Chapter 1082: Just Say It
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Bang!
The eight people attacked simultaneously, and the power belonging to eight Almighties in Mastery Realm erupted from them. If Su Ming was at the peak of his condition, perhaps he could have fought against such forces, but he was injured now, so it only natural that this fight would be difficult for him.
However, this was before he had learned the Mountain Shifter, the God Slayer Art, and the bald crane had mastered the Light of Extreme Darkness. With these things, even if he was injured, he would still be able to fight with ease even when faced with the eight people while injured!
Amid the loud bangs, Su Ming coughed up a mouthful of blood, but the price of it was that the eight powerful warriors around him coughed up blood as well. In retreat, they felt as if they could not control their Qi and the blood tumbling in their bodies. It was especially so for the two who had just entered Mastery Realm.
They could only be considered at the initial stage, and when they were forced back while coughing up blood, they could no longer suppress their Qi and blood from spreading out through their pores. They were heavily wounded and swept out of the lotus platform.
Su Ming wiped off the blood at the corners of his mouth. He then raised his right hand to seize the air, and the Life Inequity Spear manifested. In an instant, it was covered by a layer of golden light, which was the sign of the God Slayer Art which Su Ming had learned.
"Again!"
Su Ming laughed at the sky. As he spoke, fighting spirit rose in the remaining six fighters. They moved together and activated their strongest divine abilities.
At the instant they charged forward and closed in, Su Ming lifted his right foot and took a step forward. He raised the Life Inequity Spear in his hand and thrust downwards in a very simple fashion. If anyone compared the long spear to a greatsword, then his thrust would have been equivalent to a sword slash!
At the instant he used it, the laws in the area changed. This transformation immediately caused the lotus platform and the entire world around them to become separated, turning their area into a completely different region compared to the world around them. This was the power to cut down laws.
Cutting down the connection between the platform and the world around it was equivalent to cutting down the faint connections of the six people's cultivation bases to the world around them.
This form of interfering with fate was the same as blocking off the flow of a sea, killing it off in that way. It made it difficult for the six people to borrow any shred of power from the world, as if Su Ming had sealed off their source!
At the same time, the six cultivators discovered that when the spear went downwards, it not only cut off their fates, but also played with their senses. Even though it looked like the spear was going downwards, it seemed like it extended before splitting into six parts that landed on their hands. It was as if no matter how many people were in the area, as long as the spear fell, it would definitely hit all of them!
Boom!
The instant the six people's divine abilities collided against Su Ming's spear, he shuddered and staggered a few steps back. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, but two of the six coughed up blood too and were swept backwards. Once they were flung out of the lotus platform, thick blood fog spread out from them. It looked like their whole bodies had erupted with wounds.
Soon after, two of the remaining four people on the lotus platform could no longer withstand the falling spear. As their Qi surged intensely in their bodies, they were flung out as well.
With one swing of the spear, four of the six lost their ability to fight. The remaining two people had turned pale. When they looked at Su Ming, their gazes were filled with indescribable shock.
At the instant the two hesitated on whether they wanted to continue fighting, black light surged into the sky from Su Ming's body before it swinging outwards.
"Light of Extreme Darkness!"
"That's the Light of Extreme Darkness!"
The ten million cultivators in the area immediately let out surprised cries. After all, when Su Ming had used it previously, it was to destroy the screen of light around him. When the screen crumbled, the Light of Extreme Darkness had already dissipated, which was why those beyond the platform could not see it. But now, without the screen, the audience could see what was happening on the lotus platform clearly, and the light spreading out from Su Ming's body was incredibly piercing to the eyes!
All those who saw it immediately trembled. They were outside and already reacting like that, so it was even more so for the two of the ten strongest remaining on the lotus platform at that moment.
Almost the instant Su Ming swept out the Light of Extreme Darkness, the two people started trembling. They stood there, feeling as if they had been frozen. If it was to last for much longer, then they would definitely be injured heavily under the Light of Extreme Darkness, and their minds would be destroyed. In fact, even their souls would sink into eternal slumber from which they could never wake up.
The shadow of death landed on their bodies, but they were powerless to fight against it…
The instant their souls were about to fall into eternal slumber, the Light of Extreme Darkness disappeared.
"I will spare you," Su Ming said with aloofness.
The two people on the lotus platform immediately trembled. Their bodies swiftly recovered, but their faces stayed pale. They wrapped their fists in their palms and bowed to Su Ming before turning around and leaving in a hurry. Su Ming's figure had already turned into an incomparably powerful and invincible existence in their minds. This shadow was like a seed that would prevent them from surpassing Su Ming for the rest of their lives.
With the fight of one against eight, Su Ming's name shook all the cultivators in the area. When standing on the lotus platform, he looked like a war immortal at that moment. This image turned into a brand that could not be wiped off the minds of the cultivators in Morning Dao Sect.
Su Ming's face while he held the long spear was somewhat pale. He was injured to begin with, and after fighting against the eight people, his injuries became worse. It looked as if he could not even stand firmly on his feet, but he did not care about it. He swept his gaze across the crowd, then cast a glance at Bei Bang.
When Su Ming was about to open his mouth to speak, one of the other nine Dynasts shouted out loudly, not giving him a chance to voice anything.
"Dao Kong, I want to challenge you!" Once he said that, all the other Dynasts focused on them. "Dao Kong, do you dare receive my challenge?!"
"That's right, Dao Kong, since you're so ostentatious and can fight against eight of the ten strongest in Morning Dao Sect, do you dare to fight against us now!���
As their voices rang in the air, four of the direct descendants leapt up and charged toward Su Ming's lotus platform, intending to kill him in one go while he was badly injured.
Bei Bang should have stopped them, but his eyes flashed with light, and he kept quiet, as if he did not see anything.
Besides the tanned old man, the other two sect masters frowned, but when they saw that Bei Bang had turned a blind eye, they cast each other a glance and hesitated.
The tanned old man laughed coldly in his heart. This was something that he wanted to see very much. A glint appeared in his eyes, and in a seemingly casual manner, he cast a glance at the gentle looking middle-aged man, Dao Fa, who was among the nine Dynasts.
Dao Fa was silent for a moment, then took a step forward.
"Dao Kong, do you dare fight against me?!" When his word rang in the air, he derided himself. Doing something like this did not fit his personality… but Dao Kong was too strong. Someone as strong as this was a Dynast, and this created an incredibly great threat to him.
The moment Dao Fa took a step forward, a glint appeared in Dao Lin's aloof eyes, and he too leapt forward. The other Dynasts followed suit.
All the other nine Great Dynasts wanted to fight against Su Ming at the same time. This scene instantly caused various expressions to appear on the cultivators' faces. Some were scornful, some excited as if they were about to see something entertaining, and some were frowning, thinking that this was incredibly inappropriate.
With all sorts of thoughts in their heads, the buzz of discussions immediately rolled through the crowd.
While standing on the lotus platform, Su Ming watched the nine Great Dynasts charging toward him with a hint of derision on their lips. He tightened his grip on the Life Inequity Spear, and sharp stabs of pain traveled through his body. It was the sign that his injuries were acting up.
Yet even so, if Su Ming wanted to, he had the confidence to kill all nine of them in one go.
But when he tightened his grip over the Life Inequity Spear and the nine Dynasts were about to reach him, an incredibly loud sound of air being torn apart suddenly came from the distant sky. This was a sound of a person charging forth at full speed while slicing apart the sky.
It was a piercing howl, and it closed in on them in seconds. The person in such a rush was an old man, the person who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. He was charging forth incredibly quickly with a disconcerted expression on his face. At the instant he closed in, he was instantly recognized by the tanned old man who had been waiting for him all this while.
The tanned old man saw his expression, and a smile immediately appeared on his face. To him, this was the expression of someone who had discovered something incredibly great in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. This matter was surely the secret behind Dao Kong's level of cultivation increasing by leaps and bounds.
Since the man was so terrified, it was definitely not something ordinary.
The incoming long arc did not catch too much attention at first, but the person in it swiftly charged to the tanned old man. Before even closing in, he began to speak in an anxious voice.
"I have something to tell you, sect master!"
As his voice echoed in the air, Bei Bang frowned. When he was about to say something, the tanned old man behind him laughed loudly and took a step forward.
"Dao Kong was still in the middle stage of World Plane Realm more than a thousand years ago, but after he returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence, he had become incredibly strong. This is a great fortune for Morning Dao Sect, but I'm curious, just what did he go through to become so powerful and obtain this level of cultivation? I sent someone to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence to find exactly that, and now that person has returned.
