Chapter 913: Decaying Spirit Core
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Your Grandpa Cra… Er, I don't want much either, just a spot in the ballad. Just a spot. Even if you want me to call you grandpa, I'll do it. I just want a spot!" The black crane had an expectant look on its face. As it flapped its wings, it came to the broken ship and appeared in front of Su Ming.
The huge net behind it stretched endlessly. In it were hundreds of thousands of Waves of Tears packed densely together, and none of them were less than a thousand feet big. There were also quite a few that were ten thousand feet large, and there were even a dozen something of those that were one hundred thousand feet.
What caused Su Ming's heart to tremble was a Wave of Tears that exuded an old presence through its entire body among those captive. Its body was entirely gold, and it was four hundred thousand feet in size. It had its eyes closed and did not move.
"You again, small crane," an ancient voice speaking in a strange rhythm elegantly tumbled out of the old man's mouth, in whose body Su Ming currently resided.
The voice was not Su Ming's though, but that of the old man.
Su Ming might feel that he had become the old man, but in truth, it would be more accurate to say that he was currently observing this scene that once happened and from the old man's eyes
He looked at the black crane in front of him. There had been some slight uncertainty in his heart, but when he heard its voice and sensed pride and sleaziness within it, he was certain that this black crane was the bald crane.
If he formed his deductions based on this, then this era was incredibly ancient…
'Nine lives and four races…' A thought appeared in Su Ming's head.
'Ecang and the bald crane are of the same category of life. Could it be that… they are among the nine lives spoken in the ballad?' This thought made Su Ming's pupils shrink. At that moment, the old man spoke up once again.
"Whether you can get a spot or not depends on whether the offerings you brought are the things I need."
The old man shook his head, lifted his right hand, and pointed at the black crane. A Wave of Tears of around two thousand something feet instantly faded away from the net. When it reappeared, it was already in front of the old man.
Once that Wave of Tears left the net, it immediately roared in a piercing tone. A fierce light and a mad glint appeared in its eyes, and it lifted its right claw to close in on the old man.
The old man's expression remained the same. He only cast a flat glance at the incoming Wave of Tears, and the creature trembled. The fierce light in its eyes disappeared, and at the moment it closed in, its body came to a swift stop. It lowered its head to bow down and worship the old man.
Su Ming saw the old man lifting his right hand, or rather, he felt himself lift his right hand and press it on the top of the Wave of Tears' head. With it, a gentle wave of power surged into the creature's body. Once that power circulated through, the Wave of Tears started trembling fiercely. It lifted its head, and its roars shook the heavens. Its eyes were bloodshot, and its body swelled up before his eyes. In the blink of an eye, it was no longer just a ferocious beast that was one thousand feet, but had grown to ten thousand feet.
It was as if the gentle energy from the old man's hands was a strange power that would stimulate life forms like the Wave of Tears. As the power swam in the body of the Wave of Tears, the full power of the inheritance lying in its blood was brought out.
It was a shocking scene that astonished Su Ming. He did not know what sort of level of cultivation would be needed to enable a person to make a ferocious beast become a superior life form within an instant.
But it wasn't over yet. Su Ming saw that when the gentle power from the old man's right hand circulated through the Wave of Tears' body for the second time, its ten thousand feet body trembled even more furiously. In the blink of an eye, blood gushed out from everywhere. Its flesh and blood started growing in a bizarre manner as its body continued getting larger, and with a pained and crazed roar, the creature… shot up to one hundred thousand feet from the initial ten thousand feet.
The shock Su Ming felt was difficult to describe with words. He stared intently at that Wave of Tears, interested to see what would happen to this creature when the old man's power circulated through its body for the third time.
In the span of a breath, the power made its third round.
The one hundred thousand feet tall Wave of Tears shuddered. Blood covered every inch of its body, and it swiftly swelled up. Two hundred thousand feet, three hundred thousand feet, four hundred thousand feet… As the size of its body continued increasing exponentially, desire and resolve appeared on the black crane's face. The Waves of Tears in the boundless net behind it were stunned. They looked at the Wave of Tears that had become seven hundred thousand feet tall, and their bodies trembled before they bowed down to worship it, as if they were paying respect to their king.
However, almost the instant they bowed down to worship that Wave of Tears and it reached nearly nine hundred thousand feet, it let out a shrill scream of pain that shook the universe. With a bang… its body fell apart, unable to withstand the abrupt rise in power to become an even more superior life form. The power then caused it to burst.
"So, old man, how are my offerings this time?" the black crane quickly asked with an anxious look on its face. "Old man, if it still doesn't work this time, I have no idea what to do anymore. It's been so many years, and I brought so many offerings for you. It's just a spot, do you seriously need to be so stingy?!" When the black crane saw that the old man was still not speaking, it instantly became anxious.
"It's still not enough," the old man said faintly after some time. "But this time, the offerings can stay."
When the black crane heard the old man's first sentence, it became dejected, but when it heard the second sentence, its eyes immediately brightened up. It hadn't thought that it could get a spot in the ballad in just one go, anyway. As long as the old man accepted its offerings, then as they accumulated over a long period of time, a chance to obtain a spot in the ballad would show up.
The crane beamed with joy, and it immediately turned into a long arc and left. It charged out into the distant galaxy, and in an instant, it disappeared without a trace.
Once the black crane left, Su Ming looked at the hundreds of thousands of Waves of Tears in the net, and a contemplative look appeared on his face. He had no idea why the black stone fragment had sucked his soul into this illusion of something that had clearly happened in an ancient past.
At that moment, he could not help but remember the voice that had echoed in his head when he touched the door inside the mountain within the fragment's dimension.
"The first spirit you offered is the spirit of the Wave of Tears. There is a flaw in this spirit. Find that flaw, and you can exterminate this race… You have endless time. Go to the place where you offered medicinal pills in the past and create a Decaying Spirit Core that will stimulate the flaw in this spirit. If you give up… you will show that you have not chosen the Wave of Tears' spirit as your first step to nurture Life Extermination Spirit."
Su Ming frowned, then was stunned. He had felt before like he had turned into the old man just even if he was just watching the whole thing from his eyes. Yet right then, when he frowned, a thought formed in Su Ming's head, and a glint appeared in his eyes. He lifted his right hand, lowered his head, and slowly stood up.
Within the vast galaxy, Su Ming stood at the bow of the gigantic ship that was broken and cast his gaze to the area ahead of him. It was pure darkness.
After a moment of mulling over his thoughts, Su Ming suddenly said slowly, "Medicinal pills."
Almost at the instant he said these words, the space in front of him distorted and medicinal pills of all kinds appeared. They were all the pills that Su Ming had used as an offering to open the mountain doors when he was in the cave in the first mountain within the fragment's dimension.
As he looked at these medicinal pills, Su Ming seemed to be able to see his past. He recalled the memories of the things that had happened way in the past and were buried deep within his mind.
He sighed softly, then recollected his thoughts. He looked at the medicinal pills floating in front of him, then at the hundreds of thousands of Waves of Tears trapped in the net. Gradually, he came to a realization.
First of all, this was an illusory dimension. Second, medicinal pills as well as hundreds of thousands of Waves of Tears were presented before Su Ming, which would mean that they were test subjects for his experiment.
With the knowledge of the different combinations of these medicinal pills, he needed to go through a secondary stage of creation and create a pill that targeted the flaw within Waves of Tears. This would then allow him to exterminate the entire race, and that pill would be called Decaying Spirit Core!
'The creation of this Decaying Spirit Core will require numerous tries. I will need a complete understanding of Waves of Tears, a thorough knowledge of their habits, lifestyle, and structure of their bodies before finding a way to target their weakness and create Decaying Spirit Core.
'Let's not mention whether I can succeed or not first. Even if I were to create it in the end, I would need an incredibly long time to do so… Based on this, the flow of time in this illusory dimension should not be the same as in the world outside.'
A thought appeared in Su Ming's head, and he looked towards the net floating ahead of him in space. The hundreds of thousands of Waves of Tears in it were no longer roaring, but maintained their postures, as if they had been frozen in time.
'In fact, there's even a possibility… that the time here… has been frozen, because this is something that happened in the past. This is not the present, and there is nothing between these two times that exists together.'
Su Ming's eyes sparkled. This sort of a dimension was not unfamiliar to him. Black stone fragment's dimension, Candle Dragon's world, and Ecang's world—he had experienced quite a lot of these dimensions in his life.
The flow of time within them was often different from the world outside. In some of them, time flowed slower, while in others it moved at the same as in the world outside. Su Ming had thought about it before, wondering about the reason why the flow of time in these dimensions was different.
However, this sort of thing was too complicated, and he had never really figured it out. At that moment, he looked at the space around him, and after a period of silence, his gaze focused. When he raised his right hand, he pointed at the hundreds of thousands of Waves of Tears in the net.
