Chapter 1332: Dao… Is Boundless
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
It was not important to know just how many times Su Ming had experienced changes of heart.
What was important was that with each one, he would go through a metamorphosis, and during those baptisms, his epiphanies gradually reached an abstruse state.
Su Ming did not know that someone during one of the incredibly prosperous aeons in Harmonious Morus Alba had already calculated that if someone reached the peak of the metamorphoses and took one step further, they would be able to reach an even higher Realm. However, that was just a calculation. the person who did it had not been able to reach that Realm, and neither had he gained an epiphany of it.
During that prosperous aeon, Almighties had predicted that the abstruse state was known… as Dao!
In truth, not many of the aeons Harmonious Morus Alba's universe had lived through had flourished and been especially prosperous, but some Almighties had predicted a similar Realm. However, they had not been able to calculate and predict it as clearly. They found it to be as abstruse as the Almighties from the prosperous aeons.
Even Su Ming's aeon had rumors of a marvelous Realm existing after Avacaniya Realm. The name of that Realm… was Boundless Dao!
It was a cultivation Realm, but its main focus lay in the heart.
It was just like Avacaniya Realm. It was a level of cultivation, but it was also an abstruse state of the heart as well as a transformation of a person's state of being. The specific manifestation of the Realm… was in truth divided into two parts.
One of them was when a cultivator only had their cultivation base reach Avacaniya Realm, just like the three Sovereigns of Dawn and the three Lords of Saint Defier. They were the typical examples of cultivators whose cultivation bases had reached Avacaniya Realm.
However, cultivation bases would in the end reach a limit. That was why on the surface, in the eyes of other cultivators, the Lords of Saint Defier and the Sovereigns of Dawn had reached the peak of their levels of cultivation, they themselves knew that they had only obtained the form when they reached Avacaniya Realm. They had not obtained the soul.
This was also why their power was nothing before Su Ming. They might be in Avacaniya Realm, but if they were to divide Avacaniya Realm into initial, middle, later, and great completion stages, the six of them… were only in the initial stage.
And they could only be in the initial stage. In fact, they could only stay in the initial stage for the rest of their lives, unless… they could make the abstruse state in their hearts reach Avacaniya Realm as well. Only by doing so could they reach a breakthrough.
Cang San Nu of the three Sovereigns of Dawn had been powerful because he had Harmonious Morus Alba's wing fragment. Xuan Jiu of the three Lords of Saint Defier was powerful because he was the only one among the six who had reached the borders in regards to the cultivation of the heart. That was why despite still being in the initial stage of Avacaniya Realm, he was clearly stronger than the other people.
The second group had the Antecedental Spirits. Regardless of whether they belonged to Su Ming's aeon or the previous ones, all those who had successfully had their spirits ascend three times could be known as having reached Avacaniya Realm, but that did not mean that they had reached it in terms of their cultivation bases. Instead, by relying on the flaws in their lives being complemented and mended, they could reach Avacaniya Realm by reaching a higher state of being.
Those who had reached Avacaniya Realm in this manner were not strong. Some aspects of them were even weaker compared to those of people who had reached Avacaniya Realm with their cultivation bases. Only when they had their spirits ascend more than six times could they be powerful enough to wipe the floor with powerful warriors in Avacaniya Realm.
However, the people who had their spirits ascend six times were rare and few in between. This was also why Antecedental Spirits were regarded as equals to the Sovereigns of Dawn and the Lords of Saint Defier.
The people who had reached Avacaniya Realm either by relying on their cultivation bases or the ascension of their states would exist as long as the aeon itself, and while it might seem as if they had eternal life, in truth, they could really only live for one aeon.
The prime example of this Realm… was the old man from Heavenly Spirit Tribe.
Eight spirit ascensions had allowed him to become the strongest among all those in the initial stage of Avacaniya Realm. He could sweep through Dark Dawn and Saint Defier and stand at the peak of the universe.
Yet in the end, he was still just in the initial stage of Avacaniya Realm.
If anyone wanted to reach the middle stage of Avacaniya Realm, then the first thing they needed to do… was to not perish in the disaster.
If those who were in the initial stage of Avacaniya Realm obtained a great serendipity and stepped into Harmonious Morus Alba Expanse Cosmos to search for their other selves and fused with them, they could live through many aeons. There were a lot more of the people who did not manage this, and when the disaster fell, they could only laugh sorrowfully at the heavens as they flew away with the wind as ashes.
Only those who could live through the disaster could reach the middle stage of Avacaniya Realm.
It was a foundation. Once it was established, they would need to gain an even deeper understanding towards the Realm of the heart. They would also need to have their cultivation bases reach Avacaniya Realm. It could be said that reaching the middle stage of Avacaniya Realm require the heart and cultivation base in Avacaniya Realm. In fact, this also involved a transformation of a person's state of being. Only then… could the person become a powerful warrior in the middle stage of Avacaniya Realm.
The prime examples of that were the old monsters who would not die during the disaster and who had slept through countless aeons. They were among the few who had reached this Realm.
However… the middle stage of Avacaniya Realm was their limit. To many people, it was already the peak, and they did not know how to step over it. It did not matter whether it was their cultivation bases or their states of being, both had already reached the limit, and the truth was… that there was truly no other stage after that.
The Five-Faced Beast Deity was practically the strongest at that stage.
In fact, for most aeons, when they reached anyone reached that stage, they had already reached the peak of their cultivation… That was until there came a cultivator who would later be known as Arid Triad. He… Possessed Harmonious Morus Alba, and in one go, pushed himself to being the strongest he could possibly be, breaking through that seemingly impassable barrier that had existed for an unknown number of aeons.
He succeeded, and at the moment he succeeded, he rose beyond the middle stage of Avacaniya Realm and reached… the later stage!
Hence, after he succeeded, many of those in the middle stage of Avacaniya Realm started trying to Possess and devour Harmonious Morus Alba, but all of them failed. Gradually, they learned to start from something smaller… such as Possessing the will of a True World.
However, since ancient times, no one had ever succeeded in Possessing a True World's will… until Su Ming!
Only he alone completed that feat. Only he alone won a competition against Su Xuan Yi and Possessed True Morning Dao World's will. At the moment he succeeded, it was as if a door leading to heaven had opened before him.
Su Ming had wondered before why he could succeed, but there seemed to be no answer to that matter. After all, Su Ming knew that if he had not succeeded in his Possession, Su Xuan Yi would have definitely done it.
There was a similarity between him and Su Xuan Yi… They were both Abyss Builders!
Once Su Ming Possessed True Morning Dao World's will and fused with his other self, he came into possession of four Great True World's wills as well as succeeded in multiple spirit ascensions and gained an epiphany regarding the God of Berserkers Transformation. It allowed him to borrow the power of one hundred million Berserker souls to truly reach Avacaniya Realm when he was under the effects of the God of Berserkers Transformation… After that, he stepped into the stage that only Arid Triad had managed to reach since the ancient past.
The later stage of Avacaniya Realm!
That was why Arid Triad had said that he had the right to Possess him, because they were in the same Realm.
This Realm was already the limit of all limits. In fact, Su Ming had once believed that even if he went through all spirit ascensions, completely changed his state of being, and Possessed even more True Worlds, he would only become the strongest in this Realm, because he had already reached the end of his Dao, unless… he successfully Possessed Arid Triad.
The other possibility would be that Arid Triad Possessed Harmonious Morus Alba. No matter what, this matter involved them devouring each other. Perhaps only by doing so could they truly attain great completion in Avacaniya Realm, just like how Harmonious Morus Alba had been one complete butterfly in the past.
This assumption lasted until Su Ming saw the black-robed young man when he cast the Art of Time and returned to the past, until Su Ming noticed Old Man Extermination through the butterfly's wing fragment and the murals in the ruins.
Only at that moment did he come to a realization that even after he attained great completion in Avacaniya Realm, there was still a greater Realm above it.
Perhaps this Realm… was the Boundless Dao people spoke of in legends, the Dao that was predicted by the Almighties during the prosperous aeons.
