Chapter 1361 - 604 - 611

Chapter 604: Ten Thousand Evil Ghost Dao

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

At the instant Zhao Chong knelt down and begged for mercy, fire suddenly erupted from his body. The power from the flames instantly filled the entire area, and at that moment, he swiftly scattered away. This was not self-destruction. He was simply using the chance he created while begging for mercy to make the other person hesitate, and during that instant, he executed the strongest Evil Art he had at his disposal, which was used specifically for devouring people.

He wanted to forcefully take over this person's mind and destroy his soul. He knew that this person's level of cultivation was higher than his, and he also knew that it would be difficult for him to be released unconditionally in light of what he had done, but he still had some marginal confidence that he could succeed!

Almost at the instant his Nascent Soul dissipated, nearly a hundred souls appeared in Su Ming's body, and all of them were letting out shrill roars. They… were all souls of disciples who Zhao Chong had devoured in the past.

Their souls had already fused together with his Nascent Soul, and as they scattered outwards, it meant that Zhao Chong was no longer the only one trying to occupy Su Ming's mind. There were nearly a hundred souls trying to do so at the same time.

This was his so called 'chance'!

Su Ming was waiting precisely for this moment. He had already correctly guessed this person's divine ability and its uses earlier, especially when he saw the dried up corpses sitting all around the karst cave. They were definitely there not just for decoration.

A clue was hidden here, and after a brief analysis, Su Ming was certain that Zhao Chong's cultivation method did not just allow him to absorb his disciple's flesh, essence, and their souls. There was another use to it, and that was the ability to use their souls to control their physical bodies, turning them into puppet-like existences.

These puppets might not be powerful, but since Zhao Chong did it, then he definitely had a way to transform their bodies.

By the looks of it, Chen Da Xi's soul was definitely still within, and perhaps… Su Ming had a chance to save him!

If that was not the case, Su Ming would have killed Zhao Chong a long time ago and would not have bothered with such theatrics. At that moment, Zhao Chong was forced into a corner and had scattered all his souls to charge at Su Ming's mind. At that moment, Su Ming's cold chuckles reverberated within all of the souls in his body.

Almost at the moment Zhao Chong and the others rushed into his mind, prepared to forcefully assimilate him, a powerful will abruptly descended on them.

The strength of that will was like the might of the world itself, like a limitless, raging sea. As for Zhao Chong and his souls, they were ants in that world, lonely boats in that raging sea.

Under Su Ming's will, the souls that had spread out from Zhao Chong's Nascent Soul started dissipating one by one. They had been extracted from their bodies for many years, and their lives were now connected to Zhao Chong's.

However, there was one soul that was surrounded by a gentle ray of light and disappeared from the list of those that would have to die. What was happening in Su Ming's mind did not cause much of a ruckus, but if souls died in his mind, they would also die in the world outside him.

Su Ming's will was the strongest force in his body. Under his suppression, all forms of resistance crumbled, including Zhao Chong's. As he screamed in a shrill voice, his Nascent Soul shattered, and he disappeared completely.

The instant that happened, trails of incredibly pure power that belonged to a Nascent Soul appeared in Su Ming's mind. The purity of this power was what Zhao Chong had obtained after devouring countless souls for many years, and it was what he had stored in his Nascent Soul to prepare himself to break into the next Realm.

Yet at that moment, when he died, the power spread into Su Ming's mind and was absorbed by his Nascent Divinity, causing it to begin recovering rapidly.

Five-tenths of his cultivation base had recovered previously, and that was inclusive of his Nascent Divinity, who was halfway to complete recovery. At that moment, once he absorbed the power of Zhao Chong's Nascent Soul, that pure power and the aura from the world caused the Nascent Divinity to recover a little more. Even Su Ming's Berserker Bones had showed signs of slight recovery after absorbing Zhao Chong's life force.

It caused the recovered cultivation base to rise from five-tenths to six-tenths!

Time passed slowly without Su Ming's notice, as he remained in the karst cave. In the blink of an eye, several days had already gone by. Su Ming sat in the cave and quietly meditated. When another evening went by, he opened his eyes.

A brilliant flash appeared in his eyes, and he breathed out a puff of putrid air. His face was calm, and once he cast a glance at his surroundings, his gaze fell on Chen Da Xi's body, who was sitting not too far away from him.

The physical body was still complete, though on the thinner side, but had very little life force left. It was also an empty shell that was void of a soul.

If Su Ming's arrival had not caused Zhao Chong to feel extremely pained at the loss of his medicinal cores, which led to him growing extremely resentful, to the point that he hastened his plan to devour Su Ming, then a few months later, Chen Da Xi would have become the same as all his senior brothers.

However, Su Ming's arrival had caused Zhao Chong's plans to change. He could no longer care about absorbing Chen Da Xi first, which was the reason why the youth had a chance to be revived.

As Su Ming looked at Chen Da Xi, Ugly Little Thing's adorable smile appeared in his mind. He swiftly lifted his right hand, and a gentle ray of light gradually started spreading out from his palm. A dazed soul could be seen within it.

That soul looked just like Chen Da Xi!

This was the young man's soul. Before Su Ming destroyed Zhao Chong, he had found Chen Da Xi among the numerous souls and used his Nascent Divinity to envelop it, preventing his death when Zhao Chong was destroyed.

As Su Ming looked at this soul, he sighed quietly in his heart. There was not much life force left within the soul, and it was the same for his physical body. Even if he fused Chen Da Xi's soul with his body and the youth managed to wake up, he would not be able to live past ten years.

Su Ming lifted his right hand and pushed forward. Immediately, that gentle light pushed Chen Da Xi's fazed soul back into his body. Right at the instant before it fused, the youth no longer remained dazed, but snapped awake. He turned around, as if he wanted to cast a glance at Su Ming, but before he managed to see him clearly, he had already fused with his body.

"You were originally dead… The only thing I can do is to help you gain ten years of your life. Use these ten years… to accompany your parents and your little sister…"

Su Ming's voice reverberated in the karst cave, falling into Chen Da Xi's mind. However, the youth was unconscious at that moment. His soul was slowly fusing back into his body.

Su Ming stood up and looked at the dried up corpses beside him. Then, in silence, he waved his arm at them.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust… You died in Zhao Chong's hands, but your bodies are still trapped here… I'm not a kind person, but I'll help you."

As Su Ming whispered softly, a gust of wind stirred up in the cave and blew gently outwards. Wherever that wind went by, all the corpses would turn into ashes before fusing with the wind and traveling into the deeper parts of the karst cave.

Su Ming did not know whether it was just a figment of his imagination, but when the corpses turned into ashes, perhaps it was because of their bodies being transformed, but the empty expressions on their faces seemed to have showed release before they disintegrated.

Su Ming remained silent for a moment, then took a step forward and walked towards the deeper parts of the karst cave, where the ashes traveled. The karst cave was built in the shape of a gourd. When Su Ming reached the other end, he saw an old man in black sitting cross-legged over there. His body was dried up and thin, and there was not a hint of life within him.

He was dead.

The ashes from the corpses had already floated to this place and were falling on that old man's corpse layer by layer, as if they wanted to bury the old man underneath. Perhaps these corpses that had existed for years contained some corrosive power, but as they fell on it, layer by layer, they also caused the old man's body to slowly show signs of decay.

A deep wave of hatred spread out from the falling ashes. Su Ming watched silently. He could already guess that this old man was Zhao Chong's original body, and the disciples he killed might no longer have any souls, but the grudge they felt before they died had made them determined to kill and destroy their Master before they disappeared!

As Su Ming looked the corpse gradually rotting away before it eventually disappeared from his sight, a sentimental feeling rose in his heart. He turned around and left the place.

Once he returned to where he was, Su Ming lifted his right hand and pointed towards the unconscious Chen Da Xi. Immediately, his body flew towards him, and once he held him under his arm, he walked forward, heading towards one of the Runes not too far away. Su Ming lowered his head and cast a few looks at it. When he stepped on it, the light of Relocation shone from the Rune, and in the next instant, it disappeared, along with Su Ming and Chen Da Xi.

Dusk was over, but the sky was not completely dark above the mountain of Evil Spirit Sect just yet. Indistinct figures could still be seen on the ground. A dim light shone from the middle house among the three houses in Zhao Chong's courtyard, and Su Ming walked out from it with Chen Da Xin under his arm.

Once he stepped off the Relocation Rune, he turned his head around and cast a glance at his surroundings. He fell silent for a moment, then took off the storage bag and some of the other miscellaneous items from Chen Da Xi's body. Once that was done, he had his body gradually turn into a layer of black fog. As it surrounded him, it caused his body to become obscure.

With this, Su Ming looked no different from how Zhao Chong looked previously.

At the instant Su Ming absorbed the man's Nascent Soul, he also saw quite a bit of the his memories. From them, he learned that Zhao Chong was practicing an Art called Ten Thousand Evil Ghost Dao. This Art was incredibly sinister, but once someone mastered it, its might was nothing to scoff at.

However, for some unknown reason, it was incredibly difficult for the practitioners of this Art to reach complete mastery. Usually, they would mysteriously die when they were halfway through. It was also pure coincidence that Zhao Chong obtained this Art. The karst cave was not his creation, but had existed since the start. Once he stumbled upon it, he found the cultivation method for this Evil Art within the cave.

