1426 - 1433

Chapter 1426: When I Cut It Down, I Shall Reach Boundless Dao Realm!

Su Ming focused. The old man occasionally appeared serious when acting out, so other people were often unable to tell whether he was truly serious or just faking it.

However, at that moment, when Su Ming looked at the old man, for some unknown reason, he had a vague feeling that the old man had an unprecedentedly stern air around him… as if it was truly a serendipity for Su Ming to enter.

In silence, Su Ming looked ahead with a contemplative look in his eyes. The old man did not say anything. Instead, he returned to his house. The door was half open as if it was a choice for Su Ming…

"If I go through the door…" Su Ming said softly.

The door was half open, which was a very simple hint. Once he stepped through the door, it would mean that he had come under the old man's tutelage and became his direct disciple!

Once he got status of the old man's disciple and gained the ruffian of Ancient Zang as his Master, his path in the future would most likely be a smooth sail. That was clearly Gu Tai's goal. He had brought Su Ming there for that specific reason!

After going through the various tests, Su Ming had obtained the old man's acknowledgement… and hence, the door was half open for him.

If he was truly the third prince, then once he stepped through the door, it would mean that he was already half a step away from becoming the emperor. He would be ahead of the eldest and second princes. In fact, based on the old man's personality, he was definitely very protective of his own.

But… what stopped Su Ming from taking that one step was not the door, not the old man's lack of reliability, and neither was it because he did not want to have a date with the woman. Su Ming did not care about all those things, because he knew that even when a person personally saw something and personally heard something, it did not mean that what they saw and heard was real. The old man naturally had his own reasons for doing it, and once Su Ming saw the half-opened door, he understood the old man's thoughts. However, what he cared about was that…

He was not the third prince. This thought constantly echoed in his heart. He had to tell himself nonstop that it was a process of him Possessing Xuan Zang!

He could enter Seven Moons Sect, could get to know Gu Tai, could somewhat acknowledge Xu Zhong Fan as his Master, but all of these things were just superficial. In Su Ming's heart, he had not acknowledged even a single person or thing in the world.

He did not want to form even the slightest connection or be tied down by anything in the unfamiliar word. Once it happened… he was worried that he would be unable to tell just where he was.

Coming under the tutelage of a person was a small matter, but with Su Ming's personality, he knew that if he chose to step through the door, he would truly form a connection with the old man, and once it happened, it would mean that the first thread had appeared in a net that was just waiting to be formed. Then, more threads would continuously be formed until they created a perfect net to envelope Su Ming…

There was no way he could not fall silent when faced with such a matter.

Time trickled by, and an hour later, the door to the house was opened completely. The woman walked out with a pale face. Not a single article of her clothing was missing. When she walked into the courtyard, there was terror on her face. She turned her head around and cast a glance at the house, then gave Su Ming a complicated look before she wrapped her fist in her palm and bowed deeply to him.

"I have offended you greatly just now. From now on, I will avoid all places where you are. If you become a Great Dao Paragon, I will offer up great gifts for you." While saying that, she bowed deeply to him again, then turned into a long arc that charged into the sky and disappeared.

Once the woman left, the old man walked out of the house and sat on the threshold. There was no longer a playful look on his face, and he sighed softly.

"In all my life, I have never taken in any disciple, and I don't know how to take in disciples either. I thought that if I want to take in a disciple, I will have to give them a great gift.

"So I thought that I should give you the cultivation base of a Great Dao Paragon. Once I sucked out Ji Wu Meng's cultivation base, I would transfer it directly to you, and with my help, even if you won't become a Great Dao Paragon, you would still be able to reach Dao Immortal Realm.

"I refuse to believe that you didn't understand this… so why did you refuse?"

While he sat on the threshold, the old man brought out his smoking pipe. In the dark night, he looked at Su Ming with a question in his gaze.

Su Ming was silent. He did not know how to explain the matter. He had fallen in love with the lifestyle he had while living with the old man. He liked chopping wood, and since he could tell that the old man harbored no animosity towards him, he felt warmth.

"Do you know that once you come under my tutelage, with the blood of the royal family coursing through your veins, I could bring you to the royal capital to meet your father? Once I voice my wishes, even if he is the Emperor of Ancient Zang, he would have to agree to make you the ruler of the country!

"If he didn't agree to it, I could kill your brothers for you! Even if that son of a b*tch Tian Xiu Luo tried to stop me, I could destroy his Asura Clan!

"Do you have any idea… what sort of serendipity you have refused?! This is the first time I decided to take in a disciple. I have practiced cultivation for a long time, but this is the first time I have seriously pondered over it for a long stretch of time. I've thought about how I should prepare a serendipity for my disciple, how I should make my disciple to power, and how to make him reach the peak of Ancient Zang!

"With me as your Master, you might even be able to become a ninth level Dao God! Why… did you refuse me?! Why did you refuse this pitiful old man, this lonely old man? How… could you be so hardhearted?"

As the old man spoke, he sighed repeatedly.

"I prepared those two white dogs to serve as your Spirit Beasts in the future. Because to me, all the Spirit Beasts in Ancient Zhang are not fit to become my disciple's possession. The Spirit Beasts beside my disciple had to be formed from cultivators. Only then could it be considered conspicuous, only then would it be enough for you!

"But you… y-y-you, you brat, you actually refused me! You're looking down on me!" The old man narrowed his eyes and glared at Su Ming.

Su Ming stared at the old man in silence. He was already moved. With his experience, he could not be considered to be a normal cultivator. Even though the old man's level of cultivation was much higher than his and he was much older than Su Ming, Su Ming's experiences were enough for him to be able to tell… just who was truly good to him.

One of them was the old man in front of him. The two of them might have only been in contact with each other for a few months, but the old man was one of the few people in Ancient Zang who truly treated Su Ming sincerely.

Su Ming sighed softly, then slowly lifted his head to look at the stars in the sky. He swung his right hand, and the heads of the two white dogs rolled to the side; they fell unconscious. From the moment Su Ming gave them their names, he knew what were the old man's intentions. He was not giving them names, but was putting a Brand on their Life Matrices.

"If I was truly the third prince, then how could I not come under your tutelage after all the kindness you have shown me?" In the end, Su Ming chose to say those words. He knew that he should not say them, but he still said them.

There were times when he would not mull over what was happening too much. During those times, he had to question his own heart to make his decisions.

The old man was stunned, then lifted his head to look at Su Ming.

"I'm not the third prince. It's just like what I told you, my name is Su Ming, and not… Xuan," Su Ming said softly. When his words echoed in the air, the old man's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Continue."

Su Ming was silent for a moment before he answered softly, "I should not be someone of this world. My homeland is a butterfly known as Harmonious Morus Alba. I was born in its wings, and that place… is called Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos.

"In the end, Harmonious Morus Alba died. It was killed by a cultivator Xuan Zang… and once I saw all my friends and family die, I chose to Possess Xuan Zang!

"When I woke up, I was already here. I was known as a prince, and I had a new name—Xuan."

Once Su Ming said those words, the courtyard fell silent in the dead of night. Su Ming did not continue speaking. The old man also closed his eyes and fell silent.

When an hour went by, the old man opened his eyes slowly, and a solemn look appeared in his eyes.

"You're wondering whether this world is a place. You believe that it is formed based on the memories of Xuan Zang. In fact, you are worried that all the things you experience are in truth what Xuan Zang experienced before!

"That's why you don't want to form any unbreakable connections with the people here. You believe that as long as you reach Xuan Zang's level of cultivation, you will have successfully Possessed Xuan Zang!

"This is also why you don't want to come under my tutelage, but have you ever wondered… whether this is real?" the old man said softly.

When he said those words, Su Ming lifted his head and stared at the old man without any hint of hesitation. "My homeland is Arid Triad!"

The old man fell silent. When the time it takes for an incense stick to burn had passed, he sighed, and a hint of someone who was lost appeared in his eyes. His hoarse voice echoed in the dark then.

"Do you still remember what you asked me on the first day I taught you?"

"I asked you what I should cut," Su Ming answered after a while.

"Many years ago, when I became a ninth level Dao God and commanded the winds and earth of Ancient Zang in search for the path into Boundless Dao Realm, I saw my own reflection in a lake. At that moment, I suddenly felt lost…

"I didn't know whether the person in the lake was me or whether the person beyond the lake was me. That son of a b*tch Tian Xiu Luo said I was mad, and the moronic old fool Gu Di said I was treading down the wrong path, but I understood my own heart. At that moment, when I saw my reflection in the lake, I asked myself this question.

"But… I couldn't find an answer.

"I practiced cultivation all my life and understood everything in search for a truth. I searched for an answer to my question, but I couldn't answer it. From then on, I did not know whether the world in which I stood was real or fake… I too thought that I had gone mad, that's why…

"I cut wood in this place, but when I raise my axe, I don't know whether the left side which I cut is real, or whether the right side which I cut is real! When I can swing axe down and differentiate which side is real, I will reach Boundless Dao Realm! This is the reason why Tian Xiu Luo and Gu Di are somewhat fearful of me!" the old man said slowly. He sounded lost before he finished with a soft sight.

"I have already come in touch with the truth of the world! And now… your words have coincidentally tallied with my Dao. Su Ming… tell me, will you become my disciple? Accept and help me cut this Dao, what do you say?!" The old man stood up slowly and looked at Su Ming.