Su Ming could only stare at that Realm from the distance, unable to even think about touching it, but the moment he was unwilling to give up and chose to attack the black-robed young man to overcome the fear in his heart, he understood a small trace of that Realm…
Spirit.
It was one word, but it was like a seed in Su Ming's heart. It already existed in him, which was something Arid Triad, Harmonious Morus Alba, and even Old Man Extermination did not expect.
There were four complete stages of Avacaniya Realm.
And right then, Su Ming was seated in the flesh tunnel with the pink fog around him. However, an extremely alluring and beautiful naked body that could make all hearts race had wrapped its arms around him.
The enticing figure moved like a snake, twisting and moaning next to Su Ming, as if asking him to embrace it… The woman's cloudy eyes held a temptation that could melt all minds.
The instant the alluring body appeared and straddled Su Ming, panting entered his ears, and a nice, feminine fragrance wafted into his nose… Su Ming might not have opened his eyes, but the poisonous aphrodisiac in his body instantly erupted at full force. His mind instantly descended into a state he could not control, and a wave of desire rushed through his body.
But… Su Ming's level of cultivation, will, cultivation base and his mind still retained a hint of alertness despite his condition. His eyes flew open. An animalistic glare was within them, but a brilliant light shone in their depths.
Su Ming watched Zi Ruo straddle him while not a single piece of clothing covered her body. Her beauty struck him at full force, and even Su Ming struggled against it when a hint of clarity appeared in his eyes.
Her hot body, alluring pants, enticing pink skin, and continuous movement of her hips, subconsciously begging for his attention, would be the most alluring picture if anyone drew it onto a canvas.
There might be a layer of clothes separating them, but Zi Ruo's indescribable lust burned Su Ming's body, making him quiver.
Chapter 1333: You Ming
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"This is a change of heart," Su Ming said softly while closing his eyes. His voice was slightly hoarse, as if there was a ball of invisible fire scorching it.
He did not move and simply allowed Zi Ruo to straddle him. No matter how she begged for his touches, Su Ming did not move. He could lift his hand and push her away with the slight alertness remaining in his mind, but he did not do so.
His clothes were still fully on his person. When he closed his eyes, he chose not to continue meditating, but to direct his gaze into his body and his heart.
He could sense that under the effects of the poisonous aphrodisiac, his body had become incredibly sensitive. He had become completely different from before. His emotions became much more easily affected, and he was no longer calm.
Yet the more this was so, the more Su Ming tried to keep his heart calm. It was just like how he had sat on a cliff when he tried to search for the method to calm his heart while in the ninth summit all those years ago. At that time, he had sat like that for nearly a month.
Back then, Su Ming needed to create his own method to clear his mind and gain an epiphany of what changes of the heart meant, and right then, he was doing the same thing. He still sat in the same manner and still tried to gain an epiphany.
However, the things that had disturbed his state of mind at that time were the winds in the mountain and the confusion in his own heart, and right then… what disturbed him was the poisonous aphrodisiac and Zi Ruo, who was moaning and panting against his side.
Su Ming's mind gradually turned blank. He no longer paid any attention to the things around him and dedicated his full attention to watching his heart and soul. He saw how his mind occasionally looked like a raging tidal wave, and how at other times it looked like flames surging into the sky. Sometimes, it would be as calm as still water too.
As it changed, Su Ming gained an epiphany of his change of heart and his mind went through a metamorphosis while he tried… to gain an understanding of the Dao that he could not put into words but which he had glimpsed before.
Dao had to be refined by the vices of the external world, just like how the heart had to be disturbed by external causes to trigger the changes of the heart. If a person could not control themselves, they would find themselves forever stuck.
If they could get through them, their heart and soul would go through a metamorphosis until the person reached a state where they could no longer be affected by the affairs of the world.
With the hint of alertness in his heart, Su Ming could originally push Zi Ruo away, but he did not. Since there were evils in the world around him and a problem had occurred, then with his personality… he would just let the problem come. He would have it disturb his heart, and during that time, he would refine himself. He would look at the sky while he was in the abyss… and welcome a new life while the flames of lust burned him.
'I will stare at light from the darkness. I do not long for light to come to me… My only desire is to become a black hue that even darkness cannot turn darker!
'I don't like light. In the past, I could not see the light of day and could not see the darkness of night. It was as if the heavens had placed a veil before my eyes. If that's the case, then I don't want to live under the sun. I wish to become… the source of darkness in the universe amid the shadows.
'When I am under the sun, I will chase away the light. When I am in the shadows of night, I will make night fade away, because I am… the only darkness under the heavens, in the galaxy, and in the entire universe!
'This is me… Su Ming!
'My life is one of Possessing others. My life is one that other people cannot hope to replicate. My life… is one that pursues the darkness!
'I can kill countless people. I can destroy all lives in the universe. I can turn day into night, and I can make darkness descend on the earth, but in my heart, there will always be a spot of light left for my family, my friends, and my beloved…'
Su Ming's heart seemed to have found the direction of his metamorphosis as the quiet thoughts echoed in his mind, causing the raging sea to calm, the surging flames to fade, and an unruly ripple to appear in his heart, which was as still as dead water.
'Who was it that said that only light can be magnificent? Who was it that said that only saints can be noble? In the darkness, I can turn the moon into the sun, and I can also turn light into darkness!'
Su Ming's heart had never been as calm as it was right then. He opened his eyes. He no longer kept them closed so that he would not look at the alluring Zi Ruo, because having his eyes shut was a form of running away. Only the weak and those who did not dare to face the temptation would be afraid of having their hearts perturbed and would keep their eyes closed.
'I want to open my eyes and take a look at the world others cannot see. With that determination, I will face this change of heart. I want… to open my eyes and take a look at the evil that caused this disturbance in my heart!'
Su Ming stared at Zi Ruo before him. He watched her curvaceous body clinging to him while she panted and moved her hips, begging for his attention, but his expression remained aloof. It was like the darkness of night. If the now pink-skinned Zi Ruo was light, then it was a fight between light and darkness.
In the fight, Su Ming did not move. His heart did not tremble. Nothing about him moved. He only watched everything before him, and his heart gradually became calmer. The poisonous aphrodisiac in him seemed to be unable to find blood that it could boil and could only wither away. When it lost all of its energy, it assimilated into Su Ming's body.
Su Ming did not consider whether he wanted to engage in activities that only bonded cultivators shared with Zi Ruo. What he cared about was that he would not allow himself to be controlled by the poisonous aphrodisiac, and he would absolutely not allow the little fox to gain the initiative.
The fog around him gradually spread out. It looked like before long, it would completely disappear. Su Ming remained sitting in the tunnel while he watched Zi Ruo before him. His expression was calm, and not a single hint of lust could be seen in it. The red in his eyes had long since faded away, and his breathing had grown calm. As his heart went through the metamorphosis and his emotions calmed down, he transcended a personal barrier.
A pair of unseen eyes saw all of it. Their gaze seemed to have fused with the air and come to exist everywhere. If the owner of the gaze wanted to see something, they could even look into the flesh tunnel. There was no truth that they were unable to witness.
The eyes noticed Su Ming's calm and a presence that even their owner found fierce. That presence was only a feeling that came from Su Ming's conviction towards the darkness.
Old Man Extermination was the owner of that gaze. At that moment, he was meditating on the hidden ancient ship near the gap in space in the fourth universe.
Those eyes belonged to him!
Su Ming lifted his head and cast a calm glance at the air above him. During that instant, for the first time ever, Old Man Extermination's heart trembled, because he felt… as if the had met gazes with Su Ming through space.
At the instant their eyes met, Old Man Extermination shuddered. The hidden ancient ship trembled because of him, and distortions appeared around it. In the end, the ship showed up beside the gap in space in the butterfly's wing.
"Su Ming, what a man. As expected of the strongest of this aeon… and perhaps even the strongest since the history of Harmonious Morus Alba Expanse Cosmos."
Old Man Extermination's body also showed up when the ship distorted.
