Chapter 619: Vicious!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Su Ming was immersed in his thoughts, and he did not pay any attention to Bao Qiu.
After some time, she straightened up and meekly stood by the side. Occasionally, her gaze would land on Su Ming, and gradually, a hint of curiosity… and complication appeared on her face.
She had never expected to meet this person here…
In truth, at the moment the Berserkers' Disaster disappeared from her when Su Ming smeared that drop of blood at the center of her brows, she had been shocked, but at the same time, she recalled someone…
She had absolutely not expected that they would meet in such a manner… and he would become her master.
Time trickled by. The area outside the tower was silent, but the pressure and the bell chimes continued outside. When the sky gradually turned dark and midnight eventually arrived, more than thirty people had died under that Berserkers' Disaster in Evil Spirit Sect!
Most of these people were Berserkers who had changed their blood inheritance. These people had betrayed the Berserkers and their ancestors for all sorts of reasons by changing their blood inheritance to practice Evil Arts.
Eastern Wastelands Bell did not just appear above Evil Spirit Sect on that day. Its body had remained above Evil Lust Sect, Evil Dust Sect, and Evil Immortal Sect as well.
In fact, the bell had also descended on some of the Immortals who did not belong to any of the sects in the land who had accidentally revealed their power on the ground. They were then killed by the Eastern Wastelands Bell that appeared right above them at the moment they revealed their presence.
When midnight was about to arrive and there were no longer any Immortals who had to go through the Berserkers' Disaster in Evil Spirit Sect, the blood-red screen of light covered the entire place, as if it had shrouded the Eastern Wastelands Bell's eyes so that it could not see the waves of power from the outsiders, causing it to only be able to slowly fade away during the last moments of that one day. Now it could only wait for another fifty years… to appear once again.
As time passed, a brilliant glare slowly appeared in Su Ming's eyes. He took a few steps forward, to move beside the window, and watched the dark sky outside to wait for a scene that might appear once dawn was over.
'Based on what that voice said, this Eastern Wastelands Tower…' While Su Ming was in deep thought, dawn arrived!
On that day, the dawn was a scene that was incredibly difficult for all of those in Eastern Wastelands to forget. It would forever be carved into their memories, and they would never be able to chase it away!
The Immortal sects as well as those from the Evil Sect which had descended on Eastern Wastelands had been waiting for one thing for a long time, but it had never appeared. But on that day, it arrived!
Ji An from Evil Sect had used a large amount of his power without holding back to change the laws governing the descent of Eastern Wastelands Bell because he was also hoping for this one thing to arrive. However, no one knew just what sort of requirement was needed for that one thing they desired to show up.
All the Immortal Sects as well as Di Tian's clone knew that one of the requirements for that thing to appear was that there must be enough outsiders in the land of Berserkers.
However, as years went by and as more outsiders landed on Eastern Wastelands… the thing they desired still did not appear… because of that, they reached a unanimous, unplanned agreement, and all of them executed a wide scale plan that required them to use up a large amount of their power and divine abilities, and had even made them give up an unimaginable price…
...to make Eastern Wastelands ram into South Morning!
Since they had no idea how to make that thing appear, they could only fumble around for clues and try out everything that might possibly be the other requirement and hopefully fulfill it.
The crash between Eastern Wastelands and South Morning might be a unanimous but unplanned idea, yet Evil Sect and all the other Immortal Sets had also used their own methods to search for the best in divination and had them predict the requirement for that thing's appearance.
It was the reason behind the Catastrophe of the Eastern Wastelands!
Because while the predicted results Evil Sect and all the other Immortal Sects gained were different, the meaning between them was incredibly similar. The crash between two continents would bring forth the key for the appearance of that thing.
But no one knew what that key was.
However, no matter what, the first Berserkers' Disaster post-crash was the critical moment to check whether this key had truly appeared, and if it truly happened, then it would mean that the Immortals' prediction was a success.
If it did not happen, then they would continue trying other methods, and that thing would surely appear eventually.
Because the key might have appeared in this Berserkers' Disaster to bring forth that thing, that was why all the Immortal sects that had descended to this place used everything in their disposal and even the power of their sects to have their best prodigies descend in the land of the Berserkers.
Like… Beiling, Chenxin, Chenchong, Sikong… and also Bifeng from Eastern Wasteland's Evil Sect… along with Ye Wang from Justice Heaven Dao. These prodigies all descended to this place, and their trial would start once this thing appeared!
In fact, they had been sent out to search for the sealed limbs of the second God of Berserkers in South Morning and Eastern Wastelands because their sects believed that perhaps one of the requirements for this thing was connected to the second God of Berserkers.
This was a thing that was highly desired by all the Immortals that descended on Eastern Wastelands, and it was also something that they had tried to reach with various methods for many years but never succeeded.
This thing was connected to the first God of Berserkers!
As the Immortals that descended in the land of the Berserkers continuously occupied the Berserkers' territory, as they slowly unveiled the mysteries among the Berserkers that had made them respect this race so much in the past, and as they continued understanding and digging through their secrets, the Immortals gradually learned of a secret.
There was a tower in Eastern Wastelands, and it went by the name of Eastern Wastelands Tower. There were ninety-nine layers to this tower, and whoever reached its final layer would receive the first God of Berserkers' epiphany towards World Planes… and Plane Kalpa.
Perhaps the epiphany towards World Planes could not attract the attention of the few truly powerful warriors among the Immortals… but it was different for Plane Kalpa. This was the source they dreamed of tapping, and if they could gain that epiphany, then it would serve as a great help towards the breakthrough in their level of cultivation.
The first God of Berserkers' priceless treasure was left in that tower, along with his divine abilities and Arts. All of these things were enough to tempt the Immortals' hearts, and once they were certain of this, they desired the Eastern Wastelands Tower.
More importantly, once they finished analysing all the clues they had in their possession, they believed that there was a great secret hidden within the final layer of Eastern Wastelands Tower!
This secret… was related to Great Yu Barren Cauldron!
It was the clue that would lead them to the strongest treasure among the Berserkers!
This treasure was also related to an order that had come from Sacred Morning Dao World's [1] Morning Dao Planet and had spread through the entire Sacred World in ancient times!
"All cultivators of Sacred Morning Dao World, you are to search for the Cauldron of Dao's Roots, also known as Great Yu Barren Cauldron… I, Dao Chen Yi Bo, shall give the person who will find this cauldron my inheritance, and he shall also be the sovereign of Sacred Morning Dao World!"
Su Ming did not know about any of these, but it did not stop him from standing beside the window of the building and looking at the night as he waited… for the scene spoken by that voice to appear.
At that moment, he was not the only one acting this way. As one of the people who knew about this secret since he was the Grand Sect Elder of Evil Spirit Sect, Shen Dong too looked at the sky and waited.
'Let's hope it works this time… The mystery of the land of the Berserkers caused those truly powerful old monsters to be unable to have their true bodies descend in this place, and even Sir Ji An can only have his clone down here to oversee things… I… might have a chance to bring a great contribution to the sect!'
It was the same situation in Evil Dust Sect and Evil Lust Sect. The Grand Sect Elders in those two sects and all those who knew about this secret were all looking at the sky anxiously.
Evil Sects were not the only ones that acted this way. Di Tian's clone was standing in his courtyard silently within Great Leaf Immortal Sect as he looked at the sky. His face was cold and aloof, but a brilliant light could be seen shining within his eyes.
Hidden Dragon Sect and Sky Mist Dao also had their own sects in Eastern Wastelands, and those who knew of the secret in those sects were all acting in the same manner. They were all looking at the sky in anxiety and anticipation, because they had already given up too much to make this Eastern Wastelands Tower appear.
Tian Lan Meng and Tian Lan You's expressions were different as they stood beside Sky Mist's ancestor. They were both looking at the night silently. Tian Lan You's face was icy cold, like ice that would never melt. As for Tian Lan Meng, there was a constant, complicated look on her face. She seemed rather dejected, as if there were many things troubling her.
At the instant dawn was over, suddenly, the expressions of all the people looking at the sky from all the different parts of Eastern Wastelands immediately changed.
The long crack in the sky did not close up and vanish as it did fifty years ago. Instead, brilliant rays of light came from within! They instantly illuminated the entire sky above Eastern Wastelands, and not a single dark spot could be seen!
Loud, booming sounds echoed in the air, and the crack in the sky swiftly widened. When it started spreading outwards, a gigantic object descended from inside.
It was like there was a gigantic rock that caused the crack to be unable to withstand its size. Once it was torn apart, it crumbled, turning into a gigantic pit that was several hundreds of thousands of feet wide!
Once that pit appeared, the gigantic object lowered itself, and it was the base of an immense tower that was octagonal in shape!
With a loud bang, the entire land trembled, and the gigantic tower swiftly landed on the ground. There were originally a mountain underneath, but it was too feeble and could not withstand the force of the landing. It shattered into pieces, allowing the tower to stand erect on the ground in a stable manner!
Its height… was endless. The part that was revealed between the ground and the sky was just a part of it. The other half was still in that pit high above!
This was a gigantic tower that could stun all those who saw it!