From then on, he started practicing it in secret…

'This person might be a Sect Elder in Evil Spirit Sect, but his status wasn't high. Besides, once he started practicing this Art, he was unwilling to mingle around with other people. His death should not catch too much attention.'

Su Ming originally had the idea of turning into Zhao Chong, but after a period of pensive silence, he shook his head.

'He was a Nascent Soul cultivator equivalent to a Berserker in the initial stage of the Berserker Soul Stage. Even if he was a Berserker who had switched to train in Evil Arts and his death wouldn't capture too much attention, there should still be someone who would come up and investigate this.'

A flash of light appeared in Su Ming's right hand and covered Chen Da Xi's body. Immediately, it disappeared. After a moment of thought, he turned around and stepped into the Rune once again.

Chapter 605: Investigation

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

After a moment, Su Ming walked out and crouched down. With his eyes sparkling, he started rearranging the Relocation Rune to fit the structure of the one he had inherited from Hong Luo. Once he wiped away the traces on top, he walked out of the house without any expression on his face. After a moment of pensive silence, a freezing glint shone in his eyes, and he left the courtyard.

He had by then recovered a six-tenths of his cultivation base, and he could do many things that he previously could not. It did not matter whether it was about wiping away the clues of his identity, which he left at the gate where the sacred python was, or about the uncertainties and doubts in Zhang Ren and Zuo Xing Xun's hearts.

Before long, Su Ming returned with a calm expression on his face. He went back to his room and lay down on his bed. He closed his eyes and started taking a catnap.

In the upper region of the mountain that belonged to the Inner Sect of Evil Spirit Sect was a huge hall that towered into the clouds. It was black, just like the other buildings, and filled with a ghastly feeling.

Within the hall were two old men, and their facial colors were gray, causing them to look incredibly sickly. They did not move, and even when they breathed, no movement of their chests could be detected.

Behind them was a gigantic statue. It was incredibly big, carved in the image of a man wearing a ghost-patterned robe. This man seemed to be middle-aged, and there were numerous ferocious ghost faces embroidered on his robe. He was stepping on a huge python, and it was hissing while having most of its body wrapped around the man.

In the man's right hand was a shield, and there was an innumerable amount of vengeful souls stretching out from it. Each of the faces could be seen clearly, and all of them gave off a forlorn air.

A wicked air surrounded that statue, but right on top of it was a black lotus, and sitting on it was a woman. She had a dignified expression on her face, and was incredibly beautiful. There was even a holy air about her.

Holiness and wickedness. These two completely different presences fused together on the statue, and all those who saw it for the first time would find that there was something strange about it.

There were several bells hanging off the python under the man's feet. When there was no wind blowing, there would be no sound, but at that moment, right at the instant Zhao Chong died, one of the many bells started moving on its own, and let out a clear bell chime even without wind.

The sound started without warning, and it rang clearly through the quiet hall. Then, as the sound gradually spread, the bell shattered with a crack and fell to the ground.

At that moment, the two old men, who were sitting so still in the hall that they seemed like corpses, slowly opened their eyes. They were calm as they looked at the shattered bell on the ground.

"This Origin Bell is half black. It's from a Berserker who changed to practice the Evil Arts…" One of the old men averted his gaze after casting a glance at that bell before he spoke hoarsely. When his voice reverberated through the quiet hall, dark flames immediately lit up all around them within the originally dark hall, causing light and darkness to begin criss-crossing with each other as those dark flames swayed in the hall.

The other old man let his eyelids fall slightly. After a moment, his words tumbled out of his lips slowly. "This is Outer Sect's Sect Elder Zhao Chong's Origin Bell."

"Zhao Chong… Is he the person whom the sect secretly baited into practicing the Ten Thousand Evil Ghost Dao?"

"I remember that he took in a disciple a few months ago…"

"Investigate this matter. No matter what, we will have to provide a reason if a Nascent Soul cultivator died within the sect." There seemed to be a lack of harmony between these two old men as they spoke. It was as if they were both giving each other irrelevant answers, as if their final few sentences were not actually directed at each other.

Once they finished speaking, two indistinct figures appeared out of nowhere behind the two old men. Once they bowed towards them, they turned around and left the hall.

When the two indistinct figures left, the dark light in the hall faded away, and the hall returned to its silent darkness once again, and no bell chimes could be heard any longer. The two old men also closed their eyes.

As for Su Ming, at the instant he returned to his room and lay down for a nap, a faint light shone behind his shut eyelids.

He might have recovered a six-tenths of his cultivation base, but it would still be to his benefit if he did not reveal himself, because this place was incredibly suitable for him to recover his cultivation base. Besides, Su Ming had a greater goal in mind.

If he could restore himself to the peak of his condition, then he was prepared to use this place and its dense power of the world to help him break into the Berserker Soul Realm. If he let this place slip out of his hands, then it would be incredibly difficult for him to find another one where the power of the world would be this thick.

He had never tried reaching the Berserker Soul Realm, but his Master had mentioned a few things multiple times when he was still in the ninth summit. He had to search for a place with enough aura to support himself when he was trying to reach a breakthrough into the Berserker Soul Realm, or else, it would be a high chance that he would end up failing halfway through.

Su Ming knew that it would be incredibly difficult for him to try and reach the Berserker Soul Realm. After all, all his bones in his body were Berserker Bones. If that was the case, he had to find an ample supply of the power of the world for him to absorb, and this place… was the most suitable!

That was why he did not want to expose himself unless it was absolutely necessary.

At that moment, the light in his eyes disappeared. He could sense two figures appearing in the courtyard right outside his house. These two people's level of cultivation was slightly higher than that of Zhao Chong. They might not have reached the level equivalent to the middle stage of the Berserker Soul Realm, but they were already infinitesimally close to it.

'There are a lot more powerful warriors in Eastern Wastelands compared to South Morning… especially since the Immortals descended to this place. This is the key reason why the number of powerful warriors in Eastern Wastelands is so much greater than South Morning.'

Su Ming did not even move a finger, just closed his eyes and 'slept'.

Once he sensed the two figures appearing in the courtyard, they charged straight towards Zhao Chong's house, stepped through his door, and moved into his room.

When Su Ming saw this, he smiled coldly in his heart. The whole reason behind why he went to the karst cave a second time was so that he could prepare for everything that was going to happen at this moment.

He could sense the two figures disappearing from Zhao Chong's house, a clear sign that they had been Relocated into the karst cave.

After the time taken for an incense stick to burn, they reappeared. They did not immediately leave after rushing out of Zhao Chong's house, but instead went to Su Ming's house.

He was pretending to be asleep and his breathing was even, as if he was completely unaware of what was happening, but he had his divine sense faintly spread out. If anything happened, he would be able to determine whether he should take action.

The two people phased through the walls of Su Ming's room, and when they floated inside room, one of them smiled coldly and lifted his right hand, going straight for Su Ming's throat.

The other person's eyes sparkled as he kept his eyes glued to Su Ming's body, to observe each and every single one of his actions.

All of this might have seemed to have happened slowly and over a long period of time, but in truth, only a moment had gone by since the two figures stepped into Su Ming's room to the moment they struck. As of then, one of the figure's fingers were about to touch Su Ming's throat.

He shuddered, as if the sudden cold air had chilled him in his sleep. He turned his head around, and his eyelashes fluttered, as if he was about to open his eyes. It did not matter whether it was his expression or his behavior, all of them looked incredibly real, making it seem as if he was a real teenager, about twelve or thirteen years of age.

However, there was killing intent hidden within his heart. If these two people were just testing him, he would let them go, but if they wanted to kill him, then he might really have to attack.

Yet at the moment his eyelashes fluttered and it looked as if he was about to open his eyes, the person's index finger froze, and when Su Ming opened his eyes, the person was already gone with his companion.

A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes and he no longer bothered himself with them. He closed his eyes and continued taking his nap.

Soon after, the two figures who had tested Su Ming just moments ago appeared behind the two old men within the black and quiet hall, which was located at the top of the mountain belonging to Evil Spirit Sect.

However, the two had blended together with the darkness, and no one could see them clearly.

"All the dried corpses of Zhao Chong's disciples, which he had absorbed previously in his karst cave, have turned into ashes and buried his original body."

"His storage bag is still around, and all his other items are also present. Not a single thing is missing."

"There are no traces of anyone else in the karst cave. There isn't any sign of anyone fighting or casting any Arts in there."

"From the condition of the Relocation Rune, we were able to tell that it was only activated once before us. Someone went in, but no one came out."

"We've also investigated the disciple Zhao Chong received eight months ago. This child is just a mortal and is a bit of a loner. He did not show any signs of venturing out of his room during the past eight months, but he had an abundance of life force within him…"

"We've asked the disciples who brought this child to the mountain. Their reports are normal, and they didn't find anything strange about him, nor did they suspect anything about the child."

"We've also asked the sacred python of the Outer Sect's mountain gate. It does not have a deep impression of this child."

"We've also investigated the strange behavior of the vengeful souls on the mountain trail eight months ago when this boy went up the mountain. From our investigations, we found that it was due to Shanhen[1] acting on his duty and feeding them that day."