"If this world is real, then the both of us can stand at the peak and laugh at Ancient Zang. If this world is fake, then I will cut my Dao and help you succeed in your Possession!"

At the instant the old man stood up straight, a presence that made the entire world rumble swiftly spread out from him!

Each of his words carried weight… and it was clear that he was a man of his word!

Chapter 1427: Tian Xiu Luo!

"Well? Aren't you going to formally acknowledge me as your Master?"

The old man stood still for a long time. In the darkness, his back was straight. The release of his presence and the air around him that said he stood supreme in the world would cause many cultivators to find their hearts shaking while their blood boiled.

But… even though his presence had already spread out of his body for the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, Su Ming remained silent. The old man immediately returned to his original nature and shouted angrily.

"Y-y-you… You just don't respect the old and love the young! During the rare occasion I decided to use my domineering air, you refuse to even acknowledge me as your Master? Do you want me to die of anger?! Alright, fine! As long as you don't acknowledge me as your Master, I won't sleep, won't eat, won't sleep, and my health will no longer be good, and I won't be able to sleep until I wake up naturally, and if I can't wake up naturally, my health will not be good, and I won't be able to eat dog meat, and my health will not be good!

"If my health is not good, I won't be able to eat, and I will die!" The old man went to stand beside Su Ming while shouting loudly.

Su Ming smiled wryly. He watched the old man in front of him, then sighed softly before he stood up. He swung his arm and knelt down in front of the old man.

"I, Su Ming, have only ever acknowledged one Master in my life. Today, I will acknowledge my second Master. Master, please accept my greetings!"

The old man immediately smiled brightly, but he quickly steeled his expressions, trying his best to appear a little sterner. However, the joy on his face was something that could not be hidden. He let out a few dry coughs, then picked up Su Ming while beaming with joy.

He patted his own chest and said loudly, "Alright! If anyone bullies you in the future, just mention my name. Those who know me will immediately be scared out of their wits, and those who don't… Heh heh, we'll talk about that later…

"My dear disciple, tell me, what do you want? As long as you mention something, then even if I have to tread through mountains of blades and seas of flames, leap through fire and walk on boiling water, have my blood boiling with anger, or whatever, you know what I'm saying, but no matter what, I will definitely fulfill your request!

"If you tell me you want to eat that white dog tonight, we will make dog meat stew. If you tell me you like that big rump girl, then darn it all, I will grab her and bring her back for you.

"Tell me, what do you want!" The old man swung his arm in a very imposing manner, giving off the air of someone who would definitely do whatever Su Ming requested so long as he said it.

But before Su Ming could say anything, the old man immediately blinked and looked at him awkwardly. "You won't make any outrageous requests, right? Such as destroying One Dao Sect or massacring Asura Clan or snatching Gu Di's throne or something? Those are… Ahem…"

Su Ming sat down on the wooden stump again and threw a question back at him."You can't do those things?"

"Who said that?! Who did?! Who told you I can't do it?! Are you looking down on me?! I can do it! If I want to do those things, I can do so with just a flick of my finger! Those are nothing! I'm invincible!" The old man immediately huffed and glared, looking at Su Ming as if he had humiliated him.

"Ahem, since you don't believe me, we'll agree to disagree and set this matter aside first. Now… I'll tell you my divine abilities first. I have two great divine abilities. One of them is to use my axe to cut people. That's fun, just so you know. I've researched it. You can cut their heads, their bodies… You can cut everything you want to cut. The power of this divine ability is so great that there is no one in Ancient Zang whom I cannot cut!

"The second divine ability is to absorb others' cultivation bases. Hehe, speaking of this divine ability, I created it on my own. When talking about it, I have to talk about myself when I was still a teenager. There were plenty of people who had better potential than I did, lived better than I did, and also had greater levels of cultivation than I did. I got angry, and I started cutting people, and as I did so, I somehow figured out how to snatch their cultivation bases.

"As long as they caught my fancy, I would immediately snatch their cultivation bases, and no one managed to escape!" The old man looked incredibly smug. As he spoke, he squatted down beside Su Ming and whispered to him softly.

"It's especially so for female cultivators. They're even better for this. My good disciple, you have to try it when you have the time. Come, I'll teach you this divine ability right now."

As the old man spoke, he suddenly grabbed Su Ming's right hand. With a powerful squeeze, a mark was immediately left on Su Ming's right palm, like a Brand.

It was the mark of a moon. When it appeared, Su Ming did not feel anything, but when he looked at it closely, he instantly felt like the brand could absorb his gaze.

When he looked at it closely, he noticed that the air in the world around him seemed to be flowing towards him at that instant. Wisps of air was seeping into the brand on his right palm.

"My dear disciple, with this divine ability, you will be invincible!" The old man stared at Su Ming very seriously, then stood up, stretched, turned around, yawned, and walked into his house.

"Continue cutting wood! Since you are now my disciple, the number of wood you will have to cut will double so that we can get more money for wine. Heh heh, or else I will chase you out of my house." As the old man spoke, he returned to his house.

Su Ming lowered his head and smiled wryly. No matter what, this Master was a little unreliable, but perhaps it was precisely because of this that Su Ming was reminded… of Tian Xie Zi.

After a long while, he picked up the axe and continued chopping wood on the dark night.

Days passed just like that. The old man would skip out of his house every single morning, shout a few words talking about how his health was good. If he was in a good mood, he would start chasing the two white dogs in the courtyard, occasionally cackling strangely and saying things like how he would eat the dog he caught that night. In terror, the two white dogs would play with him to his heart's content.

As for Su Ming, he remained by the side and continued cutting wood. Right then, he had already learned how to not intentionally bring down his axe, but have it naturally swing down to split the log of wood into half. His actions became more natural, and he no longer needed to think about anything. He could even occasionally turn his head sideways to look at the skipping old man and the two white dogs.

Once a long time had passed, the two white dogs looked as if they were about to forget that they were once cultivators while being chased around. They gradually discovered that the old man was all bark and no bite, and he did not truly seem to want to eat them. Hence, after a few months, the two white dogs also knew how to handle his antics.

Then… one day, the old man was livid, and he shouted a few words that caused the two white dogs to shudder. With a howl, they immediately ran at full strength.

"You two thugs, did you think that I wouldn't notice that you two were slacking off during the past few months?! Fine! My darling disciple won't let me eat you, but I can f*ck you! Darn it all, whoever I catch today will have to sleep with me in the house!"

The old man's words were so fierce and intense that not only did the two white dogs shudder, even Su Ming, who had already grown used to the old man's occasional shocking words, could not help but be stunned.

He suddenly realized that he could never underestimate his Master, because when he thought that he had already understood him, he always discovered that… the old man had many habits that he could not imagine.

Such as… right then. White Three was howling shrilly. It was just about to be caught by the old man…

Su Ming quickly turned around and continued cutting wood.

In the blink of an eye, Su Ming had already spent a year with the old man. It had been relatively calm, though the number of white dogs in the courtyard had increased from two to five.

One of the new dogs was White Four, another was White Five, and there was one more who was called White Three as well. Hence, every single Su Ming called out to White Three, two large white dogs would immediately run towards him.

One of the new dogs was from One Dao Sect, and the other two… from Asura Clan.

When another half a year gradually went by, Su Ming received a letter from Gu Tai. They had discovered the approximate region where the Space Whip was, and they should be able to locate its precise spot within another month. They wanted Su Ming to make preparations to be Relocated to that place at any moment.

Su Ming thought that he could live out that one month calmly, but on the fifth day before he had to leave and the sun shone brightly at noon, someone knocked on the door to the courtyard.

The next moment, the old man who was chasing down White Five frowned slightly. Su Ming had already stood up and walked to the door to the courtyard.

"The son of a btch is here! Open the door for the son of a btch!" the old man shouted before snorting.

Su Ming's expression remained the same, but his eyes focused slightly. When he opened the door, he saw a man standing on the other side.

He was middle-aged and appeared to be calm while dressed in long white robe. His hair was black and danced in the air. When he stood there, he gave off an air that made others instantly ignore everything around them to focus on him the moment they saw him. His figure alone seemed to be left in the entire world.

When Su Ming observed the middle-aged man before him, the man also examined him. His eyes were clear, and not a single hint of emotion was contained in them. He smiled softly.

Su Ming's expression remained the same as always. He did not speak, but instead turned around and walked to the stump. He sat down on it, picked up the axe and continued chopping wood. With a smile on his face, the middle-aged man stepped into the courtyard, but the instant his foot landed, even though not a single wisp of his aura spread out from him, the courtyard seemed to have distorted. It instantly became duller, and even the light in the sky disappeared. It was as if only the middle-aged man alone truly remained in the whole world.

This was… a domineering air that was not distinct and not strong, but incredibly great!

If it was revealed outside, it would not seem strong, but when it was kept within a person, it gave the person an extreme state of domineeringness. And that was what the middle-aged man had.

He walked into the courtyard, but did not speak. Once he swept his gaze past the five white dogs, he did not look at the old man. Instead, he went next to Su Ming and watched him bring the axe up before swinging it down to chop wood.

"Not bad. Remove yourself from the competition between the successors, and I will make sure you will not die, or else you will have a hard time, I will have a hard time, and he will have a hard time," the man in white said faintly.