'Change of heart. This Art began with Tian Xie Zi, and it was written in destiny that he was to be the strongest of this aeon, but due to my interference, Tian Xie Zie's change of heart failed… But I didn't expect that his disciples would succeed one after another, up to this Su Ming…
'His change of heart actually caused something in him to grow, something that brings me fear… This presence, damn it. This presence reminds me of that terrifying Xuan Zang!'
Old Man Extermination's pupils shrank, which was a rare sight to be seen, but he did not avert his gaze. He kept staring into space, his gaze locked on Su Ming who was in the flesh tunnel.
And Su Ming did not lower his head either. He simply looked at the air.
Old Man Extermination was silent for a long while before he spoke again. "As expected… of a person that belongs to a race of the man who joined my bloodline, which I later modified and led!"
After he spoke, a loud bang shot up before him. It shook the sky and earth, and resounded very prominently in the constantly rumbling galaxy. A dark figure showed up at that moment.
It was a black-robed man. His clothes as well as the air he gave off were exactly the same as those of the three black-robed men who had previously been there.
The person had appeared with a loud bang. At the instant he showed up, he wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed to Old Man Extermination.
"He is a descendant of yours. In fact, based on your position among your people, he would even have to address you as his Progenitor… Since he is here, go and meet him. I want… a drop of his blood," Old Man Extermination said faintly.
The black-robed man did not say a single word. He wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed deeply again. When he lifted his head, only the light in his eyes, born from conviction and zealousness that almost resembled foolish loyalty could be seen on his face, which was hidden under a black hood.
He turned around, and another loud bang shot up. The black-robed man disappeared without a trace.
Old Man Extermination gradually closed his eyes. As he did so, the ancient ship he sat upon faded away until not a single hint of it could be found.
It was also during that moment that Su Ming averted his eyes. He lowered his head and looked at Zi Ruo again, but her image was not reflected in his pupils.
"Old Man Extermination, huh? I wonder what stage you belong to in Avacaniya Realm. If you have truly absorbed the presence and power of more than one butterfly before they died, then is the current you… equivalent to a complete Harmonious Morus Alba?" Su Ming wondered faintly, his words echoing in the tunnel.
While he went through his change of heart, there were three black-robed men traveling into Saint Defier's camp. Each of them summoned a large number of clones, and when they charged forward, they gradually took Su Ming's form, and with murderous intent as well as aloofness, they rushed into each Expanse Cosmos to bring forth massacre upon massacre.
Due to them taking Su Ming's appearance, an unimaginable resentment became directed at Su Ming. One day… it might have a terrifying eruption.
The three black-robed men's appearances were identical to that of You Ming. Their faces were hidden by black hoods, making their features impossible to see. However, there were different aspects about them.
One of them was clearly a big and built man. He had a domineering and aggressive air about him. Another one of them appeared rather thin and lean, and his presence constantly changed. The last one… had an arrogant air that could not be chased away no matter what.
Chapter 1334: The Fourth Universe!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Most of the fog in the flesh tunnel gradually dissipated. At that moment, when Su Ming looked over, he found that there was only a little left, and what remained was already so faint that it could be ignored.
The poisonous aphrodisiac in Su Ming's body had completely assimilated with him, and it could no longer do anything either. There was no longer any red in the whites of his eyes, and he looked very alert. In fact, he was even more alert than when he had stepped into the flesh tunnel.
Only Zi Ruo still remained pink. The poisonous aphrodisiac in her body had not diminished, but had grown stronger. It had grown to a point where it was endangering her cultivation base and life. This was because of backlash.
It was so strong that she could not disperse it even though she had already reached Avacaniya Realm. After all, it was a poison that had gathered together the power of all Heavenly Foxes and the Curse cast by the three Lords of Saint Defier. Due to Arid Triad sealing the tunnel, it had also been strengthened greatly.
Su Ming stared at Zi Ruo and lifted his right hand to tap the center of her brow. She shuddered, and numerous pink threads appeared on her skin. They rose from her skin like veins before they surged toward the spot between her eyebrows.
If someone looked over, they would find that Zi Ruo's body looked as if she had been covered by a pink net. Several breaths later, all of the pink threads came to her brow. The spot where Su Ming's finger touched had become a pink dot.
Su Ming lifted his index finger from her forehead, and a pink thread followed after. Once he extracted it from Zi Ruo's brow, it turned into fog that disappeared from his finger.
Only at that moment did Zi Ruo return to normal, but her face was incredibly pale, and she was quivering. She wanted to open her eyes, but felt a heaviness that made it feel like even raising her eyelids was too hard of a task. Her body fell limp and she collapsed on Su Ming.
He swung his right hand in her direction. Immediately, Zi Ruo was dressed in one of Su Ming's robes, and after a moment of hesitation, he lifted his right hand to press it against her forehead. With a light pat, a gentle force surged into her body, nourishing her.
With the gentle power from Su Ming, Zi Ruo regained her consciousness around a dozen breaths later instead of having to use her own cultivation base for it. Once finished, Su Ming let go of the hand holding Zi Ruo and took a step into the depths of the flesh tunnel.
He was so fast that he instantly disappeared without a trace.
Zi Ruo drifted about in the flesh tunnel. A gentle light spread out around her and enveloped her. A dozen breaths later, her eyelashes quivered, and she slowly opened her eyes. She looked dazed for a moment, but soon, vigilance entered her gaze. She swiftly got up and looked around herself.
The area around her was empty. Besides the walls on the flesh tunnel, there was nothing else around her. When she saw this, Zi Ruo also noticed that there was a gentle layer of light around her. Once she woke up, it slowly dimmed before it vanished.
At the same time, Zi Ruo also saw that her clothes had turned into male garments… She was momentarily stunned before a red flush appeared on her cheeks. She could only remember things up to the moment her consciousness faded away due to the poisonous aphrodisiac, but in the muddled recollections from what happened after, she could vaguely recall tearing off her clothes, and she seemed to have even wrapped her arms around someone.
In silence, she found that Su Ming was nowhere around. Complicated emotions flashed through her face, but when she lowered her head to check her body, they all turned into disappointment.
She did not know what had happened when she lost her consciousness, but based on what had happened before she woke up, she could somewhat guess what had transpired. She sighed softly, then lowered her head to cast a glance at the depths of the flesh tunnel. She could sense that Su Ming had not left, but was down below, heading towards his destination.
With another light sigh, Zi Ruo bit her bottom lip. She did not continue down the tunnel in search of Su Ming. Instead, she turned around and transformed into a long arc to head upwards, towards the entrance of the flesh tunnel. She felt slightly ashamed, so the only thing she could do was leave.
Su Ming could sense Zi Ruo's arousal, but he did not turn his head back. His heart was as calm as water. In the form of a long arc, he charged down the flesh tunnel, and just like what had happened in Yin Death Region, as he continued charging downwards, he saw the end of the flesh tunnel.
It was, as expected, a Rune.
It was in the form of an octagon. When Su Ming descended, he lowered his head to observe it before he lifted his right foot to step on it lightly. The Rune shuddered, and countless rays of powerful light surrounded Su Ming. Once they concealed his figure, the Rune was activated, and after a moment, Su Ming disappeared as the Rune rumbled.
When he reappeared, he was welcomed by a loud rumbling. The noise seemed to have been around for years, and it formed countless echoes, causing a person to have the misconception that the entire space was roaring when they arrived for the first time.
A brilliant light shone in Su Ming's eyes. He looked around himself and saw a vast galaxy, but it… gave off an incredibly unfamiliar presence to him!
No collisions could be seen in that vast galaxy, but the rumbling did not sound like it would ever weaken.
It was a universe filled with sound, which was something Su Ming had never encountered before. He could also sense how big that universe was. It was clearly a complete Expanse Cosmos that had never been divided.
Su Ming averted his gaze from the area. If he did not have sufficient power, he would have to be careful in this unfamiliar universe, but to the current Su Ming, he had no need to act as such. What he needed was to use his quickest speed to understand that universe. That was why… he had his will swiftly spread through the area.
His will was so strong that it instantly sounded as if thunder had begun roaring, and with him as the center, those thunderous sounds swept outwards. Wherever they went, all life was shocked and intimidated by Su Ming's powerful will.