The two figures spoke one after another. Their voices were cool, and they did not add a single thought of their own. They only reported what they had discovered, because it was not part of what their duty to make any sort of judgments.

The hall was silent. After a long while, an old voice spoke up.

"Its normal that he's overflowing with life force. Zhao Chong must have given the child a lot of Soul Nurturing Cores."

"The dried corpses disintegrated into ashes to bury Zhao Chong's body… Looks like this is the karma that all those who practice Ten Thousand Evil Ghost Dao have to suffer…"

"This should have nothing to do with the boy… Have him go to Conscience Interrogation Hall to receive an interrogation. If there is indeed nothing wrong with him, then don't bother with him anymore."

"Even if there is nothing wrong with the child, he cannot stay in the Outer Sect… Have him placed in the labourers' lounge. This matter is dismissed." The old voices in the hall ended the investigation of incidents brought by Zhao Chong's death, and the hall slowly returned to silence.

When the next morning arrived, Su Ming was summoned by an expressionless Outer Sect disciple and brought to a spacious region near the Inner Sect of Evil Spirit Sect. There was a double storey building there.

Once the Outer Sect disciple delivered Su Ming to this place, he turned around and left.

"Come in…" A woman's cold and detached voice came from the double storey building.

Translator's Note:

1. Shanhen/Shan Hen: And here we have the next character under the familiar name series from Dark Mountain. Shanhen is written as山恨 (shan1 hen4), and Shan Hen is山痕 (shan1 hen2). The pronunciation for their names is slightly different compared to the others, who have the exact same pronunciation but different characters. Shanhen (山恨) means Mountain and Hatred respectively, and Shan Hen (山痕) is Mountain and Scar respectively.

Just keep in mind that Name-Stuck-Together is Immortal, and Name-Not-Stuck-Together is Berserker, and you're good to go.

By the way, Shan Hen was the traitor in Dark Mountain Tribe and also their chief of hunters.

Chapter 606: Junior Brother Chen, Where Are You Going?

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The power of the world here was incredibly dense, so dense that it far surpassed the density within the other areas. It was as if quite a large amount of the aura in the mountain was being specifically sent to this place.

That was why the feeling about this place was completely different from the other places.

At the instant this voice seeped into Su Ming's ears, it turned into an indescribable warmth that filled his entire body, causing a dazed expression to appear on his face.

As if he had lost his soul, he started walking forward in a dazed manner, then pushed open the door to the double-story building and walked in. Before him was a statue.

This statue was not big, and portrayed a woman sitting on a black lotus. She had long hair and was incredibly beautiful. She had her eyes closed, and an air of holiness came crashing into one's face, causing the grudge-filled air in the mountain to seemingly disappear, not daring to come any closer.

However, the power of the world was surging towards the statue as if it was the center, circling around it as if it was a vortex, which continuously brought in more power to this place, making it circle and linger around.

Su Ming stared at the statue blankly, with a dazed expression on his face. His eyes were empty.

"Sit down."

The gentle, feminine voice traveled forward once again. Su Ming sat down slowly, like a puppet. His dazed expression made it seem as if he had become the age his body promised him to be, causing all those who saw him to lose all manner of wariness.

"What happened last night?"

The gentle voice reverberated in Su Ming's ears. It gave him an incredibly kind and cordial feeling, and it sounded like a mumbling from a dream. As if it had made him lose all forms of resistance, Su Ming started mumbling along with that voice.

He did not know how much time had passed when during his questioning, a person appeared behind him. It was an old woman, and her face was filled with wrinkles. She looked incredibly ugly, but that gentle voice came from her mouth.

She looked at Su Ming, and the cold, aloof look in her eyes was a huge contrast to her gentle voice. It was as if they belonged to two different people.

"Think again. Is there something you forgot?"

She spoke gently and lifted her right hand to pluck out a white strand of hair from her head before placing it on the front of Su Ming's head. She let it float down and fall on top of his skull before it gradually fused into his body and disappeared without a trace.

Su Ming mumbled softly and answered everything she asked, as if he had forgotten about time. Only when the cordial, gentle voice told him he could leave did he stand up and walk out of the building in a daze.

Only when Su Ming left and returned to his house did that dazed expression in his eyes disappear, and it was replaced by a cold look.

'A hypnotic Art…'

A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. He lifted his right hand and pressed down at the top of his head. Then, a white strand of hair fell from the top of his head, and he grabbed it in his hand.

He stared at the strand of hair, and a smile suddenly appeared at the corners of his lips.

'The old woman's place isn't bad… The density of the power of the world there far surpasses the density here… There might not be many places in this mountain where the spiritual aura of the world is greater than there!

'It's the perfect place for me to heal my wounds and reach the Berserker Soul Realm!'

Su Ming's eyes sparkled as he stared at the white strand of hair in his hand. That woman had left it behind so that she could continue observing him.

Yet when Su Ming held it in his hand, he could turn its use around and make it into the tool for him to control that old woman!

'There's no need for me to rush…' Su Ming cast that strand of hair a glance, then while treating it as a blade of grass, he tied a knot on it!

At the instant he did so, the old woman, who was sitting down cross-legged in the double-story building some distance away from Su Ming's house, found her cultivation base fluctuating a little.

Her eyes suddenly flew open, and she frowned as she carefully observed her body, but she found nothing wrong with her. In silence, she closed her eyes once again.

She had already given the punishment hall the jade slip recording everything Su Ming had said. This matter was no longer any of her business.

After three days of silence, Su Ming sighed and left the courtyard in which he had stayed for the eight something months. Since Zhao Chong died, he received an order from the Outer Sect that he was expelled out of the Outer Sect and sent to the foot of Evil Spirit Mountain. That was the place where all the laborers and the disciples who had no right to enter the Outer Sect stayed.

The people who brought him there were Zhang Ren and Zuo Xing Xun. Their memories about Su Ming had all been completely wiped away, courtesy of Su Ming himself. At that moment, their faces were filled with impatience, and once they sent him to the hall that was in charge of managing all the affairs at the foot of the mountain, they left swiftly, without even going in.

The person in charge of the hall at the foot of the mountain was a thin, middle-aged man with an ugly face that somewhat resembled a monkey. He kept on sizing up Su Ming. He had been in this hall for many years and had met Outer Sect disciples who had been sent to this place as punishment before, but about half of these would be taken back before long.

Because of that, even though there was only half a chance for these people to be taken back, he still did not want to immediately offend them. Of course, if there was still no news after a year, then this man would naturally change his attitude.

But right now, he put on a smile on his face and wrapped his fist in his palm towards Su Ming.

"I am Qian Chen, and you must be Chen Su, right? Junior brother Chen, don't lose heart. Just think of being sent here as taking a holiday. I do believe that you'll be able to go back before long. So, do you need me to give you a position to manage servant girls, or would you rather oversee our purchase of items from the world outside?

"Or would you rather become the officer who distributes spirit stones? I'll give you whatever position you want, as long as you ask for it!" Qian Chen patted his chest, and when he talked about the position to manage the servant girls, he gave Su Ming a suggestive smile.

"Managing servant girls is an art itself. How do you make them listen to you? There are a lot of things to learn about this, and you'll need to learn most of these things first hand, junior brother Chen. When you have the feeling that what you're doing is right, then you'll be doing it right, am I right?

"This is a very important position, and it's a position that requires selfless devotion. I believe that you can take up this position, junior brother Chen!

"There's also the position of managing the purchases from the world outside. Only an upright person can take it. There are plenty of people in the mountain, and just the matter of taking care of their food and drinks is already a great responsibility. To guarantee their standard of living, the person who takes up this position must be fearless. No matter how expensive it is, he must be able to buy that item!

"I'm in charge of the distribution of spirit stones as of now, but this post is even more troublesome. You shouldn't be too interested in this…" As Qian Chen continued speaking, he watched Su Ming's expression. As of now, he still could not tell just what this kid's background was, and he was most worried about him asking for the position to distribute spirit stones.

That was why he mentioned it, all for the sake of testing whether this person would be interested. At that moment, his small, beady eyes were flashing, but the smile on his face remained.

This was a person who took advantage of the weak but steered clear of the strong. He was a tactful person, but would turn hostile once he had a falling out with someone. Su Ming cast Qian Chen a glance. With his experience, he could already tell just what this person's character was, despite only coming into contact with him a few moments ago.

"Junior brother Chen, a few ladies have been taken up the mountain lately, and they're supposed to go there to search for their fated partners among the Immortals. I heard that… Ahem, that one of them is pretty good… You know what I'm saying. Why don't… I bring you to see her?"

Chapter 607: Qian Chen

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The sky was bright, if you ignored the black smoke above Evil Spirit Sect's mountain. The parts that weren't blocked by it were very clear. Because of that, it made the black smoke look incredibly distinct, and at the same time, anyone who lifted their heads upwards would be able to see the blue shade in the sky serving as a contrast against it.

There were also some white clouds floating about, and under the radiant sun, a person would inevitably start feeling lazy. If it had not been winter, this weather might perhaps have been even more perfect.