He did not release his domineering presence outwards, but his words were like a thunderclap. They rumbled in Su Ming's heart as if they had replaced every single thought in his mind. They charged straight for his will, forming invisible rumbles with the wills belonging to the four Great True Worlds.

Su Ming's hand froze while holding the axe. He slowly lifted his head and looked at the man in white coldly before he asked flatly, "You're looking down on me?"

Chapter 1428: His Dao!

The moment Su Ming said those words, the old man who had grabbed White Five's tail laughed loudly, and the originally gloomy expression on his face due to White Five not cooperating with him disappeared without a trace.

"Not bad~ As expected of my good disciple. Those words are far too domineering!"

The old man let go of White Five's tail and placed his hands behind his back. He moved next to Su Ming and stood beside him while staring at the white-robed man, who was now smiling pleasantly.

"You son of a b*tch, what are you doing here?!" the old man shouted angrily.

The moment he said that, the man in white frowned. Only the old man before him would dare to say such words before him in all of Ancient Zang.

"Oh wow, you're even frowning? Even when you frown, you're still a son of a b*tch!" the old man shouted out loudly while glaring at him.

The man in white stared at the old man coldly. After a long while, the frown disappeared, and he said, "We've finally met again, so could you stop talking in such a crude manner every single time you flap your mouth, you mad old man!"

The old man glared and even rolled up his sleeves before roaring loudly. "You son of a b*tch!"

The man in white shook his head, and his gaze landed on the exit. When he swept his gaze past the area calmly, he spoke languidly.

"Han Yu, come in. This is the person I want you to meet."

After he said that, a figure appeared at the door of the courtyard. It belonged to a woman. Her long black hair spilled over her shoulders, and she was dressed in white. She was incredibly beautiful, and the calm look in her eyes gave off an elegant feeling that caused others to feel comfortable.

She was clearly a woman whose personality was also gentle. Her skin was fair, and she seemed to be twenty years old. Once she appeared, she walked slowly into the courtyard and bent her knees slightly to bow respectfully to the old man.

"I am Han Yu. Greetings, senior Hong Yu."

Su Ming's expression remained the same; his expression did not change. He lifted the axe and continued cutting wood. It did not matter who appeared in the courtyard. He did not pay much attention to it, even if he… had already guessed the white-robed man's identity.

When the sounds of wood being cut echoed in the air, the old man saw Han Yu, and the cynical look on his face instantly disappeared. It was replaced by a hint of solemnness.

"She's the baby from all those years ago?" the old man asked slowly after staying silent for a while. Even his voice was different from before, causing Su Ming to turn his head slightly to cast a glance at him.

"Han Yu, show me your right arm."

When the white-robed man said those words, Han Yu's face turned slightly red. She glanced at Su Ming, then lowered her head and rolled her right sleeve up until she revealed her elbow. There was a red birthmark on her fair skin.

The old man scrutinized it. He stood silent, then sighed softly, without a single hint of his usual craziness around. Instead, it had turned into calmness. He cast a deep glance at Han Yu, then looked at the white-robed man with a complicated expression.

"I might not approve of your Dao, but I have to admit that your Dao… is indeed astonishing!" The old man shook his head. He moved next to Su Ming and patted his shoulder.

"Greet this old son of a b*tch. You should already know who he is."

When Su Ming heard this, he put down his axe with a calm expression, then got up, wrapped his fist in his palm, and bowed to the white-robed man.

"Greetings, senior Tian Xiu Luo."

The white-robed man stared at Su Ming. After some time, he frowned, but soon, that frown disappeared.

"Are you using this person to cut your Dao? But what is so special about him besides his bloodline? Even if he managed to sound nine Dao Spirit Voices, it's quite impossible for him to stir up your interest and for you to take him in as your disciple to clear the confusion in your heart," the white-robed man said calmly.

"As long as you don't cut your Dao, it'll be impossible for you to step into Boundless Dao Realm. This will be the last day I come here. My goal isn't your disciple either, but to prove that my Dao is true in Ancient Zang!

"I've already gone to the royal capital," the white-robed man said faintly. When he spoke, he swept his gaze past Han Yu, and there was a gentle, kindly look in his eyes.

"I acknowledge your Dao, but also don't acknowledge it. I still… believe that your Dao is the stray path!" the old man said slowly after staying quiet for a while.

"A stray path? Over the last tens of thousands of years, I've adopted tens of thousands of Han Yus, and nothing wrong appeared in every single one of them. This isn't a stray path. This is my Dao!" The white-robed man smiled faintly.

Su Ming listened to their conversation while deep in thought. His gaze was on Han Yu, who remained elegant and quiet. Once he cast a few close glances at her, he slowly frowned.

The old man cast Su Ming a glance and asked calmly, "You can tell as well?"

Su Ming was silent for a moment before he answered slowly. "She… should be a man."

"He should have been a man, but since he was brought up as a girl since young, he always thought that he's a woman." The old man's calm voice landed in Su Ming's ears at that moment, causing Su Ming's pupils to shrink.

"This also proves that my Dao is the Great Dao!" The white-robed man moved his gaze away from Su Ming and fixed his eyes on the old man.

"My Dao is one of lives and deaths of all living beings as well as their destinies not existing! Living and dying as well as the differences in our destinies only exist because the wills of the world have deceived all of us. It tells all manner of living that we need to live and die, and so… we die.

"It told all living beings that we need destinies, and hence, different destinies appeared!

"In truth, all manner of living should be able to live eternally and exist forever. The moment we are born, we should be in Boundless Dao Realm!

"But because the will of the world lied to us, all the lives in the world believe that we will live and eventually die. We believe that we have destinies and that when our lives are formed, we walk down the path of pursuing the truth our entire lives.

"Looks at Han Yu. She is an example. She is one of the tens of thousands of examples I've created. I brought him up since he was young and gave him everything belonging to a girl. Hence, he is a girl! If all the women around him have the same physical structure as him… then who can say that he is not a woman?

"If all the women were also transformed in this manner… then in terms of body structure, we would be able to overturn our gender identities and change them!

"All of that has already been proven by my Dao!"

The white-robed man's voice echoed in the air. When his words landed in Su Ming's ears, his heart trembled. The difference in Dao and a particular person's persistence in it was something he saw on the old man before, and… he experienced it from Tian Xiu Luo as well.

"That's why once I come to a complete understanding, I will cut the will of the world that has been bestowed upon me, telling me that a person will live and die, that all lives have destinies, that I am weak and can only become strong after walking down the path of cultivation step by step.

"When I cut it away, I will reach Boundless Dao Realm… and in fact, I will surpass Boundless Dao Realm!"

The man in white swung his arm with great confidence on his face. That confidence was like his Dao, filled with an extreme domineering air. It was clear that he was not just aiming to cut the will that deceived him, but also to use his will to control all manner of lives.

"Your Dao is one of seeking the truth and falsehood in the world, Gu Di's Dao is one of kismet, and my Dao is one of wills lying to us. The three of us, the three ninth level Dao Gods in Ancient Zang, have three different Daos!

"It's impossible for three Daos be Great Daos. Only one exists, and it… belongs to me. Since you took in the third prince as your disciple, he should have some sort of connection with your Dao. Oh well, I will then take in the second prince as my disciple and have him inherit my Dao!

"Surely, the eldest prince, who Gu Di values the most, chose One Dao Sect because it is connected to Gu Di's Dao of kismet!

"When I return to Asura Clan, I will enter a thousand-year period of isolated training. One thousand years later, when I egress, if you still remain in this state, you will die. If Gu Di still hesitates, he will die as well. Ancient Zang will then… perhaps no longer need a royal family.

"Ancient Zang Sect or Ancient Zang Clan, which do you think is better?"

The man in white smiled faintly. He walked forward, moved past Su Ming, and went to the door. Han Yu followed behind him with her head lowered. Her expression was still one of elegance and calm. After the two of them walked out of the courtyard and disappeared, the courtyard returned to silence.

Su Ming did not speak while the old man stared at the night sky in a daze. He did not speak even after a long time had passed.

The silence lasted for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before the old man shook his head.

"It's easy to cut Dao, but if we cut it in the wrong manner… we will live a wrong life. The process of hesitating isn't really hesitation, but the searching and questioning of our Dao. Why should we be in a hurry to cut our Dao? Why should we force the other two to cut their Daos as well just because we insist on cutting our own Dao?"

Exhaustion appeared on the old man's face. He then turned around and walked into the house.

Su Ming moved to the stump with a contemplative look in his eyes. Be it the old man or the white-robed man, they were people who stood at the peak of Ancient Zang.

After Su Ming thought about their Daos, he could not help but think of his own Dao.

"What… is my Dao?" he mumbled softly. "Speaking of which, my Dao is rather similar to Tian Xiu Luo's, and it's also similar to the old man's. As for the Dao of kismet, since I sensed it before in Harmonious Morus Alba, that is why I acknowledge it too."

Su Ming closed his eyes and recalled his whole life. Then, he found that he could not figure out what his Dao was.

'Perhaps I don't have a Dao. The only path before me… is a path of wanting to resurrect the familiar faces and let them smile!

'For this, I can fling all caution to the wind!'

His eyes flew swiftly open, revealing the resolve in them.

Chapter 1429: Xuan Zang's Abode

Time trickled by, and seven days later…

The old man had yet to walk out of his house, and the courtyard lost its usual lively atmosphere. Only the sound of Su Ming cutting wood still echoed in the air every day.