One spot in the net immediately freed up. The Wave of Tears that had been pointed out disappeared from the net and reappeared beside Su Ming. Its eyes were, and it was staring at Su Ming, but was just like a statue that did not move.
Su Ming looked at the Wave of Tears before him and lifted his right hand to press his palm against the creature. His Atman spread out and fused with the beast's body, and he began to observe it in detail.
His goal was to understand everything about this creature, and from there, find the flaw that would allow him to exterminate this race, then create the Waves of Tears' Decaying Spirit Core!
'When the old man touched the Wave of Tears, he managed to instantly make this creature an superior life form, and it continued becoming greater. It's clear that during that instant, he had come to completely understand the Wave of Tears' entire structure of life, which was why he could do this.
'If he could do it at that time, then he could easily do the same for all other manner of life as well.
'He only needed an instant, but I will need an endless amount of time, but the direction we're heading towards is the same. One of these days, I will be able to do it as well.'
Chapter 914: Waves of Tears Core
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
A hint of determination appeared in Su Ming's eyes. He had lived with plenty of complications in his life and went through plenty of life-and-death situations, but after every single trial and crisis, he had also received serendipities that far surpassed what other people obtained.
It did not matter whether it was his Ecang clone or the transformation in the black stone fragment. Either one of them alone was already enough to have him stand proudly and laugh at the universe, yet Su Ming had obtained both of them at the same time. It could be said that these two had opened a wide path for his future.
Su Ming sat down cross-legged and meditated. Several hours later, he moved his right hand from the Wave of Tears in front of him. The creature might not be moving, but the instant Su Ming lifted his right hand, it turned into ashes and scattered away.
Su Ming remained silent for a short while before pointing at the net with his right hand. Another Wave of Tears appeared in front of him, and with the same method, Su Ming continued his process of understanding the structure of life within Waves of Tears.
Time trickled by slowly. Under the continuous process of observing and understanding, Su Ming forgot about time. He only vaguely remembered that there tens of thousands of Waves of Tears had been reduced to ashes as he investigated them.
A picture slowly drew itself in Su Ming's mind. That picture was mainly an outline, and from its shape, it could be seen that this was the image of a Wave of Tears.
Su Ming closed his eyes. This time, he fell into pensive silence for several months. When he opened his eyes again, he caught another Wave of Tears. As his eyes sparkled, he drew a line over it with his right hand, and its body was instantly cut open. He seized one bone and started examining it to get a feel for it.
He did not know how much time had passed. When nearly a third of the hundreds of thousands of Waves of Tears were reduced to ashes, a complete skeletal frame appeared in the outline of the Wave of Tears in Su Ming's mind.
This skeletal frame was the perfect set of bones that Su Ming concluded was the one that fit all Waves of Tears after observing tens of thousands of them.
With the contour and the bones done, next would be the nerves and the blood vessels. Su Ming calmed his heart and mind, then immersed himself in researching the body structure of Waves of Tears, ceaselessly examining how their nerves and blood vessels were arranged. From tens of thousands of test subjects, he found the slight differences between them and also their similarities.
In time, the contour of the Wave of Tears in Su Ming's mind possessed not only bones, but also thin threads of green and red that were intersecting with each other. These thin threads went through every single spot within the Wave of Tears' contour and formed a more complete picture of the creature.
Once Su Ming finished doing this, he sensed a feeling of ancientness, and it rose from his heart. This was due to him spending an unknown amount of time on his research. Even though Su Ming had deduced that time did not move in this place, his heart was still beating. Because of that, even though he was in this dimension where time was frozen, he still gained an ancient presence.
'It now has shape, bones, and also nerves. What it lacks is… flesh and blood.'
A glint appeared in his eyes, and he immersed himself in understanding the flesh and blood of Waves of Tears. There weren't that many creatures left in the net, but for the moment, it was enough. After around ten hundred thousand something Waves of Tears were reduced to ashes in Su Ming's hands, a complete picture appeared in his head.
This beast had form, flesh and blood, bones, and nerves. The picture was a detailed description of Waves of Tears Su Ming compiled after years of research which resulted in the deaths of a hundred thousand something Waves of Tears.
At that moment, it could be said that Su Ming's understanding regarding Waves of Tears was even greater than what these creatures understood of themselves. He knew every single thing about their bodies, no matter whether it was a small detail or an overall view. He also understood where this creature stood in the pyramid of life like the back of his hand.
Once one hundred thousand something Waves of Tears were destroyed, a slight presence that was hard to describe and could only be sensed by Waves of Tears appeared about him. Due to it, they would see him as a natural enemy, since this presence was a murderous aura that gathered about him when one hundred thousand something Waves of Tears had died in his hands. Once Su Ming completely understood Waves of Tears, that knowledge became a force that came from within his heart!
At that moment, all the Waves of Tears in Su Ming's eyes, no matter how big they were, were completely transparent.
When he lifted his right hand and another Wave of Tears appeared in front of him, he lifted a finger and gently tapped the spot three inches below the Wave of Tears' chest.
With that one top, the Wave of Tears trembled. Su Ming did not lift his finger, but drew a line downwards, then had it move through the entire Wave of Tears' body. He did not use too much of his power, but at the instant he lifted his right hand, the Wave of Tears fell down. The creature seemed normal when that happened, but in truth, all the blood vessels in its body had completely dried up and withered.
This was not done due to Su Ming's divine ability, but from his understanding towards Waves of Tears. Because of his knowledge, they were so frail to him that they could not withstand a single blow.
In reality, he just needed to cast a glance at a Wave of Tears, and he would immediately see all its blood, flesh, bones, and nerves. Not a single one would remain a secret from him.
It could be said that if Su Ming left this place at this moment and appeared outside in the galaxy, then in the face of the Waves of Tears that came to him in madness and greed, he could teach them who their natural enemy was and the definition of fear.
"I don't know how much time I've spent to be able to do this, but when that old man pushed his palm down on the Wave of Tears, he had clearly reached this level," Su Ming mumbled quietly after remaining silent for a moment.
"He understood the Wave of Tears' structure completely, and that's why he could create the Decaying Spirit Core that could exterminate this race from these medicinal pills."
A slightly freezing glare shone in Su Ming's eyes. If this dimension's time was frozen, then it also meant that the world outside was still the same as before he left. In other words, the one hundred thousand something Waves of Tears were still around.
Su Ming wanted to create the Decaying Spirit Core that targeted Waves of Tears to resolve the danger brought by the God Ascension Nectar.
He remained silent for a moment before lifting his right hand to point at the floating medicinal pills. They immediately came towards him. With eyes shining brightly, he stared at the medicinal pills and pondered for a moment before taking out several dozen Waves of Tears from the net. He lifted his right hand and swung it, and one of each of the medicinal pills floating in front of him flew into the mouths of Waves of Tears.
'Since this place is an illusion, then besides having an endless supply of Waves of Tears, there will surely be an endless amount… of medicinal pills as well. This dimension is just a place for me to search for the method to create Decaying Spirit Core. The true creation will only happen once I leave this place, and that will be when I am in front of the door in the cave of the second mountain.'
Su Ming had experienced far too many things in his life, and his train of thought had already become mature. He just needed to think about a small matter like this for a moment, and he would understand the cause and effect as well as the order in which things happened.
Almost at the instant the medicinal pills fell into the Waves of Tears' mouths, distortions appeared in the area beside Su Ming. The same amount of medicinal pills appeared once again, verifying his assumption.
Su Ming did not look at the newly appeared medicinal pills. Instead, brilliant light shone in his eyes as he focused on the dozen something Waves of Tears. He began observing them to find out the changes and the differences between them after they ate the medicinal pills.
After confirming that there were differences between them, he recorded each change brought by the pills in his mind, then fused that knowledge into the picture of the Wave of Tears in his head to begin making inferences. This process was long, but Su Ming was not in the least bit anxious. His expression was as calm as ever. As time passed, he continued with his tests.
From feeding only one medicinal pill, he gradually went to two, then three, until one of the Wave of Tears swallowed all the medicinal pills at once. Su Ming's heart was immersed completely in his experiments and the transformations in the Waves of Tears as he searched for their flaw.
Slowly, the number of Waves of Tears in the net dwindled. Currently, less than two-tenths of them were left, which was around sixty-seventy thousand.
The Waves of Tears which had died in Su Ming's hand had accumulated to two hundred thousand something in the passage of time.
'If mixed together, these medicinal pills can produce additional effects…' Su Ming lifted his right hand and swung it, and the Wave of Tears in front of him with bloodshot eyes and a body that seemed to be melting was reduced to powder.
'This is the 3,761st formula, but it can only make the Wave of Tears' skull melt. I can't kill it instantly.' Su Ming shook his head. This was not the Decaying Spirit Core he wanted.