Su Ming lifted his head and looked at the sky. Qian Chen's suggestive words were still ringing in his ears. This was something he had never experienced before. It did not matter whether it was when he was in Dark Mountain, in the ninth summit, or when he was in the land of the Shamans. He had never experienced such a thing like this, not before he entered this sect.

He was not a successor disciple, and no one paid too much attention to him. He was chased out of the Outer Sect as if he was banished, and when he came to the laborer's lodge, he met this Qian Chen, who was giving him a filthy smile, and as Su Ming looked at this man, a faint smile gradually appeared on his own face.

He suddenly found that he very much liked this feeling.

He did not need to use too much of his mind to know why this person was being so friendly. It was all because he still was unable to figure out his origins. After all, on the surface, Su Ming seemed like he was sent down from the Outer Sect.

He looked as if he was banished, and this was the punishment dealt towards disciples who had done wrong in Evil Spirit Sect. Hence, the possibility of these disciples being summoned back existed. Because of that, it was only logical that this Qian Chen would be so logical.

When Su Ming thought about this, he smiled at the man and shook his head.

Qian Chen did not hesitate even for a moment. His expression immediately morphed into one of seriousness. It gave off a solemn air, and at the same time, there was also respect and admiration contained within it.

After casting a profound gaze at Su Ming, he slowly nodded his head.

"As expected of an Outer Sect disciple. I originally wanted to use this to test you because I wanted to find out about your character, junior brother Chen. If you agreed to go and manage the servant girls and have numerous beautiful girls listen to you and serving you every single day as if your word was law… then I would look down on you.

"How could we cultivators neglect training our character for lust? This sort of thing is something we must absolutely not do!

"If you had agreed to this, I would have tried persuading you not to do it, because we're fellow disciples and I am your senior brother. I have a duty to tell you that this isn't something we should do!

"Junior brother Chen, I have always been selfless, or else the sect wouldn't have given me the important task of managing the laborers. And you are the most valiant person I've seen here, and also the person who deserves the most amount of respect among all those here!" Qian Chen stated slowly. As he spoke, his expressions shifted and changed, according to what was required in that part of his speech.

It sounded as if he had done all these things because he was merely being considerate of Su Ming, as if he was truly just testing him.

"Then, junior brother Chen, please take care of the purchase of items. This is incredibly important…" As Qian Chen spoke, he suddenly noticed that Su Ming was frowning slightly when he heard that. A thought immediately appeared in his head, and his tone as well as his words swiftly changed.

"...but even though this is incredibly important, it's impossible for you to do it!" His expression changed into that of burning righteousness as he looked at Su Ming solemnly.

"Because while this might be a great job for other people, this is a dirty thing you should never do!

"Purchasing items from the world outside requires you to always go down the mountain. This is a humiliation to someone like you who immerses yourself in training, junior brother Chen. I'll just be causing you harm and making you waste your training time!

"What is time, junior brother Chen? Time is life, this is something I believe in wholeheartedly. Don't worry, I will never make you waste your life. You don't know about this, but I was testing you again just now!

"Junior brother Chen, my respect for you has surpassed the one I hold for everyone else. I'm proud that Evil Spirit Sect has received a talented person like you, junior brother Chen…" Qian Chen's words continued like flowing water, and since the start, Su Ming had never said anything. Only Qian Chen's voice echoed in the place.

As Qian Chen continued speaking, he continued observing Su Ming's facial expressions, and anxiety started gradually welling up in his heart.

He found that he could not fully grasp this boy's thoughts. He had seen some of the disciples who had been banished here as punishment by the Outer Sect, but with just a few words, he could somewhat tell what they were thinking, and from there, he could determine their importance to the Outer Sect, which would also tell him whether the person had any backing.

From there, he could also tell whether he could use that person, and then, he would be able to give that person a rank in his heart.

He always bemoaned how tough his job was, because he had to observe other people's moods and determine which of the ones that were sent down had to be oppressed, which had to be fawned upon, which had to be treated aloofly, and which he had to be friendly towards.

To him, this was his most important task.

Yet he could not see through this Chen Su. Right from the start, this person had not said a single word. The composure he maintained also made him seem as if he was not chased away from the Outer Sect, but was instead akin to one of those rich kids that was occasionally taking a stroll outside.

This bearing made Qian Chen's heart thump.

'He's an ace! He's definitely an ace! This isn't about him having a high level of cultivation, but is a matter about him having a powerful background, or else it'd be impossible for him to be so composed at his age!' Qian Chen immediately made an assumption.

'These are the most troublesome ones! This person can rank in the third tier on the 'Absolutely-Do-Not-Provoke' chart I've made after examining all the people sent here through the twenty years I've worked in the laborers' lodge!' Qian Chen was smiling, but his heart was on guard.

He had met arrogant and aloof ones among those who were chased down from the Outer Sect, and dealing with these sort of people was a piece of cake to him. He had also seen those who liked putting on airs, those with murderous aura all over their bodies, and had even met those who might be smiling, but whose eyes would be flashing with a sinister glint.

He had met far too many kinds of people during the twenty years, and he only had a few words for the disciples who were chased out of the Outer Sect, which were…

"Damn you all, even if you're a dragon, you put your head down when you're in my territory! Even if you're a tiger, you lie down!"

'Something's not right, something's definitely not right! There's something off about this Chen Su, something incredibly off about him!' Qian Chen bent his back a little, and a bright smile appeared on his face.

"I know what job suits you the most, junior brother Chen. You're the most suited for distributing spirit stones. Don't worry, so that you will have a better future and Evil Spirit Sect will continue growing stronger, I will selflessly offer you this position. From now on, the task of distributing spirit stones will be handed to you!

"I know that this job will definitely not enter your sights, but I just realized today that you are even more suited for it than I am. Please don't reject it. This matter… concerns the future of Evil Spirit Sect. It affects the entire situation in Eastern Wastelands and is linked to the fates of tens of thousands of people…"

The compassionate look on Qian Chen's face towards all of mankind, the emotion in his voice, and the slight shiver in it made him seem as if he had turned into the lord of Eastern Wastelands, and right at that moment, he was it handing over to Su Ming.

Even Su Ming was momentarily taken aback by his words. If it hadn't been that he was absolutely certain that this Qian Chen standing before him was not hiding anything from him or had gone through any sort of transformations, he would have thought this man was actually the bald crane.

To Su Ming, only the bald crane could even hope to compete with his way with words. As for who would win… Su Ming would lean more towards the bald crane, after all, the level to which they catered to his desires was different...

"Give me a quiet and slightly remote place. I want to go into isolation." Su Ming cast Qian Chen a glance and spoke for the first time. His voice was calm and flat, but there was a might within it that allowed no room for dispute.

Qian Chen's heart let out a loud thump once again and he took two steps back before carefully sizing up Su Ming from head to toe.

'Rank increase. This person isn't ranked in the third tier on the Absolutely-Do-Not-Provoke chart, he's on the second tier!'

He was feeling slightly nervous in his heart, but not a single hint of it was shown on his face. He continued showing a radiant smile, and when he heard his words, he nodded his head with a pleased expression.

"Not bad. As expected, I didn't misjudge you, junior brother Chen! I respect you!" As he spoke, he even gave Su Ming a thumbs up. There was not a hint of falsehood in the pleased look on his face, and there was even sincerity within his respectful expression.

He no longer bothered with any nonsense and patted his body with his right hand before immediately bringing out a jade slip for Su Ming.

"Junior brother Chen, I respect you, so I won't say much now. You can choose one of the glowing spots here as you please. You don't need to do anything, just relax and concentrate on your training. Junior brother Chen, I support you wholeheartedly. If anyone from above comes down here and checks, I will bear all responsibility for you! That's right, I'm that much of a fair and honest person, I'm that much of an upright person. I'm a man who loves thinking for others and won't bother with his own losses!

"Once we've been in contact for a longer period of time, you'll figure this out naturally, junior brother Chen."

There was a rather strange look on Su Ming's face. Once he accepted the jade slip, he sent his divine sense to scan it. Immediately, a map of the foot of the mountain with many glowing spots appeared in his head.

Qian Chen was watching Su Ming carefully. A barely noticeable glint shone in his heart, and he was feeling pretty smug about himself.

'If you choose a spot near the Outer Sect, then it means that the possibility of you returning there is incredibly high! If you choose a spot in the middle, then it means that you are also uncertain about it...

'Heh heh, if you choose the location at the bottom, then it means that you are also at a loss about your own future. This method might not be entirely accurate, but it can also tell just what exactly is going on with you.'

Once Su Ming scanned the map on the jade slip with his divine sense, he recalled the double-story building near the top of the mountain. After a moment, he chose a spot close to the Outer Sect. It was the place nearest to the double-story building.

Once he chose it, he handed the jade slip back to Qian Chen, who smiled and focused his attention on the jade slip once he received it. Immediately, his expression became a little unnatural, but it soon recovered. However, there was a faint glint in his eyes when he looked at Su Ming.

'There's no way I can be wrong about this. This person has an incredibly huge background, and he'll leave this place in at most a month. I'll have to serve him well. He might not be among the people ranked in the first tier in the Absolutely-Do-Not-Provoke chart, but he's definitely in the top in the second tier!

'Ah, it's a pity that I've never met someone from the first tier in the Absolutely-Do-Not-Provoke chart… Er, well, best not to meet them.'