He would occasionally turn his head to look at the house with a hint of worry on his face. Tian Xiu Luo's arrival and departure as well his words might not have had a great effect on Su Ming, but clearly, the old man felt oppressed in a manner that Su Ming could not understand.

That oppression did not concern life or death. It was a persistence towards Dao, or rather… it was an unseen battle of Arts, one between the three ninth level Dao Gods of Ancient Zang.

When the sun set on the seventh day, Su Ming lifted the axe and placed it gently by the side. He sensed Gu Tai calling to him, and with a flip of his hand, a jade slip appeared on his palm. At that moment, it shone with an increasingly brighter light, which was the sign of a Relocation Rune on the verge of being activated.

Based on their promise, when the Relocation started, it would mean that Seven Moons Sect had nearly found the Space Whip's exact location. They were only waiting for Su Ming to head over, and then Seven Moons Sect would use their full power to help him… obtain the Space Whip!

While he stared at the light from the Relocation Rune in the jade slip on his hand, Su Ming quietly put the jade slip away, stood up, and went to stand in front of the door to the house. He stood there quietly. After a long while, he wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed deeply.

"Master, I am going to leave, and I… don't know when I will return," he said softly.

After living together for about one year, Su Ming had grown used to the peace and quiet. He had grown used to the old man's personality, causing him to feel a semblance of reluctance when he was about to leave.

It could be said that during the year he lived in the courtyard located in the ordinary village among the mountains, Su Ming's heart was at its calmest since he had come to live in Ancient Zang.

The door to the house was slowly pushed open. The old man walked out, and he looked slightly older than he did seven days ago. There was the light of wisdom in his eyes, and when he looked at Su Ming, a smile full of affection appeared on his face.

"Go. No matter what, this place is somewhere you can stay for long. Take the five dogs with you. I hope… that when I hear your name next time, you have already become a Dao Paragon," the old man said softly while looking at Su Ming with a smile.

Su Ming stared at the old man before him, and after staying quiet for a period of time, he bowed deeply, but just as he was about to turn around—

"Wait," the old man called out to him. "I have no use for the axe. Take it with you. Remember the three states I told you about. The first is to cut people, the second is to cut wood, and the third is to cut all that you wish to cut," the old man said with a smile. The kindly look on his face was very different from the craziness he usually showed.

Su Ming was quiet. He turned around and took the axe. Once he put it away, he turned his head around and looked at the old man.

"Master, I'll be leaving," he whispered softly.

"Go. Remember this, no one will dare to provoke my disciple. If they dare to provoke you, cut them down, if you can't, absorb them. No matter what, don't suffer any losses!"

The old man lifted his head, and an arrogant look appeared on his face. The crazy air from the past seemed to have returned to him at that instant.

Su Ming watched the old man, then nodded. A powerful light of Relocation was spread out from the jade slip in his hand. It enveloped him and blocked the old man and his gaze. At the instant Su Ming was about to be Relocated—

When the old man saw that Su Ming was about to leave, he suddenly seemed to have remembered something and quickly shouted, "Hey, remember this, if you run into any girls with big rumps, bring them back. You might not like girls with big rumps, but I do!"

His voice shot through the light screen caused by the Relocation Rune and landed in Su Ming's ears. It caused a smile to appear on his face. As he smiled, his body disappeared from the courtyard.

Disappearing along with him were the five white dogs.

When the courtyard returned to silence, the old man stood by himself in a daze. After a long while, he sighed softly. The cynical look was no longer present on his face, and he seemed to have returned to the time one year ago when his shadow was the only thing to be found in the courtyard. With a desolate air about him, he quietly walked over the threshold of his house and sat down on the stump.

It seemed like he was truly a mortal old man. Once the sun set and the sky gradually became dark, he picked up his smoking pipe and took a few quiet puffs from it. In the darkness, the flickering light from the smoking pipe alternating between light and darkness seemed to be reflecting his thoughts. It did not seem like they would never be extinguished in the courtyard…

…..

There was a never-ending stretch of mountains to the southwest of Ancient Zang. There were about one million mountains in that place, and they were connected to each other in a never-ending stretch, causing all the people who saw them feel lost. They would feel like they did not know where they were, because when they cast their eyes over the land, they would only see mountains rising and falling.

The limitations on divine senses there were incredibly strong. Unless someone was a Great Dao Paragon, they would lose their perception granted to them by their divine sense.

There was a mountain whose peak had been flattened. Thousands of cultivators surrounded that place while keeping a vigilant eye on the area. The exhausted expressions was something they found difficult to hide. They were cultivators from Seven Moons Sect.

During the past year or so, they had searched through the entire southwestern region based on the clues provided by Su Ming's jade slip and had finally fixed their attention on the flat-topped mountain. Then, after conducting a detailed search, they found their target at long last.

Gu Tai could not participate in the search for the Space Whip. He had to manage all the affairs in Seven Moons Sect, which was why the person who led the search was Xu Zhong Fan. At that moment, he stood outside the Rune and watched it shine.

When the light of the Relocation Rune reached its brightest, it vanished, and Su Ming appeared in the Rune. There were five large white dogs around him.

When Xu Zhong Fan saw Su Ming, a smile appeared on his face, and he nodded at him.

Su Ming's expression remained calm. Once he wrapped his fist in his palm, he walked out of the Rune. The five white dogs quickly followed behind him. When all of them walked out of the Rune, the thousands of Seven Moons Sect disciples in the area cast surprised looks on the dogs.

"We're in a hurry, so I'll get straight to the point. This is the exact location we found based on the details you provided in your jade slip. Go along the trail ahead, and you will see an ancient cave. That is the place where Guru Xing Chen obtained the projection of the Space Whip.

"We haven't entered the cave. Great Sect Elder Gu Tai gave strict orders that no one was allowed to be the first to enter the cave besides you. That place belongs solely to you.

"Based on our investigations as well as the investigations from the other great sect elders when they came over here, we obtained some knowledge. If you fail, it's fine, but if you successfully obtain the Space Whip, three-tenths of the one million mountains in the southwestern region will collapse. In fact, there is even a high possibility that even more will do so.

"It will cause a violent tremor. It will attract the attention of the sects in the area, and the appearance of this sort of foreign treasure will surely start a great fight over it.

"There are three sects and six clans in the area. We don't know who will come here, but a wide-scale battle is unavoidable. You don't have much time, only two hours. You must return here in two hours, and we will activate the Relocation Rune to head back to Seven Moons Sect.

"We will do all we can to fight for those two hours for you. In fact, the sect has even brought out a large number of precious treasures and set them up in the area. We even laid out powerful Runes.

"You must return to this place in two hours!" Xu Zhong Fan said in a solemn voice.

Su Ming nodded his head slowly, then wrapped his fist in his palm towards Xu Zhong Fan. He then turned into a long arc and instantly flew out.

His clothes transformed and turned into a black robe. His purple hair fluttered in the air. Following behind him were five white arcs which belonged to the five white dogs.

In an instant, Su Ming arrived at the mountain range Xu Zhong Fan had mentioned. When he looked ahead, he instantly saw a huge hole underneath. It looked like a cave, and there were waves of freezing air spreading out from it, making it look like clouds and fog surrounding the entrance.

A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes, and he said faintly, "White Five."

The moment he spoke, the eyes of the fifth white dog shone with a dark light. It turned into a white arc and charged at the cave shrouded in fog.

Su Ming closed his eyes slightly, and a moving picture appeared in his mind. It came from White Five's observations. The five white dogs had already formed a connection with Su Ming that not even Gu Di, Tian Xiu Luo, or anyone else in Ancient Zang could easily sever.

It was a connection of the mind that had been personally set up by the old man… Unless there was someone who had a level of cultivation which surpassed that of the old man and had reached Boundless Dao Realm. Powerful warriors like Gu Di and Tian Xiu Luo would only be able to sever the connection if they were willing to use the power of their lives.

After a moment, when Su Ming opened his eyes, he moved, and with the four white arcs behind him, he rushed into the fog and entered the cave.

The cave was not entirely dark. Instead, there was quite a lot of phosphorescent light on the walls. It was very quiet, however, with only the wind Su Ming stirred up creating soft moaning sounds.

Su Ming's expression was calm. He charged forward while the white dogs followed him with constant vigilance.

When the time it takes for an incense stick to burn went by, Su Ming came to an abrupt halt. He noticed an increasingly stronger chill. It covered the walls in frost, but it was not the reason behind why Su Ming had stopped.

The reason behind it was a huge door of ice in front of him!

It was semi-transparent, and a cave abode could be vaguely seen behind it; the door was clearly the entrance to the cave abode. Su Ming also saw three words carved beautifully on it!

Xuan Zang's Abode.

At the instant he saw those three words, Su Ming narrowed his eyes. He stared at Xuan Zang's name for about a dozen breaths.

Chapter 1430: I Am Not You

"Break the gate."

When Su Ming said those words faintly, the eyes of the five white dogs sparkled. They were all powerful Dao Paragons from One Dao Sect and Asura Clan, and they were all at Xu Zhong Fan's level. In any sect, they would be great sect elders.

If the five of them worked together, then in a certain sense, they could even change how a sect operated. Yet right then, they were forced to follow Su Ming, and because of it, there was always a ball of anger burning in them, but they did not dare show any hint of it.

