Chapter 1060: Return to the Sect
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Within True Morning Dao World was Morning Dao Sect, which was situated in a spot that did not belong to the universe but had been opened up in another dimension by True Morning Dao World. There was an altar in that place. On it was a dimension that looked as if it wanted to tear through the galaxy, and within it was a world that was isolated from the universe.
In this land lived True Morning Dao World's Kalpa Lord. It was the isolation grounds which belonged to Progenitor Dao Chen. Within the indistinct light inside was a man whose back was the only thing visible. The same words as those in Su Ming's heart also came from his mouth.
"If there was no destruction, then from where would new life come?"
He did not say it because he knew what Su Ming had thought. It had absolutely nothing to do with Su Ming, but instead, it was because of a gigantic galactical map that lay before him.
That galactical map showed True Morning Dao Sect's territories. Half of them had turned crimson, and that color symbolized the Immortals' Union. In the depths of the crimson region was a pillar of light that descended from above. It stood vertically in the region which belonged to the Immortals' Union, and it was incredibly distinct.
"When Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos is destroyed, the day for my race's rise to power will arrive." Even when the person murmured those words in a deep voice, he sat still, as if his body had grown rigid.
…..
Su Ming, his group, and the hundreds of battleships slowly moved towards the Relocation Rune under the gazes of Ouyang Kong and his thousands of cultivators. Through the Rune, they could head to Morning Dao Sect.
The trip had lasted for about a month. Ever since Su Ming had stepped into True Morning Dao World, he had cut down Dao Fei Feng and also shone with a brilliant radiance through his acts while he was in the place. He killed a large number of cultivators from the Immortals' Union, and when the Relocation Rune was restored, Ouyang Kong sent word of it to Morning Dao Sect, so many people learned about it.
Dao Kong's name had faded away from many people's memories around one thousand years ago after he entered the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. But when that name resurfaced, there was a bloody stench surrounding it, along with a murderous aura that could not be ignored.
Dao Kong had killed Dao Fei Feng. This might not be the first internal fight among the direct descendants, but it was usually done in the dark. No one dared kill one of their own so blatantly, but not only did Dao Kong do it, he also hung Dao Fei Feng's corpse at the bow of his ship. The shock brought by this scene was incredibly great.
This was also an unspoken threat to all the direct descendants in Morning Dao Sect.
'Don't provoke me!'
If there was anyone who provoked or challenged him, they would end up like Dao Fei Feng.
This frightening aura filled the air, causing many people to etch the name into their minds during the past few days, even if plenty of them had never met Dao Kong and their memories of him were vague.
If he had only killed Dao Fei Feng, then only the direct descendants would have paid a lot of attention to him; he would not have been able to catch the attention of the other disciples in Morning Dao Sect. After all, to the huge Morning Dao Sect, the direct descendants were really just a small portion of their population. The disciples from the other races made up most of the sect, which was why the internal matters of the direct descendants in Morning Dao Sect were seen as having nothing to do with them.
But Su Ming's fight at the Relocation spot and his act of killing a large number of cultivators from the Immortals' Union along with him destroying one of the Eyes of the Sacred Temple caused his reputation to instantly increase by leaps and bounds, especially when most of the other direct descendants hadn���t built a reputation for themselves as of then.
Su Ming's action had made many people remember Dao Kong's name.
In truth, even before he returned to Morning Dao Sect, there had already been quite a number of people who looked forward to his coming back.
The elderly with high statuses and great power in Morning Dao Sect were mostly indifferent to Dao Kong… but the information from Ouyang Kong told them that there was an Almighty by Dao Kong's side, acting as his follower.
This matter instantly stirred up a storm in Morning Dao Sect. Most people might not know about such a commotion, since it was controlled and restricted to a certain region, but it was enough for all those who knew about it to shiver.
Moreover, that Almighty was not from Morning Dao Sect. Clearly, Dao Kong had run into him in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. The fact that he could make an Almighty become his follower willingly was enough to show how fortunate and how skillful he was.
Then, when they combined all these factors along with Dao Kong's status as a Dynast, it led to a large number of cultivators gathering in a particular Relocation spot when Morning Dao Sect activated the Rune from within after they had notified all the people on the other side that Dao Kong could return.
There were some direct descendants among the cultivators, but most of them were ordinary disciples. There were also some informants sent by the old monsters who usually did not care about the matters in the universe. Then there were the people who showed incredible interest towards Dao Kong, along with some who came to see Flame Fiends' Progenitor beside him.
Regardless of purpose, there were nearly ten thousand people gathered around the Relocation spot at that moment. Their gazes were all fixed on the place shining with a dazzling light while it rotated with loud bangs while they waiting for Su Ming and his entourage to appear.
"I wonder what Dao Kong looks like. I seem to remember that I saw him before, but it's been a long time since then, and my memory of him is slightly faded."
"I still remember him, kind of. He's a direct descendant with an incredibly great potential in Morning Dao Sect. There're also people who say that he has True Morning Dao Sect's kismet on him."
"That's right. He was sent to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence around one thousand years ago, and now he killed Dao Fei Feng and massacred tens of thousands of cultivators from the Immortals' Union upon his return. It's enough to see that he had obtained plenty of experience when he was in the barren lands."
"Hmph. It doesn't matter whether he killed Dao Fei Feng in battle or slaughtered those cultivators from the Immortals' Union. Don't forget that he didn't do it on his own; it's the work of his follower!"
"That's also logical. There are people who met him on the way, and they say that he doesn't have a really high level of cultivation. He seems to only be at about the initial stage of World Plane Realm."
As the near ten thousand people waited, they discussed among themselves in whispers, which sounded like a buzz from afar.
"Interesting. This Dao Kong is the only one missing from the ten Great Dynasts right now. The others have all returned. Look around you, there are direct descendants who are on good terms with three of the Dynasts. It's clear that they are here to see whether this Dao Kong lives up to his name."
"And there are also quite a number of people from the Sect Elder Chamber as well."
There were three people of note who stood in different spots in the crowd. Many cultivators surrounded them in silence. Based on their expressions, those cultivators were clearly followers, but even so, their levels of cultivation were nothing ordinary. Even the weakest among them was in the middle stage of World Plane Realm. As for the powerful ones, there were even those who had attained great completion in World Plane Realm.
The three people appeared to be middle-aged. They had cold and aloof expressions while they stared intently at the Relocation Rune. The three of them came from three different Dynasts, and just as the other people had said, they had come to see whether Dao Kong lived up to his name.
The light from the Relocation Rune shone even brighter. Gradually, vague shadows appeared within it. They slowly gained corporeal form, and all the cultivators in the area understood what it meant—Dao Kong of the ten Great Dynasts was about to arrive.
The sounds of discussion in the area slowly calmed down. At the instant all the people's gazes were gathered on the Relocation Rune, ripples spread out from the galaxy in the distance. A long arc could be seen charging forward.
At first glance, it was in the distance, but when the group lifted their heads to look, their expressions instantly turned into one of respect. Even the three direct descendants who were on good terms with their respective Dynasts lowered their heads, wrapped their fists in their palms, and bowed.
"Greetings, Senior Tai Shan."
"Greetings, Senior Tai Shan."
The voices of nearly ten thousand people rose and fell. Above them, the long arc turned into an old man. There was a thin and frail teenager beside him. That teenager had a face as white as snow, clean and elegant. However, that teenager looked rather sickly and had her head lowered, looking like she didn't want to speak.
The teenager did not have an Adam's apple on the neck, making it clear that she was a girl, but because she was too thin and frail, her feminine features weren't very clear.
As for the old man, he had a head full of long hair. With a calm expression, he stood in midair and nodded towards the crowd before he cast his gaze on the Relocation Rune.
The people immediately started discussing among themselves quietly.
"Senior Tai Shan actually came?"
"Could this Dao Kong have some sort of connection with Senior Tai Shan? Otherwise, with his status, he wouldn't have come here."
There were some people in the crowd who had learned that Su Ming had an Almighty acting as his follower through their own methods. All of them speculated that this was the reason behind why Tai Shan had come.
Gradually, the light from the Relocation Rune grew brighter. The crowd calmed down again, and their gazes gathered on the light. A few breaths passed, and in about the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, the light from the Relocation Rune suddenly reached a piercing degree. At the instant it became blinding to the eyes, all the cultivators in the area immediately knew… that Dao Kong had arrived!
With a bang, the tip of a battleship was the first to appear from within the Relocation Rune. As it came out slowly, the battleship was fully revealed before the crowd's eyes. It flew out, and at the instant it floated in midair, the hundreds of cultivators dressed in black armor standing on it immediately stood up and knelt down on one knee in the direction of the Relocation Rune. They did not speak a word, but the grim presence from their bodies instantly filled the whole area.
That grim presence was naturally formed after those cultivators had went through the trials in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence.
They were in the first battleship, and the instant it showed up, some of the cultivators in the area focused their gazes on it and scrutinized it.