Chapter 608: Hair Knot!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The place Su Ming chose might be close to the Outer Sect, but it was actually located behind the mountain and was in a secluded area. Few people went there on a regular basis. There was a simple house there, and it was surrounded by weeds. Clearly, no one had bothered cleaning the place up for a long time.

The power of the world here was not dense and could not compare to the density in the courtyard where Su Ming had stayed previously. Obviously, the double-storey building that had tempted Su Ming incredibly was even further out of its reach.

However, this place was quiet, and it was also close to the double-storey building. In fact, if he stood outside the house and lifted his head to look, he would be able to vaguely see the indistinct shadow of the building residing at the upper middle section of the mountain.

Su Ming surveyed his surroundings, and he was somewhat satisfied with the place. Qian Chen originally wanted to send someone to clean up, but Su Ming stopped him. He preferred the area to be preserved in its original state, because that would make it look even more secluded.

Qian Chen continued following Su Ming around with a brilliant smile even after the sun had set, asking him about his well-being, and even whether he needed servant girls. Even when Su Ming declined, Qian Chen still continued smiling. Only when Su Ming showed hints of tiredness on his face when dusk arrived did Qian Chen bid his farewell by wrapping his fist in his palm before he left.

Qian Chen's thoughts and feelings as he left shall not be mentioned for the moment. Once dusk was over and the sky slowly darkened, Su Ming no longer remained in his room. Instead, he sat outside while leaning against the wall to his house, looking at the sky.

It was winter at the moment. The weeds all around were covered in white snow. In fact, there were a few flecks of snow floating down from the sky. A snowflake fell down before Su Ming's eyes, and he lifted his hand to catch it. It chilled his palm as it melted.

'If snowflakes exist to melt on the ground, then can this be considered the snowflakes' fate…?'

By then, six-tenths of Su Ming's cultivation base had been restored, but there was still quite some distance before he could fully recover. By his predictions, unless he went to the double-storey building, he would need at least ten years before he could return to the peak of his form, and it didn't matter if he trained here or even in the courtyard in the Outer Sect.

After all, while recovery might have been quick when he tried to heal in the beginning, but the progress would become increasingly harder as he went further down the road. The speed for the final four-tenths of his cultivation base would not be something that the previous six could even hope to compare.

'I must go to that double-storey building…' A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. When he straightened his hand, a strand of white hair took form on his palm.

There was a knot on that strand of hair. Su Ming placed his right hand on the knot and let his eyelids fall slightly before he started quietly trying to find the sensation contained within the knot, as his father had taught him.

Time passed, and it was soon completely dark outside. More snow fell from the sky. It collected into piles, causing the path ahead to no longer be entirely covered in darkness. It was instead broken up by the snow.

Su Ming continued leaning against his house while sitting outside. The long, white strand of hair remained between his fingers, letting out a faint fragrance. As he continued holding onto it in the dark, he felt as if he could even touch the fragrance.

The night passed without a single word uttered… Su Ming sat by himself the whole time, immersed in the feeling Ugly Little Thing's father had mentioned as he searched for the quintessence within the grass knot records.

Su Ming was not aiming for a Curse, neither was he blessing anyone. He was instead trying to aim for the control over someone's mind. When more knots were created on this strand of hair, he would turn it into a doll, and with its power, he would control the old woman's mind.

Control over someone's mind would make that person a puppet-like existence. By doing so, Su Ming would be able to enter the double-storey building without anyone noticing and practice his cultivation there for a long period of time.

He had also thought about using his power to attack, but his cultivation base was not fully recovered at this point. Because of that, there were far too many things that were an inconvenience to him. Besides, he was also thinking of using the building to help him reach the Berserker Soul Realm, and he needed a person to protect him.

If he could control the old woman, then he would be able to get everything he wanted in one go!

When morning arrived, Su Ming's eyes flew open, and a hint of understanding shone in them. Without any hesitation, he tied another knot on that strand of hair!

At that moment, there were two knots!

At the instant the second knot appeared, the old woman, who was sitting on the balcony in the double-storey building, shivered abruptly. She swiftly opened her eyes. Surprise and bewilderment appeared on her face, and she quickly spread her divine sense into the area, with a grave expression.

However, no matter how much she investigated her surroundings, she found no clues or traces whatsoever. It was as if everything just moments ago had never happened, but she did indeed sense a chill just now. It was as if someone had used a needle to poke her. It was not incredibly painful, but it did indeed give her a feeling that someone had used a needle to pierce into her soul.

The old woman frowned. After a moment of careful thought, she started searching through her entire body, but found nothing unusual. Full of uncertainty, she put it away for now.

Winter always seems longer than any other season. During that month Su Ming was expelled from the Outer Sect, snow would occasionally fall, and it would come heavier each time. On this day, the snow that filled the sky made it seem like a huge pit had appeared high above. The sky was crying, but it did not seem to want anyone seeing its tears that was why it turned them into snow, which seemed incredibly soft and gentle.

However… once the snow accumulated to a certain degree, it could crush mountains, could freeze all things in the world, and could even… destroy all manner of living!

Snow floated down and covered the sky as well as the earth, coated Su Ming's house, and even gathered up into a thick pile where he sat to meditate.

Su Ming continued holding onto the white strand of hair. During this month, he did not try recovering his cultivation base, but instead immersed himself in trying to understand the feeling, as well as the making, of the grass knot records. There were now six knots on the strand of hair!

Su Ming did not leave behind too much of his will within those six knots. He only left his understanding, and when he touched them with his hand, he felt as if he was touching his own thoughts.

Qian Chen would occasionally come over. The hospitality he showed made it seem as that Su Ming was his senior brother, and he himself was the junior brother or just a junior.

He came on this day once again. There were a dozen something laborers with respectful faces behind him. Under Qian Chen's instructions, those people immediately started clearing up the snow.

Su Ming closed his eyes and did not pay too much attention to them. If this Qian Chen continued being so sensible, then perhaps Su Ming would give him a serendipitous event in the future. He would lay down the path for him, but it would depend on how this person would understand what Su Ming had given him and how he would walk down it himself.

On the third day after the month had passed since Su Ming came to this place, hesitation appeared on his face. He looked at the white strand of hair in his hand. There were still only six knots on it. He had originally wanted to tie the seventh knot right at that moment, but he was not confident in it.

He looked at the strand quietly. During the past month, he had immersed himself in trying to gain an epiphany about the grass knot records, and the sensation he gained from the knots along with his understanding had increased a lot.

Su Ming had tied the previous six knots based on his understanding. Yet now, he had a vague feeling that he needed to add his will into the seventh knot, and the addition of his will into the seventh knot would cause it to become a key!

The importance of this knot lay in the fact that if Su Ming failed, the strand of hair would turn into dust, but if he succeeded, then with his will in the hair, he would be able to take his first step towards success!

'I only have one strand of hair. If I fail, I'll have to make other preparations…'

Su Ming's eyes shone. His hands started moving, and he tied the seventh knot!

When he did so, a shudder traveled through his entire body, and he forced himself to repeat one single thought in his mind.

'I'm your master. My will is your will, and you must obey all of my words!'

Su Ming continued repeating these words in his head and turned them into a will. Then, as if he was writing on a piece of paper, he wrote those words in the knot on the strand of hair.

However, fusing his will into the strand of hair was not easy for Su Ming. After all, he was still a beginner in making the grass knot records. He was not like Ugly Little Thing's father, who had naturally discovered the quintessence of these knots due to his talent.

More importantly, since Ugly Little Thing's father was a mortal and the dolls he created were also for mortals, though he did feel tired after making several dolls, he did not need to use up too much energy or worry about suffering repercussions.

However, that was not the case for Su Ming. This white strand of hair belonged to the old woman, and she had extraordinary power. The amount of power he had to spend as well as the repercussions he had to suffer were naturally much greater, since he wanted to use this Art to control a powerful warrior.

Even Su Ming found two trails of blood falling from his eyes in the form of tears, as his body trembled. His ears, too, soon started bleeding.

His breathing froze during that instant…

When a dozen something breaths passed, Su Ming let out a long breath. His eyes were bright when he wiped away the blood from his eyes and ears. He lowered his head and looked the seventh knot on the white strand of hair, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

'This Art is indeed frightening. If I can understand it completely… then I'll be able kill someone without them noticing it, and controlling them will not be a problem. It's a pity that the backlash is also incredibly great, though…' Su Ming closed his eyes.

Almost at the instant he formed that seventh knot, the old woman, who was meditating in the double-storey building, started trembling viciously. She coughed up a mouthful of blood, and her face turned livid with rage. When she opened her eyes, she stood up swiftly and sent her divine sense outward, but still gained nothing.

Her face turned dark. During that instant a moment ago, she had faintly heard a voice. It seemed to be saying something in her mind, but when she tried to listen closely, she could not make out the words. However, she had a strong hunch that the words spoken by that voice were using a unique method to carve themselves into her soul.

'A mere child's play. Since you refuse to appear before me, then let's have a battle of Arts. I'd like to see whether that strange Art of yours or my Soul Catching Lotus Art is stronger!'