"I'm not privy to the information he brought back yet because I wanted to listen to it with everyone! Just what sort of serendipity did Dynast Dao Kong receive in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence?!"
The tanned old man's words were incredibly sinister. The instant he voiced them, he stirred up a lot of attention from the cultivators in the area.
In truth, they had long since been puzzled about this, and even those who had not been wondering about it swiftly registered what was going on.
"That's right. What sort of thing could have made Dynast Dao Kong so strong?"
"Yeah, could it be… Possession? Else, why would his level of cultivation increase by so much in just around a thousand years?!"
"If it's really some sort of serendipity, then perhaps we can try obtaining it as well. After all, now that I think about it, rising our level of cultivation by so much is something that is unimaginable."
Bei Bang's eyes sparkled, and he did not stop the old man. He too wanted to hear… just what Dao Kong had experienced in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence!
"Sect master… I…�� The old man in the long arc felt his heart tremble at that moment, and the perturbed, anxious look on his face became even more apparent.
His expression caused the tanned old man to feel a hint of uneasiness, but things had already progressed too far, and he believed in his own judgment. With eyes shining, he said resolutely, "Just say it!"
Chapter 1083: Legend
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Those words caused even the nine Dynasts who had arrived on Su Ming's platform to take a few steps back and look toward the person who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. If this person's words could stir up a large storm, then to them, this would naturally be for the best.
Because of it, perhaps Dao Kong's right as a Dynast could be cancelled, and just like that, a person who posed a threat to them due to possessing the same status would be gone. The fewer threats there were, the better everyone would feel.
After all, the road from a Dynast to the master of True Morning Dao World was filled with trials. The nine people might a;; be Dynasts, but in truth, there were three Hidden Dynasts behind the ten Great Dynasts.
Those three had fathomless power, and it was said that each of them was a Master of Fate, Lives, and Death, but it was a pity that no one knew who they were. However, based on the rules of Morning Dao Sect, when the ten Great Dynasts appeared, three Hidden Dynasts would definitely be appointed.
However, the Hidden Dynasts also had their limitations. They could not open their own chambers and spread their influence. Because of that, a sort of equilibrium was formed. The reason the nine Dynasts treated Su Ming as a great threat was because he had the right to become a Dynast, but also the power of a Hidden Dynast. This sort of existence was incredibly threatening to them.
Because of that, they believed that as long as they stripped off Su Ming of his Dynast status, he could do nothing even if he had great power. A Dynast never had to practice cultivation in the first place. What they needed was a large number of powerful warriors serving as their followers and the ability to bring more people to their side, resulting a force to be reckoned with!
As long as their people brought them to greatness, no matter how strong someone was, they would definitely submit to them. This was something the nine believed wholeheartedly.
Under their expectant gazes, the divine senses from the cultivators in the area, the great interest which had arisen in the old Bei Bang, and the tanned old man's expression of slight hesitation mixed with trust in his own judgement, the expression of the person who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence immediately changed. He felt as if he had a tiger by its tail. Instinctively, he did not look towards the tanned old man nor Bei Bang who appeared to have the greatest level of cultivation in the area. Instead… he looked towards Su Ming.
His gaze was filled with reverence and great anxiety. Su Ming's expressionless face caused his heart to tremble. He had a strong feeling that he should rather offend that tanned sect master but not Su Ming.
Most of the ten million people in the area did not see this gaze, but the nine Dynasts on Su Ming's platform could see it clearly. Bei Bang could also see it, and the one who saw it the clearest was the tanned old man. At the instant he saw the respect in his man's gaze, his heart let out a loud thump, and the feeling that something bad was about to happen became incomparably strong.
"Wait…" This time, he spoke without hesitation.
But the moment he started, a resolute expression surfaced on the face of the person who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. He understood well what he had to do at that moment. Since the tanned old man wanted him to say it, he would say it.
"Many days ago, I was sent by a sect master to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence…" He did not bother with the tanned old man's words. When he spoke, he instantly attracted all the cultivators' attention.
"I was sent to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence to investigate all the things Dynast Dao Kong had experienced while he was there, to find the source for His Highness' sudden increase in power. This was the task I was given, and I had no right to reject it. I could only listen to his orders, so I hope that you will not punish me for it, Your Highness."
As he spoke, he wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed deeply to Su Ming. His expression was filled with respect, and there was even fear in it.
This scene instantly caused an uproar among the crowd. Everyone began to listen even more attentively, and a strong wave of curiosity had already stirred up in their hearts.
"Once I went to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence, I did not head to the camp where the forces of power from True Morning Dao World were stationed to investigate this matter. Instead, I went to some of my good friends in the other True Worlds which I had befriended while I was a True Guard to understand this matter from another point of view. I even coincidentally ran into some fellow Daoists with whom I was good friends with in the past.
"Through an investigation conducted from various points of view, I might have still been unable to investigate all that Dynast Dao Kong went through in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence, but I did manage to find out about three- or four-tenths of it.
"When Dynast Dao Kong entered the Barren Lands of Divine Essence, he kept a low profile and did not shine too brightly. His legend started during a great auction held in Black Ink Planet.
"While he was there, Dynast Dao Kong bought a Sacred Constellation Robe and started a grand quest that shocks me even now!
"His Highness went to Divine Essence Star Ocean and went through dangerous trials while he was there. Perhaps you do not understand Divine Essence Star Ocean too well, but I can tell all of you that it is a place filled with serendipities. It is a place where ancient Ancestral Spirits sleep. In fact, there are still living Ancestral Spirits, Antecedental Spirits, and plenty of ancient, primitive tribes over there.
"Everything is possible in Divine Essence Star Ocean which is filled with legendary creatures. Forget His Highness' level of cultivation increasing by leaps and bounds, it wouldn't have been impossible for him to become one of the strongest in one step.
"Only in that sort of environment can a person truly grow, and only in that place can an ordinary piece of metal be turned into a sharp sword!
"I do not know exactly what His Highness went through while he was in Divine Essence Star Ocean—only he alone would—but I'm certain that it was definitely not something an ordinary person would be able to live through. There are things there from which even sect masters would die!
"I also know that Dynast Dao Kong… took part in the activation of the fifth kiln. The fifth kiln is one of the most mysterious places in Divine Essence Star Ocean. Each time it is activated, a sea of fire is stirred up and sweeps through the entire Divine Essence Star Ocean! Perhaps some of you do not understand the might of the fifth kiln, but I can tell all of you that its fire can instantly burn all cultivators under Mastery Realm!
"In fact, even those in Mastery Realm that do not have enough Enchanted Treasures would find it hard to last long in the sea of fire!" The old man's respectful words reverberated in all directions, and a loud wave of discussions was immediately stirred up.
An uproar from ten million cultivators arose, and all of them had shocked expressions due to the old man's words. Some of the people had heard of Divine Essence Star Ocean before and naturally knew why it was so terrifying. They had heard about the fifth kiln before as well, and understood what facing it meant.
In fact, there were even some of them who had been True Guards in the past. The old man's words caused them to fall silent. They knew far more than the others, but exactly because of that, their respect for Su Ming grew even more. It had in fact reached an unprecedented manner.
There were many more who had heard about those things for the first time, but they knew the old man and that he would definitely not lie. Besides, there were few among them who were foolish and couldn't determine whether the old man's words were real or not.
"Dynast Dao Kong entered the fifth kiln when it was activated, and even the weakest among the ones who joined him was in Mastery Realm. While he was with them, amid the numerous dangers, Dynast Dao Kong obtained a great serendipity that had never been known to man before. He also obtained his followers while he was there…"
His words echoed in the air. The commotion in the area instantly became even stronger, and when the people cried out, their voices were filled with astonishment that spoke of them finding themselves in disbelief.
Bei Bang's pupils shrank. When he whipped his head around to look towards Su Ming, what entered his line of sight was the other's indifferent expression.
The tanned old man had already become expressionless. He glared at the old man who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence, and powerful killing intent rose in his heart.
The expressions of the nine Dynasts on Su Ming's platform changed, and they took a few steps back simultaneously.
"This is nothing. There is one rumor discussed animatedly in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence right now. It is about… Sir Wu who doesn't belong to any of the True Worlds but who has attached himself to the forces of power from the four Great True Worlds stationed in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. This person is an Almighty in Mastery Realm, and he also entered the fifth kiln when it was activated.