When Su Ming spoke, the five of them immediately howled. They might be animals, but before they left the house, their cultivation bases had been completely restored. Hence, aside from the fact that Su Ming had their lives in his hands and that their bodies had been transformed, their levels of cultivation were no different from before.

The five white dogs attacked at full strength, and their power was equivalent to five powerful Dao Paragons attacking at full strength. Loud rumbles instantly echoed through the cave, creating endless echoes that made the cave tremble. When the cultivators outside heard it, it sounded like someone was roaring.

The ice door immediately let out cracking sounds. Yet when the noise appeared, Su Ming narrowed his eyes. The gate shattered, but the next moment, it returned to its unbroken state. It was as if the five Dao Paragons could not break the gate.

However… a string of simple words appeared on the ice gate.

"If you want to enter my sect, then perform the ceremony of three bows and nine kneels. Those who are fated can enter!"

Su Ming stared at the string of words. He now knew why Guru Xing Chen had been able to enter, but he would definitely be unable to do it. He could formally acknowledge Gu Hong as his Master because the old man was indeed sincere to him, but there was no way he would bow to Xuan Zang.

An aloof look appeared in his eyes. He took a step forward and arrived before the gate. He lifted his left hand and pushed at the gate, then flung his right hand backwards. When he flipped his palm up, the five white dogs approached him and touched his right hand, or rather, they touched the mark of the crescent moon on his palm.

The five white dogs' vast cultivation bases instantly surged into Su Ming's body through his right hand. At the same time, a dark light shone in his eyes.

The moment he pushed his left hand against the ice gate, he said faintly, "Time reversal."

He wanted to use his cultivation base to reverse the time on the ice gate, making it return to the moment countless years ago before it was formed!

Su Ming had no idea how much time would be reversed, but it was the only way for him to break open the gate!

The air around Su Ming started distorting. It was the sign of the reversal of time. Soon, a reflection appeared on the ice gate. It reflection was not of Su Ming… but Guru Xing Chen.

From the reflection, it could be seen that Guru Xing Chen had come many years ago and kowtowed repeatedly at the door. When his figure disappeared, White Five shuddered and fell down. All its cultivation base had been sucked away, and it began to circulate it immediately, trying its best to recover at the fastest speed possible.

After all, the power that sucked out its cultivation base did not remain in its body, and the foundation was still there. Only when the foundation was destroyed could someone turn their target's cultivation base into their own possession, which was why the method of borrowing power would not affect White Five by too much.

Several breaths passed, and the white dogs behind Su Ming fell down one after another. At that moment, the ice gate in front of Su Ming began growing thinner. Soon, it was reduced to the point it looked like a thin layer of skin, then vanished.

Su Ming's eyes sparkled swiftly. He saw a scene that no one else was capable of.

He saw the back of a figure dressed in black robes. While standing in front of him, it lifted its right hand in the direction of the empty spot where the ice gate originally was. Su Ming would never forget that back. It… belonged to Xun Zang!

Not many changes of expression could be detected on his face, however. He only cast a single glance before taking a step forward and walking into the cave abode.

At the instant he moved in, the ice gate behind him reappeared in its full form, and the chilling air it exuded was aggressive, but at that moment, Su Ming was already standing inside the cave abode.

When he swept his gaze past the area, the first thing he saw was a huge ancient mirror. A cushion was positioned right in front of it.

There were six chambers in the cave abode. Three of them were opened, while the other three were sealed tight.

When he moved his gaze away from them, Su Ming went to the first sealed chamber. After a moment of pensive silence, he lifted his right hand and touched the stone wall. The moment he did so, a layer of ripples appeared on the stone wall. When they ripples spread out, the stone wall gradually became transparent.

Su Ming was then able to see through the stone wall. There was a corpse sitting cross-legged in the chamber. A huge medicinal cauldron was before as if the person had been making cores before he died.

There were also some racks in the chamber. They held quite a number of medicinal bottles, but most of them had already fallen. There were many broken bottles and a mess of medicinal cores on the ground.

But there were some medicinal bottles that were still whole. There might not be many of them, but based on the light shining from within them, Su Ming could tell just how extraordinary the medicinal cores inside them were.

Su Ming's eyes shone, but he frowned. When he lifted his right hand, the ripples on the stone door to the chamber froze and disappeared. He could no longer see inside the chamber.

'It's a pity that the power to reverse time is something I can't use here with my current level of cultivation… The power I have remaining in me is only enough to go out.'

In silence, Su Ming moved to the second sealed chamber. Again, he lifted his right hand, and the instant he touched the stone door, ripples immediately spread out of the second sealed door, and it became invisible.

It allowed Su Ming to see another corpse in the chamber. It clearly belonged to a woman. She sat in the room with a Feng Shui compass in front of her. A corner of it was missing, which made it likely that the woman was using the last ounce of her strength to repair it.

Su Ming cast his gaze on the Feng Shui compass, and as he stared at it, a dark light shone in his eyes. If he magnified that Feng Shui compass countless times, he was sure it was the one Xuan Zang had sat upon in his memories!

In silence, Su Ming took his right hand off the door and walked to the final sealed chamber. At the moment he touched the door with his right hand, his pupils shrank. He felt as if an ear-shattering roar had echoed in his heart.

That roar felt incredibly real. When the ripples spread out and the door became invisible, Su Ming finally saw what had brought about that roar in his heart!

It was… a black python. There was a ferocious dragon head on the python's tail. At that moment, be it the python or the dragon head, both were hissing and roaring at him from behind the stone door.

As they roared, an invisible impact seemed to seep through the stone door and land on Su Ming's body, crashing against his memories. Under it, Su Ming felt as if his mind had been torn apart, and the image of a galaxy forcefully entered his mind.

That galaxy had countless planets, and they were rapidly rearranging themselves together to form a huge whip!

"Those who enter the abode are fated. Three doors may be opened, and the other three will not open unless someone is the master of the room. I will grant you the projection of the Space Whip so that you can search for my master!"

The voice sounded ancient, and when it resounded in Su Ming's mind like thunder, causing him to tremble. He took his right hand off the door and staggered three steps back. Blood trickled out of the corners of his mouth. When he lifted his head, he stared at the stone door that was swiftly becoming non-transparent.

When he looked over again, he did not see any python or dragon head. What he saw was a red bracelet made of thin string floating in the chamber!

That item was the thread Su Ming remembered to be binding the nine Reversed Spirit Pearls that Xuan Zang held in his right hand!

Su Ming wiped off the blood at the corners of his mouth. His goal for coming was the Space Whip, after all. A glint appeared in his eyes, and when he brought his right hand up, the power of time gathered on him. He then pointed at the stone door leading to where the Space Whip was located.

The moment Su Ming pointed at the door, it let out a bang, and a huge rebound tumbled at Su Ming. It had reflected the power of time reversal right back at him. When it was about to envelop Su Ming, he swung his arm, and the power of time reversal instantly vanished.

His face was dark when he stared at the stone door for a long period of time.

'Time reversal is useless on this door…'

Su Ming frowned. He swept his gaze past the cave abode, and then his eyes landed on the ancient mirror. At the instant he saw it, he thought of something. He approached the mirror, then saw his face in the reflection. It belonged to Wang Tao.

He stared at the ancient mirror quietly, then sank into contemplation before sitting down cross-legged on the cushion. At the instant he sat down and looked at the ancient mirror, a brilliant sparkle appeared in his eyes.

"As expected," he said softly.

As he stared at the ancient mirror, he no longer saw Wang Tao, and neither did he see himself… Instead, he saw a face he would never forget… It belonged to Xuan Zang, who was clothed in black and meditating!

'If that's the case…'

Su Ming sighed softly and lifted his right hand to cut the tip of his finger. When blood poured out, he swung his right hand. Immediately, three drops of fresh blood flew out and landed on the three sealed doors.

At the instant he did so, the three stone doors rumbled and turned blood-red. Then, they started spreading outwards as if they were melting. Soon, all the stone doors… opened!

At the instant the stone doors were open, the Space Whip, which had the head of a python and the tail of a dragon head charged at him.

Su Ming was silent and did not dodge. Instead, a resolute light shone in his eyes. He lifted his right hand and extended it at the incoming python. At the moment it closed in on him, the body of the snake vanished to turn into a red thread that bound itself around Su Ming's right wrist.

At the same time, the Feng Shui compass in the chamber with the woman's corpse flew out with a buzz. When it approached Su Ming, it merged with the cushion beneath him, and it turned into a huge Feng Shui compass!

Su Ming lifted his head quietly, then looked at the ancient mirror again when a loud rumble shook the sky and earth in the cave abode. It sounded like the earth was shaking and the mountains were moving.

"I am not you," Su Ming said faintly.

Chapter 1431: Four Cycles of Sixty Years

The Feng Shui compass flew out and merged with the cushion under Su Ming. When the ground in the cave abode seemed to have turned into a huge Feng Shui compass and the Space Whip flew to Su Ming to turn into a red thread around his right wrist…

The mountain around the cave abode began trembling. Booming sounds rose and fell, and in the millions of mountains in the southwestern region of Ancient Zang, it felt like an earthquake had descended. The mountains swayed violently, rocks fell, and dust flew, making it look like there was a huge sleeping dragon under the mountains.