But there were still many people who had indifferent expressions on their faces, not at all shocked by the grim presence. After all, there were plenty of people who had killed to a monstrous degree during the past one thousand years of war between Morning Dao Sect and the Immortals' Union.
Boom!
The second battleship appeared from within the Relocation Rune. Then came the third, the fourth… and hundreds of battleships came out, filling up up the area. The near ten thousand cultivators on them knelt in worship. Their expressions were filled with fervent zeal, and a thick, grim presence came from their bodies.
This scene affected the onlookers' emotions. Gradually, their emotions were stirred up, causing different lights to appear in their eyes. At that moment, a shocking boom reverberated in the air, and the bow of a gigantic battleship came from within the Relocation Rune.
At the instant the crowd's gazes landed on its bow, the sound of sharp intake of breath instantly rolled through the crowd, because everyone saw Dao Fei Feng's corpse, and behind him the dog-headed beast's carcass!
There were times when knowing about something was a different matter from seeing it with one's own eyes. At that moment, it was the case for the cultivators in the area. They could sense an arrogance from that ship with the two dead bodies hung at its bow for all to see.
They also sensed a threat aimed against all those who were hostile towards the owner of the ship. A powerful killing intent was contained in that very blatant threat.
Chapter 1061: My Old Friend Huo Kui
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
As more parts of the gigantic battleship slowly showed up from the Relocation Rune along with Su Ming, who was dressed in the Sacred Constellation Robe and had his long hair fluttering in the air while his hands were placed behind his back as he stood at the bow of the ship, all the people's gazes were trained on him at the instant he appeared!
"Your Highness, we welcome you back to our sect!" At that moment, the cultivators dressed in black armor who belonged to Su Ming and were around him spoke at once, their voices shaking the sky and earth and all the people around them!
The blue sky was filled with white clouds, causing the sky to look as if it was filled with a peacefulness. When anyone looked into the distance, they would find that the land was boundless. It… was Morning Dao Sect.
There were no galaxies in this place, only sky and earth. However, they were so vast that even with Su Ming's Atman, he could not completely cover them.
There were ninety-nine mountains that towered into the clouds in the vast land. They stood tall and exuded waves of mighty pressure that made it seem as if they were defending the land, making all those who saw it to be unable to disagree with how huge the place was.
Above the ninety-nine mountains were nine continents that formed the shape of a circle floating in the sky. They existed far in the distance. If anyone looked over, they could only see a circular mark, unable to see the continents unless they scaled the sky. Otherwise, it would be difficult for them to see the full thing.
There also seemed to be other continents above the nine continents, but they were too far away and could not be identified clearly.
If that was the case, then even though Morning Dao Sect was huge, it did not really fit the image of being the strongest sect in True Morning Dao World. It might be big, but it was still not enough.
However, the memories which belonged to Dao Kong in Su Ming's head allowed him to understand that the seemingly boundless continent upon which he currently stood was in truth floating in midair, and there were nine hundred and ninety-nine such continents in Morning Dao Sect.
They were all floating in midair, forming a gigantic ring, and beneath them… were Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine continents to form an even bigger one. They were… all floating in the sky.
At the bottommost part was an ocean. It was a mysterious area known as the Dao Ocean. It was a forbidden region, but there was no need to intentionally label that place as such. It was known like that just to warn all the disciples from Morning Dao Sect who wanted to go to the Dao Ocean that it was very dangerous.
In truth, over the course of countless years, no one had ever returned once they stepped into Dao Ocean. All of them died. It was a forbidden region for the living.
There were rumors in True Morning Dao World that it was in truth formed by Dao Ocean, that the first Dao Chen was just a clone of it.
However, rumors were only rumors. No one knew whether it was real. Perhaps only every single Dao Chen who was ever born would know whether the rumor was true or not.
Su Ming averted his eyes from the sky. Once he swept his gaze past the area and the battleship under his feet gradually gained more complete form, he saw the near ten thousand cultivators looking towards him at that moment.
He swept his gaze past them, and all those who met his gaze would find their hearts trembling. They had a strong feeling that Su Ming's eyes had turned into sharp arrows that pierced their hearts when he looked at them, causing their cultivation bases to become chaotic and loud bangs to ring within them.
At that instant, the people moved back simultaneously. Those with higher levels of cultivation were in a better state and it was just their hearts that trembled, but those who had lower levels of cultivation heard a ringing in their head. Their minds went blank, and a great desire to worship Su Ming rose within them. They felt that if they did not worship him once they met his gaze, their hearts would be torn to pieces while they broke down.
With the loud bangs in their heads, the cultivators were forced back, then wrapped their fists in their palms to bow together towards Su Ming.
"Your Highness, welcome back to the sect!"
The voices rose and fell before gradually turning into a wave of sound that rumbled through the area. In the crowd, the three middle-aged men who represented the three Dynasts stood with pale faces. When they moved back, their eyes were filled with great shock.
When the battleships all passed through the Relocation Rune and the light from it disappeared, the nine old Frail Darknesses, Xu Hui, Flame Fiends' Progenitor, and Zhu You Cai also showed up. By Su Ming's side was the Abyss Dragon, who had been released and had turned into a big yellow dog at that moment, and along with it was the bald crane. They appeared as the Dual Fiends at that moment.
Next was the catwoman. Too much of her blood and essence had been absorbed by the boy with the blood of Ancient Wu, so she had recovered only a little with much difficulty, but had been released before Su Ming stepped into the Relocation Rune. At that moment, she stood by his side. Her face was slightly pale, but when she looked towards Su Ming, her gaze was much different from before.
The appearance of the entire group, the hundreds of battleships in the sky, and the mighty pressure formed by Su Ming's gaze fused together to create an incredibly powerful, intimidating force.
Su Ming's expression was calm. When he swept his gaze past the land, he cast his eyes on the three direct descendants. They had many followers and guards where they stood, which was why they were incredibly distinct in the crowd.
"I need a follower. It doesn't matter whether you are a direct descendant or whether you are from another race, I need someone who is incredibly familiar with Morning Dao Sect so that I can fill in the gaps regarding things I missed over the thousand something years I was gone.
"All of you have come to welcome my return, so is there anyone among you who is willing to take up this position?" Su Ming asked faintly. His voice was not loud, but it managed to reach every single person's heart.
The ten thousand people immediately fell silent. There were quite a number of them who were hesitant. They felt that it was a great chance, but Su Ming had just arrived. He might have a great presence that seemed like a tidal wave, but no matter what, the other nine Dynasts were also prodigies. There would surely be a devastating competition between all ten of them in the future. Because of that, the result of going into it without careful consideration would be eternal damnation if something went wrong.
Which was why the hesitating people found it hard to make a decision.
"I knew it was you, you old flame monster!"
A cold harrumph came from Progenitor Tai Shan, who was not too far away in the distance. Those words and the cold harrumph immediately caused the hesitant people to lose all thoughts of joining Su Ming. All of them noticed that something was off.
The white-haired Tai Shan cast his gaze on Flame Fiends' Progenitor, who was behind Su Ming. Even though Flame Fiends' Progenitor had a hood over his head, he was still an Almighty. Huo Kui could deceive all the other people in the area, but he could not lie to Progenitor Tai Shan, who knew of some of the things that had happened outside.
"Heh heh, I knew I'd run into you here, you old coot. Tai Shan, Tai Shan, why don't you just lift a mountain and have it crush you to death [1]?" Flame Fiends' Progenitor chuckled in a low voice. When he raised his head, he pulled off the hood to reveal his hideous face, and he directed his red eyes towards Progenitor Tai Shan.
"If you aren't burned to death, then how will I be crushed by a mountain?"
Progenitor Tai Shan snorted coldly again. When he took a step forward, he charged towards Su Ming's battleship. His arrival immediately caused the cultivators in the area to focus on him, especially the three middle-aged men who represented their Dynasts in checking whether Su Ming was truly as the rumors said. At that moment, delight appeared in their eyes.
The expressions of the nine old Frail Darknesses changed while they stood beside Su Ming. Even Xu Hui's pupils shrank. The bald crane and the dog who was the Abyss Dragon were unaffected. They moved their heads side to side, occasionally staring at the area with brilliantly sparkling eyes while gulping.
Zhu You Cai had his eyes shut, completely ignoring everything around him. However, his gigantic stature had naturally been noticed by the others a long time ago.
Su Ming's expression remained as calm as ever. He watched Progenitor Tai Shan approach them and listened to the echo of the words, suddenly reminded of the first time he had met Huo Kui and Zhu You Cai. Huo Kui had similarly used such biting words on Zhu You Cai, but in truth… their relationship had been pretty good.
At the instant Progenitor Tai Shan turned into a long arc and closed in on them, Flame Fiends' Progenitor let out a long howl and rushed out to charge towards him as well. The two of them closed in on each other in midair, and their palms struck each other with a loud bang. They were forced back, and while Flame Fiends' Progenitor moved back eight steps, Progenitor Tai Shan only took four steps back.