'I might not know the effects of Decaying Spirit Core that can destroy an entire race… but in my mind, there is one medicinal pill that can be considered to be able to… destroy a body when it explodes.' A look that said Su Ming was remembering the past appeared in his eyes. He recalled… Scattering Blood, the pill he created when he was still a child!
It was a pill that could melt a person at the moment it touched their blood, and it was an incredibly domineering pill.
"If a creature's body would explode once it melted, its blood would scatter everywhere, and all Waves of Tears who were touched by that blood would also melt and explode… This is Decaying Spirit Core that is to my liking," Su Ming mumbled, and hint of ruthlessness surfaced in his eyes.
Time passed, and the mixing of the medicinal core continued. It did not matter whether it was a full pill or half a pill, or even just a tiny bit of it. Su Ming used all sorts of formulas he could think of, and tried out all of them without delay.
The number of Waves of Tears went to only around thirty-forty thousand from the sixty-seventy thousand, and in time, there were only thousands of them left…
"The 78,645th formula is still too gentle…"
"The 81324th formula is not the one…"
When there were less than a few hundreds of Waves of Tears in the net, Su Ming's body suddenly trembled. The ten thousand feet tall Wave of Tears in front of him turned red from his latest formula and fell apart in an instant. Its blood then gushed out everywhere.
A focused glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. He thought back on the formula he'd used for this medicinal core, and slowly, a brilliant light started shining in his eyes.
"When different medicinal pills are fused together, the blood of Waves of Tears will react and transform, and this change is one that does not fuse with these creatures' structure of life. The moment they touch this abnormal blood, it will fuse with their bodies, and melt them in a process that looks like devouring.
"I'll need to add in a power that will make them explode as well, and this power will depend on the levels of cultivation. The higher the cultivation level of a Wave of Tears will be, the greater explosion it will produce." A smile appeared on Su Ming's lips, and he swiftly stood up. "This core will be named Core of Waves of Tears!"
Chapter 915: Return
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
At the instant Su Ming got up, the illusory dimension immediately cracked. As the sound echoed in the air, the world shattered around Su Ming like a mirror.
His body shattered along with it until he turned into powder and disappeared in the vast space.
Almost at the instant this happened, Su Ming, who had his right hand pressed against the gigantic stone door in the cave of the second mountain, suddenly shuddered violently.
His eyes flew open, and he sucked in a deep breath, as if his soul had returned to its body.
His expression changed swiftly, and his right hand on the stone door started trembling uncontrollably. He felt that his soul and body were very out of sync with each other at that moment, causing him to feel incredibly unfamiliar with himself.
A small part of this feeling came from his body, but a larger part of it… was the sense of time flowing around him once again.
The illusory dimension was very different from this place, and Su Ming had been a locus that acted as an intersection point between the two. He had returned from the still dimension after a long time, so it was only natural that he had a strong sense of not being comfortable with his surroundings.
Su Ming lowered his head and looked at his right hand. He saw that it was trembling. In silence, his heart gradually calmed down, and a brilliant light shone in his eyes.
'I wonder how many years I've been in that illusory dimension. Time might not have moved there, but the amount that was supposed to pass had still gathered around me, giving me an ancient air… Among the eighty thousand something formulas of medicinal pills aimed to target Waves of Tears, I've finally managed to create the Core of Waves of Tears!'
Su Ming sucked in a deep breath, and his gaze fell on the stone door. With a glint in his eyes, he took a step forward, lifted his right hand, and pushed his hand against the stone door once more.
Almost at the instant he did so, the stone door let out a loud bang, and the light threads spreading outwards from the light blue glow that resembled a cobweb shrank back. When they collected into a single dot, it turned into a light blue vortex.
At the same time, medicinal pills flew out of the vortex and floated in front of Su Ming. The pills before him were the ones that he had offered a long time ago as a child. They were also the same ones that he had used for his experiments in the illusory dimension.
Yet the medicinal pills that appeared this time were no longer limitless in quantity. These were the only ones around.
However, to Su Ming, even if there was no longer an infinite supply, it did not matter. He had already found the perfect formula, and he could successfully create the medicinal core in one go.
He swept his gaze across the medicinal pills and lifted his right hand in a swing to immediately bring one closer Once he crushed it, he only took the skin. Then, he took another medicinal pill, crushed it, and took a third of its contents. Complex procedures such as these continued until Su Ming skillfully created a Core of Waves of Tears an hour later over the ball of flames he had summoned out of thin air on his right hand.
The core was as red as blood, and it looked quite terrifying. It was as if this was not a medicinal core, but a ball of blood. Waves of malicious aura spread out from that Core of Waves of Tears, along with a thick, sweet scent.
If anyone caught a whiff of it, they would definitely be intoxicated, but if they sniffed it several more times, the person would want to hurl ceaselessly in a manner as if they wanted to even throw up their organs.
"Waves of Tears, I'm returning."
Killing intent appeared in Su Ming's eyes, and he turned into a long arc that swiftly left the cave, the second mountain, and… the stone fragment's dimension.
…..
Beyond the periphery of Divine Essence Star Ocean was a galaxy that would occasionally have dazzling stellar streams appear in it. Roars that sounded like infants crying rose and fell there, reverberating in all directions. If anyone looked from above, they would be able to see that there were a hundred thousand something Waves of Tears in that place. These creatures were of various sizes—some were one hundred feet in size, others one thousand feet, and some even ten thousand feet—and they all had expressions of madness, bloodthirstiness, and greed.
There were thirteen warships that were surrounded by the one hundred thousand something Waves of Tears. In the mid of their roars and madness, Waves of Tears were launching wave after wave of attacks on their targets.
Holding out against them were thousands of cultivators. They were exhausted and had injuries of various degrees on their bodies, but they did not retreat even a single bit. Instead, they gritted their teeth and persevered, even if their cultivation bases were almost completely used up, even if their Enchanted Treasures had shattered, and even if they no longer had any hope.
But they still did not turn around.
The nine Frail Darknesses, who were the nine old men with closed eyes, had their eyes open. White light spread out from them, and the nine old men revealed their cultivation of later stage World Plane Realm. They surrounded the thirteen warships from nine directions and were resisting the Waves of Tears' attacks at full strength.
If these nine people were not around, then the Waves of Tears would have pounced on the thirteen warships a long time ago and submerged them as well as all the cultivators inside.
Yet even so, as the Waves of Tears continued attacking, there were cultivators who died. Their bodies were torn apart by Waves of Tears, and right before the other cultivators, they would be crushed, would have their corpses torn limb from limb, and would be eaten.
These bloody scenes were shocking, and brought a hint of despair to the defenders.
The catwoman had already reached her maximum speed. With it, she circled the thirteen warships, resolving one crisis after another, lessening the pressure on the cultivators with her kills.
They used the warships' power repeatedly, having them burst forth with the pillars of light that could destroy everything… but every single time those pillars of light blasted forth, they could only destroy the fog. They could not harm the bodies of the creatures.
After all, there were too many Waves of Tears. A number of around one hundred thousand something might not sound like a lot, but when someone truly saw it, they would find that there was no end to the creatures.
In the distance were two eighty thousand Waves of Tears. They were roaring, and there was monstrous fog surging from their bodies. That fog was like a corporeal wave that struck in all directions, and before it… were seventeen Xu Huis.
Her face was pale. It was very difficult for her to fight against two powerful existences who were at the equivalent of those in Lunar Kalpa Realm with her power. Even if these Waves of Tears were ferocious beasts and their divine abilities could not compare to those of cultivators, the pressure brought by them was still incredibly great.
She was at a complete disadvantage. In fact, there were even a few times when the situation had become incredibly dangerous for her. Even if she was holding on for the moment she would not be able to continue for much longer. More importantly… the one hundred thousand feet Wave of Tears was still sitting in a lackadaisical fashion on the gigantic meteor floating in the galaxy. Its eyes were cold, and with a contemptuous and mocking gaze, it swept its gaze past Xu Hui and all the other cultivators.
There were two Waves of Tears that were eighty thousand feet tall by its side as well. If they decided to attack, it would become impossible for Xu Hui to fight against them.
There was anger in her heart. This anger was not directed towards the Waves of Tears… but towards Su Ming, who was currently Dao Kong.
Her impression of Dao Kong had unknowingly changed when Su Ming chose to stay and even took the initiative to charge in, but she had not expected that all of this would be fake. Dao Kong's personality had not changed in the slightest. He was still that unkind, unrighteous, hypocritical, and treacherous person she knew. He might have spewed out impressive and dignified words on the surface, but in truth… when he rushed out, he had used some unknown method to disappear.
She might not have noticed any ripple of power that belonged to Relocation, but there was no other explanation for Dao Kong's disappearance.