"The rumors are saying that this person has yet to return because he was fighting over a treasure with Dynast Dao Kong, and was then personally killed him. His physical body has become the body of his follower, Flame Fiends' Progenitor!"
At the instant the old man said those words, the uproar in the area became so strong that only loud, booming sounds could be heard.
Bei Bang's eyes shone. He did not speak, but the tanned old man behind him let out a cold harrumph, and with a voice like thunder, he instantly drowned out the waves of sound in the area.
"Nonsense! I've heard of Sir Wu before. He has a strange bloodline, and when he transforms, he becomes incredibly powerful. There is no way he could be killed so easily. Who did you hear this from? How could you treat rumors as if they were real?! If you continue telling us things that are mere gossip, do not blame me for punishing you!" the tanned old man said with harshness.
"What if this was told to me personally by Progenitor Long Hai?!" the old man who returned from the Barren lands of Divine Essence asked without hesitation. He was ready to risk everything.
Once he spoke, the uproar in the area which had been drowned out rose with a vengeance, and it instantly became so strong that the voices seemed endless. The tanned old man's expression changed, and he was rendered speechless.
"Progenitor Long Hai is the Almighty from Morning Dao Sect who has gone missing for years!"
"I heard about this Progenitor before. It's said that he has long since arrived at the state of an Almighty and has a great reputation in True Morning Dao World. I didn't expect that he'd be in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence."
"Progenitor Long Hai… if the old man is the one who said it, then those words are believable!"
As voices in the area formed into incomprehensible noise, the old man who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence opened his mouth again and uttered the most shocking words since the start.
"When Dynast Dao Kong ventured out of the fifth kiln, he also went to the fifth ocean. While he was there… His Highness was attacked by various tribes and surrounded by ferocious beasts."
The old man jolted, and as he trembled, his eyes were filled with fear.
"When he was there, one of His Highness' followers only executed one divine ability before he destroyed tens of thousands of cultivators. Some of them were Almighties in Mastery Realm, and their numbers were impossible to count…
"It is said that His Highness' follower… is an Almighty in Life Realm who has nearly stepped into Death Realm!!"
As the old man's words echoed, the entire area fell into dead silence. Soon though, a loud boom erupted from the crowd, formed from countless cries of surprise fusing together into a wave of sound that surged into the heavens.
Chapter 1084: That Person Is Dynast Dao Kong!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"What a load of nonsense!" The tanned old man laughed coldly, then swung his arm as he stared at the person who came back from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence while speaking in an aloof manner.
"Forget what sort of followers Dynast Dao Kong has, how could it be possible that a powerful Almighty like would be willing to become a servant? This is obviously just a rumor! This is the most absurd joke I've ever heard! I didn't ask you to go to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence to bring back all the absurd rumors there. Are you as gullible as a three-year-old child now?!
"I'd like to know who you heard it from this time. Could it still be that Progenitor Long Hai?" The tanned old man absolutely did not believe that Su Ming could have such an Almighty as his follower.
As he spoke, a hint of derision appeared on his face. If Progenitor Long Hai was still the one who said those words, then the tanned old man could have his say in this. After all, even if Long Hai's words were believable and understandable, with his level of cultivation, as long as it involved Almighties near Death Realm, his status would not be enough to say such things.
Even the old Bei Bang frowned, thinking that this rumor was too over the top. He was himself an Almighty in Life Realm, and he had always stood on top of the others. With how he prided himself in his level of cultivation, he could not imagine himself or a powerful warrior who was even stronger to willingly become Dao Kong's follower.
Even if Dao Kong had extraordinary power and could fight against eight Almighties in Mastery Realm, to Bei Bang, this was still not enough for an Almighty in Life Realm to become his follower. It was just as the tanned old man had said: it was the most absurd joke he'd ever heard!
He was not the only one who thought like this. Practically all the people in the area—the ten million cultivators and the Dynasts—had great doubt in regards to those words.
They did not believe them!
"That's impossible! Even if Dynast Dao Kong's level of cultivation is exceedingly high, this is still impossible!"
"That's right. A person nearly in Death Realm is of incredibly noble status. No matter to which True World they went, they would be an existence akin to someone who could touch the heavens. With one stomp, they could make the universe change. How could someone like that become someone else's follower?"
"It's definitely just a rumor. Looks like we truly can't believe him easily. These rumors are too exaggerated."
The buzz of discussions reverberated in the air. Voices of doubt spread, but Su Ming's expression remained as calm as ever, as if none of the things said had anything to do with him. He only cast a profound look at the person who came back from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence.
This person had managed to dig out information to this extent in such a short amount of time, which showed just how far reaching were his connections in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. At the same time, it also allowed Su Ming to tell that this person's ability to handle affairs, especially in terms of searching for information, were much stronger than those of other people.
'I suppose you can also consider this a talented person.' A barely noticeable glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes.
The expression of the old man who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence turned dark when he was faced with the doubts and distrust from the ten million people in the area. He listened to the buzz by his ears and stared at the cold sneer as well as the contempt on the tanned old man's face.
He remained silent for a moment. When the discussions around him grew even louder, the old man who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence calmly and slowly opened his mouth to utter a sentence that instantly caused the land to fall into dead silence once again.
"What if this was personally told by Reverend Zi Long from the Fourth True World?"
As the area fell silent, the tanned old man's expression instantly changed. His breathing even quickened. He hadn't expected that the one who said those words… would be the incredibly famous Reverend Zi Long of the Fourth True World!
This person was really famous in the Fourth True World. He was half a step into Fate Realm, and along with the Fourth True World's uniqueness and mystery, he had a great reputation in the other three Great True Worlds. Also… he was the representative from the Fourth True World who was sent to Morning Dao Sect to partake in witnessing the anointing of the Dynasts.
He was bringing a group of people from the Fourth True World and would arrive in True Morning Dao World in a short while!
"Are you certain that these words were spoken by Zi Long?!" Bei Bang's expression swiftly turned stern. He stared at the old man who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence while he enunciated every single word in his question clearly and slowly.
"Sect master, if you see Reverend Zi Long, then you will know whether this is true or false when you ask him. There is no need for me to lie about this."
Once the old man who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence spoke with resolution, the silence in the area was immediately broken by an uproar. Discussions of disbelieving as well as shocked voices spread out. The tanned old man had an incredibly sullen expression. As for Bei Bang, he turned around to look at Su Ming who was still standing on his lotus platform.
Su Ming's face was still as pale as before, but he stood in a relaxed, calm, and indifferent manner. Not a single hint of change in emotion could be detected on his face, but the more he acted this way, the more fathomless he seemed.
"What is the name of your follower? Perhaps he is an old friend of mine," Bei Bang said in an unhurried manner after a moment of silence. This was the first time he took the initiative to speak to Su Ming.
In truth, under his seemingly calm appearance, there was a huge storm raging in his heart. Each word of the person who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence was more shocking than the last, causing all the people in the area, including himself, to be unable to help themselves but feel a sense of disbelief amid their shock.
Su Ming toyed with the Life Inequity Spear in his hand. When he heard the words aimed at him, he smiled and said flatly, "Let him continue. I believe that he is yet to finish speaking. It would be best if we let him finish telling us everything in one go."
Su Ming's smile was flat, but when everyone saw it, they felt as if there was an incredibly malicious air contained within it. It was something that they felt but could not put to words.
Bei Bang narrowed his eyes. He immediately had a feeling that something bad was about to happen.
The tanned old man's heart thumped against his chest while the ten million cultivators in the area immediately stood up to attention. They had a vague feeling that the person who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence… had indeed not finished speaking!
They were especially certain of it when they saw the old man who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence shudder instinctively. He had clearly remembered a matter that could stir up a huge storm. It was what caused him to be in a constant state of fear and had even pushed him to make a decision to never provoke Dao Kong.
It did not matter whether it was his act of entering the activated fifth kiln, killing Sir Wu, or having an Almighty who was nearly in Death Realm, when compared to the last matter, all of them instantly became insignificant.
"Besides the things that I've told all of you, there is still one more thing…" The old man who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence was silent for a moment. Fear appeared in his eyes, along with shock that made him look as if he still did not believe in what he'd heard. His breathing quickened slightly before he spoke again.
"The forces of power from True Sacred Yin World stationed in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence… were destroyed! All the cultivators in that camp… died in a sea of fire!