"You did this on your own accord?" Progenitor suddenly asked.
Su Ming had a calm expression on his face. He could tell with just one glance that Progenitor Tai Shan's strike had not been an attack, but was aimed to test whether there was some sort of seal in the body of Flame Fiends' Progenitor. Similarly, the palm strike from Flame Fiends' Progenitor might have looked like he had attacked, but in truth, it was used to hide the divine thought he sent to Tai Shan at the moment they clashed.
"Rubbish, if I was unwilling, who could make me leave my nest?" Flame Fiends' Progenitor grinned.
A smile also gradually appeared on Tai Shan's face. His gaze fell on Su Ming, and after a moment of scrutiny, he narrowed his eyes before wrapping his fist in his palm towards Su Ming.
"I am Tai Shan. Greetings, Your Highness. This old flame monster and I are acquainted, and I owe him my life. If he had not lent me a hand when we were in the fifth kiln within Divine Essence Star Ocean, I would have died.
"I attacked him just now to test him. I hope that you will not mind. As for the follower you will need, there is no need for you to search for any other outsider. I have a disciple with me who is completely up to the task.
"Fei Er, come here quick and greet His Highness." Smiling, Progenitor Tai Shan called out to the thin and frail teenager who had her head lowered in the distance. When he looked towards the girl, there was only loving affection in his eyes.
The teenager was of course a girl. She moved over with great reluctance and stood beside the old man. Once she cast a glance at Su Ming, she spoke in a lackadaisical manner. "I am Ma Fei. Greetings, Your Highness."
"Oh, this child…" Progenitor Tai Shan glared at the girl. When he turned his head back to look at Su Ming, he spoke with a smile. "She is my only disciple. She's had a weak constitution since she was young, but she is very intelligent. There is nothing that she does not know of in Morning Dao Sect. If you have anything that you do not understand, you can ask. If she misbehaves, you can discipline her as you please.
"I will hand this foolish disciple of mine to you. Please teach her well so that she will gain more experiences in her life." Progenitor Tai Shan's expression became serious. He wrapped his fist in his palm towards Su Ming, then bowed deeply.
Su Ming cast Tai Shan a glance. He might not know what sort of message Huo Kui had delivered to him, but clearly, that message had caused the old man to push his disciple on him, and there were plenty of underlying meanings with that 'outsider' he mentioned just then. If Su Ming still did not understand what he meant, he wouldn't be Su Ming.
He smiled faintly, willing to accept this gestures of goodwill. He swept his gaze past the thin and frail girl, but just as he was about to speak, he suddenly turned his head around and cast a glance at the distant sky.
"Dao Kong, you killed my older brother! Now, do you dare step up to fight against me by yourself?!" An enraged roar came from the distance. Along with it, a sword sliced through the air towards the battleships.
Translator's Note:
1. Tai Shan, Tai Shan, why don't you just lift a mountain and have it crush you to death: It's a play of words, Tai Shan (台 tai2 山 shan1) means 'to lift mountains', so Huo Kui is basically saying he should literally lift a mountain.
Chapter 1062: Ignore
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The sword shone with a green light. As it charged forward, it instantly closed in on the area. Without a hint of intending to stop, it rushed towards Su Ming, and it was so quick that it looked as if it was about to slice through space itself to appear in front of him.
There was no one on that green flying sword, but it looked as if it was held by someone. It rushed to the center of Su Ming's brows with incredible agility.
Killing intent instantly erupted from it and turned into an endless chill that filled the area. Waves of green aura also spread out from the flying sword. It smelled sweet, but once someone breathed it in, it would turn into a strange bitterness that would leave a taste on the tongue.
"Dao Fei Xian!"
"It's Dao Fei Xian's Will of the Sword!"
Cries of surprise from the crowd immediately rose into the air. Su Ming's expression was calm as he watched the incoming green flying sword. He did not make any move to dodge, but instead turned his head around to look towards the thin girl to continue with what he had wanted to say.
"Then over the next few days, I will need you to introduce Morning Dao Sect to me in detail, Miss Ma Fei."
The moment Su Ming said those words, a cold glare shone in the eyes of Progenitor Tai Shan, stood beside them. He let out a cold snort, then raised his right arm and swung it. Immediately, an invisible gust of wind swept up the incoming flying sword, which made it shudder and instantly fall back.
"I am meeting up with an old friend here! Who dares to interrupt me!"
That was Tai Shan not being ruthless. Otherwise, it would have been far too easy for him to just break the sword and injure the owner's soul.
Su Ming might not have paid any attention to the incoming sword, but he did take note of the attack Progenitor Tai Shan performed while he swung his arm.
'Almost into Fate Realm, and can even control a bit of the fate around him. This Tai Shan has extraordinary power… He was injured badly when he fought against the black-robed man in the past. Based on this and Ouyang Kong's words,… he should have been slightly weaker than what he is now when he fought against the black-robed man in the battlefield.
'Black robes…'
When Su Ming heard about a black-robed man appearing in the battlefield from Ouyang Kong, he had already linked some things in his mind. There might be a number of cultivators in the universe who liked wearing black, but in Su Ming's memories, the person who left the deepest impression in him was still the black-robed man who had fought against his elder when he was in Dark Mountain!
There had also been words about some mysterious organization about which the black-robed man spoke at the time. There was a meaning contained in those words—that his elder was once a member of that organization.
It had been many years since then, but Su Ming had subconsciously thought of that black-robed man.
As Progenitor Tai Shan flung off the green sword and it tumbled as it fell back, the space beside the sword in the sky distorted, and a young man in green robes appeared. His face was filled with pimples, and he looked incredibly hideous. Once he appeared, he seized the flying sword and glared at Su Ming.
"Senior Tai Shan, I once heard that you ran into a black-robed man a battle?" Su Ming suddenly asked while looking at Progenitor Tai Shan.
When the old man heard it, his expression instantly turned serious and he nodded.
"Did he die?" Su Ming stared at Progenitor Tai Shan while speaking in a languid manner.
Progenitor Tai Shan remained silent for a moment, then a look of reminiscence appeared in his eyes. "Since I'm still around, the black-robed man is naturally around as well. His cultivation method is incredibly strange. He is clearly just in Lunar Kalpa Realm, but the power he showed… was the power of the laws of fate!
"I still can't forget his divine ability. He could turn the universe into ground, space into the bottom of a well, and make the round sky and the square earth [1] to be like a huge well. Tens of thousands of cultivators were pulled together to form moons, and he extracted their souls as if he was taking out a moon from the well, but even I could feel that the Art was not complete. It seems that due to his level of cultivation, he still can't fully bring out its power."
The two of them continued talking to each other, ignoring the man in green in midair. The hate in his eyes grew stronger, for he could sense it clearly that Su Ming was completely unbothered by his presence. This sort of disregard caused the killing intent in his eyes to grow stronger and stronger.
"Dao Kong, are you only capable of being protected by the others beside you?! Can't you be like a man and fight against me?!" The man in green's voice was piercing to the ears as it spread in all directions.
"Do you dare fight against me?!" The resentment in the man in green's eyes kept growing stronger while his shouts echoed in the area.
Su Ming's expression remained the same. He was pondering over Tai Shan's previous words. After some time, he nodded.
"Your Highness, please allow my foolish disciple to bring you to the Sect Elder Chamber to meet the three Sect Masters. All ten Great Dynasts have arrived, and over the course of the next few days, the grand ceremony will surely be held." Tai Shan smiled. When he spoke to Su Ming, he cast a glance at Flame Fiends' Progenitor.
"I'll have to ask you to be more tolerant and patient with Huo Kui. This old monster is the hot-tempered sort and has never been restricted in the way he does things. While he was able to survive in Divine Essence Star Ocean with this sort of personality, in the four Great True Worlds, it is slightly inappropriate."
Flame Fiends' Progenitor glared at him. He let out a snort, but said nothing. During the past few days, he could already see that the tides were changing in the four Great True Worlds, but in his eyes, as long as he followed Su Ming, nothing would be a problem for long.
"Alright. Huo Kui, since you ran into an old friend, there's no need for you to follow me for a time." Su Ming nodded. He then cast Flame Fiends' Progenitor a glance, and the other grinned.
"Old Tai Shan, you said you still have a lot of that alcohol you kept in your pockets in your cave abode. Let's go, let's go! I want to see it!"
Tai Shan's expression turned dark before he shook his head and turned into a long arc to leave into the distance. Flame Fiends' Progenitor laughed and left with him to disappear into the horizon in the distance.
"Fei Er, do not continue misbehaving beside His Highness. I handed you over to His Highness for him to take care of you and teach you."
Progenitor Tai Shan's voice echoed in the thin girl's ears, but the words had the opposite of the desired effect. Her expression became one of discontent, clearly refusing to accept his decision. While standing on Su Ming's battleship, she cast a sideways glance at him. There was slight scorn in her heart, but she did not show it on her face, deciding to put on an expressionless mask.