"The Eastern Wastelands Tower has appeared… from now onwards… I will give you a thousand days to fight for the remaining twenty-six spots in the tower… A thousand days later, you will all offer your sacrifices to make the blood-red light from the Eastern Wastelands Tower shine past ten million lis… The twenty-six people who will offer the largest amount of Immortal souls will earn the right to enter the tower.
"If the sacrifices offered are not enough to make the light from the Eastern Wastelands Tower shine past ten million lis, the tower will not open.
"Within this tower lies my priceless treasure, my divine abilities, my Arts, and my medicinal cores, and they can all be used by Berserkers and Immortals. It also contains my epiphany towards the World Planes and the enlightenment of the Plane Kalpa I gained after gathering all the understanding I have towards all worlds, as well as half of the cultivation I gained over half my life…
"Within this tower also lies… the clue to Great Yu Barren Cauldron, the greatest treasure of the Berserkers, which is also the treasure I had snatched from Dao Chen! I swear by my Life that you will be able to find the Great Barren Cauldron with this clue!"
Su Ming's heart trembled. As he looked at the sky, that unique voice rang in his ears once again. There was arrogance in that voice, along with a hint of wildness.
'The first God of Berserkers, Lie Shan Xiu… What a vicious man…'
Su Ming sucked in a deep breath.
Translator's Notes:
1. Sacred Morning Dao World and True Morning Dao World: Are the same thing, apparently that's how the Immortals call it.
Chapter 620: Confidence
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
That first God of Berserkers was indeed vicious. Eastern Wastelands Tower's appearance, the ninety-nine layers, and the priceless treasure at the top were enough to tempt all Immortals and Berserkers!
The twenty-six slots to the tower could incite a bloody massacre, and to prevent any sort of situation that was out of the God of Berserker's control, such as these twenty-six people working together to determine the ranks on their own in secret, the God of Berserkers had added that the blood-colored light must span a distance of ten million lis.
Because of that, what he would bring would no longer be just a bloody massacre, but genocide!
If too little Immortal blood was spilled, no one would be able to step into Eastern Wastelands Tower. If they did not have the right to enter the tower, then they would be unable to receive the great serendipity! That was why Su Ming had sensed Lie Shan Xiu's viciousness when he heard his voice reverberated in the air!
Similarly, it would make all the Immortals who heard it desire that treasure deeply, but at the same time, they would also feel a deep chill run through their bodies.
It was not as if no one had ever wondered whether those treasures truly existed in Eastern Wastelands Tower, but most of the people who were skilled in divination had predicted this to be true after the all the descended Immortals from the sects came to them!
With Lie Shan Xiu's status as the first God of Berserkers and his level of cultivation, he would definitely not lie about this. This was something that the Immortals had to admit, even though they harbored a deep grudge towards him.
Su Ming averted his gaze from the dark sky and closed his eyes.
'The first God of Berserkers' Eastern Wastelands Tower is not a trap but a blatant attack… Di Tian's clone and Evil Sect's Ji An will definitely be able to tell that this is a plan to force them to kill each other.
'They will need a sufficient amount of Immortal souls, and if… any Berserker will want to obtain this right, they will also have to fight for it with everything they have… It would have been better if there was just one person fighting for it, but there are plenty of tribes and even clans like Freezing Sky Clan in the land of Berserkers.
'These clans will be even crazier over the first God of Berserkers' legacy...
'What a plan. Not only did he just make the Immortals fight among themselves, he also made the Berserkers rise to fight and kill those Immortals so that they could gain a chance to obtain a great serendipity…
'In fact… there will be situations where people will band together. During these thousand days, the Eastern Wastelands will be drenched in blood…' Su Ming opened his eyes, and a brilliant glint appeared in his eyes.
'Chaos is about to arrive…' Su Ming waved his arm and took a few steps backwards before he sitting down cross-legged on the ground. He could feel danger in the air, and he needed to recover his cultivation base as quickly as possible, for only then could he obtain his place in the soon to be very chaotic Eastern Wastelands.
'Twenty-six slots… There should be twenty-seven, but the others… don't know about my slot!'
Bao Qiu had already cleared her heart, as she remained by his side. When she looked at him, there was respect and a hint of something else in her gaze.
"Master, don't worry. I won't tell anyone about what happened today. If you have nothing else to ask of me, then I will take my leave. My sect members will be coming continuously to learn the reason why that mountain descended just now."
Bao Qiu bent her body slightly in a bow towards Su Ming. With her beautiful head lowered, she walked backwards to leave the first floor of the building so that she could return to the ground floor.
Just as she was about to leave, Su Ming's gaze landed on her, and despite him seeing her beautiful face and alluring body, his face was as calm as still water.
"My blood helped you avoid the Berserkers' Disaster. What are your thoughts on this?"
Bao Qiu froze and a light shudder ran through her body. She lifted her head and looked at Su Ming. There was a slight hint of pity, confusion, and sentiment on her face. All these expressions fused together into an extremely complicated look on her countenance.
"I thought of nothing…" Bao Qiu dipped her head down, as if she did not dare to look him into eyes as she spoke softly.
"Have you ever met Destiny before?" Su Ming suddenly asked, looking straight at the young woman.
Once Bao Qiu heard the word 'Destiny', she shuddered again, and she instinctively took a few steps back. Her face instantly turned pale.
"I've never seen him, never heard about him… Master, please don't force me to say anything about Destiny. Every Immortal who descends to the land of Berserkers has to swear an oath, and if we say anything about Destiny, we will be punished… We will also get our families in the land of Immortals in trouble." Bao Qiu lifted her head and looked at Su Ming with a plea for mercy in her eyes.
He remained silent for a moment. Fatigue appeared on his face and he closed his eyes, no longer interrogating her about this matter.
What would he be able to do if he learned about Destiny, anyway? What could he do even after proving his own guesses correct? He would still be in Yin Death Region, and he would still not know where his memories lay. He would still not know where the girl who had called him her big brother was.
'In the end, I still need to be the one… who tears through this layer of mystery. One of these days, I will break this sky and walk out of this world!
'That day is already not too far away.' At the instant Su Ming closed his eyes, he said these words to himself quietly.
Bao Qiu left. After the Berserkers' Disaster, Evil Spirit Sect returned to its usual activities. Quite a large number of sect members came to visit Bao Qiu and asked about the mountain descending for her. None of these people noticed Su Ming's presence, not even the Grand Sect Elder Shen Dong. If Su Ming wanted to hide himself from him, it would be very difficult for the man to find him within a short period of time.
All the Immortal sects in Eastern Wastelands might seem as if they were in peace after the Berserkers' Disaster, for they acted as if it had never happened, but the gigantic pit in the sky, the flattened mountain range, and the tall Eastern Wastelands Tower at the center of the continent were a stark reminder that all of it had indeed happened!
Perhaps some people had investigated the tower in secret. Su Ming did not know what results they had obtained, but he did discover some minor changes within Evil Spirit Sect after a month had passed since the Berserkers' Disaster.
A large number of people in isolation had chosen to egress. Occasionally, mighty waves of power would appear on the mountain. None of the Outer Sect disciples dared to leave the mountain, and a large number of those who had left for training earlier were swiftly returning to their sect every single day, as if they had been summoned back.
A monstrously huge mountain protection Rune gradually enveloped Evil Spirit Mountain. At the same time it sealed off the mountain, a large amount of power of the world was sucked into the place, causing the place to look as if fog had surrounded it.
In fact, some of the Outer Sect disciples who had been driven to the foot of the mountain as punishment had been summoned back. They returned to their original positions and started making preparations in secret.
A tense atmosphere surrounded the entire Evil Spirit Sect. Su Ming was not unfamiliar with it. These people… were preparing for war!
Bao Qiu would deliver medicinal cores every single day to him, and the quality of those cores was becoming better. From the bits and pieces of the things she told him when she came, Su Ming knew clearly that what he had sensed was not incorrect. They were indeed preparing for war. All of this was due to an order sent by Evil Immortal Sect three days after the Berserkers' Disaster.
That order was filled with a clear, bloodthirsty air, and there were only two sentences contained within it.
"Prepare for war. Get ready to fight!"
During that month, the recovery of Su Ming's cultivation base had sped up due to the medicinal cores. By his calculations, if this continued, then with just another month, a nine-tenths of his cultivation base would have recovered, and half a year later, he would be back at his full power. He then would reach a pinnacle of strength he had never achieved before.
At that time, he would be able to attempt breaking through into the Berserker Soul Realm. If he succeeded, then he would be able to overlook all those who had attained great completion in the Berserker Soul Realm!
This was his confidence!
'Half a year is a little too long… It would have been fine if everything was going on as usual, but now, there's a thousand days limit set for the Eastern Wastelands Tower, and because of that, I need to reach the Berserker Soul Realm as soon as possible. Looks like I'll have to go out and test the Secret Art I inherited from Hong Luo. Fortunately, my cultivation base is mostly recovered and I will be able to cast it somewhat . There might be some drawbacks, but I'll have to do this.
'Eastern Wastelands Tower… will not activate if that blood-colored light doesn't reach ten million lis, but judging from the first God of Berserkers' words, this restriction is set for the twenty-six slots… He didn't mention me.