There was a coffin stuck on a shattered continent in the fourth universe. It was so large that it went through the whole continent, and a small portion of it even shot out at the bottom.
From the distance, the coffin looked incredibly terrifying. The moment Su Ming's will came charging forth with a howl, a growl came from within the coffin. A bang shot into space, and a huge arm broke through the coffin's lid and stretched out. That arm was pitch black, its nails were red, and it had not just five fingers, but six!
There was also a corpse floating in the space in the fourth universe. It was shrivelled and looked as if it had died many years ago, but the instant Su Ming's will swept past it, the corpse's empty eyes suddenly lit up with dark ling. The corpse then slowly sat up.
"Flesh… blood…" A hoarse and unpleasant voice came from its mouth. It gnashed its teeth, and an indescribable presence erupted from its body.
In a spot incredibly far away from the corpse was a planet. It was covered in grass and looked like a cultivation planet overflowing with life. It had multiple cities, and there were countless mortals and cultivators who had lived and grown in numbers for a long, long time there.
There was a mountain on that planet. It was very ordinary, and there was nothing strange about it. At the mountainside was a herd of cows and goats as well as a boy in a shirt. He held a small stick in his hand and was leaning against a huge stone. He stared at the blue sky and white clouds above him while humming a happy tune.
But the instant Su Ming's will swept over the area, the boy jolted, and he instantly lifted his head to stare at the sky. When he did so, an incredibly strange thing happened—all the cultivators, mortals, and other life forms froze and did not move. Their bodies even showed signs of distorting and disintegrating.
It was only when the boy narrowed his eyes and lowered his head after a long time had passed that all the lives on the cultivation planet returned to normal.
"Whose will is this? Could it be that one of the powerful warriors from the past aeons have awakened in the sacred wood?"
There was a huge log floating in a galaxy. The log was so big that it was equivalent to one of the small Expanse Cosmoses in Dark Dawn and Saint Defier's camps.
On the sacred wood were countless densely packed caves. At that moment, when Su Ming's will swept through the universe, low roars shook the sky from inside the sacred wood.
A rebound also spread out, knocking away Su Ming's will. It prevented him from seeing the structure of the sacred wood.
In another direction of the universe was a huge gap, and a vast expanse of emptiness could be seen through it…
Su Ming's eyes focused several breaths after he had spread his will outwards.
'There… is no will here!'
Su Ming did not sense any will in the Expanse Cosmos. Harmonious Morus Alba's will was not present there, and neither was Arid Triad. It was as if this was a territory both of the two great wills had lost.
In fact, the faint thoughts that formed an Expanse Cosmos' consciousness were also absent. This meant that there were not many lives in this place, which was why it could not utilize a race's beliefs and thoughts to form the Expanse Cosmos' consciousness.
'This is indeed… the fourth wing's universe!'
Su Ming stayed silent. He did not bother about the nonstop rumbling around him, because the powerful warriors in this Expanse Cosmos had appeared in his mind's eye, and the image of the sacred wood he could not investigate with his will had also showed up. Most importantly… Su Ming saw the gap leading to the universe beyond!
He was in a different Expanse Cosmos!
In silence, Su Ming slowly lifted his head, and with a relaxed expression, he stared into the distant space.
"Since you have arrived a long time ago, why bother continuing to observe me?"
Once Su Ming spoke, the space his gaze was fixed upon let out a loud bang that drowned out all other sounds in the area. Then, a black-robed man showed up.
Naturally… he was You Ming!
Chapter 1335: Progenitor of Abyss Builders
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
You Ming was dressed in black robes that had the pattern of falling leaves embroidered on them. The robe covered his body and went down to his feet, making it impossible to see his figure. Any observers could only see a wide, long black robe.
Su Ming could not see the face hidden under the hood, but he could see the bright eyes shining from within it as well as the hint of aloofness within them.
The black-robed man exuded an incredibly great ancient feeling. He felt like the symbol of time passing, but at the same time, Su Ming also had a false feeling that time seemed to distort while around the man!
The black-robed man was distorting time and exuding an ancient air as if he was not a person, but an ancient mirror that was reflecting the changes of the universe across time.
Su Ming stared at the black-robed man, and the black-robed man lifted his head look back at him. The two of them met each other's gazes as the world rumbled around them.
"Your clothes made me think of a few people." A slight smile appeared on Su Ming's face when he spoke faintly.
The moment he opened his mouth, something flashed in the black-robed man's eyes, and a fierce light shone in them. He took a swift step forward, and at the instant his foot landed, a loud roar shook the entire universe. It was much louder than all the other sounds around, a tidal wave that was louder than thunder.
It turned into the strongest noise in the entire galaxy. When it echoed, it distorted space, seeming to want to submerge Su Ming in it and bind him inside itself.
At the same time, the black-robed man lifted his right hand and pushed forward in an entirely casual manner. That push might have seemed gentle, but at the moment it was delivered, cracking sounds rang out in space, and nine huge cracks tore through the galaxy. They were like nine dragons, and the rumbles were their roars. With a speed that the naked eye could not see, they charged at Su Ming, who was bound by the distortions.
A loud bang shot up. The instant it echoed in space, it fused with the endless booms in the area, creating an even louder noise. When it resounded in every direction, more distortions spread to Su Ming. It was as if… as long as he was in that galaxy filled with sound, the black-robed man, who was born from the sounds, would stand invincible.
Amid the loud noise, the nine dragons crashed into Su Ming, making the area around him contort. They forcefully tore the galaxy open to reach their target.
Su Ming watched the black-robed man through the distorted space, and as he stared at the ancient presence as well as the air of time about him, he sighed softly. He already knew who he was. He was just like the four people from the fifth ocean he had seen in Divine Essence Star Ocean, what Su Ming had chosen not to be in the fake Fifth True World—the fifth apostle.
"You are… the Apostle of Happiness!" Su Ming, who looked as if he had been torn apart when space contorted, said slowly, and brilliant light shone in the black-robed man's eyes. He brought his right hand up and pointed at the heavens before bringing his hand down to push at space. At the same time… he spoke for the first time.
"Time reversal!"
When he said those two words, a layer of golden ripples came from the black-robed man's right hand. They swept out and instantly affected the area around Su Ming. The power of the Art of Time descended to change the laws of time to make it flow backwards and return to ancient past.
Space transformed, and layers of the galaxy tumbled back, causing the booming sounds to become even louder. The effects even spread to Su Ming, who was within the area.
"Happiness, anger, grief, resentment. Among the four of them, I should have long since guessed… that you are an Abyss Builder."
Su Ming sighed softly. He did not cast any divine ability, but the third eye at the center of his brow opened, and a brilliant light shone within it. Su Ming's body, which seemed to have shattered, fragmented even further like a broken mirror, but what fragmented… was a mirror that seemed to have been placed in the galaxy.
At the same time, the contortions around him vanished. Even the booming sounds went silent at that moment. The area affected by the black-robed man's golden ripples vanished without a trace when the third eye at the center of Su Ming's brow flashed, as if it was devoured by darkness.
The galaxy returned to normal. It was still the same galaxy as before, and the two of them were staring into each other's eyes once more. They were the only ones around, and it seemed as if their attacks several breaths ago were just a dream.
"To be in possession of the Art of Time and to be able to become one of the four great Apostles of Happiness, Anger, Grief, and Resentment… Since you are an Abyss Builder, then with your status, besides the Progenitor of the Abyss Builders, who was foolishly loyal to Dark Dawn's camp, I can think of no one else.
"But by the looks of it now, you were not loyal to Dark Dawn… but Old Man Extermination." Su Ming shook his head. He felt a variety of emotions in his heart, but there was also a hint of relief among them.
Because at that moment, he had learned something. Be it Tian Xie Zi or Lie Shan Xiu… both of them had not died. They were the four great Apostles of Happiness, Anger, Grief, and Resentment. If the Apostle of Happiness was still around, then the other three apostles were naturally around as well.