"The Sect Elder Chamber is not in the Dao Fragment here. It's on the first continent in the upper world. Battleships cannot enter that place. Once you help your followers settle down, I will bring your there, Your Highness.
"Besides, even if you have not returned for many years, surely you haven't forgotten where the Sect Elder Chamber is and where you live, right?" the thin girl said flatly.
Su Ming did not speak. The battleship beneath him moved forward and immediately turned into a long arc that charged into the distant sky. The hundreds of battleships beside it followed with a vast and powerful presence that charged through the land with a loud howl.
Next to Su Ming, Xu Hui smiled and stared at Ma Fei before saying softly, "You sure have a biting tongue, lassy. I had several maid servants like you in the past, and since they spoke too much, I sealed their mouths shut so that they couldn't speak again in their lives."
��You're right, old senior, this young junior of yours understands now." The thin girl cast a glance at Xu Hui.
"Concealed taunts, hmm? That's even worse. I wonder if you've heard of a legend. In it, there was a girl who was disobedient, and on the second day, she turned into a man. She continued being disobedient, so she was transformed back into a woman, but during the transformation, for some unknown reason, perhaps some parts were overlooked, so she turned into someone who is neither a man nor a woman," Xu Hui said with a smile.
When Su Ming heard it , he quickly looked away as if he was deep in thought and was not listening to anyone's words.
Ma Fei stared at Xu Hui, and after a long while, she suddenly exclaimed, "You're the Scorpion Lady Xu Hui!"
"Hmm? You've heard of my name as well? But calling me in such a straightforward manner? How very rude. There is also a legend about children who have no manners. I wonder if you've heard about it before…"
Su Ming instinctively took a few steps forward to ignore Xu Hui's soft-spoken words behind him.
"Dao Kong! You've gone too far!"
A furious roar came from behind, and a green long arc charged towards the battleship at an incredibly quick speed.
Within it was the man in green from before. He felt that Su Ming was humiliating him. The scene before made him feel as if everyone had been treating him as if he was air, as if he did not exist. Every time he spoke, he felt like he was just talking to himself, and this form of disregard was something that he could not accept.
He might not be a Dynast, but he still had quite a high reputation among the direct descendants. That reputation had been built and spread due to his brutal methods and all the people he had killed. In fact, his level of cultivation was also slightly higher than that of his older brother, Dao Fei Feng.
However, his furious roar still did not stir up any form of interest within Su Ming. His battleship still moved forward, and the speed of the young man's flying sword could not catch up to that of the battleship. When some distance had been widened between them, the man in green roared at the sky.
"Dao Kong, you—"
The young man in green gritted his teeth and lifted his right hand. A medicinal core immediately appeared on his palm. When he swallowed it, he struck the center of his brows with his right hand. With it, his whole body immediately turned crimson. Killing intent shone in his eyes, and he moved forward. His speed instantly increased by several fold, and with a loud whistle, he charged towards Su Ming's battleship. In the blink of an eye, he caught up to it. The flying sword shone in his hands and cut down on his target.
Su Ming's expression remained the same. The moment the young man in green came to him, he turned around and cast a cold glance at him. He took a step a forward, and his body instantly disappeared. When he reappeared, he had already come into contact with the flying sword in the young man's hand. With two fingers, he caught it, which resulted in a loud bang. No matter how the flying sword struggled, it could not escape Su Ming's hold.
At the same time, Su Ming took a step forward. He appeared right beside the young man in green. At the instant his eyes went wide, Su Ming lifted his left hand, and without any difficulty, went to seize the young man's throat.
The young man's expression changed drastically. The Constellation Robe on his body swelled up. Cracking sounds echoed in the air, and several jade amulets shattered, turning into a screen of light around him, but at the instant the screen of light crashed against Su Ming's left hand, it shattered. Shattering along with it was the green Constellation Robe that the young man wore.
Su Ming seized the young man's throat with his left hand without any form of resistance in his way. Once he lifted the youth up, he locked his fingers around his neck, and a destructive force rushed into the young man's body, instantly destroying all of the venous pathways within him.
All of this happened in the span of a few breaths, and it was so fast that before the near ten thousand cultivators in the area could react, it was already over. It was so quick that even the thin girl sucked in a sharp breath of air, her eyes going wide.
"I'll give you the span of three breaths to tell me who sent you here," Su Ming said flatly while he stared into the young man's eyes, which were now filled with shock, terror, and disbelief.
Translator's Note:
1. Rounded sky and square earth: Is a concept in traditional Chinese geography, and it was quite prevalent in Chinese architecture.
Chapter 1063: Nine Striking Lands
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"You… You…" The disbelief in the eyes of the young man in green grew even stronger. Never in his dreams would he have thought that within just a few breaths, he would not have even a hint of power to fight back, that Dao Kong would be able to decide whether he would live or die.
In fact, the mighty pressure exuding from Su Ming's body right then might not have been spreading through the area, but it was enough to make the young man in green feel a great, suffocating pressure.
And while Su Ming's words were spoken in a calm manner, the murderous intent in his voice was cold and brought with it a hint of bloodthirst. All of these caused a loud bang to rang out in the young man's mind. He instantly turned pale and realized how ludicrous he had been just then. He was like a little lamb challenging a huge dragon, and he even really thought that he was stronger than the dragon.
After all… he had not paid any attention to Dao Fei Feng at the start. He had only caught up to his own death after he swallowed the secret pill and stimulated his speed.
"I…" The young man in green shuddered. When he was about to continue speaking…
"It's a pity, but time's up." Su Ming shook his head. He released his grip on the young man's neck. The instant the young man in green breathed in a mouthful of air, Su Ming's two fingers slice across his neck at lightning speed as he spun on his feet.
The green flying sword Su Ming held between his fingers sliced across the young man's throat in an instant. Fresh blood gushed upwards, sending a head flying into the air. When it spun in the air, disbelief could be seen still lingering in the young man's eyes.
Su Ming's expression remained the same. He squeezed the two fingers of his right hand together, and with a crack, the green flying sword shattered to pieces. When they fell to the ground, Su Ming turned his head to cast a glance at the sky to his right before averting his gaze and taking a step forward to return to his battleship.
It was as if nothing had happened, as if the corpse that plunged to the ground and the pieces of a flying sword were just an illusion. Su Ming stood on the ship indifferently as it left into the distance.
What remained were the near ten thousand cultivators in the land who stared after him with shocked gazes, surrounded by seemingly dead silence.
When the hundreds of battleships belonging to Su Ming disappeared into the distance, an uproar immediately rose in the land. The buzz of discussion rose and fell, and the right side of the sky in which Su Ming had sneaked a glance before he left distorted. Three people walked out from it.
One of them was middle-aged man. He was dressed in a blue robe, and he wore a coronet on his head. There was an awe-inspiring expression on his face, and he looked imposing, which gave him an invisible presence as he stood in the air.
The two people beside him were old men. At that moment, they were staring in the direction Su Ming had left with sullen and dark expressions on their faces.
"Very powerful. Those rumors were no exaggerations. Forget just one Dao Fei Feng. Even if there were ten or a hundred of them, they wouldn't be his opponent."
"The Sect Elder Chamber is also keeping quiet about this. It's a telling sign about Dao Kong's level of cultivation and his influence."
"Your Highness, you shouldn't have sent someone to test him just now… Before he left, it's clear that he discovered us."
The two old men behind the middle-aged man spoke in low voices.
The middle-aged man stared in the direction in the sky in which Su Ming had left. After remaining silent for a moment, he asked in languid manner, "How confident are you in killing this person?"
"Without that Almighty by his side, without Xu Hui in the way, without the nine old Frail Darknesses forming the Rune, we would need to borrow a Sealing Treasure and have three other people in Solar Kalpa Realm before we could kill him. We can only kill him with five people," one of the two old men said after being quiet for a moment.
"How great are the chances of success?" The middle-aged man frowned.
"Nine-tenths," the other old man replied calmly. There was a hint of pride on his face.
"Nine-tenth is still too little. If I try to kill him, no accidents can occur. If he doesn't die and tries to take revenge, it'll be very troublesome. Is there a way for us to be absolutely in being able to kill him?" the middle-aged man asked while shaking his head.
"There is. We have to ask for help from an Almighty. Even if it's an Almighty who has just become a Master of Fate, Lives, and Death, we can easily and certainly kill this person, but the condition is that his Almighty follower is not beside him," the old man on the left answered in a ghastly fashion.
"Let's observe how threatening this person is later. If there is a need, then while asking for an Almighty who has become a Master of Fate, Lives, and Death for many years will be slightly bothersome, I know one senior among us who has who would fit the description."
The middle-aged man smiled faintly. It sounded as if he could decide Su Ming's fate, but first wanted to determine whether Su Ming's actions would pose a threat to him. Once he proved to be in the way, he would end Su Ming' life.