'If I have the chance, I should go and check whether it restriction on me as well. If I don't…' Su Ming's eyes sparkled, and he continued immersing himself in his training.
In the blink of an eye, another half a month went by. On this day during noon, Su Ming's eyes flew open while he was seated. A brilliant flash shone briefly in his eyes and he lifted his head. With a gaze as if he could see through walls, he looked at the sky beyond the building.
Three long arcs were charging towards the mountain protection Rune around Evil Spirit Sect. They traveled side by side and looked as if they were shooting stars that were surrounded by black fog. As piercing whistles rang in the air, the three long arcs closed in on the mountain protection Rune, and with a flash of black, they shot through and appeared within Evil Spirit Sect.
Their appearance immediately caught all the people's attention, who fixed their gazes on the trio.
"By the orders of Sir Ji An, Shen Dong of Evil Spirit Sect come forth and receive the declaration!"
Almost at the moment those words left their mouths, an eerie voice traveled forth from the black smoke rising into the sky in Evil Spirit Mountain.
"I, Shen Dong, greet the three Evil Sect messengers."
The trio immediately wrapped their fists in their palms and bowed towards the black smoke, from which came Shen Dong's voice. The person in the lead brought out a jade slip, and once he crushed it, an illusionary shadow immediately appeared before him as the air distorted.
The shadow's face could not be seen clearly, and only a black robe could be glimpsed on his body, which also covered his head and face. A cold and sinister presence immediately spread out, instantly enveloping the whole Evil Spirit Sect, which caused all the people's hearts to tremble. They lowered their heads and prostrated themselves on the ground in worship.
As that cold presence filled the air, the sky, too, immediately darkened, as if a layer of fog had covered it so that the people could not see it clearly.
"Shen Dong." A deep voice traveled out from that shadow. There was not a hint of emotion that could be detected from those words, and all those who heard them felt a chill filling their bodies.
"Bring the Evil Spirit Sect and trample Thousand River Valley. Your goal is one of the branches of Hidden Dragon Sect located there… You have ten days, and your mission is to kill all of them!
"Set up a line of defense there, and let it become one of the bases for us Evil Sect to invade all the other Immortal Sects here!"
A middle-aged man dressed in a blue robe walked out from the black smoke at that moment. He wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed respectfully towards the shadow.
"I understand!"
The shadow no longer spoke, but instead slowly faded away. The three Evil Sect messengers wrapped their fists towards Shen Dong in silence. Two of them turned around and transformed into long arcs that shot through the mountain protection Rune, speeding away.
The last person remained on the spot after giving Shen Dong a wrapped fist as a salute. He did not say a word.
Chapter 621: Thousand River Valley
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Inner Sect and Outer Sect Evil Spirit disciples as well as all Sect Elders. Today, at dawn, gather a half of our manpower and follow me… to attack Hidden Dragon Sect!"
Shen Dong swept his gaze across the mountain and paused for a moment at the double-story building where Su Ming was meditating before his words tumbled slowly out of his mouth. His words reverberated in the entire Evil Spirit Sect, causing all those who heard it to feel their blood boiling. A murderous aura erupted swiftly among them.
"The old rules apply. If you kill a person, you will own seven-tenths of the things they owned, and it is the same for the things you snatch!"
Shen Dong's voice reverberated outside the building. That one glance he cast towards the building just now had seemed to clash with Su Ming's gaze, causing the latter's pupils to shrink, but at that moment, Shen Dong averted his gaze.
'Shen Dong…' Su Ming narrowed his eyes. He had underestimated that person slightly. He might not have truly discovered him with that one glance just now, but he must have discovered some clues.
But Shen Dong had tolerated this till now. He might have his suspicions, but he had not done anything extreme or investigated anything. Even that glance he had just thrown in this direction was short, and without a hint of animosity.
Su Ming had not come into contact with Evil Spirit Sect's Grand Sect Elder before, but from this alone, he could tell that Shen Dong was a very calculative man, and he was definitely not an ordinary person.
'If he can become the leader of a sect, then his level of cultivation is definitely at the Immortals' Ascendant Stage. He must also have great intelligence and canniness.' Su Ming closed his mind and continued immersing himself in his training.
With his current level of cultivation, he could already fight against Shen Dong without being disadvantaged. That was why he was not worried that Grand Sect Elder might discover any clues about him. If worst comes to worst… Su Ming could leave Evil Spirit Sect and search for other places as an isolation grounds, even though it might be a little troublesome.
He had also considered Shen Dong just reporting him to Evil Immortal Sect or telling about him to the strongest person in Evil Sect - Ji An. But even if the Grand Sect Elder truly reported this before he investigated it fully, Su Ming believed that with his current level of cultivation, it would still not be easy for Ji An to kill him!
Especially when they were now in the critical stage where the Eastern Wastelands Tower had appeared!
'The enemy of my enemy can become my friend…' Su Ming's expression was calm as he continued training.
Once Shen Dong finished his speech, the Evil Spirit Sect made a series of arrangements. Orders after orders were sent from the Inner Sect, and its disciples who received those orders walked out of their houses to gather at the spot they were assigned to at the appointed time.
It was the same for those in the Outer Sect. After all, most of the Berserkers who had changed their blood inheritance were in the Outer Sect. As these people gathered together, it could be seen that quite a large number of people had received the order.
In fact, when Bao Qiu returned during that night, she handed Su Ming a jade sli, top.
"Qian Chen from the laborers' lodge at the foot of the mountain gave you this jade slip. This is the Outer Sect's summoning order… Congratulations for being summoned back to the Outer Sect, master." Bao Qiu chuckled lightly.
Su Ming opened his eyes, and in the end, placed the jade slip by his side.
"Looks like I will be able to head out with you this time, master. I've also received an order. Tonight, at dawn, I'm supposed to head to Thousand River Valley and destroy Hidden Dragon Sect's branch in the eastern section of Eastern Wastelands.
"The other Evil Sects must also have received their orders. Over the next few days, they will completely wipe out all the Immortal sects in the eastern section of the continent." As Bao Qiu spoke in a soft voice, she sat down before Su Ming and twirled a lock of her hair with her fingers.
"Most of the Outer Sect disciples' level of cultivation is low. Will they be useful when destroying Hidden Dragon Sect's branch?" Su Ming frowned.
"They can be used during Blood Sacrifice. Clearly, you'll been treated as a target for this Blood Sacrifice," Bao Qiu said with a smile and winked. She thought it was highly interesting that a powerful warrior like Su Ming would be treated as a target for Blood Sacrifice by those in the Outer Sect.
"However, this is also a good thing for you, master. If you have time, you can go there. Hidden Dragon Sect is skilled with creating medicinal cores, and they are famous for it among us Immortals… Besides, when we attack, the laws of Evil Sect depict that we can obtain a seven-tenths of the spoils from our kills. I already have very few medicinal cores left, and the ones I gave you over the past few days were given to me because of war preparations.
"Master, with your level of cultivation, you will definitely be able to sweep through Hidden Dragon Sect's branch without anyone noticing you… At that time, please do give me some on behalf of me offering you all those medicinal cores during these days." Bao Qiu winked, and her smile turned even sweeter. Anticipation shone in her eyes, and there was even a hint of excitement within them.
"I can also lead the way. I went to this branch before…" As Bao Qiu spoke, she licked her lips. She was originally beautiful to begin with, and when she did this, she became even more attractive.
Su Ming fell into a moment of pensive silence, then nodded.
Medicinal cores could serve him in many ways, and more importantly, there might be some medicinal herbs within Hidden Dragon Sect's branch. If he could gather up a large amount, then he would suffer fewer drawbacks when he searched for ingredients to open the subsequent door in the fragment's dimension.
However, these were not what mattered most. The most important thing for him to go to this place would be because he had already recovered more than eight-tenths of his cultivation base, and he was very close to reaching nine-tenths. At that time, he would have already surpassed the pinnacle of his condition in the past, and he would be able to cast the Secret Art he had inherited from Hong Luo, albeit with much difficulty.
Extract Earthen Aura and gather it together to turn it into a soul!
However, he would not be extracting Earthen Aura, but would be drawing out spirit veins. He would gather them up into a dense amount of power from the world, and once he devoured them, his recovery speed would instantly increase by a large margin.
It was not convenient for him to do such a thing here, because Evil Spirit Sect was his temporary lodging. However, the mountain in which Hidden Dragon Sect had chosen to set up its branch would definitely have a Spirit Vein. There might not be much, but if Su Ming absorbed it, it would be still be good for him.
However, there were also drawbacks to such a thing. Since he would do a forceful absorption, it would turn into an underlying problem, and he would need to solve it by entering isolation in the future.
In truth, even if Evil Spirit Sect had not been ordered to destroy Hidden Dragon Sect's branch, Su Ming had already thought about going out to absorb this Spirit Vein so that it would take him less than half a year to reach the pinnacle of his condition from where he could try to reach the Berserker Soul Realm.
This was the most important thing to him at the moment.
Dawn was about to arrive. Not a single sound could be heard from the entire Evil Spirit Sect. There were thirty something Evil Sect disciples in the Inner Sect's square, and they were all waiting there silently. These people were all the ones who were given all the attention in terms of teaching and growth within Evil Spirit Sect. Hen Shan was also among them.