Besides anger, Xu Hui also felt a sense of grief and disappointment. She knew that her fate was tied to Dao Kong's, and that she could not break that tie; she was fated to become his wife for dual cultivation. She had attempted to change everything, but could never succeed. She had also tried to change Dao Kong, but failed in that as well.
When she saw Dao Kong having escaped alone, the disappointment in her heart brought anguish and desolation to her pale face.
The cultivators on the thirteen warships were silent. They did not roar or laugh bitterly. Instead, in silence, they used all they had to fight against the Waves of Tears.
As for the nine old Frail Darknesses, no one could know what they thought. However, they occasionally glanced towards the spot in which Su Ming had disappeared and looked somewhat disappointed as well as indecisive.
They were already very tired. While they were not injured in the continuous fights, the usage of their cultivation bases, the torment of their wills, the intimidation from the one hundred thousand feet Wave of Tears in the distance, and most importantly, the despair from no hope were a poison that could kill anyone's willpower.
About an hour had passed since Su Ming had disappeared. During this time, the intensity of the battle had surpassed what happened before and reached a new height.
If no outside force joined in, then perhaps… they could continue fighting and persevering, but the one hundred thousand feet Wave of Tears in the distance seemed to have mocked them enough. It lifted its right hand and swung it. Immediately, the two eighty thousand feet Wave of Tears beside it lifted their heads, and while laughing ferociously, they let out shocking roars and turned into two long arcs… that charged towards the thirteen warships.
Their arrival would mark the end of this hunt.
A hint of calmness appeared in the white eyes of the nine old Frail Darknesses. It was the calmness that would appear in a person who had seen through everything and was about to die. The catwoman trembled. As she laughed bitterly, she prepared herself to die. Instead of living like this, it was better to die, but she would no longer have the chance to make up the regret in her heart.
"Fellow Daoist Xu, we will burn our souls and self-destruct. We will use it to open a path for you to escape. At that time, you must leave quickly…" The voices of the nine old Frail Darknesses echoed in Xu Hui's heart.
"We aren't the only ones who will do it. All the cultivators from Morning Dao Sect and the thirteen warships will also self-destruct to drag them down with us. This should be enough for you to leave this place.
"When you find the young master, don't blame him. He is still a child. He needs experience and time to grow. The nine of us… wish the best for you… Now, we will leave the young master in your hands. He is a little willful, but we hope that you will be more tolerant of him. When you find him, bring him… back to Morning Dao Sect."
Xu Hui's heart trembled. The nine old Frail Darknesses usually ignored her, and she too looked down on these nine cultivators who acted like old slaves. They had practically never communicated with each other, but at that moment, these nine people were determined to use their deaths in exchange for a chance for her to escape.
The two eighty thousand feet Waves of Tears closed in on them swiftly. Mighty pressure descended on the ships with a bang, but at the instant the nine old men prepared to self-destruct, the thirteen warships were about to be destroyed and crumble, and all the cultivators were ready to kill numerous Waves of Tears with their own deaths…
In the spot where Su Ming had disappeared, a ray of piercing white light began to shine. It rose into the heavens out of nowhere, and instantly attracted the attention of all cultivators and Waves of Tears.
It made Xu Hui look over, made then nine old men cast their gazes on it, and also made the four eighty thousand feet tall Waves of Tears peer over with surprise. It even made the one hundred thousand feet tall Wave of Tears focus its gaze on it.
Chapter 916: The Authority in His Commands Could Make Mountains Crumble!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"This is…" The nine old Frail Darknesses were momentarily stunned, then whipped their heads towards the place from which the white light came. Needless to say, that spot was where their young master had disappeared, and an idea rose in their heads. Even though they thought it was impossible, they could not help but think about it.
The catwoman was nearby as well. Her pupils constricted, and she trained her gaze towards the place.
Xu Hui was taken aback for a moment, then she frowned. She did not believe that Dao Kong would return. In her mind, he had already run far back.
But the scene that appeared next was one that shocked all the cultivators in the area and left them apprehensive.
At the moment the hundred thousand something Waves of Tears that surrounded the ships saw the white light, the madness and ferociousness on their faces vanished, replaced by terror. Their bodies began to tremble. Their howls might still be echoing in the air, but the roars no longer gave off the feeling that they were fierce. Instead… they sounded like pained wails.
Those wails came from all the hundred thousand something Waves of Tears. As they trembled, they swiftly spread outwards, as if the spot where the piercing white light was coming from was an indescribably terrifying existence to them.
It was the case for Waves of Tears that were one hundred feet tall, and it was the same for those who were one thousand feet tall, and even the four that were ten thousand feet tall. Disbelief appeared on their faces.
Roar!
It was a roar that shook the sky and earth, made the entire galaxy tremble, and even shook the hearts of all cultivators, including Xu Hui and the nine old Frail Darknesses, as well made their minds go blank. That roar had come from the mouth of the one hundred thousand feet tall Waves of Tears King sitting on the meteor in the distance.
This was the first time it roared, and as it roared, it stood up on the meteor. Because of the creatures height, it looked like an invincible deity. This alone was enough to shock and intimidate everyone who saw it.
Yet at that moment, there was a grim look that had never appeared before on its face.
The ten thousand something Waves of Tears forced themselves to stop running away once they heard their kings roar. With trembling bodies, they froze in the galaxy and looked at the white light, which was getting increasingly more piercing to the eyes.
This scene shocked Xu Hui, the nine old Frail Darknesses, and all the cultivators on the ships. All of them had a feeling that something bad was about to happen.
The thought that the white light was Su Ming, which existed in the nine old Frail Darknesses' minds, disappeared at that instant. They were almost certain that the white light was a ferocious beast even stronger than the Waves of Tears!
A feeling of anguish instantly rose in the people's hearts.
At that moment, in the white light that was gradually increasing in size, a shadow slowly took form, but the outline of that shadow did not belong to a ferocious beast. It belonged… to a person!
Once that outline took shape, wails filled with pain rose loudly from all around the ships. Those wails came from the uncontrollable terror within the one hundred thousand something Waves of Tears. Those that were one thousand feet tall were in a slightly better condition, but those that were only one hundred feet tall started fleeing swiftly as they cried out as if they had gone mad.
For a short period of time, the Waves of Tears in the galaxy fell into chaos.
Roar!
The one hundred thousand feet Wave of Tears roared again, forcing the fleeing Waves of Tears to stop in their tracks, albeit with great difficulty, but during that moment, a cold harrumph came from the shadow in the light.
That cold harrumph echoed in the air. When it landed in the cultivators' ears, it did nothing to them, but when it landed in the ears of Waves of Tears, it sounded like thunderous booms. Immediately, one hundred feet tall Waves of Tears let out shrill screams, and ignoring the will of their king, they scattered without any hesitation.
It was at this moment that the person walked out completely from the white light. He was dressed in a Sacred Constellation Robe, and his long hair spilled over his shoulders. His handsome face, slender body, and the hint of a cold smirk on his lips brought a thick, malicious air about him.
"Young master!"
"It's the young master! The young master returned!"
"Greetings, young master!"
At the instant Su Ming appeared, the cultivators from the thirteen warships were filled with enthusiasm after being momentarily stunned. It was as if all their fatigue was swept away at that instant. As voices greeting him reverberated in the air, the nine old Frail Darknesses cast deep looks at him and wrapped their fists in their palms as they bowed to him.
They did not ask why he chose to return, but when they saw their young master once again in this place, they could not help but feel respect.
The catwoman was completely stunned. Similar to Xu Hui felt, she had not expected that Su Ming would return.
"I said before that I won't leave. And if I have to leave, I will take all of you… with me," Su Ming said calmly, then turned his head around to sweep his gaze across the hundred thousand something howling Waves of Tears, who were in an extreme state of chaos.
His gaze was filled with a mighty pressure. The cultivators would not be able to sense it too deeply, but once the hundred thousand something Waves of Tears saw him and felt his gaze on them, they wailed even more loudly and dispersed even faster than before.
It was as if Su Ming's existence was a source of terror. It was something the cultivators from Morning Dao Sect could not understand, but something Su Ming knew well.
He had killed hundreds of thousands of Waves of Tears, and a presence that only Waves of Tears could detect had naturally formed about his body. This presence was a murderous aura that could make the creatures tremble.
Su Ming's gaze had made the Waves of Tears become even more terrified because when he looked towards them, they would have a false impression of being dismembered. It was as if the structure of their bodies, how much flesh and blood they possessed, how their bones were distributed, and how their nerves lay in their bodies were all laid bare in front of him at the instant he looked at them.
In fact, they even had the impression that the parts on their bodies which Su Ming had looked at had been injured before or became the most fragile parts.
The presence he possessed that was akin to a monstrous murderous aura in their eyes, and the invisible mighty pressure broke their minds!
This situation was akin to a dog butcher in the mortal world running into a dog. If the person had killed hundreds of dogs, then the butcher would possess a murderous aura that would cause all dogs to quake in fear.