"I, too, am very glad that I could meet with a descendant of the Abyss Builders," the black-robed man said in a hoarse voice. It echoed in the area, and he did not intentionally suppress the rumbles around him. He simply let his voice echo amid the loud bangs in the galaxy, and they naturally and steadily fell into Su Ming's ears.
The black-robed man was… clearly a cultivator who had reached the middle stage of Avacaniya Realm, and whose level of cultivation surpassed those from Dark Dawn and Saint Defier. He was even slightly stronger than the old man from Heavenly Spirit Tribe!
And Su Ming did not sense Harmonious Morus Alba's presence on him. He… had not fused with his other self from Harmonious Morus Alba Expanse Cosmos.
They were in the fourth universe. It was a completely different Expanse Cosmos to its relative Expanse Cosmos—Dark Dawn and Saint Defier. There were… not many people in it either, which was why the cultivators from Dark Dawn and Saint Defier could not find their others selves here.
After all, the gap leading to the Vast Expanse existed in that Expanse Cosmos… and the powerful warriors who had lived through the various aeons also lived there. Most of them were asleep, but there were some who had already awaken.
It might only be able to happen in the fourth universe.
Perhaps it was because of those reasons that the Expanse Cosmos… gained various differences distinguishing it from Harmonious Morus Alba's third wing—Dark Dawn and Saint Defier. In time… it then turned to be truly different from its relative Expanse Cosmos.
When the black-robed man spoke, he lifted his right hand and pulled back the black hood from his head to reveal an old face covered in wrinkles. He had a head full of white hair. His sunken eyes shone with an eye-catching light when he looked at Su Ming.
His face was somewhat similar to Su Xuan Yi's, and his domineering air was revealed without any restraint at that moment.
He was You Ming, the Progenitor of Abyss Builders, the strongest person in Arid Triad's Fifth True World!
Su Ming was an Abyss Builder, but if he were to compare the purity of his blood, he could not compare to Su Xuan Yi, much less the Progenitor of Abyss Builders standing before him right then, who was already a ruler of a region when he was in the third era of their aeon.
Su Ming was silent for a moment before he asked slowly, "Must we continue with this fight?"
"There were originally not supposed to be any Abyss Builders. There was just Great Abyss Tribe. Only when our benefactor appeared and used his blood as a guide did Great Abyss Tribe slowly turn into the Abyss Builders.
"I will never be able to repay his kindness, and I once swore that all Abyss Builders will worship our benefactor for all their lives. They must be his slaves until the universe shatters.
"You are an Abyss Builder, so you must obey this as well. If you don't obey… your blood will deliver a backlash on you, because this is the destiny of Abyss Builders since an eternity ago!" the Progenitor of Abyss Builders said slowly, and a fierce light shone in his eyes.
Su Ming stayed silent for a moment before he sighed softly and said, "That is your destiny, not mine. Since you insist on fighting me, then I will respect you, as you are the Progenitor of Abyss Builders. I will not use my will to suppress you. We will both cast the Art of Time, and let us see who among us will be the first to fall."
Men couldn't forget their roots. Su Ming's attitude towards the Progenitor of Abyss Builders was different from his attitude towards Su Xuan Yi. He respected this person a lot, and this respect was not related to Old Man Extermination. It was solely limited to the Progenitor of Abyss Builders for his acts of supporting the Abyss Builders in the Fifth True World while he was there so that the Abyss Builders could rise to power. Su Ming could also never forget what Su Xuan Yi's wife—the woman in the fifth kiln—had told him.
When Su Ming was born… his name was given to him by the Progenitor, and he believed it to be true.
The Progenitor of all Abyss Builders… If he could choose not to fight against such a person, Su Ming would not fight against him, but if he had to fight him, Su Ming would give him the respect he deserved, which was why… he chose to use one of the Abyss Builders' inborn abilities—the Art of Time.
"Very well."
The Progenitor of Abyss Builders cast Su Ming a deep glance. After speaking, he sat down cross-legged in space, and his eyes fell shut. The power of the Art of Time instantly erupted from his body. It came off in waves of gold which soon became the brightest light in the galaxy.
In silence, Su Ming also sat down cross-legged. His eyes fell shut, and gradually, his body started to fade away. Darkness appeared around him, and it looked like he was about to fuse with darkness of the galaxy, but his darkness did not fit with the other… because the galaxy's darkness was not worthy of dyeing Su Ming's darkness black.
If there was anyone going to dye anything black, then it would be Su Ming dyeing the entire universe black.
"We will start now."
The Progenitor of Abyss Builders opened his eyes before speaking, then closed them again. A thick wave of power belonging to the Art of Time immediately turned into a piercing light about him. It instantly swept through the area like the white of the sky. It swiftly illuminated the galaxy within it, as if no darkness could exist before it.
The reversal of time… was activated at that instant.
Chapter 1336: The Autumn Breeze Blows
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The fight using the Art of Time was a competition about who would last till the end and who would not end up being reduced to a skeleton in the passage of time. In this aspect, the Progenitor of Abyss Builders had the upper hand, because he had lived for a long, long time, and he could make tens of thousands of years reverse at once.
Su Ming might not be able to do that, but he did not cast the Art of Time at all. He only sat there quietly and stared at the galaxy. He watched the universe and simply allowed the Progenitor of Abyss Builders cast his Art.
He was like a tree. When wind blew against him, perhaps he would sway along with it, but in the end, it was just wind, and the tree would still be a tree. It would only sway for a moment, not for an eternity.
Once the autumn breeze blew through and the rosy rays of dawn arrive, the tree would still be standing. If one saw that it was moving, then it was moving. If one saw that it was not moving, then it was not moving.
There was once a person who said that the person's heart would determine whether the tree they saw was moving or not. He said it because the main focus of the phrase landed on the person who looked at the tree itself, but to Su Ming, the thing that moved was his own heart… because he did not care about the heart of the person who watched the tree. His only concern was himself.
If his heart was not swayed, then all manner of lives in the world would not move, and if all things did not move, then the universe would not move… and then, all wills would not be swayed or transformed.
The person who watched the tree left with a smile, thinking that they had gained an epiphany, but the moment they turned around, that epiphany actually belonged to the tree. What came after karma? It was not truths and falsehoods, neither was it illusions and reality. Instead, it was this…
"When you learn who you are, you… are no longer you. When you no longer know who you are, you… will be you!"
If a person was not swayed, they would not understand, and it was precisely because they did not understand… that they would not need to understand. They would, instead, come to understand a certain state. It was just like the logic with the changes of the heart. Once they ended, Su Ming would always come to understand something he could not put into words.
'When you look at the tree, the tree is also looking at you… When you are trying to understand Dao, Dao… is also trying to understand you. When you are you, you are not you. Only when you are not you, will you be you.'
A hint of a smile appeared on Su Ming's face. It was very faint and barely discernible, just like the smiles that would appear when one thought they had come to see through the truth behind something.
Su Ming was in a battle of Arts without any use of intense divine abilities. The powerful light from the Progenitor of Abyss Builders surpassed everything.
If someone looked over, they would feel as if it suppressed the darkness that Su Ming represented, but after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the Progenitor of Abyss Builders opened his eyes, and a hint of exhaustion appeared in his gaze. There was also a hint of praise there, but it soon disappeared.
When he opened his eyes, the Progenitor of Abyss Builders spoke hoarsely. "I need a drop of your blood."
Su Ming stood up. He did not say anything, but instead walked slowly forward. He moved past the spot where the Progenitor of Abyss Builders sat, then walked into the distance. He… did not reply.
When Su Ming left into the distance, blood trickled out of the corners of the Progenitor's mouth. It fell on his robes and looked like it was about to seep into the past.
He lost.
His Art of Time was so strong that it could instantly cause tens of thousands of years to move in reverse, but when he used it on Su Ming, he still lost. Even if Su Ming had never cast the Art of Time, the Progenitor still lost, fully and completely.
It was as if he had become the wind, or the person staring at the tree.
He had lost psychologically, but it was a loss that brought a smile appear to his face. It looked like for the first time ever, he did not care about Old Man Extermination's task. He was smiling from the bottom of his heart.