"Almost all the Almighties in Mastery Realm died. Only the Almighty in Life Realm from True Sacred Yin World acting as a garrison in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence survived, but he did so only because that person who destroyed the world did not want to kill him. If he had wanted to, then even that Almighty in Life Realm would have died a tragic death on the spot. His form and soul would have been destroyed!
"All of you do not know about this just yet, but before long, this matter will shock all four Great True Worlds. Right now, True Sacred Yin World is already seething in rage…
"This is something that has never happened before. Right now, there is practically no one among the forces of power stationed in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence who does not know about this matter. It has already spread to all the other True Worlds through every channel of communication.
"Right now… the forces of power from True Sacred Yin World no longer exist in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence!"
The old man's voice shuddered. When he spoke, there was deep fear in his eyes. Clearly, the scene he saw with his eyes in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence had been deeply ingrained in his memories, and it became something that could not be wiped from his mind.
Once he said those words, the area did not immediately fall into silence. Instead, slowly and gradually, the ten million cultivators fell silent. Their expressions changed drastically, and the sounds of them taking in sharp breaths rose and fell before eventually going silent. The place went as quiet as death itself.
The shock brought by this news surpassed everyone's imagination, causing all the people to be unable to accept what they'd heard. As they tried to imagine this based on the old man's words, they saw a place in which a force of power from a True World served as garrison with an Almighty in Life Realm. They also saw a True World that could fight back even if the alien races invaded en masse. If there was enough time, it would even find itself with reinforcements coming to its aid!
Yet now, that place was destroyed. There was only one possibility for this to happen—someone had to have attacked the place with such power and speed that even those from True Sacred Yin World were unable to come assist the camp. And just like that, a force of power acting as garrison in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence was reduced to smithereens with a bang.
"Could it be that the alien races have invaded?"
"Are we going to go through another great war against Divine Essence Star Ocean?!"
"What's going on?! A True World garrison has been completely destroyed! This is… this is…"
"How could this be possible? If the alien races are invading en masse, then something would have happened to the camps from the other three True Worlds, including True Morning Dao World's."
"Could it really be that the alien races are about to wage war against us again?!"
After a period of silence, a loud, rumbling uproar that surpassed all those that had happened before erupted in the area. The tanned old man's expression instantly changed. In front of him, the old Bei Bang sucked in a sharp breath.
"Which alien race was it? How many people did they deploy? How many tribes were sent out? Who was their commander?" he asked without hesitation. This was such a huge matter that he had to report it to the Council of Sect Masters the moment he understood everything about it. This was definitely not something ordinary. If the alien races were about to wage war, it would be a huge matter that would involve all four Great True Worlds.
Compared to this, even if Dao Kong displeased him, he could still push this matter back and deal with him later. But the moment he instinctively finished asking the questions, his heart let out a loud thump. His expression turned pale, because he had suddenly remembered that the person who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence was clearly talking about things concerning Dao Kong just now…
The old man who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence cast Su Ming a terrified glance before his voice reverberated in the area. "It has nothing to do with the alien races…
"It's not the alien races. There was only one person involved in the destruction of the camp from True Sacred Yin World… A cultivator took away this person's belongings, but due to True Sacred Yin World taking this cultivator's side, they eventually offended the person. He summoned the fifth kiln, and in one go… he… destroyed an entire camp from a True World!"
The old man's voice echoed through the area, and the expressions of everyone present instantly filled with utter shock and astonishment so great that it was like nothing they'd ever felt before.
"He-he destroyed an entire camp of a True World alone?!"
"Who is he?!"
"Is there such a powerful warrior in the universe? And isn't the fifth kiln an item that has no master in Divine Essence Star Ocean? How could it… Huh? The fifth kiln?"
At the instant the discussions rose in the area, there were quite a few sharp intakes of breath. The cultivators whose minds worked a little faster felt their hearts let out a thump at that moment as if it was the last thing they did. Those people turned their heads swiftly, and countless gazes gathered on Su Ming who looked as indifferent as ever.
The nine Dynasts in front of Su Ming sucked in sharp breaths at that moment. In shock, they moved backwards simultaneously, wanting to immediately leave Su Ming's side.
"That person… is Dynast Dao Kong!"
The old man's final sentence caused the world to instantly fall into dead silence. It was almost maddening how quiet everyone became. At that moment, the old man knelt down towards Su Ming.
Chapter 1085: Establishing Might
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The instant the old man knelt down to worship Su Ming, the area instantly sank into dead silence again. All of the gazes gathered on Su Ming, and all of them were filled with utmost disbelief and shock, along with great astonishment. The people's minds had turned blank, and loud booms that surged into the sky rang in their heads.
It was as if there was a sentence that was echoing nonstop in all the people's heads at that moment.
"That person… is Dynast Dao Kong!"
Needless to say, it was this sentence which was echoing an infinite amount of times in everyone's head, forming loud booms that were like crackling thunder in the ten million cultivators' minds.
The old man's words, expressions, his trembling body, and the gaze that still had lingering fear in it were all proof that there was not a hint of deceit in his words. He had mentioned Progenitor Long Hai and Reverend Zi Long from the Fourth True World, and their presences made it difficult for anyone to dismiss his claims or call them exaggerations.
But the more it was so, the greater shock the ten million cultivators in the area felt. The tanned old man's face had turned pale at that moment. Even the mind of a powerful warrior like him had went blank. The scene of a single person destroying an entire camp from one the True Worlds kept repeating in his mind, and he could not stop it.
The other two sect masters by his side were the same.
As for Bei Bang, his breathing had become rushed. When he looked at Su Ming, his expression changed. For a time being, he found himself speechless.
Right from the start, Su Ming's expression had been one of calmness. The camp from True Sacred Yin World in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence had been destroyed, and this matter would spread to all four Great True Worlds without doubt. It was something Su Ming had prepared himself to face a long time ago.
It did not matter to him even if this matter was publicized earlier than expected. However, the people who came from True Sacred Yin World to the Anointment Ceremony might show up seething with rage.
To Su Ming, it did not matter whether the others learned of this later or earlier.
At that moment, when the entire area was enveloped in silence, Su Ming cast a glance before himself with an indifferent gaze. The nine Dynasts who had come to his platform were stark pale at that moment. All of them had dumbfounded expressions, as if they had yet to recover from their shock. After all… the things Su Ming had done were enough to shock and terrify all cultivators.
The instant Su Ming cast his gaze on the nine Dynasts, they shuddered, feeling as if their skin was crawling. Su Ming had seemed like an ailing, injured elderly just a moment ago, but in the blink of an eye, he had turned into an ancient, ferocious spirit. This change was so great that the nine people charged backwards simultaneously without any hesitation. Trembling, all they wanted was to leave the platform.
"Didn't you want to challenge me? Why are you in such a hurry to leave?" Su Ming asked flatly. He took a step forward.
When he was about to attack, the old Bei Bang's expression changed drastically. He moved forward, and with his power of Life Realm, he appeared on Su Ming's platform with a bang to stand between him and the nine retreating Dynasts.
"Dynast Dao Kong, please do not be rash. It is forbidden for Dynasts to fight against each other during the Anointment Ceremony."
Once Bei Bang said those words, he felt slightly anguished in his heart. It wasn't hard to imagine that this Dao Kong would definitely regard him in contempt due to the matter just now, and he sighed. He too knew that he had been slightly biased just now.
However, no matter what, he did not expect that Dao Kong… would have become so powerful in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. This manner of doing things was definitely not something that could be done by an ordinary cultivator. In fact, it would be difficult for even Bei Bang himself to do such a thing. Destroying an entire camp from a True World and taking everyone's lives… Bei Bang suddenly felt that there had to be an unimaginable number of vengeful souls surrounding Dao Kong.
Su Ming cast a cold glance at the old Bei Bang before him. He did not say any contemptuous words Bei Bang was prepared to receive. Insted, he said, "If those nine kneel down and shout my name three times, I will treat this as it had never happened."
When Bei Bang heard his words, for some unknown reason, he let out a sigh of relief in his heart. Dao Kong gave him a fathomless feeling. Even if he looked as if he was heavily wounded at that moment, someone who could destroy an entire camp from a True World stationed in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence was definitely not someone who could be underestimated even when he was severely injured.
It was especially so when he saw Dao Kong's calm gaze. At that moment, Bei Bang became even more cautious. He immediately turned around and swung his arm toward the nine Dynasts.
"The nine of you were the ones who broke the rules first. Kneel now!"