This situation was also similar to meeting great murderers. If someone could personally kill thousands of people, then the killing intent that would gather would be easily noticed by even mortals. Any person who would look upon that murderer would feel a sense of fear, even if they wouldn't know where it came. After all, it would be their spirit sensing it, not mind.
Needless to say, if that person would have killed several hundreds of thousands of people, the feeling would become even stronger. It was no surprise then that Waves of Tears, who were ferocious beasts with extremely high intelligence, were able to notice it even more clearly.
This scene was completely out of the expectations of all cultivators from Morning Dao Sect. Even Xu Hui sucked in a sharp breath. When she looked at Su Ming, she felt that he was unfathomable.
She did not know what he experienced after he disappeared or why he could push Waves of Tears in a state of chaos just by standing still.
The nine old Frail Darknesses also could not come up with a reason for this.
At that moment, a roar that shook the galaxy rang through the area for the third time. The one hundred thousand feet tall Wave of Tears King stood on the meteor and roared at Su Ming. Its face was grim, and there was a brilliant light in its eyes. Its roar was like a wave of sound that rushed out in all directions.
This was a challenge, a challenge issued by Waves of Tears' King!
As it roared, the one hundred feet tall Waves of Tears shuddered. They might still be moving back, but those which were one thousand feet tall and those which were ten thousand feet tall gritted their teeth and bore through the presence that terrified them. They stopped moving back. Instead, they gradually approached Su Ming.
As for the four Waves of Tears that were eighty thousand feet tall, their eyes turned bloodshot, and they charged towards Su Ming while roaring.
At that moment, thousands of Waves of Tears rushed towards Su Ming, and there was not a single one of them that was under one thousand feet tall.
Su Ming smiled coldly. Almost at the instant these Waves of Tears came towards him, he took a step forward. The Duke of Crimson Flame shifted them, and in an instant, Su Ming disappeared. When he reappeared, he was already right beside a Wave of Tears that was one thousand feet tall.
That Wave of Tears shuddered. Before it could do anything though, Su Ming lifted his right hand and pointed to its chest in a well-practiced motion. With smooth movements akin to flowing water, he drew a long line on the Waves of Tears' body, and in the blink of an eye, he drew a circle around the creature.
Then, without even casting it a glance, he walked towards another Wave of Tears.
Behind him, that one thousand feet tall creature shuddered. When it lowered its head, blood trickled out of the corners of its mouth, and its body became limp. The spot where Su Ming had tapped was an old injury it obtained when it was engaged in a fight in the past. The long line he drew sealed off a vein in its body, causing the circulation of blood to freeze for a moment. When this happened, its heart stopped beating, its body fell down, and it died.
This scene caused the pupils of all who saw it to shrink.
One, two, three…
Su Ming moved about, and wherever he went, none of the Waves of Tears could fight back against him. In fact, he did not even use much power on them. He understood the Waves of Tears body structure far too well, and with just one glance, he knew just where their weakness lay.
As Su Ming moved, Waves of Tears died. With their roars growing stronger, the ten thousand feet tall Waves of Tears closed in on him. The creatures that surrounded Su Ming gradually increased in number.
"Still not enough…"
A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. He wanted to have Waves of Tears gather around him in an even denser fashion. With a turn, he charged towards those that were one hundred feet tall.
At that moment, the fourth roar from the Waves of Tears' King reverberated in space. The will contained in that roar caused the one hundred feet tall Waves of Tear to descend into a frenzied state as they shivered. Then, as if they had been forced into a corner, they no longer retreated, but charged towards Su Ming while screeching as if they had gone mad.
It might seem as if Su Ming was in danger, surrounded by multiple layers of Waves of Tears, but all of this was precisely what he wanted. That roar from the one hundred thousand feet tall Waves of Tears had actually been a great help to Su Ming.
At that moment, the kind left the meteor for the first time. By just taking one step forward with its gigantic body, it appeared in the area just beyond Su Ming and joined the Waves of Tears. Clearly, Su Ming's return had not only terrified the normal Waves of Tear, but also brought a mighty pressure to their king.
The creature's great offensive ability that was equivalent to monsters in Solar Kalpa Realm caused the galaxy to rumble, and ripples spread out. A matchless power swiftly descended in the area, intending to crush Su Ming straightaway!
He smiled.
When he turned around to look at the one hundred thousand feet Wave of Tears, he lifted his left hand and seized the space beside him. Immediately, a one thousand feet tall Wave of Tears was caught by its neck. Su Ming might have been incredibly tiny compared to it, but this did not stop him from seizing the beast by its neck. Because of this action, the Wave of Tears instinctively opened its mouth.
Su Ming's smile was cold and sinister. With a malicious air about him, he shook his right hand… and a medicinal core appeared on his palm. Then… he pushed it into the Wave of Tears' mouth!
It was…. the Core of Waves of Tears which Su Ming had prepared for countless years and had managed to produce after testing out around eighty thousand formulas and experimented with hundreds upon thousands of Waves of Tears! The core… that could destroy an entire race!
Chapter 917: Either You Worship Me, or You Die
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Once the core entered the creature's mouth, Su Ming tapped a few spots on the Wave of Tears' body with his right hand, causing the Core of Waves of Tears in its body to melt instantly. Then, Su Ming seized the Wave of Tears' neck, and with a turn, he flung the creature straight into the troop of Waves of Tears beside him.
The one thousand feet Wave of Tears' entire body instantly turned red. Veins popped up on its skin, and blood gushed out of its eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. It looked incredibly terrifying, as if all its bones, flesh, blood, and nerves had melted.
A freezing glare shone in Su Ming's eyes. In the face of endless Waves of Tears that roared and charged towards him, in the face of four gigantic Waves of Tears that were eighty thousand feet big, and in the face of the Waves of Tears King that was one hundred thousand feet big, he smiled.
The moment the smile appeared on his face, he lifted his right hand. He first closed his fingers together, then spread them apart, and softly said a single word, "Bang!"
A muffled bang came from the one thousand feet Wave of Tears. That sound overlapped with Su Ming's voice, as if it had triggered the explosion.
With that bang, the one thousand feet Wave of Tears which had swallowed the Core of Waves of Tears exploded. The impact spread through the entire are, but there were no bones, no torn pieces of flesh, no ripped up body. The creature simply exploded in a rain of blood.
It was as if at the moment its body exploded, everything within it melted. The layer of skin enveloped everything that was inside the body, like a sack containing water. Then, when that sack was torn open, the blood inside gushed out in all directions.
There were plenty of Waves of Tears around the spot where the one thousand feet Wave of Tears had been. At the instant its body exploded, its blood spilled on a dozen something other creatures.
The rain of blood might have looked normal, but at the instant it landed on the Waves of Tears, shrill screams of pain instantly came from those dozens Waves of Tears. The cultivators on the ships saw the blood that spilled out seeping into the Waves of Tears' skin as if it was corroding through, making it seem as if it possessed some form of sentience. Then, it entered deep within their bodies, fusing together with their blood.
At the instant it entered their veins…
Bang. Bang. Bang…
The dozen something bangs that rose and fell were so loud that all the cultivators on the ships trembled, the nine old Frail Darknesses widened their eyes in shock, and the catwoman froze her face turning pale from disbelief.
Even Xu Hui's breathing quickened. She could hardly believe what she saw at that moment.
As the bodies of the dozen something creatures crumbled, the cultivators saw Waves of Tears exploding in all directions, as if a raging and roaring sea of blood had been called out.
As more creatures exploded, the abnormal blood spilled on hundreds of other Waves of Tears. One of them was a creature that was eighty thousand feet big.
The cold smile on Su Ming's lips grew colder. He placed his hands behind his back as he stood in the middle of the disintegrating sea of blood. The blood that could kill Waves of Tears so easily had no effect on him. His cold smile and calmness were in deep contrast to the miserable situation around him that was filled with terror-born madness.
"If you want to take what doesn't belong to you, then you must be prepared to be exterminated," Su Ming said flatly.
The hundreds of Waves of Tears screamed in pain, and their cries shook the universe. Their bodies exploded with a bang, while as for the Wave of Tears that was eighty thousand feet big, it roared, and with an indescribable pain, it charged towards Su Ming.
It was clearly enduring the pain of collapsing because it wanted to kill his oppressor.
Su Ming did not move. He believed in the race exterminating Decaying Spirit Core he had created, so he watched the incoming eighty thousand feet Wave of Tears with an aloof gaze. That creature took one more step forward, got slightly closer to Su Ming, and then its body exploded with a bang.
Its death sounded like a funeral bell that resounded through the entire galaxy. Due to its gigantic body, the blood it spilled far surpassed the amount from the much smaller creatures. Once the creature exploded, a tremendous sea of blood submerged Su Ming's body and swept through the entire area.