He felt that he had that within his grasp.
'So what if you have an Almighty as your follower? Dao Kong, your foundation isn't solid enough. Your ancestor is no longer the Sect-Master-in-charge. He has already gone back to isolation. No one knows how long it will be until the next time he wakes up again. Without a foundation and a pillar of support, what right do you have to be a Dynast who can stand on equal grounds with us?!'
The middle-aged man laughed coldly. He turned around and moved to disappear into the air. He had his own reasons as to why he had sent someone to provoke Su Ming, even though the two old men had said that he should not do so.
'I intentionally used someone as stupid as Dao Fei Feng. If he could humiliate Dao Kong with his power and status, it would have been a successful test. If he couldn't and got heavily injured, it'd let the other Dynasts know about Dao Kong's level of cultivation.
'Now that one of them died, it's even better. The competitors who are on equal footing with me will pay attention to Dao Kong. With that being the case… everyone's attention will move away from me, and I'll be able to relax a little.'
As the middle-aged man left and the near ten thousand cultivators in the land dispersed, the event of Su Ming killing Dao Fei Feng immediately spread out, courtesy to the cultivators who sent word to the others via letters.
Su Ming stood on his battleship. He remained composed all along the way as he observed the mountains and rivers in the land as well as the sky and earth, but he did not pay any attention to the thin Ma Fei who was observing him with a strange gaze at that moment.
The mountains, rivers, and the land he saw slowly fused together with the memories of Dao Kong in Su Ming's mind, causing him to subconsciously become much more familiar with the land. Several hours later, Su Ming and the hundreds of battleships arrived at another Relocation Rune under the ground at the center of the continent.
This Relocation Rune was not connected to the world outside. Instead, it was used to connect the continents on the same plane within Morning Dao Sect. Several moments later, the Relocation Rune on the sixty-third continent among the ninety-nine continents shone, and Su Ming and his entourage walked out from it.
The sky in the place they entered was an azure blue. The land was vast, and there was a huge ocean in the distance. This scene was incredibly clear in Dao Kong's memories, for it was his homeland. It was also the place where he and his followers had grown up.
When Su Ming and his entourage appeared, a wave of sound formed by the fusion of multiple voices immediately rang out in all directions.
"Greetings, Your Highness! Welcome back!"
The voices were loud and belonged to hundreds of thousands of people speaking at the same time. There were nearly five hundred thousand cultivators beyond the Rune, and they were packed so closely to each other that it seemed as if there was no end to them. All of them were kneeling on the ground with excitement on their faces as they greeted their lord.
Dao Kong was the master of the continent. He was the master in the past, and now, after he became a Dynast, he was fully deserving of the title.
Among the crowd were hundreds of direct descendants of Morning Dao Sect. All of them belonged to Dao Kong's branch of the family. They stared at Dao Kong in excitement, believing that if he could seize the title of Dynast tightly in his hand, then their branch of the family would be able to rise to power in Morning Dao Sect.
Su Ming cast his gaze on the people closest to him, and he found that he could remember all the names of those who belonged to his family in Morning Dao Sect within this land. When he stared into the distance, Su Ming saw the lineup of five hundred thousand cultivators, and he was shocked once more by Morning Dao Sect's size.
It was just one of the ninety-nine continents. If anyone made some calculations, they would know that the continents would amount to the vast power of fifty million cultivators, and that was not accounting the people of the 999 continents beneath them. Living there were direct descendants who were slightly weaker than them along with the branch families as well as a great number of people from other races.
If Su Ming had to count them, he'd find it difficult to estimate just how great was Morning Dao Sect's power.
'Morning Dao Sect did not deploy all of their forces in this war. Why not? Could it be that they're waiting for something, or perhaps… are they using this war… to train their disciples?' A barely noticeable glint shone in Su Ming's eyes.
As the hundreds of thousands of people welcomed him, the battleships landed on the ground. When they descended, the ground trembled, and the cultivators in the ships flew out. This was their homeland. They had left with Dao Kong to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence, and they had not come back for around a thousand years. When they returned at that moment, slight excitement appeared on their faces.
"Let's go to the Sect Elder Chamber."
Su Ming swept his gaze across the area before rising into the air to charge into the sky. Xu Hui and the others were not direct descendant so they did not have any plates which would give them the right to go to the Sect Elder Chamber. However, the thin Ma Fei had such a plate. She sized up Su Ming, but did not ask him anything on the way. As they flew up, they reached the highest level of the continent, and an invisible barrier appeared to stop them.
A gentle mighty pressure spread out from the barrier, but even though it was gentle, Su Ming's pupils still constricted at the instant he sensed it. The mighty pressure was equivalent to the power of an Almighty in Fate Realm, and an ordinary person would definitely not be able to get through it easily.
Judging by its looks, it covered the entire boundless sky over the ninety-nine continents.
Su Ming remained composed. When the Constellation Robe on his body touched the gentle power, the light from the constellations on the robe immediately neutralized it, making the barrier to disappear. The thin girl by his side brought out a blue plate. It shone, and the blue light spreading out from it covered her, allowing her to move through the barrier as well.
Su Ming continued rising. At the instant he passed the invisible barrier, he saw a white sky. All of it was in that single color. When he cast his gaze across it, he found nine continents. All of them were incredibly large, and they formed a gigantic ring in the sky.
At the center of each continent was a circulating five-colored light. Each of them formed a gigantic pillar that charged into the white sky above it, and quite a large number of dragon-shaped creatures could be seen swimming about them and the continents.
"Nine continents, nine pillars of light. These are the Nine Striking Lands of Morning Dao Sect. There are nine different trials of different levels among them, and each disciple who can clear the trials will be able to obtain an incredibly great reward," Ma Fei said softly.
Chapter 1064: Hostility
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Striking Lands…" Su Ming's gaze landed on the nine pillars of light formed by the five-colored circulating lights. Once he swept his gaze past every one of them, the sight gradually overlapped with Dao Kong's memories in his head.
With his level of cultivation, Dao Kong could only head to the first of the Nine Striking Lands, Rockslide Wastelands, and only managed to clear up to the sixth stage. As for the seventh stage, he had no hope with the strength he possessed at that time.
However, just by clearing six stages had allowed him to obtain a Serendipity Core. It was precisely it that had allowed him to avoid hundreds of years of meditation.
As for the remaining stages in Rockslide Wastelands, there were few people who could clear them. In Dao Kong's memories, there were only about three hundred something people who had managed to clear all nine stages in the first Striking Lands. Some of them were direct descendants, but most of them were from other races and were disciples of Morning Dao Sect.
However, compared to the direct descendants who could come to the Nine Striking Lands at any moment they wanted, those from the branch families and the disciples from the other races would need to apply for permission from their elders before they could enter.
Three hundred something people might not seem like much, but in truth, they were all who had managed to clear Rockslide Wastelands over the course of hundreds of thousands of years. If that number was spread through the years, then it would mean that there was practically only one disciple in Morning Dao Sect who could clear the first Striking Lands once every century or two.
However, this was just the first Striking Lands. There were nine of them, and each of them was more difficult than the last, just like how it was with the stages. Those who wanted to challenge the next land had to clear all nine stages of the first Striking Lands before obtaining the right. It did not matter whether they were from the branch family or disciples from other races, even the direct descendants had to obey this rule.
"The other nine Dynasts who were conferred the title have already cleared the nine stages of Rockslide Wastelands. I remember that you are ranked in the thousands of those in the first Striking Land, Your Highness. You seem… to have cleared the seventh stage? And then you failed about four hundred something times at the eighth stage, right?" The thin Ma Fei said with an apathetic expression as she cast him a deliberate look.
Su Ming did not speak. He averted his gaze from the Nine Striking Lands and turned to look towards the ninth continent before he spoke based on Dao Kong's memories.
"On which continent are the Sect Masters who egressed this time?"
There was a Sect Elder Chambers on each of the continents. One of them would be chosen by the three Sect Masters to handle the matters of Morning Dao Sect. Unless multiple Sect Elders egressed at the same time, only one Sect Elder Chamber was activate at any given time. The remaining eight Sect Elder Chambers would be in a sealed state.
"Dust Spirit Chamber, the third continent." The thin Ma Fei winked.
Without another word, Su Ming moved forward. He immediately turned into a long arc that charged towards the third continent with a roar. If someone only used numbers to label the continents which were located in a ring, it would be difficult for outsiders to identify them. However, with Dao Kong's memories, Su Ming did not hesitate, and he traveled so quickly that he instantly closed in on the third continent.
The land was vast, filled with tall mountains and forests. The trees were lush, and there were several cities built on the ground, looking like gigantic beasts deep in slumber. Waves of terrifying mighty pressure spread out in an indistinct manner from many spots on the continent.
Su Ming charged forward without stopping for even a moment. Gradually, three tall towers appeared at the easternmost part of the continent. Those three towers formed a triangle. There were threads of light connecting their tops. From the distance, those threads of light flashed, and as they connected with each other, they formed a triangle as well.