An eerie, chilling air surrounded the square in the Inner Sect. The sky was dark, and it was a night without the moon.
There was also a huge square in the Outer Sect, and there were about two hundred something people standing there closely together at that moment. These people's attitudes varied greatly. Some of them were waiting silently, some were pale in fright, and there were also some who had killing intent evident on their faces as their blood boiled. All sorts of expressions could be seen on different people.
Su Ming stood in a corner. His current appearance was still that of a thirteen to fourteen year old boy. His face was pale, and he gave off a sense of frailness to all those who saw him.
He was not alone. Right beside him was Qian Chen, who had hurried towards him from the crowd just now. Qian Chen was trembling, and when he looked at Su Ming, an obsequious expression appeared on his face.
"Senior, you have to help me… I… I don't want to die there."
Qian Chen had uttered similar words and all sorts of flattering phrases just now. He had not expected that he would also receive the order to participate in this battle.
In the midst of his fear, he placed his hopes on Su Ming, and even instinctively mobilized his power as a laborer over the years to receive a large amount of promises for protection within the Outer Sect.
However, he was still worried. Hence he returned to Su Ming's side and started pleading him for his protection again.
Su Ming did not speak and closed his eyes, as if he was dozing off. Before long, as Qian Chen continued pleading for protection, dawn arrived!
At that moment, the area around them instantly turned silent. Right before their eyes, the black smoke disappeared without trace from the top of Evil Spirit Mountain, a rare sight. At the same time, nine figures flew out from the top of the mountain, and the person in the lead was Evil Spirit Sect's Grand Sect Elder, Shen Dong!
Bao Qiu was also among the nine!
Su Ming opened his eyes. As he looked towards the sky with a calm gaze, Shen Dong swept his gaze across the land. When he looked away, he only said, "When Evil Sect rains down slaughter…"
"We leave no one alive!" the Inner Sect and a large amount of people from the Outer Sect shouted at the same time. Within this silent night, their voices reverberated in the air in so loudly that they shook the sky and earth. Those voices were filled with raging killing intent and also a trace of madness.
This was the Evil Sect!
With a step, Shen Dong charged towards the west. The eight people behind him followed suit, and soon after, thirty something long arcs flew up with a whistle from the square in Evil Spirit Sect's Inner Sect. They charged towards the west right behind those eight people.
Soon after, eight old men at the edge of the square in the Outer Sect, who had remained silent all along, lifted their hands, and with a swing, as loud rumbling sounds reverberated in the air, the entire square within the Outer Sect started trembling like a huge bowl. Then, with the hundreds of people on it, it slowly rose into the sky and charged forward, right behind the thirty something people from the Inner Sect.
Violent gusts of wind ripped through the air and blew on everyone's bodies, causing some of the hundreds of people on the flying Enchanted Vessel that looked like a square to immediately fall down. They kept a firm grip on the ground, looking like if they did not do so, they would be blown off the Enchanted Vessel by that gust of wind.
Fortunately, this feeling only lasted an instant. After a moment, a gentle screen of light appeared around them, and wind gradually disappeared, to which the crowd let out a breath of relief. All of their faces were pale, and some of those with incredibly low levels of cultivation even almost threw up.
Qian Chen was one of them. He was trembling, and he was mumbling under his breath with a pale face. Su Ming would have originally not listened to him, but the man was right beside him, so he could not help but hear some of his words.
"All deities everywhere, my brother, my sister, my uncles, my aunties, father, mother… please protect me so that I won't get injured or killed. Please help me so that I'll be able to get myself some treasures this time, please guide me so that I'll be able to get myself a woman.Please lead me…"
Su Ming closed his eyes, ignoring Qian Chen's nonsensical babble all along the way. After about an hour, a huge mountain valley appeared before them in the night. There were rivers in that valley, and the rushing sounds of flowing water could be faintly heard from within. The rivers there numbered to several hundreds, and none of them ended up connecting to each other. Water was flowing down all of them at the same time.
This was Thousand River Valley.
Su Ming opened his eyes. His expression was calm, but a freezing glint shone in his eyes.
He saw a hanging bridge connecting both sides of that Thousand River Valley, and at the top of the mountains on either side of the hanging bridge was a large amount of beautiful buildings. Lights could be seen shining among them in the dark night.
It was dark, and there was no moon in the sky. It was the perfect night to kill, pillage, and burn!
Chapter 622: Blood Sacrifice
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
It was quiet. Only the hundreds of people within Evil Spirit Sect were floating in midair and looking at the Thousand River Valley in the distance.
Compared to the pale and trembling Outer Sect disciples, the Inner Sect disciples all had cold expressions on their faces, and a wild air was seeping right through their very bodies. There was also a hint of excitement and blood lust that could be detected within them.
They were members of Evil Spirit Sect and the disciples of Evil Sect. This was something that could be felt incredibly clearly from the Inner Sect disciples at that moment.
There was a layer of fog that surrounded these Evil Spirit Sect members during this dark night. Su Ming stood amid the crowd with an indifferent expression on his face as he swept his gaze past that fog around him.
It covered all the people from Evil Spirit Sect, and it seemed to have fused together with the darkness around it. Whatever was within could not be seen clearly, and unless the person's divine sense surpassed that of Shen Dong, it would be difficult for them to see that there was anything off about that fog.
Su Ming could see that this fog was formed by vengeful souls. They let out silent screams while floating about.
"These Immortals style themselves as righteous and call us evil… If they run into us, then they will fight us to the death. Now… you can kill to your heart's content!" Shen Dong's voice was cold, and there was even a sinister and chilling tone within it.
"We will first offer Blood Sacrifices, while the rest of you will have to seal off all the gates in this place and make sure that not one of those in Hidden Dragon Sect can escape!"
Almost at the instant the Grand Sect Elder said those words, the thirty something Inner Sect disciples swiftly turned their gazes on the two hundred odd Outer Sect disciples on the flying Enchanted Vessel.
A biting chill immediately appeared, and besides all the dozen something aloof gray-robed people standing at the edge, the expressions of all the other two hundred something Outer Sect disciples changed abruptly.
The clothes of those people in gray robes showed their identities clearly. They were all the outstanding Berserkers who had changed their blood inheritance. They were all the Sect Elders of the Outer Sect, just like Zhao Chong.
The Inner Sect disciples would not easily provoke them when it came to the Blood Sacrifice.
Not all of the Outer Sect disciples were afraid either. There were several dozens of people within who were laughing ferociously, or had dark expressions on their faces, or were aloofly letting the ripples of their power to erupt forth from their bodies. Those ripples fluctuated in the air but were hidden away by the fog around them, which prevented them from spreading outside.
However, most of the Outer Sect disciples were trembling once they heard about the Blood Sacrifice.
Su Ming had heard about the Blood Sacrifice from Bao Qiu. This was a combat divine ability from Evil Spirit Sect. When they fought against their enemies, they would devour their companions' flesh and blood in exchange for a temporary strength. They would trap the souls of those that were sacrificed within them, which would make them lose their sense of pain and bring out an incredibly great amount of potential.
The more people were sacrificed, the greater their potential would be, and if the level of cultivation among the sacrifices was higher, those who devoured them would be able to bring out more potential as well!
If a certain level was reached when practicing this divine ability, those who executed this Blood Sacrifice would also be able to devour all the living souls around them to maintain their power or to strengthen their bodies. However, there was a drawback to this. After all, all skills had their limits, and the limit of this Blood Sacrifice was that it could at most increase a the cultivator's power by a stage, and it would not last long.
Almost at the instant Shen Dong declared the start of the Blood Sacrifice, the Inner Sect disciples looked over with hostile gazes. At the moment most of the Outer Sect disciples sank into anxiety and nervousness, the thirty something Inner Sect disciples swiftly flew towards the flying Enchanted Vessel.
Shrill screams of pain that were smothered by the fog and could not travel outwards echoed in Su Ming's ears. Qian Chen's face turned completely bloodless from terror. Perhaps he had indeed been able to gain some results from mobilizing his power of a laborer, since the Inner Sect disciples mostly ignored him.
The screen of light on the flying Enchanted Vessel had turned into a ravine that stopped all the Outer Sect disciples from running away, turning itself into a cage!
Su Ming stood at his spot, and a frown slowly appeared between his brows. He saw these Outer Sect disciples dying sad and painful deaths. They died under the hands of their own sect members. Their flesh and blood were torn apart, and they were turned into vengeful souls that were absorbed by the Inner Sect disciples. The pieces of flesh did not disintegrate either, but instead moved to surround those people and turned into a piercing, bloody, and brilliant ray of blood-red light.
The faces of those who had killed a fellow sect member from the Outer Sect would start distorting, and their would turn blood-red once they completed their kill. Their cultivation bases spread out of their bodies without any reservation. All of them were slightly stronger than before, and the murderous aura from them was practically billowing in the air.
The Sect Elders in gray robes were as calm as ever and did not bother themselves too much with what was happening around them, as if they were already used to this and were immune to it. The eyes of outstanding disciples within the Outer Sect flashed, and they swiftly charged out to fight against the Inner Sect disciples.
Swiftly, two or three Inner Sect disciples died painful and horrible deaths, becoming someone else's Blood Sacrifice!