Five of the nine Dynasts knelt down without any hesitation, shivering. Two of the remaining four hesitated, but soon chose to kneel down and worship Su Ming as well.
The remaining two were naturally Dao Lin and Dao Fa. Their expressions had twisted. Blood trickled out of the corners of Dao Lin's mouth, a telling sign that he had gritted his teeth so hard that he had crushed them. Without a single word, he lowered his head and knelt down. The humiliation he suffered shattered all of his pride. When he knelt down, he did not just show submission with his body. Even his soul, his honor, and his pride submitted.
The last one standing was Dao Fa. The gentle look on the seemingly gentle-looking middle-aged man had long since disappeared and become sinister. He glared at Su Ming while standing with his back straight.
"Fa Er, kneel down! Apologize to Dynast Dao Kong!" The tanned old man's expression changed. When he gave his command, he took a step forward, intending to head to the platform.
Yet the moment he lifted his foot, Su Ming raised his right hand. The Life Inequity Spear moved, and was flung with a bang. It flew in a long arc which charged towards Dao Fa.
The instant he flung that Life Inequity Spear forward, Su Ming spoke in an aloof manner. "Zhu You Cai."
This was clearly a name, but no one understood why Su Ming had said it. Bei Bang lifted his right hand, but just as he was about to grab the Life Inequity Spear Su Ming had thrown, his body trembled, and his lifted right hand froze in midair.
A powerful sense of danger had risen in his heart. He could clearly feel a murderous intent coming from a distance and locking down on him. This was a divine sense belonging to someone who was clearly stronger than him and who had almost stepped into Death Realm. If he did anything rash, that person would definitely deliver an attack that would come charging at him like a lightning bolt.
At that instant, Bei Bang thought of the words from the person who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence had said. Among his accomplishment, he'd mentioned Dao Kong having a person in Life Realm as his follower.
When Bei Bang froze, the Life Inequity Spear charged past him with a bang and rushed towards Dao Fa. The man roared, and the tanned old man charged forward, but his speed could not compare to the Life Inequity Spear's. When a loud bang that shook the skies reverberated in the air, the tanned old man let out a sorrowful cry towards the heavens.
Dao Fa's body was torn to pieces. As blood splattered in all directions, his soul and Nascent Divinity were instantly torn as well. Once they were pierced by the Life Inequity Spear, they were destroyed.
All of this might have seemed to have happened over a long period of time, but in truth, it was over in an instant. Blood gushed in all directions and landed on the eight Dynasts who had chosen to kneel down. It made them shudder, and even Dao Lin's face turned pale and bloodless.
"Dao Kong, how dare you kill my Fa Er!" The tanned old man's face twisted as he roared. He whipped his head around to glare at Su Ming, and a large amount of red appeared in his eyes.
"I won't just dare to kill your Fa Er. If you continue causing a ruckus, I will also dare to kill you right here and right now. You're just a cultivator in Fate Realm, so how dare you act arrogantly before me again and again?"
Su Ming's response to the tanned old man's roars was a string of calm words.
They were like a bucket of cold water that had been poured over the old man's head. He trembled, and was forced to push down the raging anger in his heart. He remembered all that he had heard about Dao Kong in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence and that he was a terrifying existence who could destroy an entire True World's garrison. He also recalled how Bei Bang had lifted his right hand as if he wanted to stop Dao Kong, but had frozen for a moment, and how his expression had changed.
But the anger and sorrow in his heart was not something that he could suppress so easily. Yet when he saw Su Ming's aloof gaze once more, he forced down the killing intent which had risen in his heart. He suddenly came to the realization that if he attacked, it would be the same as him breaking the rules in the sect. Dao Kong could then have his follower kill him.
The tanned old man coughed up a mouthful of blood. This was an internal injury caused by him forcing down the madness in his heart. This injury was not serious, but his heart was filled with outrage and sorrow at that moment, and this feeling was something that he had never sensed since he had become a sect master.
"Dynast Dao Kong. Dynast Dao Kong. Dynast Dao Kong."
The eight Dynasts kneeling on the platform, including Dao Lin, all had their heads lowered as they said the three sentences towards Su Ming.
Their dignity had been completely trampled. Their pride as Dynasts was stomped under Su Ming's feet, and after a few vicious stomps, it was completely crushed.
The grievances and humiliation from submission due to fear of death was even worse than death… But there were times when even if one knew that by kneeling they would no longer have any sort of prestige left, they could only kneel, swallowing down their humiliation to survive.
This was also Su Ming's goal. He could accept not killing the eight, but he would then destroy their spirit of being Dynasts in an unseen manner, and he had managed to do it. This was also something that the tanned old man had previously wished to do to him.
When all the cultivators in the area saw this, Su Ming's might had instantly become as great as that of a storm. His might swept through the entire area and became the deepest memory etched into the minds of all the cultivators present.
"Senior Bei Bang, based on your previous words, please heal me."
Su Ming's gaze was calm as he sat down on the lotus platform. When he closed his eyes, he circulated his cultivation base and sucked in a large amount of life force from the platform.
Bei Bang's expression was dark, but the intimidating force was still locked on him. In silence, he sighed in his heart. Dao Kong did not pester him for not stopping the challenge from the other Dynasts, which was already allowing him to avoid humiliation. As he sighed to himself, he had his cultivation base spread out from his body, and the life force Su Ming could absorb instantly became greater.
Chapter 1086: Dao Ocean Trial
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Under the gazes of all the people, Su Ming continued sucking the vast life force from Bei Bang, and with the power provided by it, he repaired his cultivation base.
Time slowly trickled by. The life force coming to him was still as vast as ever and did not end. An Almighty in Life Realm had practically endless life force. This was also the reason why Bei Bang had spoken in an arrogant manner before.
Yet slowly but surely, a change appeared on Bei Bang's face. He had a strong feeling that Su Ming was like a bottomless pit. His own life force might be nearly endless, but it seemed that Su Ming's absorption of his life force was also nearly endless.
An hour later, Bei Bang's expression had changed drastically. He had a feeling that his life force could not catch up to the rate of Su Ming's absorption. A feeling of shock that came from the depths of his heart spread through his body. Su Ming was indeed a bottomless pit that could absorb an endless amount of life force.
If that was all, Bei Bang would not have been bothered. He could break off the connection at any time he wanted, but when he wanted to do it, he discovered to his shock that the connection had changed. This was no longer him giving his life force and Dao Kong absorbing it, but had instead turned into… him being forced to deliver the precise amount of life force Dao Kong wanted to absorb.
This was a change between the dominant and subservient positions between them. It might have seemed simple and like it was the same, but it determined the person who had the right to break the connection. The decision was no longer in Bei Bang's hands.
'This… How can this be?! The Rune in this place wasn't designed like this! I don't see any signs of anyone changing the structure of the Rune either! Besides, it's impossible for anyone to be able to change the Rune in such a short period of time.'
Bei Bang's expression changed drastically. As his pupils shrank, a sense of danger filled him.
He could not break off the connection to the lotus platform. The life force in his body was being sucked away without stop, and once it fused with the platform, it was absorbed by Su Ming.
The bald crane was making a ruckus in its smug voice in Su Ming's mind at that moment.
"I'm great, right? Heh heh, the idiot actually dared to fuse his body with the Rune. I know that confidence stems from his life force being nearly endless, which is why he was not afraid of other people absorbing it.
"But this idiot is really unlucky, because he ran into me, this Grandpa Crane. I just needed to move my fingers, and the structure of this Rune was changed. The idiot went from the state of willingly fusing with the Rune to the Rune forcing him to fuse with it, from being able to control the Rune, to becoming its servant.
"Little Boy Su, absorb him, absorb at will! Each breath is one crystal, and I'll provide it to you limitlessly." The bald crane's smug, excited, and enthusiastic voice was brimming with an air of bliss that only it could understand.
When another hour passed, Bei Bang's face had already turned pale. He stared at Su Ming with the shock on his face having turned into anguish. How could he still not understand what was going on at that moment? This was Su Ming taking revenge on him for his previous words and actions.
'What a man… He's one that would definitely take revenge even for the smallest grievance…'
Bei Bang sighed in his heart and closed his eyes. He no longer thought about anything else and just circulated his cultivation base in an attempt to struggle free from the Rune, but the moment he did so, the threatening presence from the distance instantly locked on him again.
The time it takes for one incense stick to burn passed, and Su Ming opened his eyes. By then, Bei Bang's expression was incredibly pale.