A gentle screen of light surrounded the area. It was round in shape, enveloping the three towers. As it stood above the ground, it looked like an air bubble. There was a glossy shine to it, and there were lightning sparks swimming through it. This scene made it seem as if there was a triangular foundation built under a huge crystal ball, or like it was a living creature's brain.
As Su Ming approached the place, waves of mighty pressure spread out. They went through the entire area, causing the place to become silent.
Su Ming stopped and landed on the ground. He stood on the earth, and a barely noticeable glint shone in his eyes while he wrapped his fist in his palm to bow towards the strange chamber.
"I, Dao Kong, would like to meet the three Sect Masters."
Only at that moment did Ma Fei arrive while gasping for breath, but she did not approach the place. Instead, she glared at Su Ming in an indignant manner while she was tens of thousands of feet away. Just then, when Su Ming charged through the air, he was so fast that in the blink of an eye, he had already disappeared without a trace. If she did not have the treasure her Master had given her, she did not know just how long she would have needed to catch up to him.
Yet at that moment, the thin Ma Fei's pupils suddenly shrank. She took a few successive steps backwards with bewilderment and surprise on her face. In her eyes, she could clearly see a powerful light erupting from the Sect Elder Chamber. This light formed a triangular Rune that was formed by countless thin bolts of lightning. It rose from the Sect Elder Chamber and charged towards Su Ming. All of this happened at an incredibly quick speed and could be said to have occurred in an instant.
The triangular ring of light instantly landed on the spot where Su Ming stood. When it descended on the ground, it enveloped his body. The Rune was several hundreds of feet wide. At that moment, a screen of light made of lightning rose from all three sides of the triangle, and booming sounds roared without end.
Su Ming remained as calm as ever. There was not even the slightest change of expression on his face. When he lifted his head, he did not even cast a glance at the triangular lightning Rune which had surrounded him, but instead stared at the Sect Elder Chamber.
"Might I know what is the meaning of this, Sect Masters?"
A cold harrumph came from the Sect Elder Chamber.
"Who are you?!"
As the cold harrumph reverberated in the air, an old man with a grim and frightful air came out from the chamber, causing the area to instantly turn cold.
Su Ming remained as composed as ever. Not a single change could be detected on his face. He did not reveal a single thought in his mind. After going through all the things in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence, he had already perfected a level of control which he could execute as he pleased.
"I wonder what you mean by your words, Sect Masters." Su Ming smiled faintly.
"You're not answering?" The ghastly voice echoed in the air, and the triangular lightning Rune around Su Ming spun swiftly. Waves of piercing light shone, and a presence that could make even Su Ming feel that it was dangerous came from within it.
But Su Ming's expression remained the same. He stood quietly without moving. He simply allowed the triangular lightning Rune to shrink around his body. Based on the Rune's aura, it looked like it wanted to dismember Su Ming.
He was betting on that the Sect Masters in Morning Dao Sect were just suspecting him, but did not know for certain that he was not Dao Kong. If he was just a normal direct descendant, they would not have bothered, but he had just been conferred the title of a Dynast. With that being the case, even if the three were Sect Masters, they could not kill him just because they wanted.
And more importantly, Su Ming… was completely unbothered by the triangular lightning Rune.
Even if the mighty pressure spreading from it made him feel incredibly threatened, if Su Ming had all his power erupt and had Ecang's true form appear, the Rune would only be able to deal superficial damage to him. It would not be able to cause anything real injury to him.
After all, it was just a Rune that could seal an Almighty in Mastery Realm.
It was completely out of the three Sect Masters' expectations that while Su Ming might seem like he was in Lunar Kalpa Realm, he was an unprecedented case among all those in Lunar Kalpa Realm. His physical body was so strong that he surpassed the tenacity of physical bodies possessed by those in Mastery Realm. Once he fused his cultivation base together with his clones, he could fight against the Almighties in Fate Realm. In fact, if he truly ran into a life-threatening crisis, Su Ming could call upon the fifth kiln and have it descend in True Morning Dao World.
With all that in his sleeves, he was completely unbothered by the three presences who belonged to the Sect Masters who had completed Fate Realm. The only thing he was concerned about was the hidden existences in Morning Dao Sect… as well as Progenitor Dao Chen, about whose identity Su Ming was still uncertain!
If his guess was correct, he could be as willful as he liked in Morning Dao Sect, as if he was in his home.
That was why he had the courage to take the gamble.
While Su Ming's expression remained unchanged, the triangular lightning Rune stopped an inch from him with a bang.
"The three of us are Morning Dao Sect's Sect Masters. Your level of cultivation has become vastly different from your past self after you returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. You also have an Almighty by your side, so we have to suspect that you were Possessed by a member of an alien race. We would not bother if you were a normal direct descendant, but since you are a Dynast, then surely you would not refuse to receive the Blood-Soul Fusion test." Another old man's voice came from within the Sect Elder Chamber. It appeared to be much calmer and was not as ghastly and chilling as the one before.
Without waiting for Su Ming to speak, the triangular lightning Rune around him turned blood-red before charging towards him. At the instant it pressed against his body, it looked as if it had Branded itself on him. At the same time, a presence which caused Su Ming's blood to boil spread through him. It fused into his blood, seeped into his bones, and swam through his whole body. During that time, Su Ming remained as calm as ever.
When that presence swam through his body once, a dense, blood-red light immediately spread out from him with a bang. As it shone a long arc flew out from each of the three corners before turning into three pearls the size of a fist in the air above Su Ming.
"These three pearls are Bloodline Pearls which were sent out from Progenitor Dao Chen's isolation grounds ten thousand years ago. The power of our bloodline is strong in those pearls, and if we use them for the test, there will be no margin for error. You can rest assured." The third old man's voice came from one of the three towers. There was a gentleness to it as it echoed languidly in the air.
When Su Ming heard that sentence, a strange expression appeared briefly on his face.
The three pearls swiftly absorbed the blood-red light above Su Ming. After a moment, red light instantly shone from them, but it was slightly darker. It made Su Ming's pupils constrict.
He could clearly sense that at the moment the three blood red pearls appeared, his blood and soul started surging furiously. If Su Ming had not suppressed the, the force from those surges would have erupted from him at full force.
It was as if there was a presence within the three blood red pearls which caused Su Ming's heart to tremble fiercely. It was a presence that was incredibly familiar to him, but also somewhat unfamiliar, and a feeling rose in the depths of Su Ming's heart.
In silence, he suppressed the surging blood and soul. When they calmed down slightly, a loud bang rang out in his head. The blood red pearls immediately started absorbing all the blood-red light spreading out from Su Ming's body. Then, a piercing red light erupted from them, and it was so dense that it looked like it couldn't get any brighter. Then, it changed into silver!
That silver light dyed the sky and earth, enveloping the entire region, and it became the most impeccable color in the area!
Chapter 1065: Teachings from the Ancestors!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The silver light spread in all directions. The eyes of the thin Ma Fei tens of thousands of feet away widened at that moment. She had grown up in Morning Dao Sect, and while she might appear obedient and quiet beside her Master, she was in truth a very popular figure among the younger generation of Morning Dao Sect. Through her Master, she also got to know plenty of secrets other people did not know.
One of them was the Blood-Soul Fusion which she was seeing at that moment. Not a single accident or secret could be hidden from its view, since the elders had used three of the Morning Dao Blood Pearls the Progenitor had left behind to test the fusion level of the blood and soul on a fellow family member, and especially so when the test was directed by the three Sect Masters.
The Blood-Soul Fusion could detect whether a person had been Possessed and whether there was another soul in the body. After all, the soul and blood complemented each other. If there was a difference in them, then there would be hints of it even if they had fused within together. No perfect fusion existed, and it could be seen how much a person's soul and blood had fused together based on how thick the light which would shine from them would be. It would also allow for other to learn if the person tested was who they said they were.
The blood had to that of the direct descendants from Morning Dao Sect. This was the foundation of the test. If a person did not possess Dao Chen's blood, they would not be able to stimulate the three Dao Chen Blood Pearls to shine with a radiant blood-red light. Second came the soul. It had to have a high fusion rate with the blood to make the three blood-red pearls to shine with an even denser red light.
The denser the red light was, the closer to perfect was the fusion between the soul and the blood. When that level of fusion reached a certain level, a change would occur. This change was known as a reversion to ancestral roots, and this Blood-Soul Fusion could make silver light shine from the blood red pearls!
This was why Ma Fei had sucked in that breath. She knew that it was incredibly rare for the silver light to appear during the Blood-Soul Fusion test in Morning Dao Sect.
Almost at the instant the silver light shine, three people flew out from the three towers acting as the Sect Elder Chamber. All of them were old men dressed in ancient Daoist robes. They had solemn expressions on their faces.