Old Man Extermination was his benefactor. He wanted to repay his kindness, and the Abyss Builders had to repay his kindness, but he… was still the Progenitor of Abyss Builders. There were plenty of times when his status was ignored, but in his heart, it… was his greatest pride.
"You are the first to understand the true essence of the Abyss Builders' inborn ability to control time," the Progenitor of Abyss Builders said softly.
After a long while, he stood up. He did not turn his head around either before choosing to walk into the distance. He smiled while doing so.
His clothes were the first to be reduced to ashes. It was followed by his legs, then his upper body, and when his head as well as his soul were reduced to ashes, he passed away while walking into the distance.
All traces of his existence disappeared from that moment, and he died… due his own Art of Time!
It was very profound. Perhaps there were few who understood it, but it was a matter with divine abilities. It… was how Dao was.
When the Progenitor of Abyss Builders' body disappeared, Old Man Extermination sighed softly while meditating on the hidden ancient ship beside the gap in space within the fourth Expanse Cosmos.
"I still underestimated him…" he murmured to himself. "The ability to control time is only born during the last aeon. That is what I have seen in the worlds of the four Harmonious Morus Albas I lived through. There has never been an exception, and it is the same for this Harmonious Morus Alba.
"It is just like how a person likes to remember the past when they are old. The Art of Time appeared because Harmonious Morus Alba no longer has a future and can only exist in the past. Hence, in actuality, its users are people created by Harmonious Morus Alba due to its natural instinct before it is destroyed.
"I have gathered together the blood of the races with this talent in the final aeons of the previous three Harmonious Morus Albas before they were destroyed. In this fourth Harmonious Morus Alba, I found Great Abyss Tribe, born on this butterfly, and as I researched countless races, I found the way to perfect fusion. I changed the Great Abyss Tribe and created the Abyss Builders, a race with the inborn ability from the culmination of four Harmonious Morus Albas.
"It is a beautiful race… a breathtaking race that will make others envious.
"Since their talent is too great, I couldn't allow them to continue growing. I had to destroy them, because I only wanted the strongest one among them!
"You Ming was one of them, and Su Xuan Yi was also one of them. As for this Su Ming… he was not someone I paid attention to, but as chance would have it, he has already grown this much!
"He Possessed a True World's will and became the strongest in this aeon, reaching the later stage of Avacaniyan Realm. But even so, I can still control him. He will be just like the lives in the other Harmonious Morus Albas. None of them were able to escape from their destinies.
"They cannot escape from becoming the sacrifice Xuan Zang needs. They are also a secret that has not been told between me and Xuan Zang," Old Man Extermination mumbled, then lifted his head to look into the distant galaxy.
"But he…"
A ferocious expression suddenly appeared on Old Man Extermination's face, causing his face to contort. A presence, which he seemed to be barely able to suppress, almost spread out from his body.
"He has actually managed to figure out the slightest bit of the essence of the Art of Time. This is something I pondered upon for a long time before I was able to figure it out… What gave him the right to gain such an epiphany?!
"There are four levels to the Art of Time. The first level is of the wind blowing against the tree. It can be seen as a simple reversal of time. The second level is of the tree viewer standing beside the tree when the wind blows against it. The person would stare at the tree being moved by the wind, and they would come to understand that the tree would not move when the heart is not swayed!
"The third level is of becoming the tree. Only when you've reached this level would you be able to truly be able to understand what the Art of Time means!
"I've only discovered an inkling of the fourth level, but during the instant just then, I clearly sensed… the signs of the fourth level."
As Old Man Extermination's expression twisted, a fierce glare gradually appeared in his eyes.
"Even if you are the strongest person I've seen in the four Harmonious Morus Albas I��ve lived through… you will still be unable to run from the destiny of becoming a sacrifice!
"You are bound to be a sacrifice, bound to be the stepping stone for me to take the final step to become the same existence as Xuan Zang… The time has not arrived yet. There are still four hundred something years. It will be soon though, very soon…"
The ferocious expression on Old Man Extermination's face gradually faded away. He calmed down and cast a deep glance into the distance before he turned his head back to look at the gap leading to the Vast Expanse. His gaze penetrated space, and no one knew how far he looked into it. Vaguely, he seemed to be able to see a Feng Shui compass that made him tremble rushing over.
On the Feng Shui compass, he saw a young man with black hair and black robes, whose face was aloof and did not hold any expression. The young man had a string of pearls on his right wrist. Some of them shone with a dark light, alternating between flashes of brightness and darkness.
Fear appeared in Old Man Extermination's eyes. His heart trembled. When he averted his gaze, he let out a long and deep sigh before closing his eyes.
…..
Su Ming walked through the galaxy. He seemed to have already grown used to the booming sounds around him. He did not turn his head back, because he knew that the Progenitor of Abyss Builders had found his resting place. He had died in his own Art of Time.
Perhaps this sort of end was a formless release for the Progenitor of Abyss Builders, but only the Progenitor himself would know whether it was the answer he wanted. It was impossible for others to understand his heart after he had lived for tens of thousands of years.
Even Old Man Extermination could not do this.
The Progenitor had silently watched the race he brought up with his own hands be reduced to ruins under his own administrations. An innumerable number of his people had died. No one knew whether their shrill screams echoed in his head when he meditated.
Perhaps they did, because he was the Progenitor of Abyss Builders.
But perhaps they did not, because he was Old Man Extermination's slave.
Su Ming walked quietly. His footsteps while walking through the galaxy were not quick, but every single time he took a step forward, the galaxy would change. He continued moving until he reached a cultivation planet.
When he looked at it, his left eye saw a cultivation planet filled with an abundance of life. There were countless cultivators practicing the ways of cultivation on it, along with numerous mortals living happily by themselves. There were lush green mountains, crystal clear waters, blue skies, oceans filled with life, as well as rising and falling mountain ranges. The cultivation planet was an existence that seemed to be operating under some form of law.
There was a boy staring back at Su Ming from a mountainside.
With his right eye, Su Ming saw a huge meatball exuding a foul stench. There were countless tentacles squirming about it. The mountain ranges on the cultivation planet were bone spikes, the ocean was a swamp on its back, and the rising and falling mountains were its ribs. As for the cultivators and mortals, they were… skeletons who no longer had any life and who had died an unknown number of years ago.
There was a bone spike sticking out diagonally from the center of the meatball's brow. It was like a mountainside, and on it stood a boy staring back at Su Ming.
Chapter 1337: Test!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Sir, what is your intention for coming here?"
The boy grinned in an incredibly exaggerated fashion. The corners of his lips split till they reached his earlobes, revealing a ghastly mouth as well as countless sharp teeth.
When he smiled, the huge meatball beneath him immediately started squirming and letting out a threatening air.
"I have no ill-intentions. I was simply passing by and grew curious about this planet," Su Ming said faintly, and his field of vision returned to normal.
He had seen an ancient air about the boy, which meant he was a cultivator who had fused with his other self an unknown number of aeons ago to obtain the right to not perish during the disaster.
The boy had reached the middle stage of Avacaniya Realm, which was why he could wake up before the time frame, but Su Ming believed that he could only remain awake in this place and not leave the fourth Expanse Cosmos. If he did, he would most likely fall asleep again.
Su Ming had seen several powerful warriors like him when he sent his will sweeping out. The boy before him was just one of them.
The boy sank into a moment of pensive silence before his smile faded away. "If that is the case, you are a guest, since you came from afar. Fellow Daoist, would you be willing to descend on my planet and have a drink of nectar?
"If you come, I can call some good friends of mine over as well. They must surely be interested in your origins."
The boy smiled faintly, and he looked incredibly innocent. He stepped on the ground lightly, and the meatball beneath him immediately jolted. When it began contorting, all that Su Ming could see before his naked eyes was the cultivation planet overflowing with life.
Unless he used his will to sweep through the place, it was impossible for him to see the truth about the place. Clearly, the boy did not want anyone to see the ugliness of the meatball, which was why he spared no pains in using his power to cover it up.