At that moment, the dragon had woken up and was shaking off the dust and earth that had settled on its body in the passage of time, which was why the place looked as if the mountains were about to shatter and the ground about to crumble.

Loud booming sounds shook the sky and earth. In the blink of an eye, many mountains collapsed. Dust clouds filled the sky and earth, and the expressions of the thousands of people from Seven Moons Sect led by Xu Zhong Fanturned anxious.

At that moment, the sects and clans beyond the mountains noticed the abnormality in the area. Long arcs charged over with loud whistles in their wake.

While Xu Zhong Fan was feeling anxious, a white light suddenly flew out of the cave with its gaze fixated upon them. In that light was not Su Ming, but a large white dog. It approached Xu Zhong Fan, and an old voice immediately spoke in Xu Zhong Fan's heart.

"The young master has a message. He will not be able to come out of the place for the time being. Please go back to Seven Moons Sect on your own. Once he comes out, he will go to all of you in Seven Moons Sect."

Once the white dog sent the message through a divine thought, it turned around and returned to the cave. At the instant it flew back, a loud bang shot into the sky from the cave. Shattered rocks tumbled inside, and the cave collapsed.

Hesitation appeared on Xu Zhong Fan's face, but when he saw the mountains swaying, and the Runes unable to stop that even when all of them were fully activated, he made his decision. As the mountains collapsed and numerous cracks appeared near where they had laid down their Relocation Rune, Xu Zhong Fan gritted his teeth and swung his arm.

Once the cracks spread to the Relocation Rune, all of them would be unable to leave, and the abnormality in the place had already attracted the attention of the sects and clans in the area. Before long, many of them would rush over.

And hence, to preserve the secrets in the place…

"Seven Moons Sect disciples, we leave now!"

At his order, the thousands of people charged into the Rune. At the instant light shone from the Relocation Rune, they all disappeared without a trace.

The moment they vanished, long arcs from all directions could be seen in the distance. Those cultivators had seen the light from the Relocation Rune, but they had not gotten a glimpse of the faces of who had left.

When the people from Seven Moons Sect left, the mountain where the Relocation Rune was collapsed, and the Rune shattered to pieces, making it impossible for others to reverse the process of the Relocation and drag back the people who had left.

Immediately after, the Runes Seven Moons Sect had set in the area self-destructed simultaneously. When booming sounds echoed in the air, all traces of Seven Moons Sect were completely destroyed.

The booms formed by the self-destruction of the Runes were connected with the tremors of the mountains, and dust clouds filled every inch of air in the area.

Soon, more cultivators arrived, but few of them ventured into the dust fog. They only stood in the air and stared at the mountains in surprise and bewilderment.

Then, powerful Dao Paragons from those sects and clans arrived and conducted detailed investigations. But only when the tremors in the mountains gradually calmed down after three days did they begin searching through the area for clues.

But in the end, they found nothing and could only leave with hearts filled with various guesses. Hence, even more detailed investigations were conducted, and they lasted for months before they slowly dying out. In time, no cultivators from any sects or clans paid any attention to the mountains anymore. The matter of nearly three-tenths of the mountains in the southwestern region of Ancient Zang suddenly collapsing had become an enigma.

But there were still some cultivators who believed that there was something wrong with the place, and they would occasionally go there, hoping that luck would allow them to find some clues that no one else was able to.

Time passed slowly like that.

Su Ming remained sitting cross-legged in the cave abode. The tremors from the ground and mountains in the world outside had caused a large number of cracks to appear in the cave abode as well. It seemed like it was about to crumble, but in the end, it did not collapse. However, it did look to be in a rather pathetic state.

Su Ming continued sitting on the cushion through it all. He had his eyes closed and was immersed in meditation. He had not left the place because the person who appeared in the ancient mirror was Xuan Zang.

If he did not settle this matter, Su Ming would not get out.

Behind him was the ice gate, and at that moment, the five white dogs stayed guard outside it while waiting for his return.

Days passed, and in the blink of an eye, a year went by.

During it, Su Ming had only opened his eyes twice. The first time he did so was half a year after the event. When he opened his eyes, he looked into the ancient mirror, and who he saw was still Xuan Zang, dressed in a black robe and sitting on his Feng Shui compass.

Then, Su Ming closed his eyes, and when another half a year went by, he had had already meditated in the cave abode for a full year. At that time, he opened his eyes again, and who he saw… was still Xuan Zang.

In silence, Su Ming stood up slowly from the Feng Shui compass on the ground. He took off the red thread and threw it on the ground, and when he looked at the ancient mirror again, who he saw was no longer Xuan Zang, but neither was it Wang Tao. He saw himself.

"If I want your treasures, then I will have to become you…"

When Su Ming said those words faintly, a brilliant light shone in his eyes. He had not gone out because he was not Xuan Zang. If he did not resolve the problem he saw in the ancient mirror, it would become a thought buried deep in his heart, which was not appropriate for him.

There was another reason for it as well. Be it the Space Whip or the Feng Shui compass, Su Ming needed time to refine them. He could already predict that when he turned those two treasures into his own possessions, when he looked at the ancient mirror again, he would no longer see Xuan Zang, but himself.

While remaining silent, Su Ming sat down on the Feng Shui compass. Once he closed his eyes, he spread out his cultivation base to fuse it with the Feng Shui compass beneath him. At the same time, the third eye at the center of his brow opened. His Dao Spirit in the eye formed a seal with its hands, and immediately, an invisible ball of fire spread out from Su Ming's body to begin his process of refining the Feng Shui compass.

Su Ming's will also filled the entire cave abode and fused with his cultivation base as well as his Dao Spirit to turn into a power that belonged solely to him. It began an unprecedented process of refinement on the Feng Shui compass.

Time passed gradually. When Su Ming had been refining the compass for ten years in the cave abode as if he was going through a process of isolated training, not many cultivators could be seen any longer among the mountains in the world outside. Ten years might not be long, but far too many people had their journey rewarded with nothing after they came. The tremors that happened ten years before were gradually being forgotten.

But there were still some persistent cultivators who did not want to leave the place. Only when another ten years passed, they left with regret in their hearts.

When Su Ming had isolated himself in the cave abode for a total of thirty years, the mountains in the southwestern region of Ancient Region returned to the old times, when there would seldom be people who visited the area. It became a very quiet place, just like in the past.

Su Ming opened his eyes. At the moment he did so, he looked at the ancient mirror. The first thing he saw was still Xuan Zang, but when he cast a second glance… he saw himself!

Right then, about two-tenths of the Feng Shui compass had been refined by him.

Su Ming was not in a hurry. He closed his eyes again and immersed himself in the process of refinement. When another thirty years passed and he had been in isolation for a total of sixty years, five-tenths of the Feng Shui compass had been refined. When he looked at the ancient mirror again, he saw a blurry figure as a result of his own image overlapping with Xuan Zang's.

No divine sense could extend into the mountains where the cave abode was located. Unless someone set up a Rune, it would be impossible for them to even Relocate to that place, much less send any divine thoughts there.

Hence, no one besides Seven Moons Sect knew about Su Ming being in there. All the thousands of disciples who had left the area all those years ago had their memories of that place wiped off by the great sect elders the moment they returned to the sect, and because of it, only thirteen people knew that Su Ming was in the cave abode.

Those thirteen people were naturally the thirteen great sect elders.

They locked down all information about Su Ming and waited quietly for the day he egressed.

Time passed, and when another cycle of sixty years passed and Su Ming had been refining the Feng Shui compass for one hundred and twenty years while he isolated himself in the cave abode, he opened his eyes and looked at the ancient mirror. At that moment, he no longer saw Xuan Zang, but himself.

He could not completely refine the Feng Shui compass, but he had refined nine-tenths of it. The final one-tenth seemed to have been sealed, and no matter how Su Ming refined it, he could not make it fuse with his Brand.

Yet even so, this could not be considered to be a burden in his heart, which was why Su Ming lifted his right hand from the Feng Shui compass and grabbed the red thread he had taken off his wrist one hundred something years ago. The red thread immediately at his right hand and bound itself on his wrist, and when Su Ming looked at the ancient mirror, he saw Xuan Zang again.

Su Ming calmly closed his eyes and began the process of refining the red thread formed by the Space Whip. Like that… another cycle of sixty years went by!

When Su Ming had isolated himself in the cave abode for a total of four cycles of sixty years, he opened his eyes again, and the person who appeared in the ancient mirror was him.

As he stared at the image of himself, a dark light shone in his eyes, and he stood up slowly.

'The four cycles of sixty years is quite a long time, but since I could refine nine-tenths of the Space Whip and this Feng Shui compass, it was worth it.'

Su Ming lowered his head to cast a glance at his right wrist. Then, when he turned around to look at the ice gate, he lifted his right hand and gave a casual swing in its direction. With it, the originally bright sky beyond the mountains instantly turned dark. The stars in the sky looked to be connected with one another.

In a flash, an illusory whip appeared in Su Ming's hand. At the moment it touched the ice gate, booming sounds echoed in the air, and the ice gate fell apart to reveal the five white dogs who were looking at Su Ming at that moment.

"Let's go."

When Su Ming spoke, a Feng Shui compass appeared beneath his feet. He could change its size at will, and right then, it was only the size of a cushion, allowing him to stand on it. He then turned into a long arc and charged into the distance.