Su Ming dissipated the suction force from the Rune on his own accord and stood up.
"Thank you for healing me, Senior Bei Bang."
When he said that calmly, Bei Bang remained silent for a moment before he nodded.
"There is no longer any need to continue. The challenges for the Anointment Ceremony have ended. We will now enter the trial component. The… nine of you are to receive your trials in Dao Ocean located beneath us.
"There are those who are lost from Morning Dao Sect's path within and outside Dao Ocean. Among them, there are powerful enemies of Morning Dao Sect, traitors, as well as those who were punished to sink into Dao Ocean. Once they lost themselves, they became cultivators without their path.
"They can be powerful and weak, and your trials are related to these lost souls.
"Kill ten lost souls, and you will obtain the right to go through the trial. Once you do so, you can activate the trial in Dao Ocean at any moment you want. Based on your achievements, you will be randomly placed into different trial grounds.
"This trial is something that has never happened before. To all of you, this is also a serendipitous event… because this trial is also related to the Immortals' Union. Over the course of one thousand something years, we have fought over one thousand battles against the Immortals' Union, be it small or large battles. Among them were hundreds of small-scale battles, nearly one hundred large-scale battles, and seven super large-scale battles.
"They have been recorded in detail, and a place similar to an illusory land has been created by imitating them. Based on all the different qualifications you all have, you will be sent into continuous battles. When you are there, you are to guide the direction of the battle and change the trend of the fighting. This is your trial.
"Remember this. Even though you cannot be killed in these illusions, all of your actions will be observed by the people here, and they will be taken into consideration for the final result.
"You must also remember that you will not enter these illusions with your own faces, but will change into a normal cultivator from our sect.
"However, you will retain your levels of cultivation. You will be able to use it at will and do whatever you please!"
As Bei Bang's voice echoed in the air, he swung his arm, and a vortex about ten thousand feet big appeared in the air in the middle of the nine continents on the first plane.
At the instant the vortex showed up, roars came from within it. The audience could vaguely see a large number of dark shadows inside, but the moment they touched the vortex, they screamed in pain and tumbled back.
The vortex was connected to the periphery of Dao Ocean, and the shadows were the lost souls there. They wanted to rush out, but had never been able to since the moment they had entered.
"If there are any among you who are terrified, you can give up on the trial. Those who do will immediately have their rights as Dynasts stripped off. Think carefully. In the process of gaining the qualification for the trial… you might die!"
When Bei Bang said those words, he cast his gaze over the eight Dynasts. Su Ming was ignored straight away.
Besides him, some of the eight Dynasts showed hesitation. If Su Ming had not revealed his power and the person who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence did not bring back such shocking news, they would have definitely not hesitated to go through the trial.
Yet now, before the competition between the Dynasts had even started, it had already ended. They knew that unless an accident happened, there would be no way for them to compete with Su Ming. Because of it, this trial was completely useless to them, and there was even the threat of death lurking in it.
In silence, four of the eight Dynasts chose to give up. They took a few steps back, and with pale faces, not only did they give up on the right for the trial, they also gave up on the right to be Dynasts.
Among the remaining four, Dao Lin roared in his heart. The humiliation he had suffered caused his eyes to turn bloodshot, and he became the first to rush into the vortex. Once he disappeared, the other three also gritted their teeth. They turned into long arcs that charged into the vortex.
Su Ming was the last one. His injuries had mostly recovered by then. With a calm expression, he took a step forward, and drew the gazes of the ten million cultivators in the area on himself. Then, he stepped into the vortex.
Only when Su Ming disappeared did the ten million cultivators in the area let out a shocked cry. It was born from the words the person who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence, but which had been suppressed by Su Ming's presence.
"True Sacred Yin World will definitely not let this slide! Is the war between Morning Dao and Sacred Yin about to start?!"
"We have the Immortals' Union in True Morning Dao World, and we've also offended True Sacred Yin World. Dynast Dao Kong… truly did something unwise."
The discussions echoed in the air. The tanned old man's sullen expression and Bei Bang's quiet sighs made it obvious that the Anointment Ceremony was slowly deviating from its original course.
…..
Dao Ocean was located at the lowest part of Morning Dao Sect. It was a forbidden land which was divided into two parts—the outer and inner layer. The inner part was sealed all year long. Only the outer part would be opened during special moments. Besides that period of time, all the living were forbidden from entering.
But if there was anyone who truly wanted to enter the place, it was not impossible for them. However, since ancient times, there had never been a case of anyone surviving after they had entered the place of their own accord. Perhaps that was not the case and someone had survived, but this sort of thing was just too rare in Morning Dao Sect.
Dao Ocean's mysteries stemmed from the legend speaking of it existing even before Dao Chen.
It was called an ocean because people could hear the sound of waves when they were there, but when they cast their gazes over it, they found the area to be filled with thick fog. It made the people unable to see the entire place clearly. In fact, even their divine senses would be suppressed.
Su Ming's eyes sparkled. The instant he stepped into the vortex, he appeared in a place shrouded in fog. When he swept his gaze across the area, Bei Bang's words echoed in his head.
The trial was divided into two parts. The first part was to obtain the qualifications, and the second part was the key of the trial.
The beginning should not be very difficult, but due to the strangeness of Dao Ocean, life-threatening dangers could appear at any time.
"I'll be able to obtain the right if I kill ten lost souls, huh? If I can really step into one of the battlefields from the past one thousand something years, then I would want to go to the one where the one-hundred-thousand-foot tall giant appeared, or when that black-robed person appeared and severely wounded Progenitor Tai Shan."
Su Ming remained as composed as ever. With one move, he disappeared into the fog and began moving through the area.
After charging forward for a bit, he suddenly let out a cold harrumph. A withered right hand had appeared behind him without a single sound and charged at his heart. That arm was pitch black, and black smoke surrounded its fingertips. It contained the power of those who were nearly at the later stage of World Plane Realm.
At the instant it came towards Su Ming, he did not move forward to escape, but instead moved back. He lifted his right hand and seized the air behind him. With a bang, he grabbed the incoming arm, and with one fling, he yanked a withered person from the fog.
With a flick of his right hand, a powerful surge of his cultivation base was sent into the person's body, and that person was immediately torn to shreds.
"One."
Su Ming took a step forward and disappeared into the fog.
Chapter 1087: Hu Zi!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Dynast Dao Lin has already killed seven lost souls!"
"Dynast Dao Han has killed three people."
"Dynasts Dao Kui and Dao Hua have both killed two people respectively."
At the first plane of Morning Dao Sect where the Anointment Ceremony had taken place were five golden names. They were floating above the largest lotus platform, right in front of the ten million cultivators.
The five names were arranged in order, and each one had a different number of light pillars by their side. Dao Lin had seven while the others had differing numbers from three to two.
Dao Kong's name was ranked last, and he only had one light pillar.
Most of the gazes in the area were fixed on his name. However, even after a long period of time has passed, besides that one light pillar which appeared at the start, no others showed up.
After a moment, when the tenth light pillar appeared for Dao Lin, golden light shone beside his name. As it spread out, it turned into a huge vortex. It rumbled, and distorted sights could be seen within it. When they faded away, what appeared before the gazes of the ten million people in the area was a scene that was rather familiar to some of them.
It was a battlefield from seven hundred years ago where tens of thousands of people had fought from the Immortals' Union and Morning Dao Sect.
The scene in the vortex immediately attracted the cultivators' attention. When about a quarter of an hour had passed since then, only Dao Kong was still behind. The other three names had turned into vortices as well, and different battlefields had appeared in them.
The four Dynasts looked incredibly insignificant in their own battlefields, but the trials required them to use their own power to change the results of the battle.
Those who were in battles where Morning Dao Sect had lost had make it so that they win. If they couldn't manage that, they had to at least reduce the number of casualties. If that was impossible as well, they had to make the Immortals' Union pay a bigger price.
As for those in battles where Morning Dao Sect won, they had to amplify the results of the battle and make it so that they achieved an even more perfect victory.
Finally, a second light pillar appeared beside Dao Kong's name. His slow pace gradually led to all sorts of speculations from the cultivators in the area, but no one really knew the truth.
Su Ming slowly extracted the Life Inequity Spear from a corpse while he was at the periphery of Dao Ocean. Before him was a big man with a muscular frame. His dark red, lustreless eyes were wide open. Even after his death, he still stared at Su Ming. Based on the aura remaining on his corpse, it could be deduced that before his death… he had power that was nearly equal to those in Mastery Realm.