When Su Ming saw all of this, he remembered the rules of Evil Spirit Sect, the one about the sect not forbidding their disciples from killing each other. Only then did he gain a deeper understanding towards this particular rule.
"So this is the Evil Sect…" he said softly.
When Su Ming cast his eyes towards Thousand River Valley, which was located in the distance, he suddenly felt that this was quite ironic. This style of Evil Spirit Sect to fight it out among themselves before a fight had caused them a large amount of deaths before they had even reached Hidden Dragon Sect's branch.
Yet, the deaths of the weak had brought greater strength to the strong!
This was especially prevalent among some of the thirty something Inner Sect disciples. About eight of them had not stopped after killing a fellow sect member from the Outer Sect, but continued with their slaughter. One of them was an Inner Sect disciple that was standing the closest to Su Ming. This person looked incredibly fragile and tall, but his power, which was not at all weak, and his bloodthirst were evident on first glance.
Three Outer Sect disciples had already died in his hands. He was currently holding onto a human head, and as he lifted it high above himself, fresh blood poured on his face, causing him to look ferocious and hideous even without needing expending any effort. Then, he fixed his gaze on Su Ming.
With a dark smile, that person took a wide step forward and charged towards Su Ming. Killing intent shone in his eyes as he was getting closer. With a calm expression, Su Ming looked the person closing in on him with the human head in hand. Since he was charging into his own death, then he had no reason to blame Su Ming for his viciousness.
One step, two steps, three steps… At the instant that Inner Sect disciple was about to reach Su Ming, Shen Dong's cold voice suddenly echoed in the area.
"The Blood Sacrifice has ended! All those who have successfully participated in the Blood Sacrifice come with me and attack Hidden Dragon Sect!"
Shen Dong's words echoed in the air, and the Inner Sect disciple that had closed in on Su Ming stopped moving. He gave Su Ming a dark smile, then turned around and no longer bothered about him as he went to Shen Dong.
The thirty something Inner Sect disciples and the few Outer Sect disciples that had participated in the Blood Sacrifice flew up and turned into long arcs. Then, under Shen Dong's lead, who was followed by eight powerful warriors who had descended in Evil Spirit Sect, the forty odd long arcs charged towards Thousand River Valley.
A bloody massacre was about to rain down in this place!
At the same time, the people in gray robes in the flying Enchanted Vessel took a step forward with aloof expressions on their faces, and once they formed a seal with both their hands, they pushed them onto the flying Enchanted Vessel, and immediately, it flew up to charge towards Thousand River Valley. A piercing dark light erupted swiftly from the vessel.
It instantly covered an area spanning hundreds of lis underneath, causing the place below to look as if it had been sealed off, turning it into a place with no escape!
Soon after, seven of the gray-robed people that had stayed behind sat down cross-legged on the Enchanted Vessel, while the remaining one stepped out and charged downwards towards Hidden Dragon Sect.
At that moment, all those people on the vessel, including Qian Chen, only noticed after some time that Su Ming, who was originally standing right beside Qian Chen, had disappeared without a trace at some unknown point of time.
A shocking boom suddenly rang through the air. It came from the ground, and it was from the great Rune of Hidden Dragon Sect's branch in the valley.
That Rune would not be shown on regular days. At that moment, as that boom echoed in the air, it manifested itself to reveal a gigantic waterfall. It was in the shape of a ring, and it completely surrounded Thousand River Valley. The sounds of rushing water filled the area, and an enraged voice shot out from within the valley inside that waterfall.
"Shen Dong! How dare you violate the agreement between the Immortals and the evil Immortals?! If you dare surround our Hidden Dragon Sect today, then we will definitely destroy your entire Evil Spirit Sect in the future!"
The answer to this enraged voice was a dark peal of laughter filled with a wild and untamed air, along with Shen Dong lifting his right hand to seize the air in the direction of that waterfall that served as the sect's mountain gate. Immediately, a huge ghost claw stretched out from the air beyond the waterfall and grabbed it before yanking it upwards.
With it, loud booming sounds that shook the sky and earth shot into the air. Right before everyone's eyes, the water from the waterfall was yanked upwards and started flowing into the sky. The waterfall trembled, and a big gap appeared within the endlessly falling water!
"This is not the first sect I've destroyed, and neither will it be the last… Charge in! Leave no one alive! If you see a person, get their soul, if you see a corpse, get its medicinal cores, if you see a Nascent Soul, devour it! Make this place completely void of life!"
As Shen Dong's ghastly voice echoed in the air, he took a step forward and stepped right through the gap in the waterfall. Those members of Evil Spirit Sect standing behind him, including Bao Qiu, charged forth and entered Hidden Dragon Sect's branch as well!
When Bao Qiu moved through the gap, she lifted her head and looked at the Enchanted Vessel up ahead. She did not know when Su Ming would take action, but if he did not do so right then, he would be too late to the party.
Su Ming was standing on the hanging bridge within Thousand River Valley at that moment. With a calm expression on his face, he walked forward. He did not move quickly, but his body was like a specter that no one could see clearly. A breath ago, he was still on the hanging bridge, but a breath later, he was already outside a big hall to the left of the valley.
Right at that moment, a loud boom rang out all around him, and he saw a huge gap being ripped apart in the air right before him. Shen Dong walked through it with one step, and all the Evil Spirit Sect members behind him charged straight through to reveal themselves in the valley.
The slaughter began just like that. With enraged howls, several dozens of long arcs flew up from Hidden Dragon Sect and charged towards the Evil Spirit Sect members in the sky. Banging sounds reverberated in the air, and blood poured down from the sky down onto the ground in the form of bloody rain once the killing started.
Chapter 623: Pillage
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Compared to the invading Evil Spirit Sect, Hidden Dragon Sect was clearly much weaker in terms of power. It was especially so since they did not have the bloodlust and madness that ruled their attackers.
The Evil Spirit Sect disciples who were surrounded by the flesh and blood roared with bloodshot eyes, and their roars brought about great terror and shock to those within Hidden Dragon Sect.
Besides, Shen Dong, with his strength, tore apart all those that tried to stop him as he moved forward, and he would capture all the Nascent Souls that tried to escape. In the midst of shock of all those around him, he would put those Nascent Souls into his mouth, crush them, and then swallow them.
The shock he brought to Hidden Dragon Sect with this almost pushed them to a breaking point.
"Ghost Claw Shen Dong!"
Su Ming stood outside the hall to the left of the hanging bridge. Once he lifted his head and looked at the sky, he started walking forward at a moderate pace. No one took notice of him and simply allowed him to walk into the hall.
There were a few giant statues placed inside there for worship, and they were all created using spirit stones. At that moment, there were seven old men meditating inside that hall with faces as dark as thunderclouds. They had their hands intertwined with each other, and at their center was an oil lamp.
It was not lit at that moment, but as the seven people spread out their power, there were signs that a flame was about to be kindled. Compared to the booming sounds and screams of pain outside, it was incredibly quiet in here.
'Seven people who are at the equivalent of those in the middle stage of the Berserker Soul Realm…'
Su Ming's expression remained as calm as ever as he walked into the hall. The seven old men still had their eyes closed and did not notice him. He did not walk towards them, but instead moved to stand beside the three statues in the hall. As he looked at them, a twinkle appeared in his eyes.
'It's a bit of a waste…' As he shook his head, the three statues immediately disappeared from the hall without a single sound!
Su Ming was about to leave when he turned his head sideways and looked at the oil lamp surrounded by the seven people, who were sitting on cushions. Those cushions were woven together from medicinal herbs, and there was a faint, refreshing fragrance coming from them.
'Basil Spirit Herb… This Hidden Dragon Sect really has a lot of them…'
Su Ming sighed deeply. He recognized this medicinal herb. Just one shrub of this thing cost at least a hundred inferior spirit stones, and just one of those cushions used up around a hundred of them, which also meant that each of these cushions cost ten thousand inferior spirit stones…
'What a waste!'
Su Ming frowned. He moved towards the seven old men who were still meditating with their eyes closed. From a wave of his arm, the seven men felt a chill run through their entire bodies, and they opened their eyes in surprise and wariness, but immediately after, they became slack-jawed in shock.
The first thing they saw was that the Hidden Dragon Lamp, the Enchanted Treasure they had been trying to light up, had disappeared, but what shocked them even more was that the cushions made of Basil Spirit Herbs under them had also disappeared.
Eventually, when they instinctively looked around them, the seven old men were left completely stunned, and a cold chill filled their hearts, because they saw that the three statues in the hall… had also disappeared.
Su Ming walked past the hall. Right before him was another one. The sounds of battle in the sky were reverberating in the air, and long arcs could be seen flying up from the ground. There were also long arcs that were descending from the sky. Battling, plunder, mad laughter, and screams of pain filled the world.
After taking a few steps forward, Su Ming came to an abrupt halt and lowered his head to look at the floor tiles under his feet.
'Just how rich is this Hidden Dragon Sect…?'
He crouched down and tapped the floor tiles. His eyes started shining with a brilliant glint. He lifted his right hand and pushed his palm toward the ground. The floor tiles around him immediately started shaking, and as cracking sounds rang in the air, they flew up. Su Ming then waved his arm, and all the floor tiles were put away into his storage bag.