Shrill roars filled with terror and madness instantly came from the Waves of Tears' mouths. The battle spirit that had been lit after much difficulty by the Waves of Tears' King disappeared like the wind at that instant. The threat of death caused the Waves of Tears to scatter outwards without regard for anything. They wanted to leave this place. They… were afraid.
However, Su Ming's Decaying Spirit Core for the Waves of Tears was an item to exterminate an entire race. The longer it stayed in effect, the more shocking it would be. The explosion of the hundreds of Waves of Tears and the blood from the eighty thousand feet Wave of Tears gushing out resulted in ten thousand Waves of Tears being splashed.
Once the first bang from the Wave of Tears that was fed the medicinal core sounded, that noise never stopped. Loud rumbles continued reverberating in space, and every single time it rang out, endless screams of pain would follow after, along with another Wave of Tears turning into power for Decaying Spirit Core.
It was a medicinal core that could exterminate a race, decaying its spirit; a medicinal core that possessed the power to destroy all manner of lives. This… was Decaying Spirit Core.
The sea of blood turned into a gigantic whirlpool that continued spreading out while booming sounds echoed one after another. If anyone tried to paint this scene in the galaxy as a picture, then anyone who saw it would be able to see blood-red flowers at the edges of the sea of blood in the middle of a picture, and this was where the booms were coming from ceaselessly.
Each of the blood-red flowers was caused by a Wave of Tears' body falling apart. This picture was incredibly beautiful, but it was also a funeral song for all lives…
The one hundred thousand feet Wave of Tears King roared while retreating hastily. There was a frenzied expression on its face, and its eyes were bloodshot. It could only watch as its kind died in a forlorn manner, as three of the four old eighty thousand feet tall Waves of Tears, the elders of its race, were killed.
Their deaths were completely unrelated to their levels of cultivation. It was because of that sea of blood, because that damn cultivator had fed a medicinal core to one of its own just moments ago. The king did not know what medicinal core it had been, but the terror it produced was something even the Waves of Tears' King could not fight against.
It did not dare get close to it, did not even dare to let a single drop of that blood touch it. It… had a strong hunch that even if it was the Waves of Tears' King itself, its body would disintegrate just like those of everyone else.
This had nothing to do with their levels of cultivation. It was simply something that could not exist together with them. This was… a flaw in their lives!
The booming sounds continued while spreading outwards. The numbers of dead Waves of Tears reached thousands, then tens of thousands, and kept increasing until the entire galaxy was covered by the sea of blood. At that point, about a hundred thousand Waves of Tears had died.
The remnants stood at the outermost area of the galaxy, and most of them were only a hundred something feet big. Few of them were one thousand feet tall. As for the ten thousand feet tall Waves of Tears who were the closest to Su Ming earlier since they were the fastest, all of them had died. Even of the four old eighty thousand feet Waves of Tears, only one remained, and it was trembling after having escaped by pure luck.
If anyone looked around the galaxy at that moment, they would find that most of the hundred thousand something Waves of Tears had disintegrated. Right then, there were less than twenty thousand of them remaining.
The area was filled with dead silence…
All the cultivators from Morning Dao Sect were shocked by all that they saw. Their mouths hung open in astonishment as they looked at Su Ming in the vast sea of blood in a daze.
The Waves of Tears were all trembling. Expressions of terror and despair that had never appeared on them before showed up. As Su Ming stood in the sea of blood, he became an existence that was etched into the deepest parts of these creatures' minds, and his figure was branded deep into their lives and souls, to be passed down generation after generation.
"Either you worship me and… leave, or all Waves of Tears will die," Su Ming stated flatly as he stood in the sea of blood and swept his gaze past those still alive.
His voice shot through the sea of blood and reverberated in this galaxy.
The Waves of Tears in the area let out pitiful cries begging for their lives as they trembled. Without any hesitation, they bowed down and worshiped Su Ming.
The near twenty thousand Waves of Tears that remained all chose to kowtow to him. When he looked towards the Waves of Tears' King, an expression of pain and conflict appeared on the creature. After some time, it lowered its head and quietly chose to fold its gigantic body to kowtow as well.
The act of bowing down and worshiping someone might seem simple, but to this creature, it was an act that was even more difficult to endure than death. However… if it did not do this, what else could it do? For its kind and the members of its race, it had no choice.
Everything that had happened was because… its kind had offended someone they could not offend. They brought upon themselves a disaster they could not resolve. When the creature remembered the medicinal core, a shudder ran down its back.
"Now, get yourself out of my sight," Su Ming said flatly.
The one hundred thousand feet tall Wave of Tears stood up slowly, and with a single move, it charged into the distance. Behind it were the remaining twenty thousand Waves of Tears. They rushed away as fast as they could, following behind their king, as if staying for even a breath longer in this place would break them down.
When Su Ming saw the Waves of Tears leaving into the distance, he shifted his gaze away from them. He did not choose to truly exterminate this race.
He turned around and looked at the people from Morning Dao Sect behind him, and slowly, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
In the sea of blood, he stood dressed in his Sacred Constellation Robe. His long hair danced in space, and his expression was calm, but the sea of blood was acting as the background. With it behind him, a distinct and powerful aura that was full of maliciousness spread out without reservation around his handsome face.
The sea of blood and the malicious aura seemed to have fused together at that instant, and Su Ming's appearance was deeply branded into the minds of all those from Morning Dao Sect. It was an image they would never forget in their lives.
Su Ming's gaze caused a zealousness to be born within the cultivators from Morning Dao Sect, and deep reverence for Dao Kong rose within them. This was a very different emotion from the one with which they served him before.
They had respected Dao Kong in the past because of Morning Dao Sect, but at this moment… they held Su Ming in reverence because of Su Ming himself.
There was a slightly complicated look on Xu Hui's face. When Su Ming looked towards her, for the first time ever, she instinctively wanted to avoid his gaze…
"Let's go. We'll continue… heading to Divine Essence Star Ocean," Su Ming said calmly.
"Understood!" a single voice that consisted of hundreds of voices from all the fearless warriors, all the cultivators from Morning Dao Sect… the nine old men, the catwoman answered. That word even echoed in the heart of Xu Hui.
Chapter 918: Digging Holes…
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"He's putting on airs! He's so good at putting on airs!"
The thirteen warships charged forward in the galaxy. Within the biggest warship was the bald crane. It had an envious expression on its face as it mumbled to itself ceaselessly.
"Gosh, darn it, this sort of act of putting on airs should be done by me, haih…"
The bald crane looked dejected. By its side, the Abyss Dragon rolled its eyes. It really did not want to strike the bald crane's ego and point out that the bald crane had been so scared that it did not dare to get out of the room when the Waves of Tears had attacked a few days ago.
"Think about it. Me, the handsome and elegant bald crane, standing in the sea of blood that surges into heavens, bathing in it. With a swing of my wing, I would wash my back, and one hundred thousand Waves of Tears would die. With another swing of my wing, I would wash my chest, and the remaining Waves of Tears would bow down to worship me. Tsk tsk, he's so pretentious!
"Now that I think about it, that guy is up to no good. To his left is that catwoman, to his right is that girl, behind him are those nine old coots, and before him are thousands of fearless warriors…" The bald crane ground its teeth in vexation, looking incredibly jealous.
"If I had that, I would definitely ask them to bring out all their crystals, but what did he do, huh? He did not even mention the crystals! This… This is just… This is so… He's so prodigal, so shameless, so wasteful!
"This won't do, I have to go to him and talk some sense into him. Abyss Dragon, don't stop me, I must go!" The bald crane's eyes were red. In its anger, it was about to walk out of its room, but after just taking a few steps, it looked at the Abyss Dragon lying on the ground.
"Don't stop me!"
"I'm not stopping you." The Abyss Dragon sighed and quickly moved back, looking incredibly innocent.
"Urgh… Ah, fine, you're right, I shouldn't be so petty. I'll let this slide." The bald crane's eyes moved about shiftily before it quickly sat down, acting very generous.
"What did I say?" The Abyss Dragon was momentarily stunned. and it scratched its head.
"Hmm? Didn't you say that you didn't want me to go?"
"Huh? I didn't say that."
"You said…"
"I really didn't say…"
An intense debate immediately unfolded between the dragon and the crane in the room. No one else could hear their voices, but Su Ming, who was sitting not too far away on the warship's floorboard, could hear everything clearly due to the connection he had with the bald crane.
He did not bother with the two creatures, though. Instead, he lowered his head and touched his chest. Even though the black stone fragment was not there anymore, Su Ming was too used to its existence. It might be in his soul, but he still instinctively thought that it was hanging around his neck.
The scene several days ago emerged in Su Ming's head. Once the Waves of Tears left and Su Ming walked out of the vast sea of blood, it surged towards him and disappeared without a trace around him.