Su Ming cast the boy a look. His expression was calm, and no changes of emotion could be seen on his face. Su Ming did not care whether the boy hid any ill intentions. After all, with Su Ming's current level of cultivation, the number of people who could pose a threat to him in all four of Harmonious Morus Alba's wings could be counted on one hand.
Arid Triad could be counted as one, but for the time being, he could not attack again. As for Harmonious Morus Alba… with Arid Triad keeping it in check, the butterfly's will was incredibly timid.
If there was one who could truly pose a threat, it would be Old Man Extermination.
He had hid himself for a long period of time, never letting himself being seen. Clearly, he did not want to immediately determine who would win and live among them, which meant he was aiming for something big. But once Su Ming assumed this much, he could guess that he was already standing supreme in Harmonious Morus Alba's Expanse Cosmoses.
'Perhaps this advantage will only last for another four hundred years.'
Su Ming sighed in his heart. He knew full well that if the black-robed young man came, then the moment he arrived, true destruction would descend upon them. Harmonious Morus Alba would cease to exist, and Arid Triad would be destroyed. There would be no disaster, and there would no longer be any new lives born.
Even he… would be unable to survive that destruction. The only path remaining for him would be to act like Old Man Extermination. He could only watch his world disappear, his family as well as his friends return to ashes while he… brought with him hatred, madness, and a darkness that could cover even the darkness of night while he left by himself.
This understanding caused Su Ming to remember the scene he had witnessed from the secrets of the universe…
He could never understand why that version of him would slaughter its way into Dark Dawn and Saint Defier after throwing its head back and crying out in grief once he saw the countless corpses, becoming the so-called Devil once he killed most of the lives in the two camps.
'What is the Devil?'
Su Ming had thought of this question before, but even right then, he did not have the answer. His only clue… was that Old Man Extermination was connected to Dark Dawn.
But that was only a clue.
After thinking about it, Su Ming looked at the boy and nodded slowly. He took a step forward and descended on the illusory cultivation planet and stepped into its atmosphere. Then, he arrived at the mountainside, right in front of the boy.
The sky was blue. The mountain wind was gentle, bringing with it a faint, cooling air. It blew against the grass, causing it to sway, while the cows and sheep in the distance ate it demurely. The boy was leaning against a mountain rock. There was a smile on his face, and it appeared naive and innocent, but when Su Ming took a closer look, he could see the aloofness coming through the boy's eyes from the core of his being.
The planet was very big. When Su Ming landed on it, he felt like he could hear the noise from the people on it. He could hear quite a number of cultivators fighting against each other, be it due to verbal arguments or because of disagreements.
He could sense that at that instant, many babies were born, and at the same time, there were also a lot of people who died. Everything worked in perfect tandem to form a cycle.
"This divine ability is quite impressive," Su Ming said faintly after a while.
"Fellow Daoist, I am not worthy of your praise."
The boy smiled faintly. He swung his right hand, and the mountain where he was immediately distorted. When it became clear again, it turned into an existence resembling a volcano. The sunken portion was a platform, and they were surrounded by walls. Above them was the blue sky. It was… a cave abode.
A huge table was placed in the middle. The cows and sheep that were previously around them had turned into boys. In their hands they held some fruits and nectar, which they placed on the table.
Su Ming sat down, and the boy went to sit across from him. When their eyes met, the boy continued to smile. He brought out a jade slip and pushed it against the center of his brow. After a moment, the jade slip started burning at the boy's forehead.
"After a moment, some of my good friends will come. I haven't introduced myself. I've chosen to forget my real name due to the disaster of my aeon. My Daoist monastic name has also changed continuously due to the epiphanies I gained through time. Right now, you may call me… Ban Bu Zi."
While speaking, the boy lifted his wine cup and looked at Su Ming.
Daoist monastic name was not a not used in Su Ming's aeon. Clearly, it was a term used many aeons ago, during the time belonging to the boy.
Su Ming picked up his wine cup and said softly, "Su Ming."
"Fellow Daoist Su, those who have come from afar are my guests. Today, allow me to receive you."
The boy laughed, then picked up his wine cup and finished its contents in one gulp. He held the cup and tilted it, showing that he had finished everything and not a single drop was left.
Su Ming's smile was faint. He lifted his wine cup and drank the wine. Once it entered his stomach, it turned into a hot stream that flowed through his entire body. Then, that heat exploded in all parts of his body to charge to his throat, turning into a spiciness that could not be described with words.
But that spiciness only lasted for one breath before it turned into a sweet taste, causing the breath he exhaled when he opened his mouth to smell sweet.
"How is it?" The boy lifted his head and cast a gaze at Su Ming.
"It's very good."
Su Ming closed his eyes and savored the taste for a while. When he opened his eyes, praise showed up on his face. Even if he did not drink often, he could tell that the wine could be known as nectar.
"I have always only invited those who share my views to drink my wine. Even in Heaven Lacking Expanse Cosmos, there are less than a handful of people who have the right to drink this wine."
There was a smile on the boy's face. He put down his wine cup with some pride, then lifted his head to look at the sky above.
"Boasting again, huh? If it wasn't because you added the blood of that strange creature from the Vast Expanse, how could it possibly be so captivating? Come, prepare a pot for me as well."
Hoarse laughter rang in the air, and a huge face appeared in the sky above. It charged to the ground, but it did not get bigger. Instead, it became smaller, and when it descended, it turned into an old man in a long blue robe. He was tall, and while there might be quite a number of wrinkles on his face, Su Ming could tell that he was definitely a handsome man when he was younger.
At that moment, his body turned into a purple ray of light that appeared beside the boy the next moment. He picked up the wine cup on the table, and once he finished it in one gulp, he let out a long sigh and sat down at the table.
"Fellow Daoist, you must have been the one who sent his divine thought outwards just now."
The moment the old man in purple robes sat down, he looked over.
Su Ming smiled faintly. He did not speak. Instead, he looked at the sky above them. At that moment, a figure appeared in the sky. It was a young man dressed in a long white robe. He had an aloof look on his face, and on his back he carried a huge sword. He exuded an incredibly fierce presence. When he took a step forward, he walked into the cave abode and sat down beside the boy.
Before the boy could introduce him, a ghastly, untamed laughter came from the sky and turned into a wisp of black smoke. As it spun around the area, Su Ming could see a mummy inside it. The mummy had withered and resembled a skeleton.
Dark light shone in its eyes when it walked out of the black smoke. The man only took three steps forward before he appeared in the cave abode. He cast a cold glance at the crowd, then his gaze stopped on Su Ming.
"That Old Wretch Hei entered isolated training in his coffin. I reckon he won't be able to come. We'll all here now. My fellow friends, I invited fellow Daoist Su here today so that we may get to know each other. It can also be considered a serendipity." The boy swept his gaze over the crowd and laughed.
"Fellow Daoist Su Ming, I will first introduce you to these three people. The old man in purple robes is the strongest person from the Martial Ideal Aeon. I've already forgotten his name. Everyone here just calls him Reverend Zi."
When the boy introduced him, the old man in purple nodded at Su Ming. It might have been the first time they met, but the purple-robed old man was incredibly wary of Su Ming. However, there was also a hint of curiosity in him. If that had not been the case, he would not have come.
"As for this fellow Daoist, he was famous in Heaven Lacking Expanse Cosmos and was the strongest in his aeon. Sword Immortal Li Han's sword has been brought out 3,907,891 times, and every single time it was brought out, someone died," the boy said, continuing his introductions.
"It's 3,907,892 times. When I came over, I ran into an idiot, so I drew my sword and killed him," Li Han said faintly. When he looked at Su Ming, a fierce glare appeared in his eyes.
"And this…" The boy cast a glance at the figure who was as thin as a skeleton, but before he could finish speaking, the person cackled strangely and spoke on his own.
"I'm Ku Mu, and I love eating flesh, but there's only two chances for me to devour other people's flesh and blood as I please each aeon. Still, based on my calculations, that day is no longer far away."
When Ku Mu said that, the boy scowled.