Chapter 1432: I Am Xu Hui

There were three long arcs beyond the millions of mountains at that moment. One of them was in front of the other two, and they were slicing through the air as they charged forward. The one in the front was a woman. Her face was pale, but it only emphasized her delicate beauty.

She was incredibly beautiful. In fact, it could be said that she was more charming than beautiful. The faint moles on her neck and the corners of her lips only increased her charm.

Right then, there was panic in her eyes as she charged forward. There were two middle-aged men chasing after her. They had aloof expressions, and when they attacked, their attacks were filled with killing intent. While chasing after her, they gradually approached the millions of mountains in the southwestern region.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, you can't escape after stealing something from our sect!" one of the two people said faintly, and his voice resounded through the air.

"Your young master personally gave me this item, there's no such thing as me stealing it!" The woman snorted coldly.

When she spoke, her eyes shone, and she charged to the millions of mountains ahead of her. She had long since known of the strangeness in this area, and she knew that divine thoughts and divine senses would be oppressed greatly there. If she could widen the distance between herself and her pursuers before losing them, it would be difficult for them to find her again.

"It's useless even if you run into the millions of mountains. The two of us are only the first batch of people to come after you. You should know that there are plenty of other sect disciples behind us. They have already received the order to chase you down and are on the way," the middle-aged man to the right said faintly.

While speaking, he suddenly lifted his right hand. Several huge scorpions instantly flew out of his sleeve. Those scorpions did not have any corporeal bodies, but were formed by fog. If anyone looked at them, they would think that they had been drawn on a piece of paper with ink.

At the moment they flew out, they let out piercing screeches and charged at the woman.

The woman's face turned pale. When the scorpions approached her, she formed a seal with her hands, then pointed backwards. The figure of a scorpion instantly appeared behind her. It screeched and collided with the scorpions rushing at the woman.

A loud bang shot up, forming waves of impact that swept outwards in every direction. With those waves, the woman's speed instantly increased exponentially. However, her pursuers behind her cast some unknown Art. Because of it, their speed did not slow down, but had instead become faster.

The three of them instantly appeared among the millions of mountains in three long arcs and sliced through the sky as they charged forward.

When the two men saw that the woman ahead of them had charged into the mountains where divine senses would be suppressed, they did not show any hesitation. Instead, cold sneers appeared on their lips.

The moment the middle-aged men sneered at the woman and she stepped into the mountains, dozens of long arcs appeared out of nowhere in front of her. All of them charged straight at her.

As her expression changed, more long arcs appeared in the distant sky to her left and right. There were long arcs all around her, and they formed an encirclement!

The woman narrowed her eyes. At that moment, a crazed laughter rang out in the air. Hundreds of cultivators had appeared in the sky. A dozen of them were carrying a palanquin with a huge seat, and sitting on it was a young man in a pink robe. There were five scantily dressed female cultivators around him, and they were embracing him while staring at the woman named Xu coldly.

"You b*tch, you took my treasure and still refuse to become my furnace? I'd like to see how you'll escape this time. Once I capture you, I will have my way with you in this place. Don't worry. I won't kill you. I will give you to the people who followed me to this place!"

The young man had a handsome face, but his expression was ferocious. A cold glare shone in his eyes, and when he spoke, he exuded an unseen arrogant air.

"Remember this, I want her alive!"

The face of the woman named Xu turned even paler. She gritted her teeth, then moved. Immediately, black fog surrounded her, and the shadow of a huge scorpion manifested. At the same time, she fled downwards, but no matter how fast she was, there were hundreds of cultivators surrounding her.

They immediately laughed coldly and flew out together. Like a net that covered the entire sky, they forced the woman named Xu to the ground.

She could simply not flee from her predicament. When she was forced to the ground, she would be caught in a net like an overturned bowl, and there would simply be no chance for her to escape.

She knew it clearly, but there were hundreds of cultivators around her, blocking her way no matter which path she chose, and with those obstructions, she would instantly surrounded.

There was only one path before her, and it was the way down, but there was also a limit to that path… unless there was no end as she descended downwards, but that was clearly impossible.

However, right then, when the woman named Xu was filled with anxiety and the cultivators in the area forced her to descend to the ground, she suddenly saw a black-robed cultivator standing on a summit of one of the many mountains below her.

That cultivator had long hair that danced in the mountain breeze, and there were five white dogs behind him.

Needless to say, it was Su Ming.

At the instant the woman named Xu saw the cultivator, she felt her heart thump in dread, but when she looked closely, she found that she had never seen him in the sect before. A thought appeared in her heart, and as she charged forward, she immediately spoke.

"Brother Zhang, help me!" After shouting that, she changed direction and charged straight at Su Ming.

The young man sitting in the chair in the sky ate a celestial fruit given to him by one of the women beside him and shouted arrogantly, "As I thought, that btch has someone waiting for her in this place… Kill him! Kill! I want that btch alive, as for the rest, kill!"

Right when he said those words, a dozen people split up from the hundreds of people chasing after the woman named Xu and charged towards Su Ming.

When the woman named Xu saw this, she immediately made a decision in her heart. The image of the scorpion behind her collapsed with a bang and turned into a wave of impact that swept up her body to make her instantly draw close to the mountain where Su Ming was. Once she appeared behind him, she did not stop but instead spoke quickly.

"Brother Zhang, run! I buried the item in the place you requested! We'll meet in the spot we agreed on previously!"

After saying that, she felt smug and thought that the person could only be considered to be unlucky. She hoped that he could attract some people after him so she could have a chance to escape.

There were plenty of loopholes in her act. It was nothing worth mentioning, but right then, it was a critical moment, and her act served to be slightly useful.

But right when she spoke, a calm voice reached her ears.

"Leaving just like this?"

The woman named Xu had been about to flee, but her body suddenly froze, and she found herself bound by an invisible power. She could not move even an inch forward and was forced to stop behind Su Ming. This scene immediately caused her expression to change drastically.

At that moment, the hundreds of cultivators in the area closed in on them and surround the mountain on which Su Ming stood.

None of the hundreds of cultivators were in Dao Divinity Realm. In fact, they were not even in Avacaniya Realm, and the female cultivator was just in Void Tribulant Realm.

When the mountain was surrounded, Su Ming did not bother about the people in the area. Instead, he turned around and looked at the pale-faced woman named Xu.

She stared back at him in shock. At that moment, if she still did not know that Su Ming's level of cultivation had far surpassed hers, it would have been impossible for her to have survived in Ancient Zang for that long.

"Senior…"

When she spoke, the cultivators around them attacked Su Ming. They were grossly overestimating their own strength, and the moment they attacked, White Three—the one with the missing leg—barked at the sky while standing among the other white dogs beside Su Ming.

Its bark shook the sky and earth, sounding as if thunder had roared. The sky and earth tumbled about, clouds crumbled, and so did the hundreds of cultivators in the area. Banging sounds shot up along with a blood-red fog. At that instant, all the cultivators had been reduced to blood mist due to the shock they received from the bark.

The scene shocked and intimidated the woman named Xu, and the young man in the palanquin shudder as well. The bodies of the women around him broke down at that moment, and his body was dyed red by fresh blood. He let out a shrill scream, and four figures manifested around him.

They were four old men, and their expressions were incredibly solemn while their eyes sparkled. The presence of those in Dao Divinity Realm spread out from their bodies; they were all powerful warriors in the first level of Dao Divinity Realm.

"Senior… Senior, please save me. I've been forced to a corner by these ruffians and had to resort to seeking shelter from you. I hope that you will not blame me. In truth, I've been driven into a corner…" the woman named Xu immediately pleaded. Her voice quivered slightly, which was a telling sign that she had been completely intimidated.

"What's your name?"

After glancing at the woman behind him, Su Ming sighed quietly in his heart. Her appearance was identical to that of Xu Hui. Even her moles were the same.

"I am Xu Hui," the woman named Xu quickly said.

She felt incredibly nervous, and her nervousness grew even more when she looked at the white dogs who had previously appeared unassuming. With just one bark, one of them had killed hundreds of people. The shock she received from seeing that was too great. And… there were five of such dogs around him!

"Can you drink?" Su Ming closed his eyes and hid the sadness as well as the reminiscence in his eyes.

"Huh?" The woman named Xu was momentarily stunned. She hesitated for a moment, but before she could answer, Su Ming had already opened his eyes.

"Drink with me once, and I will help solve this predicament."

The moment he said it, he turned around and swung his sleeve. The five white dogs beside him immediately flew out and charged at the sky.

The young man in the chair turned stark pale. When he screamed, the pupils of the four old men around him shrank. A strong sense of life-threatening danger rose in the old men, and they did not dare to attack. Instead, they grabbed the young man, turned around, and tried to escape.

But the four old men did not stand a chance against the five white dogs. The dogs instantly caught up, and shrill screams of pain rang out.

"How dare you harm me?! I am the son of the Great Sect Elder of Cloud Sieve Sect! My father is a Dao Paragon! You—"

The young man's speech turned into a scream of pain. It soon disappeared, and the five white dogs returned to Su Ming's side. The young man's pale head was in White Five's mouth.

Chapter 1433: Thank You, But You Are Not Her

The young man's head was thrown by Su Ming's side. White Five let out a whine that Xu Hui could not understand, but the other four white dogs could.