A hint of excitement appeared on his face. These floor tiles were not spirit stones, and neither were they medicinal herbs, but were medicine residue!
This medicinal residue was what remained after a failed attempt in creating medicinal cores. They should originally be thrown away, but there were still some essence of the herbs left behind in that residue, that was why these people gathered the residue together and turned them into medicinal tiles to lay on the floor. By doing so, they could naturally bring out the herbs' medicinal properties, and once they fused with the spiritual aura from the world, the effects would be even better.
An intense look appeared in Su Ming's eyes. He looked at the various halls lying before him, and he moved faster towards the buildings waiting in front of him.
There was no one in the second hall, and it was clear that all of them were fighting outside against Evil Spirit Sect. There were a large amount of ancient scrolls placed in this hall, and a gentle layer of light could be seen spreading out of each scroll. Su Ming swept his gaze across them, and took all of them away, then looked at the bookshelves. He took a few steps forward and touched them, then let out a long sigh.
"Lightning struck wood [1]… Hidden Dragon Sect, oh Hidden Dragon Sect…"
As he shook his head, Su Ming immediately put away everything within the hall into his storage bag without holding back even a single bit. Before he left, he cast a glance at the building itself, and a look of regret appeared on his face.
"The materials used to build these halls are also pretty good, but they're too big. It won't be easy to take them away." As Su Ming spoke, his gaze landed on the carvings on the walls around him. They portrayed gentle auspicious beasts [2], whose eyes were made of superior spirit stones.
Su Ming immediately took a few steps forward and walked around that hall. Once he took down all of the spirit stones serving as the eyes for the auspicious beasts, he looked at the hall. He got up and cut off half of the crossbeam before he left, bringing with him regret for not being able to take the whole thing away.
There were four Hidden Dragon Sect disciples nervously protecting the third hall. Their heads were lifted to look at the sky, and fear could be seen on their faces. These four people naturally did not notice Su Ming when he arrived. In fact, even when he moved into the third hall, the four people outside did not notice him.
He looked at the hall, and despite being mentally prepared, he was still stunned by what he saw. He sucked in a sharp breath.
The third hall was filled with an uncountable amount of medicinal herbs. They were enveloped by a gentle circle of light, and were actually still growing bigger. There were also a large amount of seals placed within the hall, used to protect the herbs.
Clearly, this was where Hidden Dragon Sect stored their medicinal herbs. In the past, they would give these herbs away to different disciples according to their needs by trade, or as provisions, or as rewards according to the disciples' achievements.
However, all of these now belonged to Su Ming.
When he left the third hall, he moved even faster, going so quickly that he practically turned into a bolt of lightning as he charged towards the fourth hall in the distance. On the way, he spread out his powerful divine sense and scanned the area before instantly moving to the place of his choice. All the things that caught his attention within his divine sense were instantly taken away at the instant he arrived.
There was an old man who was charging into the sky with a dark expression on his face. There were three people behind him, and they were all children each of whom was holding an old and simple looking sword in their hands.
The old man leading the group was holding a horsetail whisk. Wisps of freezing air seeped out of the hairs of that weapon, and if anyone took a closer look, they would find that those were not hair, but were actually thin, ice threads that looked like hair!
Yet at the moment the old man brought the three children who were acting as treasure guardians into the sky, a gust of cold wind flew past them, and as the old man was momentarily taken aback, a drastic change of expression immediately appeared on his face. When he turned his head around, he saw bewildered expressions on the three children's faces, and the three swords in their hands were gone without a trace.
"Who is it?! Who is it?!" The old man's face was livid with rage. As he roared, a faint voice suddenly traveled into his ears.
"This horsetail whisk is pretty good as well. I'll be taking it."
That voice had appeared incredibly suddenly. The old man shuddered, and when he turned his head around, his horsetail whisk was already nowhere to be found. The wisp of divine sense he had connected to that weapon was immediately cut off as well.
Within one of the cave abodes in Hidden Dragon Sect was a middle-aged man with a dark expression on his face. The waves of power from an Immortals' Soul Transformation Stage could be felt from him. He had his eyes fixed on a medicinal cauldron before him, and in his hesitation, he lifted his right hand and slapped it. Immediately, that medicinal cauldron shattered, and three medicinal cores flew out from within.
Once they were swiftly put away into his storage bag, he quickly left to another chamber in the cave abode. When he walked through his entire place and put away all his belongings into his storage bag, he cast a glance at the crowd fighting in the sky. He saw the Hidden Dragon Sect cultivators dying in large numbers and also how those from Evil Spirit Sect spread out to rain down their crazed slaughter and plunder as their murderous aura surged into the sky.
The middle-aged man clenched his teeth and charged towards a small hidden alley located near his cave abode, but before he could move too far away, a gust of cold wind came towards him, and at the next moment, he felt pain in his head and fell unconscious to the side.
Su Ming showed up with a calm expression. Once he picked the man's storage bag, he saw another place that seemed rather strange in his divine sense. There were dozens of people on guard there, protecting an old man who had a dark expression on his face. That old man was swiftly running away.
'The best things are usually not things that are stored away and left behind, but those taken away when disaster arrives…' A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes, and he moved towards those people.
At that moment, as the members of Evil Spirit Sect spread out, three people with the thin man who had tried to kill Su Ming during the Blood Sacrifice as the lead stepped into the first hall located to the left of the hanging bridge. The seven old men in the hall were already gone.
The Evil Spirit Sect disciples looked at the empty hall that was void of statues, cushions, and everything else, and the thin Inner Sect disciple let out a cold harrumph and went behind the hall. The other two quickly followed suit behind him, and the three of them charged towards the second hall.
But as they continued on, their faces gradually turned slightly strange.
"Damn it, just who arrived before us and even took away the floor tiles?!" The thin man's expression turned dark and he started cursing under his breath. The other two people beside him were momentarily stunned by what they saw before their expressions turned even weirder.
"Did he go mad with poverty or something? He didn't even give up on the floor tiles…" As the trio charged forward, they quickly arrived at the second hall, but when they entered it, their faces turned even more sullen when they saw the empty building.
"Just who arrived before us?! That guy… he… he even took away the eyes from the carvings!" The two people immediately started cursing.
"That's nothing. Look up." The leading Inner disciple sighed and pointed upwards. When the other two lifted their heads and saw half of the crossbeam missing from the hall, they instantly fell silent.
"Give chase. We'll see who did this, and no matter what, we'll be taking the things he took from us back!" the thin Inner Sect disciple hissed out through gritted teeth. When they saw four Hidden Dragon Sect members fighting against some of their other fellow Evil Spirit Sect members, the trio immediately became excited.
"Someone is protecting that place, which means that the damn greedy looter won't have cleared that hall!"
With excitement brimming within them, the trio immediately charged forward.
Translator's Notes:
1. Lightning struck wood: Believed to be able to repel evil.
2. Auspicious beasts: Creatures that bring you good fortune. They are large and varied, but the four great ones and the most famous ones are dragons, phoenixes, turtles, and kirins.
Chapter 624: Bright Yang Stone!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Su Ming naturally did not know what method the trio used to fight against their fellow sect members for the loot before killing the four Hidden Dragon Sect disciples only to find the now familiarly emptied out hall. Neither was he privy to their expressions and emotions, nor bothered by what sort of psychological trauma he would cause them due to his deception.
He had already swept clean the places he had checked with his divine sense in the left side of the hanging bridge, and it could be said that he had an incredibly great harvest from his exploits. If it was not because the Evil Spirit Sect members were killing and pillaging through the buildings and cave abodes to the right of the hanging bridge, he would have definitely been incredibly interested with the things there as well.
However, Su Ming still harbored the thought of snatching some things from the right wing despite the Evil Spirit Sect members being there, but the old man who was protected by the dozen something Hidden Dragon Sect members attracted his attention.
As Su Ming charged forward, he saw numerous corpses lying on the ground. They were of men and women, and most of them belonged to Hidden Dragon Sect, though some of them were from Evil Spirit Sect as well. Nonetheless, the corpses that belonged to Evil Spirit Sect were few and rare in-between.
Similarly, he also saw that the souls of the deceased had not disappeared, but had been sucked into the sky, and it was clear to him that there was something up ahead that could absorb souls.
When Su Ming lifted his head, a glint appeared in his eyes. He saw an indistinct figure sitting in the endless sky. There was a small bottle before him, and it was that thing that was absorbing all the deceased souls.
The deceased Hidden Dragon Sect members on the ground were in an incredibly miserable and tragic state. They either had their Dantian regions dug out of their bodies and their Gold Cores taken away, or had their bodies ripped into shreds before they could self-destruct.
Some of them sported cracks at the top of their skulls, and that was the signs of Nascent Souls being forcefully extracted. By then, these extracted Nascent Souls had most likely been devoured by someone.
The female cultivators were in an even more pitiful state. If they were beautiful, they would naturally be unable to escape the fate of being turned into a furnace [1].
As Su Ming moved forward, he saw one of such scenes happening, and the instigator was an Evil Spirit Outer Sect disciple, who was standing up while laughing ferociously. He kicked the woman's head on the ground, and he was about to leave with sparkling eyes when he heard a sigh in his ears.
