferryman at the end of the boat.

"Youngest junior brother…"

When a murmur tumbled out of the man's lips, the sound of water falling on the boat echoed in the air, but it was not due to rain from the sky. The sound came from Hu Zi's tears.

While still wearing the straw hat, Su Ming lifted his head and looked at Hu Zi with a smile on his face. It held his blessings, causing the winter to no longer be cold, and making it so that even the River of Forgetfulness seemed to have turned into the Milky Way.

"Eldest senior brother and second senior brother are there, but you're not…" Hu Zi stared at Su Ming absent-mindedly. He felt as if he could hear a phrase that might belong to the past or the present.

"Hu Zi, don't cry…"

The solitary boat still left in the end. The empty bow of the ship seemed to serve as a background for the bleakness at the end of the ship.

Hu Zi could be seen staring at the solitary boat leaving into the distance from the other side, and it was… as if second senior brother and eldest senior brother were by his side, staring at the River of Forgetfulness together with him. They wanted to use their gazes to keep the image of the ninth summit of the past in their minds.

Another ten years passed.

A scholar came forward with a box of books behind his back. He walked under the skies of spring, and the scroll in his hand seemed to hide words that would last for eternity in the world. During a day when the sun hung high in the sky, he arrived outside the wooden house and stood beside Su Ming.

"A fortune teller told me I have lost a part of my soul. He told me to walk in the direction to the east, to move through mountains, rivers, plains, spring, summer, autumn, winter, until I see a river, a wooden house, and a ferryman who will let me find the missing part of my soul…

"Is that you?"

Su Ming lifted his head. The straw hat shielded him from the sun, causing the ancient look on his face to be indistinct. He stared at the scholar before him and the scroll in his hand, and a gentle look appeared on his face.

The man was Chang He. Su Ming had once promised him that he would resurrect his wife, and he had never forgotten this promise. The promise in the past was a cause, and right then… Chang He's words were telling him that he wanted his results.

"It's me," Su Ming said faintly.

"Then where is the other part of my soul?" the scholar asked Su Ming.

Su Ming closed his eyes. After a long while, he opened his eyes and said gently, "She's in your hand."

The scholar was momentarily taken aback. He then bent his head to look at the scroll in his hand as if he had come to an understanding. He opened the scroll, and when he looked at it… the words in it had disappeared to form into a picture.

In that picture was a woman. She looked to be alive and staring back at him with a smile as if she had been looking at him for thousands of years and waiting to appear before his eyes.

The scholar was silent for a while before he lifted his head to look at Su Ming. "But this… is just a picture."

"Look at the other side of the river." Su Ming stood up with a smile and went to the end of the boat.

The scholar looked in the direction where Su Ming had looked, to the other bank of the River of Forgetfulness. There seemed to be a vague shadow of a woman's figure standing there.

As he watched, the scholar began to smile in a way of his previous life. He entered the boat, and as it moved through the River of Forgetfulness, the figure on the shore became clearer and closer to them. When they reached the bank and he got off, he looked at the woman. The two of them watched each other for a long time. When they turned their heads around, they could no longer see the lone boat belonging to Su Ming in the River of Forgetfulness.

Half of the second cycle of sixty years had passed without his knowledge. During another autumn, an old man arrived outside Su Ming's wooden house.

The old man was dressed in a sackcloth, and his white hair danced in the autumn wind. There were a lot of wrinkles on his face, and each of them seemed to contain a sense of age. He walked to the River of Forgetfulness and stared at its waters. After a long while, he turned his head around and looked at Su Ming, who had stood up under the wooden house.

"Many years ago, a scholar came to me. I told him to head east over mountains, rivers, and plains until he saw a wooden house. The person he sought would be waiting for him there."

There was a kindly look on the old man's face when he looked at Su Ming.

Su Ming stared at the old man, and an expression that was rarely seen on appeared on his face—one of a member of a younger generation seing a senior member of their family.

"Elder…"

"Come. Take me across the river."

The old man's expression became even more kindly and affectionate. When he looked at Su Ming, gratification and a reluctance to part appeared in his eyes, but he did not give voice to his feelings. Instead, he sat down at the bow of the boat.

The sun set in the west, and the sky turned dark. Glittering stars lit up, and the boat arrived at the other side of the river.

The elder turned his head around to look at Su Ming, then spoke softly, with his words holding great significance."Remember this sky.

"It will be the guide leading you back home during the night… Every time you lose your way home, raise your head and look at the sky. If you can see these stars, you will know that your home… is no longer far away, and your family… is waiting for you."