But Su Ming could sense that the sea of blood had not vanished. Instead… it had been absorbed by the black stone fragment.
"Seed of Life Extermination…"
Su Ming closed his eyes. After a long while, when he opened them again, he put down the hand that had been on his chest. Su Ming could guess a little about the matter regarding the Seed of Life Extermination, his Ecang clone, and the bald crane, but not everything.
However, this was not the time for him to verify his guesses. He wanted to go to Divine Essence Star Ocean to search for Lie Shan Xiu. If he could find him, then it would be good, but if he could not obtain any clues, then Su Ming… was prepared… to leave the Barren Lands of Divine Essence with Morning Dao Sect!
He wanted to leave this place and return to True Morning Dao World, then return to his homeland!
In fact, he had already made a certain decision. If he could go back to True Morning Dao World, he was going to use a different method to take revenge on the entire True Morning Dao World than what he had planned while among the Berserkers. He was not going to fight against those people head on… but would instead replace them in the dark!
'I'll become the strongest of all those in the Dao Family in Morning Dao Sect and slowly take control of Morning Dao Sect… and I will continue doing so until I control the entire True Morning Dao World. I'll become True Morning Dao World's Kalpa Lord. I'll become Dao Chen!
'At that time, it won't matter whether it'll be the Immortals or the wills from Yin Death Region—all of them will be reduced to ashes. Only by doing so will Di Tian not be able to notice me, and I will… be able to retrieve my physical body!' A brilliant light shone in Su Ming's eyes, and a hint of a cold smile appeared on his lips.
He was no longer the ignorant teenager from the past. It could be said that he was already a calculative and farsighted person.
Di Tian would definitely not be able to think of this method!
Su Ming looked around him. All the cultivators in the thirteen warships were his subordinates. They had held Dao Kong in reverence in the past, and it was the same now, but Su Ming was Dao Kong now. Because of this, these people had become his subordinates!
And due to the matter with the Waves of Tears earlier, Su Ming could sense that while these people still treated him the same as before, a hint of zealousness appeared in their eyes.
This zealousness was not because of Morning Dao Sect, but because of Su Ming himself!
In fact, while the nine old Frail Darknesses still had the same expressions as before and did not seem that different from before, Su Ming could sense from a few subtle hints that a barely noticeable hint of respect had appeared within the nine old men, and along with it was also… a hint of joy akin to that of the older generation seeing those in the younger generation growing up to be mature and powerful.
Aside from these people, the catwoman had also changed. But the one who changed the most was Xu Hui. She no longer hid herself in space, but was on another warship. Occasionally, she would cast her gaze on Su Ming.
She was hesitant, filled complicated emotions, as well as feeling an inexplicable surprise.
Su Ming closed his eyes and no longer bothered with his surroundings, but instead went on to sense his own cultivation base. At that moment, he was already in the middle stage of World Plane Realm. As for his physical body, it possessed power equivalent to those in the later stage of World Plane. If he brought out the power of Divine Essence as well, then he could fight against those who had attained completion in World Plane Realm.
If he borrowed the power from his Ecang clone as well or had his Ecang clone personally come to the place to fuse with this clone, then Su Ming's offensive abilities… could allow him to fight against those in Lunar Kalpa Realm and below without a problem. Though he would still not be able to fight against the Masters of Fate, Lives, and Death, he could fight against the old monsters in Solar Kalpa Realm with his Ecang clone.
Su Ming had never dreamed about having this sort of power when he had left the land of Berserkers in the past. Yet now, he had it in his grasp. In silence, Su Ming touched his storage bag. In it was the Divine Essence Treasure Peace Arrives When the Elephant is Here, along with Dao Avenue Mountain, which he could activate fully. These would be his killing moves.
More importantly, he had the poisonous wasp! The God Ascension Nectar in the poisonous wasp was a source for Su Ming's level of cultivation to continue rising nonstop. When he thought of this, he lowered his head to look at his right index finger.
The might not seem to anything unusual about it, but Su Ming knew that God Ascension Nectar was contained in that fingertip. In the end, he had decided to keep that God Ascension Nectar.
Even though it would attract danger to him, as long as he controlled it and not let it spread outwards, he could avoid danger, especially when there were thirteen screens of light around where he sat. This was the protection provided to him by the thirteen warships. Along with Su Ming's own power and seals, he could make it so that the fragrance from the God Ascension Nectar did not spread outwards.
When he tried to continue melting the God Ascension Nectar, Su Ming also gained a complete version of Dao Kong's memories. He found the peculiarities surrounding the Sacred Constellation Robe and the method to use it.
The Sacred Constellation Robe was something that only the direct descendants of the Dao Family in Morning Dao Sect could possess, so there was bound to be something about it that made it strong. Due to Su Ming's continuous efforts to understand it over the past few days and Dao Kong's memories, he had gained mastery over the robe.
'The more people I enslave, the stronger the might of the Sacred Constellation Robe will become, and based on Dao Kong's Sacred Constellation Robe as well as his memories, he had nearly a hundred thousand retainers in Morning Dao Sect.
'These one hundred thousand retainers have outstanding power. He also has four main guards. Each of them is at the later stage of World Plane Realm, but due to the unique structure of the Barren Lands of Divine Essence, they could not come with Dao Kong, which was why they were made to stay outside.' Su Ming touched the robe with his right hand, and a smile flashed on his face.
'There are three main functions within Sacred Constellation Robes. One of them is to protect. Their wearers can stimulate the protective power inside, and different Sacred Constellation Robes have different strengths. Dao Kong's Sacred Constellation Robe can resist one full-power strike from a cultivator in Lunar Kalpa Realm!
'This alone makes this robe much stronger than the one I obtained from that Dao Yuan, whom I killed in the past. That robe couldn't even allow me to resist against the three old men sealed in my soul, which shows just how weak it was.' The scene from that year emerged in Su Ming's mind. Now that he thought back on it, the three men sealed in his soul should have been existences like the Duke of Crimson Flame.
'The second is to seal divine abilities. One of the main reasons behind why Sacred Constellation Robes are so powerful is this. They can seal off other people's divine abilities and allow the wearer to figure them out. But if the wearer wants to execute an Art, then he would need enough power and enough retainers to stimulate him to cast it.
'As for the third function, it is… to allow the wearer to turn into a star! But to do this, they need to burn their servants' souls. Once a person turns into a star, they can control the Essence of a World. Even when in the face of someone in Solar Kalpa Realm, they would be able to resist a full-power strike from them, albeit with much difficulty.
'And as a Sacred Constellation Robe becomes stronger, it should be able to allow the wearer to turn into a star cluster. If that is the case, then the wearer would become powerful enough to shock those in Solar Kalpa Realm.
'It's a pity that turning into a star isn't that easy. This Sacred Constellation Robe hasn't reached that level. Right now, this robe… is only a fourth-tier Constellation Robe. It's still far from reaching the ninth-tier.
'Also, based on Dao Kong's memories, if a Sacred Constellation Robe reaches the ninth-tier, then other hidden divine abilities would be revealed. Its color would even change to silver. In his memories, the ancient existences among the direct descendants of the Dao Family had silver robes.
'As for those in his generation, no one had managed to make their robes turn silver before he left for the Barren Lands of Divine Essence.' Su Ming rubbed the center of his brows and closed his eyes. He started meditating quietly and exercising his breathing.
Time trickled by slowly. The thirteen warships' travel was rather smooth. They no longer ran into existences like the Waves of Tears. And even if they did occasionally run into some scattered ferocious beasts that did not travel in groups, they would either avoid them or kill them. Their journey could be considered to be a smooth-sailing one.
Until three months later…
Su Ming and his group finally reached the periphery of Divine Essence Star Ocean. An innumerable amount of meteors were floating around there, and it could even be said that they surrounded the entire galaxy. This was a landmark. Once they stepped in, it would mean that they had… stepped into the periphery of Divine Essence Star Ocean.
Bang, bang. Bang, bang.
When the thirteen warships approached the meteors, they immediately heard a noise. There was a regular pattern to the sound, and the interval between each one was almost exactly the same.
Su Ming had already opened his eyes a long time ago. Along with him, almost all the other cultivators on the ships saw a thin and frail man crouched down on one of the meteors not too far into the distance. With an apathetic expression, he was digging a hole at a regular rhythm.
When they looked at his surroundings, they found that there were already seven giant holes around him. There were plenty of crushed stones floating about, making it clear that these holes had been all dug by the man.
Chapter 919: The Person on the Giant!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The man was not tall. At first glance, he looked like a child that had not grown fully, but when someone looked closely, they would be able to see based on the outline of his face that he was already a grown man.
It was not to say that this person was short, but it was because he was thin and frail, as if a gust of wind would be enough to blow him away.