This was the final sound he heard in his life. Right after that sigh, his eyes went wide, and a bloody hole appeared at the center of his brow. He fell down, side by side against that female corpse whose head was now a bloody mess.
One of the woman's eyeballs fell to the ground when her head exploded, and it would remain staring at the dead man for all eternity.
Su Ming continued on his way.
Before long, he found the dozen Hidden Dragon Sect disciples protecting that old man with his divine sense. They had already gone down the Thousand River Valley and were at the foot of the mountain. As they charged forward, they neared an operating Relocation Rune located before them.
The Rune had clearly been hidden away previously, which was why those from Evil Spirit Sect had not noticed it. If the runaways stepped into the Relocation Rune, they would definitely be transported out of this place.
However, just as the dozen something people were about to rush towards their escape, with that old man they protected in their midst, their footsteps abruptly froze. Their expressions turned dark, tainted with despair.
All of this was because a person had walked out of the air right in front of that Relocation Rune. He was dressed in a blue robe and appeared to be a middle-aged man. His expression was aloof, and his eyes were cold and sinister… and he was Shen Dong, the Grand Sect Elder of Evil Spirit Sect!
"Fellow Daoist Gu, why are you in such a hurry?"
"Shen Dong!" The old man who was protected by the group immediately turned livid with rage as he glared at Shen Dong.
"How dare you be so conceited as to go against the agreement between the Immortals and evil Immortals?! No matter how well you manage to hide this, the superior Immortal Sects will still learn about it, and at that time, you will not be fighting against the Berserkers, but against the Immortals!
"Your Evil Sect will not have the power to survive being surrounded and attacked by all the sects in the land of Immortals!" the old man declared hoarsely.
"That is not a matter of my concern. Fellow Daoist Gu, since we know each other, hand over the Bright Yang Stone, and I'll allow you to die with your body intact. I will only devour your Nascent Divinity."
"Creating one Bright Yang Stone requires ten thousand Immortal souls, and it is an important item for us Immortal Sects. It can aid us in returning to the land of the Immortals while also serving as the foundation in setting up our sects here, once we landed in the land of the Berserkers.
"I am of lowly status, how would it be possible for me to obtain such an item?!" the old man stated firmly, then laughed loudly.
"Each of you Hidden Dragon Sects will be given a small piece of Bright Yang Stone when you want to set up your branch. It's fine if you don't want to admit to it. I'll still be able to get it if I kill you."
While speaking, Shen Dong took a step forward, and during that instant, all the guardians behind the old man started casting their Arts.
Yet right at the moment Shen Dong's foot landed, twenty-odd clones appeared as a hum traveled out from his body. All of these clones were exactly the same in appearance. As they charged forward, they shot past the old man like flowing streams of water.
There were no screams or loud banging sounds. There was only a buzzing, and when it gradually faded away, Shen Dong's clones also disappeared. Only one remained to stand less than ten feet away from the old man.
As for the guardians behind him, they all fell to the ground with lifeless expressions on their faces. Their bodies turned into puddles of blood that seeped into the sand on the ground.
A thick stench of blood surrounded the area. This scene caused that old man's face to turn even paler.
"The Great Blood Clone Transformation Art… I didn't expect you to truly be able to successfully master this Evil Art…" That old man laughed brokenly and moved to take a few steps backwards, but at the instant he did this, his body exploded with a bang.
That self-destruction came incredibly suddenly, and his body crumbled right away. The impact that was formed from the blast swept through the entire area, and during that moment, the old man's Nascent Soul grabbed a storage bag from his crumbling body and shot up to flee frantically.
However, before he could escape more than a hundred feet, the air before him immediately distorted, and Bao Qiu walked out of the air! The old man's Nascent Soul let out a shrill screech and immediately changed direction, but he still did not manage to fly more than a hundred feet before another person walked out once from the air again. In the end, once that old man's Nascent Soul changed several directions, the eight Evil Sect members who had been following behind Shen Dong appeared, and were coldly blocking off the escape.
"You can't run, fellow Daoist Gu." Shen Dong walked out of the impact and dust clouds on the ground formed by that old man's physical self-destruction. The Evil Spirit Grand Sect Elder's expression was as aloof as ever when he spoke languidly.
Despair appeared on the old man's Nascent Soul. Just as he was about to take action, he was momentarily stunned, but that brief moment of shock disappeared within an instant. Immediately after, he threw the storage bag in his hand in the distance.
Once he did so, he instantly ran in the opposite direction. Because of that, all the people's gazes, including Shen Dong's, were immediately absorbed by the storage bag.
The Evil Spirit Sect's Elder who was the closest to that storage bag was a pureblood Immortal, since he was an Immortal who had descended to this place. At that moment, his eyes sparkled and he charged forward with one swift step. Once he closed in, he lifted his right hand, and just as he was about to grab his target—
Another hand immediately shot out from the empty space next to him just as his fingers were about to touch that storage bag, and that hand snatched the storage bag before the Sect Elder could grab it.
This happened too suddenly, which caused all the people's gazes to be locked on it. At the same time, when the Evil Spirit Sect's Immortal saw that the storage bag that was just about to reach his hands was snatched away by someone else, he let out an enraged roar and formed a seal with his right hand. There was no time for him to think. He positioned both of his fingers into a sword and swiftly cut down on the hand that had stretched out of the air beside him.
A cold harrumph reverberated in the area. Right before everyone's eyes, that hand from the air that had grabbed the storage bag, did not even bother dodging the slash from the two fingers. It instead just turned its back to block it.
Rumbling sounds instantly rang in the air, and the person from Evil Spirit Sect immediately shuddered before he coughed up a large mouthful of blood. His body was instantly sent tumbling backwards, as if that power from the block executed by the back of that hand was so strong that it could flatten him!
This scene might seem to have happened slowly, but in truth, only a few breaths had passed ever since the battle began. When the Immortal coughed up blood and fell backwards, a person walked out of the air.
He stood tall and straight. There was a black mask on his face, and he was dressed in black robes. His long hair danced behind his head, and with the storage bag in hand, he looked at the crowd with a cold stare.
The people in the area might not be familiar with this mask, but if he was in the land of the Shamans, then there would definitely be quite a large number of people who would be able to recognize its owner!
The person wearing that mask was naturally Su Ming!
He still did not want to give up on such a recuperative spot as Evil Spirit Sect. That was why when he appeared, he decided to wear the mask. There might be quite a number of cracks on it and it had also shattered in the past, but it could still be used to hide his face.
"Who are you?!" Shen Dong's pupils shrank. He stared at Su Ming and demanded slowly.
Bao Qiu looked at Su Ming from her spot. With the connection they shared between their souls, she could tell with just one glance that this person was her master. She blinked and kept her silence.
"Why should I bother wasting my breath telling you my name?! I'm taking this Bright Yang Stone!" Su Ming put away the storage bag, speaking coldly.
"How conceited!!"
Another old white-haired Immortal from Evil Sect instantly let out a low growl. As Immortals that had descended to this place, they always held themselves in a prideful manner. At that moment, when he saw that someone actually possessed the guts to snatch away their things and saw that he was in the advantage because he had more people on his side, he took a step forward while he spoke.
Those remaining in the area did the same thing, and Bao Qiu was forced to take the same action. Only Shen Dong adopted an incredibly grave expression as his pupils shrank.
Almost at the instant the Immortals closed in on Su Ming and started forming seals with their hands, a brilliant glare appeared in Su Ming's eyes.
The power of his Berserker Bones swiftly erupted from his body, and he lifted his right hand before hurling a fist towards the ground. At the moment his punch landed, the entire ground started trembling as if there were earthen dragons tumbling about it. When the ground started rising and falling like waves, wisps of black smoke seeped out from the ground, and when Su Ming lifted his right hand, that black smoke quickly gathered in his hand to turn into a thirty feet long spear!
Undertaker of Evil's Spear!
"If you want to fight… then we shall fight!" Su Ming lifted his head, and a cold smile appeared on his lips, which were hidden behind the mask.
Translator's Note:
1. Furnace: First appeared in Renegade Immortal chapter 96. Generally, they are women whose sole purpose is to provide the aura of Yin to powerful male cultivators through s*xual int*rcourse so that these men can become stronger. There are exceptions to these furnaces.
Chapter 625: Murder in Three Steps!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"If you fight, then you must pay the price…"
The spear was originally violet, but when it manifested in Su Ming's hand this time, it turned black. Its entirely black body seemed to represent death, and a powerful wave of murderous aura started surging towards all directions from around Su Ming.
That murderous aura was nothing ordinary and it seemed to possess physical form. As it spread out, it looked as if there was a vortex surrounding Su Ming, and it seemed to have turned into a whirlwind that was roaring with a burning desire to tear apart the world at that moment.
Su Ming's newly-dyed black hair danced about as he stood in the whirlwind. When he lifted his head, a chilling glare appeared in his eyes under the mask, and at that instant, it caused the people who were moving towards him to feel their hearts lurching in their chests. As if a clap of thunder had roared in their heads, they were all frozen to their feet by Su Ming's presence.