The old woman smiled coldly and walked towards the first floor to arrive beside the statue of the woman sitting on a lotus. Once the old woman cast a glance at it, she sat down cross-legged, and immediately, the eyes of the statue started shining with a brilliant light, as if she had woken up, and that light covered the old woman.

'The next time you come, I'll fight you!'

The old woman closed her eyes as if she was about to face a powerful enemy.

Chapter 609: Qian Chen's Fury

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Yet Su Ming never tied the eighth knot on that strand of hair, even after a month had went by. There were three times when he wanted to do it… but every single time he would pause in his movements.

He could not find that feeling, could not find the vague sensation that Ugly Little Thing's father had spoken about. Like this, he had a feeling that if he forcefully tied the eighth knot, he would come face to face with utter failure, which would result in complete demolition of whatever he had done previously.

That was why Su Ming chose to put away that strand of hair for the first time since he started working on it two months ago, no longer choosing to try and force himself to finish his work. Instead, he chose to let himself calm down.

'I need to find someone on whom I cold test the complete doll formed by the grass knot records. Only then will I be able to be certain that nothing will go wrong with the eighth knot.' Su Ming let his eyelids fall slightly. It was now the coldest month of the year, and it was close to the first day of a new year.

By the tradition in the village, the first day of each year was the most important day in a year. It was the time when the entire family gathered together, and their house would be filled with joy and warmth.

Su Ming still remembered himself recovering in Ugly Little Thing's house during the first day of last year. That was the first time he had experienced what could only be constituted as true warmth after he left Dark Mountain. This warmth was different from the ninth summit, but it was similarly precious to him.

It was the warmth of having a mother, the warmth of a father's protection, and the warmth born from the joyful laughter of his little sister.

"It's about time for Ugly Little Thing's family… to gather together…" Su Ming mumbled softly. Chen Da Xi's soul had completely fused with his physical body a few days ago, and he was about to wake up sometime soon, but he had Su Ming had not yet brought him back to Ugly Little Thing's home. He had chosen to wait, because he had been observing Evil Spirit Sect watching over him after Zhao Chong died.

After the two months, he could put his mind at ease, because he was certain that Evil Spirit Sect would no longer be paying any attention to this matter.

As he continued thinking, he lifted his head and cast a glance into the distance. He then closed his eyes and started meditating in silence. Before long, several people came from the plain of snow in the distance. The person leading the group was Qian Chen, and his face was dark. There was a bag in his hand, and as he stepped on the snow, he approached Su Ming, stopping a hundred feet away from him. There was a hesitant look on his face, but after a moment, a cold sneer appeared on his lips.

"Junior brother Chen, this isn't a bad place, no? The spiritual aura here is abundant, and the view of the snow here is also incredibly pretty. More importantly, this place is quiet and secluded, a perfect place to practice your cultivation and cleanse your spirit!"

Su Ming remained calm, as if he did not hear any of it. This Qian Chen had been incredibly hospitable to him during the first month, but when the second month arrived, he gradually cut down on the times he came here, and every single time he came, he would size up Su Ming with an incredibly dubious eye.

"Hey, not talking, are we? Junior brother Chen, you should have told me the truth that you were banished from the Outer Sect, and I wouldn't have made things hard for you. I would have given you a job, and from then on, you would have done your thing and I would have done mine, and we wouldn't have been stepping on each other's tail!

"But you! You lied to me! If I hadn't sent someone to investigate you in the Outer Sect, I would have continued being deceived by you. It's been less than a year since you entered the sect, and your Master went missing two months ago. It's because of you, isn't it?! That's why you were chased out of the Outer Sect!

"Aren't you the sly one? You came here, putting on airs, but is this a place where you can come as you please?! I'm telling you, Chen, you…"

Qian Chen became angrier with each passing moment. He was most angry with himself though, for actually misjudging a person, for actually thinking that this person had a huge background, because this person had, in truth, nothing. This was a huge blow to his ego. It made him think that there was something wrong with his ability to judge people, which he had honed over the past twenty something years.

This was something he could not forgive, especially since he was kept completely in the dark about it. He had only begun growing suspicious because he had seen no effort by this person to contact the Outer Sect and because the Outer Sect seemed to have forgotten about him. If it had been any other time, he would have not been surprised about this, but they were nearing the end of the year at the moment. At this point of time, the Outer Sect would be hosting their annual end of the year competition, and all the powerful aces in terms of power or background would show up there.

In the past, most of the Outer Sect disciples who had been sent to this place as a punishment would be summoned back during this time, but no matter how much he waited, he did not see anyone making contact with Su Ming. Worried, he used his power and the laborers he had sent outside the laborers' lodge previously to search for news.

Yet all the information that was sent back to him made Qian Chen suffer continuous blows to his ego. He was stunned for a long time before he stomped his feet viciously in anger. The information he had obtained had told him everything about Su Ming's origins.

"Chen, how could you be so sly even though you're so young?! No matter what, I will make you learn that you can't lie as you please!" Qian Chen was furious. He rolled up his sleeves, and the other people behind him did the same thing. All of them looked murderous.

"How dare you offend me when you're in my territory?! Not only am I going to teach you a lesson today, I'll also send you elsewhere! This isn't a place where you can stay!"

Qian Chen stormed towards Su Ming, but just as he was about to close in, Su Ming opened his eyes and cast him a calm glance.

That glance did not contain any sort of power, but the calm look in his eyes caused Qian Chen's footsteps to freeze. He even spread his arms wide open to block the people who were about to rush forward from behind him.

His heart suddenly started racing. As he looked into Su Ming's eyes, his expression gradually turned increasingly more solemn. With his experience and knowledge, he knew that anyone else in Su Ming's place would definitely be panicking, but the person before him was far too calm.

This sort of calmness made him gradually made his skin crawl, and he started having second thoughts.

'Could I be wrong…? No way, this brat is just putting up a farce. It's precisely because of this that I thought he was one of those aces earlier! Ace, my foot!'

Qian Chen narrowed his eyes into a glare. Once he thought about this, a ferocious grin curled up on his lips and he took a couple more steps forward, then lifted his fist into the air. Just as he was about to hurl it forward, he suddenly saw a flash of something in Su Ming's eyes that made goosebumps appear all over his skin.

His action froze, and he even took a few steps back, staring at Su Ming for some time. A murderous glare shone in his eyes, and he let out a cold harrumph.

"Fine, since you're just a child, I won't take this to heart, but this is no longer a place you can stay. I'll give you three days… er, seven days! In seven days, I'm confiscating this place!

"At that time, if you refuse to comply… Heh heh…"

Qian Chen laughed coldly, and left in a hurry with the people beside him. When he was far away from the place, he turned his head back with fear lingering in his heart. He started mumbling in his heart.

'There's still something off about this. This person might seem like he doesn't have any background or support, but he should have some abilities and skills with him. But that's useless, once the end of the year competition ends seven days later, I'll bring some people here and teach him a lesson.'

As Qian Chen laughed coldly, a shudder suddenly ran through his body, as if he was cold. He quickly wrapped his fur-lined jacket tighter around his body and cursed under his breath before bringing the people behind him to the servant girls' quarters…

"Better that I find a few women to warm up my body. Ah... This is how you should live life. Isn't it great to sit by the fire and have a woman in your arms during winter? Isn't it just great? My life isn't too bad, I'd say." Qian Chen hummed and forgot about the sudden shudder that had wrecked his body just moments ago, as he quickly walked forward.

Su Ming looked at Qian Chen leaving. With his power, he only needed to send a little of his Qi outwards, and it would be enough to send Qian Chen into a shock before killing him. No one would be able to notice it either.

But he did not do it. Instead, at that moment, a black strand of hair had appeared in Su Ming's hand. It belonged to Qian Chen.

'The boy came at the right time. I can use him to figure out all the various uses for the puppets created using these grass knot recording skills!' Without any expression on his face, Su Ming started tying knots on that strand of hair.

The end of the year was slowly approaching. After several months of preparation, the Outer Sect of Evil Spirit Sect held a competition among all its disciples. This competition was held only among their own people, and it had nothing to do with the other Evil Sects. Evil Spirit Sect did this every single year because the Evil Immortal Sect that was held at the highest esteem among all the other Evil Sects would host a large scale competition among all Evil Sects once every decade.

Evil Spirit Sect, Evil Dust Sect, and Evil Lust Sect would prepare for this festival in secret. Moreover, once the Outer Sect disciples finished with the end-of-year competition each year, besides taking the winner from this competition as an Inner Sect disciple, the sect would also host another competition among Inner Sect disciples, and they would reward the champion greatly.

However, this had nothing to do with Su Ming. It was still snowing on the night the Outer Sect disciples started competing against each other, and on that day, near the end of the year, Su Ming stood up and took a step forward.

When his foot landed, his body immediately turned indistinct, and he disappeared without a trace.

When he reappeared, he was already at the foot of Evil Spirit Mountain. He walked into the distance with an indifferent look on his face. The Protection Rune on Evil Spirit Mountain seemed to have no effect on him. No one even noticed him leaving.

In truth, no one in the sect paid much attention to Su Ming. After all, he had the appearance of a twelve or thirteen year old teenager.