"I'm also a Dao Paragon!" This was what White Five had said.

"I'm also a Dao Paragon!"

"Darn it all, if you lot are Dao Paragons, then I'm a Dao Paragon as well!"

All five white dogs whined at that moment, then laid down on their stomachs beside Su Ming and fiddled with the young man's head.

Xu Hui sucked in a sharp breath, and her face turned even paler. When she looked at Su Ming, her gaze was filled with indescribable terror. The life and death pursuit she thought would certainly kill her had been easily resolved by Su Ming, but more importantly, he had not even attacked. The white dogs alone had done everything.

Xu Hui had been able to recognize the four old men beside the young man. They were sect elders from Cloud Sieve Sect, and their cultivation bases were practically over the roof. They were in Dao Divinity Realm, the stage that surpassed Avacaniya Realm!

Xu Hui did not know their precise level of cultivation, but to her, those four old men were powerful entities equivalent to the will of heaven. If she knew that they had been there since the beginning, she probably would have lost the courage to flee. However, those four were sent to protect the young man and would not bother to deal with her.

Yet those powerful warriors had been easily ripped apart by the white dogs of the person before her. Even the men's souls were destroyed, which filled Xu Hui's heart with indescribable fear.

"S-Senior…" Xu Hui trembled. Only when she spoke did she notice that she had regained mobility.

Su Ming sat down on a mountain rock. When he lifted his right hand, a few pots of wine appeared in front of him. They were all what he had prepared for the old man. At that moment, when he brought them out, he raised his head to look at the woman who had the exact same face as the woman in his memories.

"Drink." Su Ming picked up a pot of wine and stared at the woman before him in a daze before he took a big swig.

Xu Hui's face was pale, and she felt her skin crawl slightly from how Su Ming looked at her. He had such a high level of cultivation that he was the strongest person she had ever seen in her life… but his personality was very strange. He had actually asked her to drink wine.

Also, there seemed to be a hint of sadness in his eyes, and that sadness made her think that he was thinking of someone else when he looked at her. Xu Hui, thus, gritted her teeth, picked up a pot of wine, and drank a mouthful as well.

With it, a dash of red instantly appeared on her pale cheeks. When she put the pot of wine down, she quickly spoke.

"Senior, I can't drink too much, I—"

"Drink!" Su Ming laughed while looking at Xu Hui before he picked up his pot and took a large gulp from it again.

'Damn it… damn it! He might be a senior with unfathomable strength and have quite the pleasant face, but no matter what, he's an old monster. Could it be that h-h-he… wants to make me drunk… and then use me as a furnace?!'

Xu Hui felt conflicted in her heart, but she did not dare to refuse to drink. She quickly forced herself to smile, then gritted her teeth and drank another mouthful.

With it, Xu Hi immediately felt a little tipsy. She might have quite a few urges when she practiced Dao, but she seldom drank. At that moment, she instinctively wanted to circulate her cultivation base, but when she saw that Su Ming did not do so, she became worried that once she did, it would cause the other to do something weird, what with his strange personality. A pitiful expression appeared on her face from the conflict in her heart.

Su Ming also took another mouthful of wine from his pot. His gaze was fixated on Xu Hui. In his mind, he saw the times when he drank with Xu Hui in Divine Essence Star Ocean.

Back then, his level of cultivation had not been as high, and his knowledge of the world was still incomplete; he still struggled against the forces of the world. But when he looked back, at that time, he was blessed, because everything that belonged to him was still around, and he was only separated from them by distance, unlike…

Su Ming lowered his head, and anguish from remembering the past appeared in his eyes. He raised his winepot and drank again.

"Xu Hui, this time, I'll play fair and square …" Su Ming mumbled.

He had said those words softly, and the conflicted Xu Hui could not hear them. The pot of wine was still in her hands, and she did not know whether to put it down or continue holding it. An urge to throw all caution to the wind stirred in her, and she was about to tell Su Ming loudly that she did not drink when she caught sight of the five white dogs toying with the human head.

That one glance instantly stole her courage, and she had a vague feeling that if she refused to drink, there was a high possibility that the five white dogs would get to play with two human heads.

When Xu Hui thought of that, she felt indignant and decided to just raise her pot of wine and take a big swig from it.

Once she finished drinking, she put down her pot and suddenly notice Su Ming sway as if he could no longer handle the alcohol. This discovery immediately caused an idea to pop up in Xu Hui's head, and her spirits lifted.

'Heh heh, I'll give it my all!' she thought in her heart and immediately put on a charming expression before picking up a pot of wine to deliver it to Su Ming.

"Senior, thank you for saving my life! This is a toast of gratitude from me!" Xu Hui said. She took a big gulp first, and her petite face grew even redder.

Su Ming stared at her as if he was looking at the past and quietly drank.

"Senior, meeting is fate itself. Come, let's drink again!"

"Senior, I have to thank you for saving me! One more toast!"

"Senior, I thank you for saving me again!"

"Senior, urk… let's not say anything else, let's just drink!"

"Senior, I still don't know your name…"

The two of them drank mouthful after mouthful, and gradually, four pots of wine were emptied by them. Xu Hui was already drunk, but she found that even when she was drunk, she could still drink more. Instead, the senior who had a strange personality and harbored malicious intent became even drunker than her.

This filled her with confidence. When Su Ming brought out another four pots of wine, the two of them continued drinking. At the time the sky gradually turned dark and was adorned by glittering stars, Xu Hui stared at Su Ming with a silly smile.

"Drink up! Why aren't you drinking?!"

Su Ming was drunk. He had always been a lightweight, and he did not want to use his cultivation base to get rid of the effects of alcohol. On top of that, this time, he wanted to become drunk. He did not want to cheat. Under the moonlight, he stared at Xu Hui, and his vision seemed to have become blurry, causing him to be unable to tell whether they were in Divine Essence Star Ocean or Ancient Zang.

"I'll drink. Last time, I didn't, but Xu Hui, this time… I will drink with you," Su Ming mumbled. He picked up a pot of wine and drank a huge mouthful from it. At that moment, Xu Hui finally became certain that the strange senior did really treat her as someone else.

But she was curious why the senior named Su Ming would call out her own name even though he was seeing someone else through her.

'Could it be that his old friend is also called Xu Hui?' When that thought appeared in her head, she spoke softly while feeling tipsy.

"Yeah, you didn't drink with me last time. I was the only one drinking, but you cheated. This time, you have to get drunk."

When Su Ming heard it, he laughed.

"Dijiu Mo Sha, bring more wine here!" Su Ming shouted with a laugh, but no one answered his call. The mountain where they sat was not the mountain in Divine Essence Star Ocean. There was… no person called Dijiu Mo Sha there.

Su Ming fell silent and shook his head in anguish. He then brought out a few pots of wine himself and placed them by his side. When he did so, he sighed softly.

"If only life was as beautiful as it is in the beginning…"

This time, Xu Hui did hear his soft murmurs, and she stared at the senior who had been strange in her eyes. She saw sadness and grief in his eyes and how he seemed to be reminiscing about the past. She suddenly felt that the senior before her did not harbor any malicious thoughts. He only thought that she resembled his old friend after he saw her, which was why he had felt sentimental and asked her to drink with him.

Perhaps there had been a woman whom she resembled at some point in the passage of time who also sat on a mountain and drank with him under the night sky. That time… he cheated and did not drink too much.

Perhaps there was also a person called Dijiu Mo Sha by his side at that time, which was why he called out to him.

Xu Hui stared at Su Ming, and she gradually felt that he was a very pitiful man. She sighed softly.

'He saved me, so I will… be his old friend for a while.' When she thought of this, Xu Hui looked at Su Ming again, and a gentle look appeared in her eyes.

"Su Ming…" she said softly.

When she said those words, Su Ming's hand, which had picked up a pot of wine in anguish, came to a swift halt. He stared at her in a daze.

"Don't keep thinking about the past, please…" Xu Hui said softly and looked at Su Ming gently.

He stared back at her. At that instant, he could not quite tell who the person before him was. He slowly lifted his hand and touched the woman's face.

"You didn't finish drinking with me last time. This time, you did it. Don't keep reminiscing about the past and making yourself sad. If you do… I will be sad as well…" Xu Hui said gently while looking at Su Ming.

She did not know why, but her heart suddenly ached in pain,. It was the first time she ever felt such pain in her life.

Su Ming's hand swept past Xu Hui's face. When his hand fell, he closed his eyes.

Time trickled by, an when the time it takes for one incense stick to burn passed, Su Ming opened his eyes, and when he looked at Xu Hui, a smile appeared on his face.

"Thank you, but you… are not her."

Xu Hui bit her bottom lip. Her original intent was to pretend to be Su Ming's old friend, but he had already woken up from his drunken stupor. Yet for a reason she did not understand herself, the pain in her heart had only grown stronger.

"I…" Xu Hui was about to say something, but she did not know what to say or even where to begin.

"Thank you for drinking with me… Where is Cloud Sieve Sect? Take me there, and I will help you get rid of your problems," Su Ming said softly while standing up.

Xu Hui rose after him in a daze.

When Su Ming looked over, he lifted his right hand, intending to help her dispel her drunkenness, but Xu Hui took a few steps backwards and shook her head.

"Cloud Sieve Sect is about seven days south from this place…"

Once she said that, she closed her eyes. Her body became limp, and she fell.