Su Ming put away the Life Inequity Spear and turned around with a calm expression. He stepped into the fog to continue moving into the distance. Roars came from the area around him, and barely discernible figures flashed past him, but Su Ming only cast them one glance before turning a blind eye on them. These lost souls did not have sufficient power and would not help him achieve what he wanted.
'Only after killing ten lost souls will I be sent to a random battlefield, but they are differentiated by their sizes and their might. They are most likely determined by the levels of cultivation from the ten people we kill.'
A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. Besides the first person he killed being in the later stage of World Plane Realm, he was prepared to kill only Almighties to make up his remaining kills.
After all, based on Su Ming's judgement, the battlefield he wanted to go to was definitely not something ordinary. First of all, it involved millions of cultivators, but this was not the main point. The main point was that the Immortals' Union had sent that black-robed person. The strength of the Art that made it seem like he could extract a moon from a well was able to determine the direction of a battle. It had forced Morning Dao Sect to send Progenitor Tai Shan to handle him.
However, Su Ming had a feeling that besides Progenitor Tai Shan, there were surely some other powerful warriors from Morning Dao Sect lurking around in that battlefield. Su Ming felt great curiosity towards this.
As he moved about in the fog, after about the time taken for an incense stick to burn, his eyes focused on the spot in front of him. There he saw a figure whose ripples of power belonged to those in Mastery Realm.
Without any hesitation, Su Ming charged towards that figure.
Time trickled by like this. Several hours later, the ten million cultivators in the area beyond saw seven light pillars next to Dao Kong's name. The increase was incredibly slow, but for some unknown reason, the crowd felt that there was an oppressive feeling in the seven light pillars, as if… besides the first one, the other six were vastly different from those belonging to the other four Dynasts.
Yet they could not tell what exactly was the difference.
They could not see it, but Bei Bang, the tanned old man, and the other two sect masters knew exactly what it was.
'He's killing the Almighties among the lost souls…' There was a sullen expression on the tanned old man's face, and his eyes were filled with hatred.
Bei Bang stared at the seven light pillars above Dao Kong's name and thought quietly to himself. 'What sharp wit. He found the key for the different battlefields so quickly, and he also found the method to get the battlefield he wants.'
When another four hours passed, Dao Lin as well as the other three Dynasts obtained a certain amount of results in their respective battlefields. It was especially so for Dao Lin. He might have looked like an ordinary cultivator, but based on the number of people he killed by himself, he became a small faction leader. There were already hundreds of people by his side.
It could be said that he was interfering with the results of the battle in the most simple and straightforward manner.
At that moment, the tenth light pillar finally appeared beside Dao Kong's name. At the same instant, golden light spread out and reached a piercing degree. That light was much brighter than what Dao Lin and the others had possessed. It caused the ten million cultivators in the area to let out cries of surprise.
For not only was the golden light much brighter, the vortex that was formed was also several times larger. Its presence was incredibly striking in the air, and it was nearly ten thousand feet long.
Booming sounds reverberated in the air. The vortex started spinning, and as it did, one of the cultivators in the area immediately voiced their puzzlement.
"Why is Dynast Dao Kong's vortex so much bigger? All of them killed ten lost souls, so why is the disparity so great?!"
"That's right, could it be that someone helped him in the shadows? Or else why would the difference be so great?"
As the discussions reverberated in the air, Bei Bang spoke with dignity and age. With just a few words, he instantly suppressed all the speakers.
"They might have killed the same number of people, but besides the first person Dao Kong killed, the other nine… were all lost souls who were Almighties in Mastery Realm!"
As the cultivators in the area fell silent, Su Ming raised his right hand from a corpse. The body immediately withered and turned into ashes.
'A unique structure. He seems to have been modified by someone before…'
A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. He was using the power from the Seed of Life Extermination to analyze why the lost souls had become like that. While he was mulling over his thoughts, a gigantic vortex appeared around him. As it spun around with loud, booming sounds, a layer of ripples similar to those of water appeared beneath Su Ming's feet, making him look as if he was standing on a lake. When he lowered his head, he saw a scene on the water.
It portrayed a battlefield, and it was a large-scale battle with nearly five million people involved in it. He swept his gaze across it, then frowned. This was not the battlefield he wanted.
After a brief period of pensive silence, Su Ming took a step backwards and moved out of the vortex. At the instant he left it, the vortex disappeared, and everything returned to normal. Su Ming's eyes sparkled. He fell into deep thought for some time, then turned around and disappeared into the fog.
In the area beyond Dao Ocean, the vortex formed by Dao Kong's name vanished to show his name once more, but the light pillars above it had all disappeared. It seemed like he was redoing the test.
As an uproar raged outside, Su Ming swam at full speed through Dao Ocean. Time trickled by, and several hours later, when he killed another ten people, another vortex appeared beneath his feet. This time, the sound coming from the rotations was even louder. After a moment, the instant ripples appeared on the surface of the water, Su Ming's pupils constricted.
This was a battlefield with more than ten million cultivators participating in it, and at first glance, Su Ming saw a huge figure on the Immortals' Union's side—a colossal figure which was incomparably large. It wasn't one hundred feet tall, but nearly one million feet tall.
When this figure stood in the galaxy, the cultivators beneath his feet were like ants. The giant had his arms crossed over his chest while staring at the million cultivators by his feet with an aloof gaze. There was cold sneer on his lips, and he surrounded by the air of those who saw themselves as supreme.
At the center of his brows were seven stars forming a circle, and it was shining with a bizarre, dark light.
Floating among the cultivators from the Immortals' Union by the giant's side was a seemingly insignificant person dressed in black robes and his face covered. This person was floating silently, not doing anything. It might have been impossible to see his face, but the instant Su Ming saw that figure, the memory of the person in black robes who had appeared near their tribe when he was in Dark Mountain surfaced in his mind.
He had the exact same feeling, but this person was clearly much stronger than the person in black robes which Su Ming had met in the past. The difference between them was like heaven and earth.
'It's this battlefield… No!'
Su Ming's pupils shrank. He felt that something was off. Based on what he remembered, the black-robed person and the giant with the stars at the center of his brows had not once appeared at the same time.
Yet now, they were together. There was only one explanation for that, and it was that this battle… was not the one with which everyone was familiar. Progenitor Tai Shan would not be in it!
Su Ming quickly swept his gaze past the crowd in the scene, and just as he expected, he did not see Progenitor Tai Shan.
He narrowed his eyes. After a moment of hesitation, he took a step forward. But just as he was about to step into the water, his body came to a sudden halt, and he even shuddered for a moment. A ray of excitement that had never appeared before showed up in his eyes, and he stared straight at a large man in the water who stood among the people belonging to the Immortals' Union. He had thrown his head back to roar at the sky, wore a look of nonchalance on his face, and had quite a large number of cultivators by his side acting as his followers!
This man had an honest and straightforward appearance, but at that moment, he had a ferocious look that made him seem as if he was spitting fire from his eyes which were narrowed into a glare. While shouting loudly nonstop, he rushed swiftly into the crowd before retreating just as swiftly, and a presence that no one could stop him began to form around him.
'Hu Zi!'
Excitement appeared in Su Ming's eyes.
Chapter 1088: The Battlefield
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Needless to say, that man was Su Ming's third senior brother—the ninth summit's Hu Zi!
In a daze, Su Ming remembered how Hu Zi had brought him along to run amuck with a glare in his eyes when he had just arrived for the first time in the ninth summit. As Hu Zi spoke, he would speak honestly in a loud voice. His words seemed to be still echoing by Su Ming's ears.
A man who loved peeping, who was born with the talent for all things in regards to Runes, who was the manifestation of the Rune over Yin Death Region, and one who through Tian Xie Zi's guidance gained an epiphany regarding the Art for dreams. It… was Hu Zi!
Even though everything that Su Ming saw at that moment was a battle that had happened in the past, the instant he saw Hu Zi, his heart was filled with great excitement.
In all his life, there were few people who had filled his heart with warmth right after he met them no matter how callous he was… and without a doubt, Hu Zi was one of them.
Su Ming sucked in a deep breath and forced down the excitement in his heart. When he took a step forward, he stepped into the vortex resembling the surface of water, and his figure disappeared.
The cultivators in the area outside saw Dao Kong's name once again shine with piercing golden light. This time, the golden light was even more dazzling than the one before, and as it spread out, Dao Kong's name turned into a gigantic vortex.