It was snowing heavily. Su Ming walked in midair with the wind and snow blowing against his face as he moved calmly across the snow covered mountains, snow plains, and ice covered forests beneath him. He continued walking until he reached a forest.

It was all white because the earth and tree branches were covered by a thick layer of snow, which pressed down on the latter so heavily they bent downwards, making it seem as if they were welcoming Su Ming's arrival.

Once the snow and ice melted here and spring made the flowers bloom, this forest would be filled with the fragrance of osmanthus. This… was an osmanthus forest…

Su Ming could see the village he was so incredibly familiar with through the gaps between the trees in the forest. There were lights in each of the houses, and their color would make a warm feeling rise in the hearts of all those who saw them in this dark and snowing night.

A smile appeared on Su Ming's lips. He stepped on the snow, and with crunching sounds coming from under his feet, he started walking forward. There was an incredibly normal house before him, and the light from a lamp could be seen shining through its paper window. He could also see the shadow of a little girl combing her pigtails.

It had been almost a year… almost been a year since Su Ming left. At that moment, as all the families in the village held their own reunions, he stood outside this house and looked at the lamp and the shadows reflected on the window before mubling softly, "Ugly Little Thing, your big brother Dog Leftovers is back."

Chapter 610: Fleetingness and Happiness

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

A year ago, Su Ming had left with only one-tenth of his cultivation base restored.When he returned, almost a six-tenths of his cultivation base had been recovered. Yet no matter what, he was still Su Ming.

He was still the big brother Ugly Little Thing called out to, still the frail but sensible boy in the eyes of Ugly Little Thing's parents.

Su Ming stood outside the house and lifted his hand to knock lightly on the door.

The sound was incredibly faint amidst the moaning of the blizzard, and it could not be heard clearly in the area outside, but those knocks rang incredibly distinctly within the house.

"Who is it…?" a feeble voice asked from the house. That voice belonged to Ugly Little Thing, but she sounded quite monotonous and lacking in strength.

"It's me," Su Ming replied softly.

Once his voice entered the house, silence fell swiftly within it. Before long, the door swung open from the inside, and the wind from the world outside charged inside with a howl, bringing snow in its wake. Yet at that moment, Su Ming's frail body stood between the door and the wind like a mountain and blocked off all the wind, causing it… to be unable to blow past him, much less reach Ugly Little Thing, who was looking at him with a dumbfounded expression as tears of joy flowed down her eyes.

"Big brother!" Ugly Little Thing cried and went up to hug Su Ming. He patted her back lightly, and continued using his body to block off the wind and snow.

"Don't cry, Ugly Little Thing. It's almost been a year since we last met, you've grown quite a bit," Su Ming said, smiling gently. When he lifted his head, he saw a couple standing inside the house.

The man's head was decked in grey and white, and there were even more wrinkles on his face. Time also seemed to have left its tracks on his slightly bent body and thin face, as well as his slightly opened lips. He looked as if he wanted to say something in the midst of his tears.

This was Ugly Little Thing's father.

The woman by his side had even more white hair on his head. Her original beauty was faint on her face and could no longer be detected clearly. Tears fell from her face, but at that moment, a smile Su Ming believed to be the most beautiful in the world appeared on her face.

"You came back. We were waiting for you…"

Those simple words caused warmth to instantly fill Su Ming's heart. He held Ugly Little Thing's hand and led her into the house. Once he closed the door behind himself, he looked at the simple family before him and knelt down on the ground.

"Pa, ma, your son Dog Leftovers came back…"

A wave of warmth born from familial love chased away the chill that had blown into the house just moments ago and expelled the cold from the world outside, causing the house to be filled with a warmth that could melt any cold.

On this night, Ugly Little Thing's laughter became the same as it was in the past and echoed the warmth. The kind gaze from father would also constantly wander to Su Ming's body, and mother brought out a cotton jacket from the house. She sewed this herself, and it was specifically made for Su Ming.

When he put it on, Su Ming looked like a true young teenager. There was no grief on him, no shedding of any blood, no complicated feelings. There was only warmth within him, a warmth that was born from this family.

The light from this family was never extinguished. Even as the darkness outside grew darker and the freezing wind blew became stronger, that light remained as a constant presence, because it might no longer be oil that was making it burn, but the simple, familial love that Su Ming had always desired.

It was due to it that the light continued blazing, and it was it that Su Ming cherished. He placed that love in his heart and turned it into a beautiful memory that he would not allow himself to lose.

Within that memory was Ugly Little Thing, her father, her mother, and also Su Ming himself.

"I will stay with all of you until your lives end…" This was what Su Ming had said to Ugly Little Thing in his heart in the past. It was also a string of words he carved into his memory right at that moment.

But most of the time, happiness will only last for a short moment, because there is an eye in the world that belongs to loneliness, and it does not want to see too many beautiful moments in anyone's lives. That was why it made fleetingness to be a constant companion of happiness.

That was why people always said that happiness would only last for a short while...

This night eventually came to an end, just like how all beautiful moments in life would come to an end after a short while. Su Ming still could not stay in this place permanently, because if he did that, he might bring about death and disaster to this family before his cultivation base fully recovered.

The only thing he could do was to engrave this fleeting happiness into his heart… and leave quietly.

However, he left behind a person lying on one of the small beds, a person who was gradually opening his eyes at the moment. He was Chen Da Xi. He was Ugly Little Thing's big brother, and a pitiful soul.

His face should have originally been that of a middle-aged man, but Su Ming could not bring himself to make Ugly Little Thing's parents hearts break, and neither could he bring himself to make Ugly Little Thing cry, that was why he would rather delay the full recovery of his cultivation base and give some life force to Chen Da Xi so that he would look as if he was only twenty years old.

This was an illusion. The moment ten years passed, he would return to how he originally looked.

Su Ming left.

He smoothed out the bodies of Ugly Little Thing's parents, causing their sicknesses to leave them and made Ugly Little Thing's birthmark fade a little more. Then he took a step forward, and without even pushing open the door, he appeared outside the house.

'If not pushing open this door that leads to farewell will mean that I've never left, then I will never push this door open.'

Behind Su Ming was an endless amount of snow. It covered the path leading to his family's house, and it looked as if it had cut off his path back before gradually turning the area into a white, boundless world.

Su Ming walked on the snow alone and left farther and farther into the distance. The snow fell on his hair, his body, and the cotton jacket… It was very cold, but that warmth of the family resided in his heart, warming his body in the snow and allowing him to move farther away.

Su Ming left. He walked amid the falling snow, continuing alone as his head turned white. His body gradually faded away from sight and disappeared into the desolate world, slowly hidden away behind snow…

The moans from the wind sounded like the notes from a xun, and the snow falling down from the sky were the lyrics to its song. It sang in this endless space, and no one knew who could hear it.

That song sang about a city buried in snow, about the loneliness that extinguishes all forms of light, about an unknown person's setting sun, an unknown person's face, and the dozen something years of childhood that belonged to that unknown person that could not be seen amidst all the unfamiliar sights…

…..

Once Su Ming left, Chen Da Xi, who was deep in sleep on the bed in Ugly Little Thing's house, slowly opened his eyes. There was a dazed look on his face. He felt as if he'd had a very long dream and had just woken up from his sleep.

At the end of his dream was a voice that echoed in his mind. It was also that voice that brought him back from his dream, to his home.

"You were originally dead… The only thing I can do is to help you gain ten years of your life. Use these ten years… to accompany your parents and your little sister…"

Chapter 611: Punishment

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Qian Chen was feeling pretty gloomy lately, and was constantly feeling paranoid. No matter what he did, he was careful…

He was never muscular to begin with, and now, he looked even thinner. His facial color was also becoming increasingly paler. Most of the time, there was a dazed expression on his face. Even those beside him would immediately find their expressions changing when they saw him, and they would react as if they had seen a murderous ghost and avoid him like the plague. Some of those who did not manage to avoid him would be filled with anxiety. They would watch their surroundings constantly, though no one had any idea what they were looking out for.

Right at that moment, three of the laboring disciples at the foot of Evil Spirit Mountain became nervous since they saw Qian Chen staggering towards them while holding onto his head. They were just about to search for a place to hide when he caught sight of them.

"Stay there!"

The three people shuddered. One of them still did not stop and continued running away with gritted teeth. However, the remaining two already had their faces seen by Qian Chen due to their hesitation, and they could naturally no longer continue fleeing.

"Senior brother Qian…" The two people who did not manage to run immediately put on anguished faces once they saw him, and there was even a light tremor in their voices.

"Senior brother Qian, please be kind and let us go. We are very loyal to you, senior brother Qian, please don't bring trouble to us…"

"Nonsense!" Qian Chen glared at them and rubbed his forehead before he put his hand down. There was blood trickling down from his forehead at the moment, and some flecks of dirt could also be seen there. Clearly, he had just tripped recently and injured his head.

As if he was feeling indignant towards his luck during these past few days, Qian Chen kicked the tree beside him. He did not use much strength in that kick, but for some unknown reason, that tree suddenly started swaying and crashed down on him and the other two with a loud bang.

Qian Chen was caught off guard for a moment before he nimbly moved back and swiftly dodged that tree, but a branch had still cut his shirt, causing him to look incredibly disheveled and pathetic.