The thin man did not even spare a glance at Su Ming and the others on the thirteen warships. His attention was trained completely on the meteor as he continued to dig a hole with his right hand.
Banging sounds continued reverberating in the air. This scene caused all those who saw it to be unable to help themselves but feel that there was something strange about this sight.
Su Ming's gaze landed on the thin man as he remained seated on the warship. Even though it was just a brief glance, at the instant he looked over, he sensed the ripple of power coming from that man's body.
That was not… the ripple of power from a cultivator, but was instead a ripple of power Su Ming was familiar with and had even seen before – the ripple of power from a Shaman!
This was a Shaman!
A Battle Shaman!
Su Ming narrowed his eyes and lifted his right hand to swing it in the air. The thirteen warships immediately started slowing down, until they stopped completely. For a time, they remained beyond the group of meteors around Divine Essence Star Ocean, staying still in a spot not too far from the meteor with the thin man.
From the start till the current moment, the thin man did not look at Su Ming and the others. He continued digging that hole until approximately the time takes for an incense stick to burn had passed. When he finished digging a deep hole with his hand, the total number of holes around him numbered eight.
His action aroused curiosity in the cultivators from Morning Dao Sect. While they were looking over, Su Ming shook his head. The ripples of power that belonged to a Shaman were mixed, having a presence of other races as well. The thin man was not a pure Shaman.
"Ignore him. Let's go," Su Ming said flatly.
Once he spoke, the thirteen warships immediately started moving again. As they approached the place and entered the group of meteors, a strange, shrill cry suddenly rose up from the depths of the group of meteors and turned into a wave of sound that surged towards them.
Along with the wave of sound were nine long arcs. These nine long arcs traveled at an incredibly fast pace. They weaved in and out of the meteors and closed in on the meteor with the nine holes within an instant to stand in front of the thin man.
The long arcs faded away, and nine men with messy hair appeared. Their clothes were distinctly different from those of other cultivators and seemed to be long robes made out of hides. There were also plenty of colors on the nine people's face, preventing others from seeing their faces clearly. Only a ferocious totem drawn there could be seen distinctly.
This totem was drawn with red and white paint. With their shining, chilling eyes, the nine man gave off an incredibly dangerous feeling.
Their ages could not be determined. The only thing that could be seen was that there were no women among them. The person standing in the lead held a thick, black bone staff in his hand. Judging by the looks of it, that bone staff was the leg bone of some ferocious beast.
There were red threads intersecting with each other on that staff, and they shone with a strange, enchanting light.
The appearance of the nine people instantly caused a primitive and violent presence to charge towards those from Morning Dao Sect.
"Galloping Fighters. This race lives at the periphery of Divine Essence Star Ocean. They are a normal race, and they have about a thousand members. All Galloping Fighters love fighting and are incredibly fierce. They do not have much connection to the world outside. In Black Ink Planet's records, this race is considered an uncivilized race," the catwoman next to Su Ming immediately whispered softly.
Almost at the instant she said these words into Su Ming's ears, the nine Galloping Fighters roared towards the heavens together. The freezing glare in their eyes grew brighter. They first looked at Su Ming and the crowd before swiftly charging towards the thin man from nine directions.
"I missed one…" a cold and apathetic voice said. The thin man lifted his head and veins popped up on his right hand. With a roar, an eerie, chilling glare shone on his teeth. During that instant, his teeth changed and became much sharper.
He brought out an herb from his bosom and chewed it, then bent down to pick up a stone he had dug out when he was digging the holes. With a single step, he charged towards the nine people.
A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes, and a slight hint of interest appeared in them. He was not interested in the man, but the herb he was chewing on. Su Ming's knowledge towards medicinal herbs allowed him to tell at first glance that that herb was not used to cure injuries, but contained a form of poison.
But that interest was not great and could not make him pay any further attention. The thirteen warships continued moving forward and gradually moved past the meteor.
Just as they were about to leave into the distance, the thin man let out a roar and crashed into one of the Galloping Fighters. With a loud bang, his chest was injured badly, but he let out a ferocious smile, completely unbothered by it, then rammed his head against the Galloping Fighter's forehead. He opened his mouth wide and bit down on the person's throat. With a yank, blood gushed out all over the place, and the man instantly retreated.
A shrill scream of pain reverberated in the air, and the Galloping Fighter who had his throat torn open retreated while pressing a hand to his neck. He might have stopped the blood flow, but he could not stop a black hue from spreading down his skin. This was poison. It came from the thin man's teeth, and it came from that herb used moments before.
'The poison is pretty good.' After seeing all this, Su Ming averted his gaze.
The thin man moved incredibly quickly on the meteor. As he retreated, he turned around swiftly and crushed the stone in his right hand. When it turned into powder and he flung it upwards, he struck his own chest and coughed up a mouthful of blood. The blood and powder fused together and started burning swiftly to turn into a fire bird that charged towards a Galloping Fighter.
At the same time, he roared and rushed towards another person.
Within an instant, screams of pain reverberated in the air, and another two Galloping Fighters died under the thin man's hands. When he attacked, his actions were filled with madness and bloodthirst. Every single part of his body could turn into a murderous weapon.
However, when four of the nine Galloping Fighters had died, a dark glint shone in the eyes of the member of the alien race with the bone staff. He opened his mouth and bit down on his bone staff, and with a loud crunch, he crushed a small portion of the bone. At the same time he chewed it in his mouth, he lifted the bone staff and pointed at the center of his brows.
As he did so, his body started trembling, and he instantly became thinner. In the blink of an eye, he was reduced to only skin and bones. The red threads on the bone staff started squirming about. Almost at the instant that member of the alien race became emaciated, thick, black fog erupted from the bone staff.
The fog was thick, and when it appeared, it tumbled about before turning into a black snake. As it hissed, it charged towards the thin man.
At that moment, the thirteen warships had already left the area of the meteor, which was also where the group was fighting. The ships entered a group of meteors. Su Ming did not pay attention to the battle and massacre behind him. He could tell that the thin man and the Galloping Fighters did not pay any attention to them, starting a fight to the death in front of their eyes, completely unbothered by their presence.
And since Su Ming did not send an order, all the cultivators on the thirteen warships would not attack. Instead, they only looked at the battle coldly while the ships moved forward.
When the thin man saw the fog snake coming towards him, his pupils shrank, and he swiftly retreated, but the other four Galloping Fighters chased after him with bloodlust and an intent to slaughter him.
A ruthless look appeared in his eyes. He stopped moving, then instead of retreating, he turned around, and charged straight towards the four people.
Both sides instantly crashed into each other, and booming sounds echoed in the air, along with creams of pain. One of the four had his neck twisted; another had his heart dug out; yet another had his body torn apart; while the last one had his skull shattered when the thin man rammed his head against it. In the blink of an eye, the four Galloping Fighters had all died wretched and miserable deaths.
The thin man staggered. His right hand was paralysed. There was a wound on his abdomen, and blood was pouring out continuously from it.
However, he did not spare a single glance to it. He was about to rush towards the Galloping Fighter with the bone staff in his hand when the four people who had died by his feet suddenly opened their eyes. Gray light shone in them.
Almost at the instant the gray hue appeared, the thin man's body trembled, as if a sealing power was traveling out of the eyes of the four dead Galloping Fighters. That power sealed his body, making him unable to move.
The fog snake charged towards him and surrounded his body, biting into it as if it wanted to eat him whole.
The hint of a cold sneer appeared on the lips of the thin Galloping Fighter who was sitting cross-legged on the ground with the bone staff in hand, but the next moment, his expression changed into that of shock.
It was at this moment that Su Ming jolted while on the thirteen warships that had already left into the distance. He stood up swiftly, then turned around to stare at the battlefield on the meteor that was behind him.
His breathing quickened, and he lifted his right hand and swung it in space, causing the thirteen warships to instantly stop in the group of meteors.
A bang shot up in space, and Su Ming saw the fog snake around the thin man shatter into pieces. A gigantic, illusory figure appeared behind him, and it was a giant with thick, black fur.
There was an old man sitting cross-legged on the giant's head. His body was also an illusion, and he was just as indistinct as the giant. But whether it was the giant or the old man, they were both the God of Shamans for the Shamans. After being worshiped for many years, they were similar to the Berserkers' statue of the God of Berserkers when used for divine abilities.
What made Su Ming lose his composure was not the giant, but the old man sitting on its head. During the instant the thin man brought out his God of Shamans, Su Ming sensed a strong familiar feeling. That familiarity caused his heart to tremble. When he saw the old man on the giant's head with his own eyes, he shook.
That old man's face might be indistinct and his body an illusion, but the white robe he wore and the memories Su Ming would never forget in his life were enough to make him tremble.
"Master…" he mumbled. He was the only one who could hear his own voice.
The illusory figure on the giant's head… was Tian Xie Zi!