The words he had spoken had sounded like the might of heaven itself when added with his expression and the subjugation dealt on them by his presence. It crashed into their hearts, causing Su Ming to appear like a bloodthirsty, battle hungry, and undefeatable evil Immortal!
His lips curled up into a cold sneer, and he tightened his grip around the Undertaker of Evil's Spear and took a step forward. Except for Shen Dong and the person who had been pushed back while coughing out blood, he was going to fight against all the other seven people alone!
These seven people were all pureblood Immortals that had descended to the land of the Berserkers. They were not Berserkers, and even among the other Immortals in Evil Sect, they were outstanding warriors. Even the weakest among them was at the Soul Transformation Stage, which was the equivalent of a Berserker in the middle stage of the Berserker Soul Realm!
It was especially so for one of them. That person was an old man with a head full of grey hair who wore grey robes. There was a bump on his back that made him look like a camel… and he was the strongest in Evil Spirit Sect after Shen Dong!
He was also the one who had accused Su Ming of being conceited previously.
He had also reached Ascendance. Although he was just at early Ascendance, but any Immortal who was able to reach this stage was definitely no ordinary person! As that hunchbacked old man's pupils shrank, the six people around him started forming seals with their hands, and all sorts of divine abilities appeared in the air.
Almost at the moment they executed their divine abilities, Su Ming took three steps forward with the Undertaker of Evil's spear. With his first step, he swiftly thrust the spear forward, and a piercing sound of air being sliced apart rang out. A dimensional crack was also ripped open during that instant to form an arc that charged towards that gray-haired old man before him, who was the strongest person in this place besides Shen Dong.
The gray-haired old man lifted his right hand and right after forming a seal pushed it swiftly forward. Immediately, a ray of blue light manifested on his hand and turned into a blue bird that flapped its wings to charge towards Su Ming's spear thrust!
At the instant the Undertaker of Evil's Spear crashed into the bird, loud rumbling sounds spread through the air. The bird instantly exploded, and at that same moment, Su Ming took his second step forward, bringing with him the second thrust. With a hum, the spear shot through the air and arrived at the face of that gray-haired old man.
The spear was quick. So quick, in fact, that before the old man's eyes had registered what was happening in front of him clearly, the cold chill from the tip of the spear had already exploded with a bang, causing his hair to fly backwards. His face immediately filled with shock. He might have tried deducing this person's level of cultivation earlier and believed that he must have some form of capabilities with him since he had dared to snatch away their loot, but he had not expected this person to be this strong!
His first step and first thrust had destroyed the old man's resistance, and his second step as well as his second thrust had appeared right in front of his face. A wave of power that could destroy the world appeared at the tip of that spear, and the old man felt his skin crawl. In the midst of his shock, he even felt a presence that belonged to the Immortals' second step from that second thrust!
This was enough to scare him out of his wits, but he was, after all, a powerful Immortal in Ascendance. Even though his heart was racing in fear, he retreated without any hesitation, and as he formed seals with his hands, a gigantic shield immediately flew out from his storage bag. That shield was entirely green and a wave overflowing with life force spread out out from within it. The shield was round, and there was a large amount of runic symbols carved on it. Once that item appeared, a brilliant green light immediately erupted forth from it.
"Joist!" the grey-haired old man immediately let out a loud shout once he brought his defensive treasure.
As his shout echoed in the air, the shield instantly changed. As if it was originally formed of several layers overlapping one another, numerous layers spread out and turned into nine similar shields that overlapped to immediately block off Su Ming's second spear thrust.
The gray-haired old man's heart was filled with shock at that moment. He no longer cared about how to fight against Su Ming, but was instead thinking about how to escape being marked by this terrifying existence before him as quickly as possible.
He had a strong hunch that his shield would not be able to hold him back for long, but he only needed this person to freeze for an instant, and in that instant, he could immediately warp away from this place.
All of this lasted several breaths, since Su Ming took his first step up to the moment the old man brought out the shield. It was so quick that no one had time to react to it. The other people were still closing in and were still casting their spells, but even though this old man had his sect members beside him, Su Ming's two consecutive spear thrusts had still given him the feeling that he was facing off an army alone.
This feeling did not end, and neither did a momentary pause in Su Ming's movements arrive. Su Ming had driven his spear into the shield almost at the instant the old man brought it out. An even more deafening roar rose into the sky at that moment. The first layer of the nine-layered shield instantly shattered into pieces, along with the second, the third, the fourth, and the fifth. All of them shattered and exploded in that instant, and the impact of it caused the people who wanted to close in on Su Ming to feel shock filling their hearts.
The sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth shields also shattered with loud booming sounds as Su Ming's spear ran through them like a hot knife through butter. As an endless amount of shards from the shield swept through the area, Su Ming took his third step forward!
With it, he executed his third spear thrust. As it brought a deafening hum that caused the people's ears to ring in pain, the spear went straight towards the retreating gray-haired old man's face.
The speed of this thrust surpassed that of the second one, and was even faster that what all the people could detect with their divine senses. The murderous aura and freezing intent within it caused the retreating gray-haired old man to instinctively freeze in his charge, and a chilling sensation immediately filled his body. He seemed to hear the shrill roars of vengeful souls by his ears, and a slightly dazed look appeared on his face. His eyes went wide, and in his mind he saw illusory pictures of people dying under the Undertaker of Evil's Spear. There was an endless amount of people there, dying sad and wretched deaths.
"The souls that died due to the Undertaker of Evil's Spear cannot reincarnate or disappear into the world. They will remain trapped within for all eternity and become this spear's soul!"
This sentence echoed in the gray-haired old man's mind, causing him to tremble, and then, he saw the hundreds of battle souls with all their billowing murderous aura. They came storming towards him with that spear, and all of them looked as if they wanted to tear him apart.
"Save me!"
This particular spear thrust already contained the presence of Life Cultivation, and its might was so great that it could shake the sky and earth, especially after going through a baptism in Freezing Sky Clan's Heaven Gate. The might of that spear had become much greater after gaining a whole lot more new souls.
But the gray-haired old man was, after all, a powerful Immortal in Ascendance. As the Undertaker of Evil's Spear closed in on him, he actually managed to recover a bit of his mind, as he struggled through the illusions, and call out for help. This alone was proof that this person's mental fortitude was nothing short of extraordinary.
However, it was a pity that he had run into Su Ming. At the instant he cried out for help, the people around him closed in, and Shen Dong took a step forward with his pupils shrunk...
A bloody gash tore through the center of the old man's brows right when his heart filled with shock and fear, and even regret for choosing to descend to the land of the Berserkers. At the moment that gash spread out, the old man's heart let out its last thump and fell still. The world before his eyes stopped moving. A black long spear had pierced through the center of his brows, and half of the spear's body shot out from the back of the old man's head.
A power that could destroy everything spread out from the Undertaker of Evil's Spear and charged into the body. As banging sounds rang out from it, blood trickled out from the old man's mouth and red appeared in his eyes, but his pupils were not focused. At that instant, before his Nascent Soul managed to escape, he was shattered by the power from the Undertaker of Evil's Spear and absorbed into it.
Fresh blood trickled out of the tip of the spear after it had pierced through the old man's head. When it fell to the ground, it let out pattering sounds. Those sounds continued ringing in the air, and the bloody lines that formed when the blood from the spear fell to the ground caused the area to instantly fall into dead silence.
Shen Dong appeared several dozens of feet away. His face was as dark as thunderclouds, and he looked incredibly sullen. At the same time, wariness appeared in his eyes as he looked at Su Ming. A morose look could also be spotted on his face.
All the other people froze in their action of casting their Arts. They stood in their spots and looked at Su Ming in shock, as well as his long spear that had pierced through the center of the gray-haired old man's brows, along with the bloody lines that were formed as the blood fell. They were listening to the sound of the blood from the tip of the spear falling to the ground.
Bao Qiu's heart raced against her chest. She might have known that Su Ming was incredibly powerful, but she had never expected that he would be able to kill a powerful Immortal in Ascendance in less than a few breaths. This could already be considered an instant kill!
Right from the start till the end, Su Ming had only taken three steps and executed the power of three spear thrusts!
While surrounded by enemies with the strongest Immortal of Evil Spirit Sect in their midst, at the instant his enemies started casting their Arts, he attacked in an incredibly domineering manner, and killed a person with just three steps!
It was especially shocking since the person he killed was one of Evil Sect's powerful Immortals in Ascendance!
"I did mention that if you fight, you must pay a price… Who is next?" Su Ming asked calmly, and slowly pulled the long spear out of the center of the gray-haired man's brows. The old man, a powerful Immortal in Ascendance within his generation, fell to the ground still and unmoving.
"The second step's Nirvana Scryer Realm[1]! This is the combat power of the second step!"
"This isn't Nirvana Scryer, he's a Berserker! The Qi he showed just now belongs to a Berserker!"
"The Realm of Life Cultivation!" The Immortals that had descended immediately found their expressions changing. When they looked at Su Ming, all their previous expressions were completely replaced by terror and shock.
Shen Dong stared at the spear in Su Ming's hand and stated hoarsely, "Undertaker of Evil's Spear…"
Translator's Notes:
1. Nirvana Scryer Realm: First appeared in Renegade Immortal chapter 440.