It was even also larger than the previous one. This time, it was tens of thousands of feet tall, causing the four Dynasts' vortices beside it to be unable to compare with it. In an instant, it attracted all the people's attention.
Soon, a scene appeared in the vortex, and this scene… was of the battlefield which Su Ming had chosen to enter!
Bang!
Su Ming's vision blurred for a moment before it recovered. When it did so, shrill screams of pain and furious roars crashed into his ears, and he found a cultivator from the Immortals' Union in front of him. That person had a sharp sword in his hand, and he instantly charged towards Su Ming at an incredibly quick speed.
All around Su Ming were cultivators from Morning Dao Sect, and they looked to be in a very pathetic state. They fell back, for they could not fight the sword-wielding cultivator charging straight at them.
He lifted his hand, then brought the sword down… and human heads flew into space. Blood splattered all around, and shrill screams of pain filled the area. Su Ming's team was a scattered crowd whose members were swiftly fleeing.
When Su Ming lowered his head, he noticed that he no longer looked as Dao Kong. Instead, he had turned into a middle-aged man with a pale face. He had plenty of wounds on his body, and there was even a huge gash on his chest. There was black blood oozing out of it, and his body was beginning to rot.
The black blood was from some sort of poison. The original possessor of the body Su Ming now occupied had clearly died already, which allowed Su Ming to obtain control. He might seem as if he had been resurrected, but in truth, he just had his soul exchanged.
When Su Ming cast his gaze across the area, he found that he was in a densely packed crowd which had no end. A battlefield with more than ten million people in it could definitely not be summarized by just saying that there were more than ten million people involved in it.
What did those numbers even say? Even one million people standing together would have a mighty presence. In fact, there were plenty of cultivation planets whose population in their cities did not even reach one million.
The battlefield was so big that it was as large as a city!
Su Ming was currently located to the right of the camp which Morning Dao Sect was defending. He was located far to the side, close to the edge of the battlefield.
As Su Ming observed his surroundings, screams of pain traveled ceaselessly through the air. The cultivators in front of him collapsed with a bang, and the blood that scattered in space merged together to take the shape of a person. Its body soon materialized.
The person appeared bright red as if he was dressed in a blood-red robe, a blood-red mask, and a blood-red cloak. There was cruelty in his eyes, and he slaughtered his way into the crowd where Su Ming was along with the sword-wielding cultivator.
There were not many cultivators beside Su Ming to begin with, and soon, there were only about a dozen of them left. Despair could be found on their faces, and as they moved, they realized that they no longer had any room to retreat.
"Heh heh, I killed nearly one hundred people, so I'll be able to obtain even more achievements. My sword-wielding friend, this time, you won't be able to win against me." The blood drenched person's wild laughter echoed in space, and with a singel move, he rushed into the crowd.
Su Ming's expression was cold. He retreated, not immediately attacking. Instead, as he circulated his cultivation base in his new body, he began to heal it swiftly, especially the wound on his chest. A large amount of black blood was forced out from it, and in just the span of a few breaths, most of his injuries recovered.
It was during this time that the blood-red figure which was clearly lacking in judgement cast his eyes on Su Ming. As he laughed ferociously, he moved and charged over.
"There's one here who hasn't died after being poisoned by Old Monster Venom! Haha, don't blame me now, old friend; it's not my intention to snatch your achievements."
The blood-red figure moved incredibly quickly and instantly closed in on Su Ming. He flung his arms outwards, and the two cultivators by Su Ming's sides coughed up blood. As their bodies exploded with loud booming sounds, blood splattered everywhere. It looked as if it possessed life, and when the blood-red figure flung his arms, the blood instantly rushed towards Su Ming.
There was a cruel look in the blood-red figure's eyes. He could practically see the middle-aged cultivator before him being pierced by his companions' blood as if it was sharp arrows and lost the last traces of life.
But the instant that blood charged towards him, Su Ming lifted his head, and a fierce and cold glare flashed in his eyes. While the blood-red figure was taken aback, Su Ming vanished. As the blood crashed into nothing, Su Ming appeared behind the blood-red figure. He raised his right hand to seize the other's throat before giving it a fierce squeeze. Booming sounds echoed in space, and the blood-red figure collapsed It turned into countless drops of fresh blood that fled with fear.
Hidden in that blood was the man's Nascent Divinity which was screaming shrilly at that moment.
"This is a powerful warrior hidden among ordinary cultivators!"
But what a pity, the moment his screams echoed in space, Su Ming laughed coldly and swung his right hand casually. Immediately, a rebounding force traveled through the scattered blood with a bang. It caused the blood to lurch once before it turned into fog. Then, it was crushed into nothingness. Even the blood-red figure's Nascent Divinity and soul had been wiped off.
The sword-wielding man's footsteps came to an abrupt halt. His pupils shrank, and without any hesitation, he fell back. His skin crawled, and his heart was filled with shock. To him, a powerful warrior who could destroy Old Monster Blood's body and soul in one hit was at the very least in Lunar Kalpa Realm. This sort of person was not someone he, who was just in the later stage of World Plane Realm, could fight against.
Yet before he could retreat more than a hundred feet away, Su Ming's aloof gaze landed on him. At the instant the man's heart let out a thump, Su Ming had already appeared in front of him. He lifted his right hand and tapped the center of the sword-wielding man's brows, and with a bang, his eyes filled with red. He shuddered, and as if his body was seized by an invisible hand, he was torn to shreds.
'I'm still a little not used to this body.'
Su Ming flung his arm and noticed that it was difficult for his current body to fuse perfectly with his cultivation base, which made him unable to bring out his full power. However, while this might be a problem to other people, Su Ming was not too worried about it.
He was an Abyss Builder, and one of the inborn abilities of the Abyss Builders was Possession. He might not be Possessing someone right now, but the difference from his current situation to Possession was not that great. A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes, and cracking sounds immediately came from his body. As they echoed in space, the structures of his body was instantly adjusted to a state where it would suit Su Ming the best.
All of this, including Su Ming killing the two cultivators, was done in an instant, causing the remaining few Morning Dao Sect cultivators around Su Ming to regard him with shock. Soon though, they wrapped their fists in their palms to bow deeply towards him.
Su Ming swept his gaze past these people.
"Who is the commander for Morning Dao Sect in this battle?" he asked calmly.
"It's Sect Elder Kun Lin of the Sect Elder Chamber and Lord Du Mo Tian from the War Chamber," someone from the few remaining cultivators immediately answered respectfully.
Su Ming nodded, then turned around to cast a glance at the battlefield around him before turning into a long arc that charged into the distance. Wherever he went, all the cultivators from the Immortals' Union whom he met found themselves screaming in pain before their bodies were torn to shreds after Su Ming moved past them.
Even though he caused such bloodshed, Su Ming's existence was insignificant in the gigantic battlefield. In fact, there were few who paid any attention to him. After all, in a battlefield with more than ten million people, one person's existence was incredibly negligible… unless he did something so big that he could shake the sky and earth itself!
Su Ming was not interested in changing the direction of the battlefield. If he truly wanted to change it, he could just kill the elder or the lord, whatever their names were. Then, with his power, he could suppress all the people present and have all the cultivators on Morning Dao Sect's side to fight according to his will.
However, Su Ming was more interested in the giant in the distance and the black-robed person beside him than doing something like taking over the role of a commander in the battlefield.
The main reason he chose this battle was because he wanted to take a look at what exactly made the huge giant and the black robed person so peculiar, and also because… before he stepped into this battle, he had seen Hu Zi!
However, the battlefield was as large as a city. It was not easy to search for someone, but if he was determined to do so, Su Ming believed that he would definitely be able to find him.
As Su Ming moved about in the battlefield killing those from the Immortals' Union, he was gradually able to tell that the battle had yet to escalate to a very bad condition. Although he did not know how long the battle had already lasted, right then, both armies were on equal footing. Clearly, neither had brought all of their cards onto the table.
Yet this situation did not last for long. As Su Ming moved about in the battlefield and continued drawing closer to the Immortals' Union, he kept his gaze fixed on the giant who was gazing at all the people in the battlefield with an aloof gaze, and the negligible black-robed person by his side…
Suddenly, a gigantic, long, yellow banner appeared in the direction of the Immortals' Union's camp. It fluttered in space, and hundreds of banners like it appeared in the Immortals' Union side. As they flitted back and forth, an invisible mighty pressure descended on the battlefield.
A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. He knew that the Immortals' Union was about to do something big!