Once they flew out, they stood in midair and stared at the three blood-red pearls shining with silver light above Su Ming's head.
One of the old men had a slightly tan face. He was frowning at that moment.
The other two were much calmer. There was even one of them who had a faint smile on his lips while nodding at Su Ming.
His blood was Dao Chen's blood, and his soul belonged to the direct descendants from Morning Dao Sect. The fusion between his soul and blood exceeded perfection and reached a level where it reverted to his ancestral roots. All of these were displayed incredibly clearly before the three Sect Masters' eyes.
"I still have a question. Why do the records state that the density of the light was high when you went through the Blood-Soul Fusion test after you were born, but you were far from reaching the state of reverting to your ancestral roots?" the old man with the tan face suddenly asked.
"As he becomes an adult and runs into some serendipitous events, the fusion between his soul and blood can become higher. There is nothing for us to suspect about this," the old man who had smiled said faintly. He was the person with the gentle voice.
"Oh, then why is it so unclear among our other family members, but so distinct on this person?!" The tanned old man snorted coldly. Just as he was about to continue speaking, a brilliant shine appeared in Su Ming's eyes.
"Sect Master… in regards to this, I have a question as well. Why is it that the other family members you spoke of were not chosen to be part of the ten Great Dynasts, but I was chosen? If you can provide an explanation to me about this, then I will offer an explanation to you." Su Ming's words were blunt and straightforward.
"The candidates for the ten Great Dynasts aren't decided by the Sect Masters. The orders of Progenitor Dao Chen determine your statuses. I cannot offer an explanation to you regarding this, but I am a Sect Master. Even if you are a Dynast, you haven't been truly made one. If I want you to give me the answer, then you must provide me with a satisfactory answer. You are not allowed to refuse," the tanned old man said coldly while swinging his arm.
Su Ming stared at the tanned old man before suddenly smiling. His smile spread through his face. As it turned aloof, it gave rise to an expression that seldom appeared on Su Ming's face—arrogance.
At the instant it showed up, Su Ming no longer suppressed the reaction formed by the connection between his blood, soul, and the blood-red pearls. Immediately, booming sounds rang out from within his body, and dense blood-red light burst forth from his body. Once it was completely absorbed by the pearls, the silver light grew so strong that it didn't seem like there could be an end to it.
At the instant the silver light dyed the world, the color of the three blood-red pearls suddenly changed again. This time, the light turned into such that caused all the people in the land sucked in a sharp breath—gold!
The golden light spread out and enveloped the land as well as the entire sky over the third continent, dyeing it gold and making all the people on the other continents to look over in disbelief.
It was especially so for the people on the ninety-nine continents beneath them. All those who raised their heads could see clearly that a golden light akin to sunlight had erupted from the third continent far above them.
"Red is perfection, silver is a reversion to ancestral roots, and gold… is surpassing ancestral roots! Who… Who is going through the Blood-Soul Fusion test? How could that person reach such a state? This is impossible, this is…"
Among the countless mountains, cave abodes, and numerous cities on the other eight continents were members of Morning Dao Sect. At that moment, all of them walked out to look towards the golden light shining over the third continent.
"Over the course of numerous years, no one has ever had golden light when they went through the Blood-Soul Fusion test in Morning Dao Sect. The golden light symbolizing surpassing ancestral roots is just a legend, but now, this… this is…"
"Once the golden light symbolizing someone surpassing ancestral roots appears, the entire world must worship the person. This is a teaching from our ancestors!"
Uproars rose and fell in the other eight continents. Compared to them, the noise in the ninety-nine continents beneath them was so great that it caused booming waves of sound to spread in all directions. The other nine Dynasts swiftly walked out of their chambers and stared at the sky. They could sense an incredibly great threat from that golden light.
"Who is it? Who is it?!"
"Is it Dao Kong? He is the only person in the Sect Elder Chamber right now!"
"It can't be him. It's impossible for it to be him. If it's really him, then since he has the golden light from the Blood-Soul Fusion test… What right do we have to fight against him?!"
On the fifty-sixth continent among the ninety-nine was an incredibly lavish palace. The man who had previously made arrangements for Dao Fei Xian to test Su Ming had an incredibly sullen expression at that moment while standing outside the palace and staring at the golden light from the third continent in the plane above him. His expression distorted. When he clenched his right fist, veins popped up on the back of his hand.
'There's a high chance that it's that Dao Kong. The Sect Elder Chamber would only cast the Blood-Soul Fusion test so suddenly only for him. Grandfather must have wanted to intimidate Dao Kong, so that's why this happened.
'But… damn it, why does he have the golden light?! How could he have the golden light?!'
The man unfurled his fist. With a bang, the lavish palace behind him collapsed. When it shattered, it was reduced to countless pieces that tumbled backwards, at his servants who had slightly weaker levels of cultivation and were standing outside the palace. All of them were reduced to bloody mess amid the rubble.
"Make arrangements. Send the Five-Colored Stone as a gift to Senior Lin Luo and ask him to attack!"
When the middle-aged man mentioned the Five-Colored Stone, he felt pain in his heart. But a glint appeared in his eyes, and he lifted his right hand, in which a jade slip appeared. He furled his hand tightly, and his divine thought was instantly Branded inside it. With a fling of his arm, the jade slip split into eight parts before spreading out to charge towards the other Dynasts—all besides Su Ming—who had equal status and who were located in different spots on the ninety-nine continents.
At the same time, on a continent covered in an ocean which was Dao Kong's homeland, an excited look appeared on Xu Hui's face when she saw the golden, sun-like light from the third continent. As she stared at it, she was certain that it was due to Su Ming.
Even though she did not know how Su Ming managed to do it, but the appearance of the golden light would chase away all the fog of doubt. From then on, no one would question his bloodline.
From the moment Su Ming became a Dynast, the nine old Frail Dynasts, the direct descendants in the land belonging to Dao Kong's family, and all the other cultivators from the other races already had their fates tied to him, so at that moment, they were also incredibly excited.
If the continents below were already in a state of extreme excitement, then it would be even more so for the third continent. The thin Ma Fei was flabbergasted, and her mind was blank. Her body had also turned gold due to the light dyeing it in such a color.
The three Sect Masters, including the tanned old man, were also stunned to their feet by the golden light surging into the sky from the blood-red pearls above Su Ming at that moment, even if they had extraordinary power.
It was especially so for the tanned old man. Disbelief had appeared on his face. As his expression changed, he found himself unable to accept what he was seeing. No matter what, he would have never been able to guess that the fusion between Dao Kong's blood and soul might be so perfect that… it reached such an unimaginable and almost unprecedented state.
"Now, do I still need to explain myself to you?" With a placid expression, Su Ming sensed his blood boiling.
The tanned old man's expression changed. He sucked in a deep breath, and a complicated look settled on his face.
All his suspicions, his guesses, and his doubts had disappeared without a trace at the instant the golden light spread out. If anyone still wanted to suspect Dao Kong to have been Possessed, then it would be the same as suspecting that Morning Dao Sect's Progenitor Dao Chen had been Possessed. This would then add another speculation—the person who Possessed Progenitor Dao Chen had a blood connection with Dao Kong, or else this scene would not have appeared, that was why… no one would dare to suspect him, and no one would dare to doubt him. They simply couldn't do it!
"I remember that there is a teaching from our ancestors in Morning Dao Sect," Su Ming stated flatly, and his gaze landed on the tanned old man.
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
The two old men beside the tanned one had excitement on their faces at that moment. They were certain that Su Ming was a direct descendant of Morning Dao Sect, and he was also the future hope of Morning Dao Sect. Even if their levels of cultivation were high, they still obeyed the teachings from their ancestors and wrapped their fists in their palms to bow towards Su Ming.
"Greetings… Your Highness!" The tanned old man hesitated for a moment before he lowered his head and wrapped his fist in his palm to bow towards Su Ming as well.
Su Ming let his eyelids fall slightly. Several breaths later, he opened them. Immediately, booming sounds rang out around him. The triangular lightning Rune shattered, and he walked out in a relaxed manner.
Chapter 1066: Prelude to Causing a Stir
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
It was just a mere triangular lightning Rune. Even if it had extraordinary power, it could not seal Su Ming who had replaced the completed Ecang. Even if Su Ming's Ecang could not compare with the Ecang who could act in an unbridled manner in the universe in terms of cultivation, they belonged in the same category of life forms.
What Su Ming needed was time. As it passed, his Ecang clone would grow until he reached the state of Ecang in the past and… surpassed it, reaching a pinnacle that no one had ever reached before. After all, Su Ming had another status besides Ecang's true form—he was someone who belonged to Old Man Extermination!
Based on Su Ming's understanding, Old Man Extermination was an old man from Dark Dawn's camp. He was so strong that it was difficult to estimate his level of cultivation. He was the strongest person Su Ming had ever come to know.