The other two people were already running away at maximum speed, and no matter how Qian Chen called out to them, they would not turn their heads back.

"Don't turn back! That Qian Chen has gotten himself wrapped in rotten luck nowadays, and not only is he unlucky, all those around him will also be unlucky!"

"I know right?! Sixth was with him yesterday, and the both of them fell through a hole in the ice, but since when have holes ever appeared in an ice mountain?!"

"I heard about this as well. Apparently when Qian Chen went to the servant girls' quarters a few days ago, he tripped nineteen times. He got so scared he refused to move later on, because he was afraid he would fall to his death…"

"This is nothing. Let me tell you, I saw Qian Chen nearly choking when he was drinking! Misfortune is on him, I'm telling you…"

These sort of words gradually started spreading through the entire area at the foot of Evil Spirit Mountain, and more people learned of it. In their eyes, Qian Chen was the Star of Disaster [1] and wherever he went… all the disciples would run away. They did not dare get close to him.

Qian Chen's face was incredibly pale. He hid himself in a small pot and watched the sky with a blank expression. He had a feeling that he might have offended Tai Sui [2], because there was simply no reason why he would be so unlucky for the majority of the past month.

All of this started when he was heading to the servant girls' quarters that day. He had not just tripped nineteen times on the way there, but had actually tripped thirty seven times… and had fallen until his body started shivering and fear filled his face. He had a feeling that if he continued walking towards the quarters, he would become the first ever disciple to slip and fall to his death on snow in Evil Spirit Sect.

From then on, he had to be careful not to fall when he walked and also had to be careful of holes in ice… When he remembered the holes in the ice, Qian Chen started laughing wryly…

He still remembered almost choking when he was drinking water just a few days ago, causing him to feel even his heart trembling in fear when he drank water now. When he ate, he would also observe his food carefully before he even had the courage to eat it, because for some unknown reason, he had nearly been poisoned to death once he finished eating...

'Damn it, just what is going on?!'

He looked at the small pot where he sat and felt extremely anxious, but could not express it. He had fallen into this small pot after he fell through another hole in the ice, and worse still, this was an Enchanted Treasure. He was trapped inside and could not get out.

He only saw a person passing through the place after a long time had gone by. After a series of shrill screams for help and some thrown threats, he was dragged out by that passer-by. After Qian Chen managed to get out, he almost went mad from all the grievances he had suffered. Just as he lifted his foot and was about to stomp on the ground to vent his anger, he immediately placed it down lightly, but when he turned around to leave…

Suddenly, a glint from a sword charged towards him with a loud whistle from a random spot in the Outer Sect, causing him to be completely stunned, unable to move from fear. At moment of crisis, that sword glare brushed past his waist and landed on another mountain rock.

Soon after, a long arc flew towards him, and within it was a boy. He was mumbling slightly under his breath while looking very embarrassed. Once he flew over, he grabbed the sword and cast a glance at Qian Chen, who was still trembling with that blank expression on his face. The boy wanted to leave, but felt that he should say something.

"Just go…" Qian Chen wept.

"I…"

"I know it's not your fault. Your Flying Sword went out of control all of a sudden and flew here on its own…" Despair appeared on Qian Chen's face.

"Er… Then… I'll be taking my leave, senior brother." The boy was momentarily stunned, because that was indeed the truth. After a moment of hesitation, he immediately flew off.

"I knew it…"

Qian Chen's body swayed and fell to the side. There was a blank expression on his face, and he felt that he was on the verge of going crazy. He just did not know what was going on with him.

'Today is almost over, right?'

Qian Chen cast a glance at the sky and with a bitter smile made a move to get up. The person who had dragged him out of the pot in the hole just now had already disappeared without a trace, and was perhaps washing his hands somewhere to get rid of the bad luck that might or might not have infected him when he pulled Qian Chen out. He was most likely also praying to his ancestors that Qian Chen's bad luck would not affect him.

But before he managed to stand up, a cold voice traveled towards him from the sky.

"Qian Chen, what are you doing there?!"

The person who spoke was an old woman. She was not the one from the double-story building, but was a Sect Elder from the Outer Sect. She had some connection to Qian Chen.

When he heard that voice, he immediately stood up and instinctively put on a respectful face, but the instant he stood up, his pants… fell down, along with everything covering the lower half of his body. When Qian Chen felt the chill between his legs, he was stunned.

The old woman was also stunned, before her expression changed. With a dark look on her face, she cast him a cold glare, then left with a swing of her arm, not saying a single word.

Qian Chen fell to the ground once again with a thump. He looked at the sky blankly, his mind empty.

'Something's not right, something's definitely not right! I've definitely offended someone…'

After a long while, Qian Chen picked up his pants while shivering. At that moment, he looked incredibly haggard, as if he had become much older in just an instant, and he started thinking back carefully on whom he might have offended before his first misfortune.

If it had been any other time, trying to recall who he had offended would have been a difficult task, because he had simply offended too many people. However, due to his burning rage towards the matter concerning Su Ming, he had not bothered placing any form of attention on anyone else before his first misfortune. If he had indeed offended someone, then it could only be Su Ming.

'Chen Su…'

The more Qian Chen thought about it, the more he believed in this train of thought. Once he remembered how calm that person had been, he became even more certain of his guess, and he immediately stood up, with one hand holding onto his pants, and hastily ran towards Su Ming's house.

Su Ming sat outside his place with a strand of hair in his hand. That strand already had ten knots on it, and it was plaited in such a manner that the contour of a small humanoid could be seen. There were also some weeds before Su Ming, which he was weaving into the plait. Gradually, a doll made of weeds appeared in his hand.

'There are ten knots here, and each of them contains a faint power of a Curse. This Curse won't kill, but it'll cause that person to be filled with misfortune…'

Su Ming looked at the doll in his hand, and a smile appeared on his lips. After several failures in this experiment, he had finally succeeded in delivering the full force of this Curse. It brought him confidence that he'll be able to control the old woman from the double story building.

'We don't have much enmity between us, so I won't tie the eleventh knot in your hair. Misfortune might also kill a person, after all.'

Su Ming lifted his head and cast a glance into the distance with an indifferent look on his face. Before long, Qian Chen appeared on the plain of snow far in the distance, but as soon as he took a few steps forward, he immediately fell. However, he continued running towards Su Ming while bruises and scrapes collected on his body. On his way to Su Ming… he tripped another eight times before he finally managed to reach a spot several dozens of feet away. He then knelt down with a loud thump on the snow.

"Sir, please spare me. I understand my wrongdoings now. Please give me a chance and spare me."

Qian Chen looked incredibly disheveled. On his way to Su Ming's place, he had tripped several dozens of times, and had almost fallen to his death several more. How could he not be afraid, especially since he immediately noticed the weed doll in Su Ming's hand at the moment he saw him? His heart instantly let out a loud thump against his chest.

He started crying. Tears fell from his eyes, and he started kowtowing nonstop before Su Ming while pleading for mercy. He was certain that everything that had happened to him was related to this youth. When he thought about how he might have to live this nightmare, in which he might suffocate during sleep just because he was snoring, for the rest of his life, a fear towards Su Ming, one that had never appeared even when Qian Chen faced Sect Elders rose within his heart.

"From now on, unless I summon you, none of you are allowed to come to this place," said Su Ming languidly.

At the instant his words were spoken, Qian Chen immediately nodded, and a pitiful look appeared on his face, but his heart was filled with shock. Su Ming's admittance to his deeds had caused the final shred of doubt to disappear from his heart. At that moment, there was a voice screaming in Qian Chen's heart.

'He's here! I've finally met the person who ranks first tier in the Absolutely-Do-Not-Provoke chart I made twenty years ago!' When Qian Chen made this Absolutely-Do-Not-Provoke chart, he had wondered whether a senior veteran would take the form of a normal disciple and enter the sect before Qian Chen coincidentally ran into him.

He just did not expect that the day would truly come...

Su Ming lifted his right hand and slapped the weed doll. Immediately, it turned into a puff of black smoke before Qian Chen and disappeared with a bang. The moment it dissipated, Qian Chen instantly felt his body becoming warmer, though he did not know whether it was just a figment of his imagination.

His gaze when he looked towards Su Ming was filled with little amazement, because respect was the emotion that dominated his expression.

"You can go now. Without my word, don't come here," Su Ming said calmly.

Qian Chen quickly obeyed and left hastily.

Translator's Note:

1. Star of Disaster: 煞星 (sha4 xing1), Star of Disaster written in Book of Sui, volume 20, Astronomy. It is written under the Peculiar Star (妖星, yao1 xing1) section, and it is said that "Those born under the Peculiar Star have five elemental Qi (fire, water, metal, wood, wind), which is the other name for the five stars. Those who see him believe that disaster will happen. The five colors of the Peculiar Star will determine the country's fortune." If the country has gone against their rules and etiquettes towards people, then disaster will fall on the country in the form of famine, floods, or deaths.

2. Tai Sui: Mentioned earlier during the introduction to the Execution of Three Evils. It's the star directly opposite Jupiter. Offend/clash Tai Sui is a term among the people, and it refers to Feng Shui. You have to pay attention to the location of Tai Sui and make sure not to disturb this star/deity, or else it/he will bring misfortune to you.