Su Ming had always had his speculations that there was a high possibility that such a strong person… would not have any sort of limitations placed on him even though he came from Dark Dawn, but Su Ming did not have a lot of clues regarding the details, so it was difficult for him to know the truth.
However, there was another speculation that always lurked in his mind: Why were Dark Dawn and Saint Defier against each other?
This was something that Su Ming had never been able to figure out before he met the golden mosquito, but through it and the golden drop of blood, he felt that… he might have caught a hint of truth.
Dark Dawn and Saint Defier counteracted each other, so if they devoured the other, they would immediately become stronger. This was something Su Ming felt clearly when the Seed of Life Extermination devoured the golden blood and showed signs swiftly recovering.
If that was the case, then perhaps… Dark Dawn and Saint Defier were enemies because devouring the other party could make them stronger. If they could destroy the other camp, they could rule all universes!
'Cultivators practice cultivation to mend the flaws in their bodies until they are perfect…'
Su Ming buried his question and speculation in the depths of his heart. At the moment he walked out of the triangular lightning Rune, his gaze fell on the three Sect Masters in front of him.
The old man who had shown good will to Su Ming right from the start wrapped his fist in his palm and said, "Our cautiousness beforehand must have surely offended you greatly. Please forgive us, Your Highness. It is simply because your growth has been too great since you came back from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence and we could not attribute your growth to any reason.
"There are no longer any questions within us. Three days later, the Anointment Ceremony will be held, and then you will go through challenges and trials. With your level of cultivation, this will naturally be as easy as breathing for you. Allow me to congratulate you beforehand." The old man smiled. When he looked towards Su Ming, a kindly look appeared in his eyes.
The other old man also nodded with a smile. As Sect Masters in Morning Dao Sect, they were naturally very happy to be able to see a person with the golden bloodline. Only the tanned old man remained silent by the side.
"I have also offended all of you previously. I hope that the both of you will not blame me for it."
Su Ming might be temperamental, but the two old men before him were very courteous to him, and the praise on their faces was also very genuine, hence he wrapped his fist in his palm to return the greeting. That was how Su Ming was like. If others respected him, he would naturally not treat them with malicious words.
As for the tanned old man, he completely ignored him.
Now that the previous misunderstanding between them could be considered to have been resolved, Su Ming obtained the plate of a Dynast, and only then was he truly regarded as having officially returned to Morning Dao Sect. Once he wrapped his fist in his palm to thank the two Sect Masters, he turned around and left in the form of a long arc.
The thin Ma Fei had been shocked by what Su Ming had done. At that moment, she quickly followed behind him, and with wide, flashing eyes, she occasionally sized up Su Ming. There was an expression of interest on her face.
When Su Ming left and the golden light over the third continent faded away, the three old men outside the Sect Elder Chamber stayed still for a time. The old man who had remained amicable to Su Ming since the start turned his head sideways to cast a glance at the tanned Sect Master.
"Yu Lin, you were a little too reckless with this."
The tanned old man let out a cold harrumph, and a dark light shone in his eyes.
"I've already sent someone to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence to investigate everything that happened in that place when he was there. He'll be back soon. At that time, we'll know what happened and why Dao Kong's power increased so much," the tanned old man said with a cold tone.
"So what if you know? He already went through the Blood-Soul Fusion test and it shone with golden light. That is the sign of him surpassing our ancestral roots. Based on the teachings of our ancestors, as long as he doesn't do anything that betrays Morning Dao Sect, we are not to interfere with his actions," the other man said with a frown.
"I've already sent that person, so whatever you say at this point is meaningless. When he returns in a few days, our questions will all be answered. After all, we do not communicate with those in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. We'll soon know everything that happened there," the tanned old man retorted coldly before turning around and swinging his arm before dashing towards the tower he'd chosen as his meditation grounds. The other two Sect Masters exchanged glances with each other, then shook their heads before heading back to their own towers.
The tanned old man sat down cross-legged in his tower. Within its silence, his expression was incredibly sullen. He had intended to make things difficult for Dao Kong because he was made a Dynast and there were people from his own family who were made Dynasts. Because of that, it would have been good if he could have killed Dao Kong.
But he did not expect this sort of result. Not only did he not get to kill Dao Kong, he instead caused Dao Kong to gain more influence. After this, everyone in Morning Dao Sect would know about his golden bloodline.
'Golden bloodline…' The tanned old man's eyes glimmered faintly. He lifted his right hand, and a jade slip appeared on his palm. With a light squeeze, it disappeared without a trace.
'I will spread this to the galaxy beyond. The forces of power in the Immortals' Union will surely be interested in Dao Kong's golden bloodline.' A faint smile appeared on the tanned old man's face.
'Also, he definitely has plenty of secrets from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. The person I sent over is a True Guard who had once been to the barren lands. With him going over to investigate things, I will definitely learn plenty of things about which the others will not be aware. If I make some estimations, he should be able to return around the time of the ceremony. At that moment, he will be able to reveal Dao Kong's secrets from the barren lands in front of all the disciples of Morning Dao Sect…
'Perhaps it's not enough for me along to be doubting him, but if I can make all the disciples in Morning Dao Sect suspect him, then even if he has the golden bloodline, he will need to offer up an explanation.
'Then I will use it to cancel his status of a Dynast before he is truly made one!'
A cold sneer curled up the tanned old man's lips while he closed his eyes. He looked forward to what sort of results the person he sent to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence would bring to all the disciples in Morning Dao Sect.
Su Ming left the third continent and returned to Dao Kong's continent—the land covered by an ocean. What welcomed him was another round of excited cheers which lasted till nightfall. Only then did silence slowly settle over the continent.
It was late at night when Su Ming sat on a cliff by himself. In his ears were the sounds of waves crashing against the rocks. Before him was an ocean whose end could not be seen. It might be night, and the light from the moon might not be bright, but all those in the continent could still see how vast the ocean was and smell the scent rought by the sea breeze.
Xu Hui came to sit beside Su Ming to watch the ocean with him. The two dogs which were the bald crane and the Abyss Dragon came over and sprawled themselves by the side while yawning as well.
Su Ming stared at the ocean. He remembered South Morning and the Berserkers there who were submerged under the water. He remembered the ninth summit, his senior brothers, and he wondered whether they were still in the land of Berserkers or if they had managed to walk out…
Su Ming shook his head. After all, one thousand something years had passed since then. It was just too much time. Besides the memories, there was nothing else he had left about them.
Xu Hui tugged the strands of her hair which had been lifted by the sea breeze, then turned her head to look at Su Ming's pensive expression. "Do you like this place?" she asked quietly.
"What about you?" Su Ming did not answer her but threw the question back at her.
"I don't really like it." Xu Hui shook her head. "This place doesn't belong to me. It's a pity my sect has become a member of the Immortals' Union. I feel slightly uncomfortable in this place." Xu Hui sighed softly.
"If a day arrives when this place belongs to me, then I will like it," Su Ming said faintly.
Xu Hui did not speak. She looked at the ocean, and after remaining silent for a moment, she turned her head around to stare at Su Ming once more. A complicated expression flashed briefly on her face. But just as she was about to say something, he suddenly spoke up,
"The complicated expression on your face has appeared several times before. It was the most prominent on you when I saved you in the fifth kiln. Xu Hui, everyone has their own secrets…" Su Ming picked up a stone by his side and lightly threw it into the ocean where it was submerged by seawater.
"Those secrets are like stones. When they fall into the ocean, they disappear without a trace, but if we want to fish them out, it's rather difficult."
"I…" Xu Hui hesitated for a moment.
"Don't tell me. There are certain things upon which you can lord for as long you don't say them. But once you give them voice, you will become their servant." Su Ming turned his head around and stared at Xu Hui.
She remained silent for some time before biting her bottom lip and lowering her head. In a few moments, she asked faintly, "Once you are made a true Dynast, I'd like to leave your side for some time to settle some personal matters."
"Do you need me around?" Su Ming asked with sincerity.
"Not for the moment, but if I really need your help, you'll know." Xu Hui lifted her head and looked at Su Ming with a smile. There was an unrestrained, free air to it. The shackles that had always held her from the shadows were gone.
"This sort of smile is the most beautiful. Even if you have quite a lot of moles, you're still very beautiful." Su Ming smiled.
"Well, I guess having the person who can't win against me in drinking describing me this way is also a form of honor, hmm?"
When Xu Hui heard Su Ming's words, she immediately retorted, but once she finished speaking, she was the first to cover her mouth and laugh. Her covered mouth and open eyes which had curved into the shape of crescent moons seemed to be reflecting the moonlight in the sky and giving her an even more elegant charm.
The bald crane cast a sideways glance at Su Ming and Xu Hui before it snorted in its heart while thinking to itself that Su Ming and Xu Hui really dallied with their actions. If it was in their place, then if it had found someone it fancied, it would immediately make its moves on them. It would definitely not spend so much time flirting with the other.
The big dog which was the Abyss Dragon also snorted in its heart, but it was more of a grumble.