Chapter 1338: Ruthless!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
When Ku Mu finished speaking, the boy scowled. Su Ming was his guest, and since he invited him over, he did not intend for things to go sour between them. Instead, he had his own plans. But whatever they were, most of them had the intention of befriending Su Ming.
People at the boy's level of cultivation had few things they cared about, but for some reason, he felt uneasy about the latest aeon. It was as if something bad was about to happen, and as time passed and the disaster came closer, that feeling grew stronger. When he saw Su Ming, he could tell at first glance that Su Ming was not from his Expanse Cosmos, and for some unknown reason, he wanted to befriend him.
The boy could not see through Su Ming's level of cultivation, but he could sense that the newcomer was not weaker than him.
When the boy scowled, the old man in purple beside him narrowed his eyes slightly. He did not speak. As for the young man in white, brilliant light shone in his eyes, but no one could really tell what he was thinking.
Su Ming's gaze landed on Ku Mu's skeletal figure. The people around the table were silent and watchful, but all of them had given silent consent to the test. Only the owner of the place, the boy, seemed to be rather displeased. Judging by the looks of it, he was not pretending either.
Su Ming naturally knew that Ku Mu would not do this out of nowhere. It was clearly a test. In other words, he was trying to gauge Su Ming's level of cultivation.
"Try saying that one more time," Su Ming said flatly.
There was not a hint of anger in his voice, as if he was having a casual conversation with friends. In fact, even the purple-robed old man and the young man in white could not detect any sort of frightening might in his words.
Even the boy, who had intended to speak up, continued scowling when he heard Su Ming's words, but he did not say anything.
A faint glint shone in Ku Mu's eyes at that moment, and he spoke while cackling in his strange manner. "Didn't you hear? I like eating flesh…"
When he spoke, Su Ming suddenly lifted his head and seized the air with his right hand at a speed of lightning.
Since the skeletal man dared to try to gauge his strength, he was naturally confident in his own power, and since he still dared to repeat himself, he had to have made preparations for it. He might not have seemed like he was about to attack, but the instant Su Ming brought up his right hand to seize the air, a chill ran through Ku Mu's entire body. All his divine abilities… seemed to have vanished from his body at that instant.
All of that happened in the blink of an eye, and a shrill scream of pain tumbled out of the skeletal man's lips. His head and his body were instantly separated. Once Su Ming grabbed his head, he squeezed it lightly with a calm expression. A trickle of blood immediately flowed down from the spot where he had separated the body from the head. That blood flowed into the cup in front of Su Ming.
Not a lot of blood fell, and it only filled half a cup, but this scene managed to shock all the people around the table. Neither of them dared to say a word…
'This person… might seem gentle, but his ruthlessness is in complete opposite to his outer appearance!' The purple-robed old man's pupils shrank. Su Ming's actions were ruthless enough to shock him.
Su Ming's attack brought a storm to the purple-robed old man's heart. He realized that even he would have been unable to avoid it!
But more importantly, Ku Mu's reaction was incredibly strange. He had showed no resistance at all, but the purple-robed old man did not believe that he had not wanted to fight back. It was clear that Ku Mu's cultivation base had been suppressed some unknown method.
The brilliant light in the eyes of the young man in white instantly disappeared, replaced by a hint of shock. What he paid attention to was not Ku Mu's power, and neither was it Su Ming's ruthlessness, but Su Ming's lifted hand.
Other people might not care about how quickly he brought it up, but since the young man was a Sword Immortal, his strength lay in his speed. Yet when Su Ming brought his hand up, acting as if nothing had occurred, the young man had seen ninety-seven seals.
'I could only see ninety-seven seals, but during that instant, he had made hundreds of seals. This sort of person…' The young man in white's expression changed swiftly. The wariness in his heart instantly reached its peak.
As the owner of the place, the boy was shocked even more than the others. The cave abode was formed by his original form. The boy everyone saw was fake. His real self… was the huge meatball Su Ming had seen before.
He was a powerful life form that was as strong as the Five-Faced Beast Deity, but he was smarter than it. He hid himself and transformed his body. He did not act arrogantly, did not kill, and lived through the disaster of his aeon while keeping a low profile.
That was why he could clearly see why Ku Mu could not fight back just then. It was because the power of time had gathered on his body. In an instant, countless years had flowed back around him, until he was reduced to the time when he was still a mortal. It had happened extremely quickly, which was why the others did not notice it. Even Ku Mu himself had not understood it.
'This person… is this powerful?!' This was the only thought that rose in the boy's head once his breathing started to quicken.
If that was the shock the onlookers felt, then the headless Ku Mu's shock was even greater. He staggered a few steps backwards before his body shrank. Then, he turned into fog and reassembled himself there. When he manifested his form again, his body had shrunk slightly, but a new head had appeared on top of his neck. Shock and disbelief could be seen on his face.
He watched Su Ming hold his head while his precious origin blood fell into the wine cup.
As everything in the area stayed silent, the head in Su Ming's head became even more withered until it turned into fog. Then, it vanished while Ku Mu's heart twisted in pain.
Su Ming stayed as calm as ever. No anger could be detected on his face. He picked up the pot of wine beside him and poured wine into his cup so that it would fuse with the blood. When the cup was full, he put the pot of wine, picked up the wine cup, and as everyone as everyone stared at him with fear, he drank the blood.
"As expected of a life that loves devouring flesh and blood. When its blood fuses with the wine, the taste becomes even better… It's a pity that there is only one cup. I still haven't had my fill of it."
Su Ming smiled faintly. When he put down his wine cup, he lifted his right hand, then with an indifferent expression, he seized the air in the direction of the corpse again.
As the skeletal man screamed in fear, his body… shuddered. His head was torn off his body for the second time, and it charged to Su Ming. Once Su Ming caught it, he let the blood fall into the cup again. This time, it only filled up three-tenths of it.
'A tyrant!' This was the only word the old man in purple had to describe Su Ming. His domineering attitude made the old man feel apprehensive.
'Ruthless!' This was the most direct word the white-robed young man had for Su Ming. The stranger was a person who would definitely seek revenge for every grievance committed against him while also having a temperamental personality.
The boy hesitated for a moment before he sighed in his heart. Ku Mu's body had turned into fog again, and when it formed once more, his pallor was worse than before. He was even trembling. There was great terror and despair in his eyes.
The boy, thus, had to speak. No matter what, Ku Mu was a friend he had invited to the table.
"Fellow Daoist Su…"
Ku Mu's second head disintegrated in Su Ming's hand, and Su Ming poured wine for himself again. Once he drank it, he savored the taste for a while before shifting his gaze to the boy.
"Since fellow Daoist Ban Bu Zi has spoken, while the taste of the blood wine is good, and I originally intended to take it with me so that my friends and family could enjoy it when I return home… Oh well. Fill up that cup, and I will forgive you for your rudeness today."
Su Ming flicked his fingers, and the wine cup immediately flew before Ku Mu.
Be it the boy, the purple-robed old man, or even the white-robed young man, all three of them were outstanding cultivators in this Expanse Cosmos. However, neither of them would have guessed that Su Ming would think of taking Ku Mu with him so that he could constantly use him to drink blood wine.
It could be said that at that moment, Su Ming was like a murderous fiend who donned a human skin. A malicious air that the four people could not see but could sense spread out from him in incredibly thick waves. It had come from Su Ming's words, actions, and his indifferent expression.
Sometimes, what was seen was not the most terrifying. The malicious air that could not be seen created an even greater cause for wariness. It was the same principle as to how only an evil person could be the cause of other people's terror.
Ku Mu fell silent. His expression contorted, but he could not hide the terror in his eyes. He could sense the threat of death from Su Ming, which was something that he rarely felt. He had not come across it in a very long time. It reminded him of the feeling he had when he saw the powerful while being weak during the time before his aeon was destroyed.
He gritted his teeth and lifted his right hand. With a flick of his wrist, drops of blood immediately fell down. Each drop caused his heart to ache in pain, because they were the essence of his life he had accumulated after devouring a large amount of flesh and blood through the countless disasters of each aeon.
The drops of blood fell into the cup one by one, and the trio witnessing this scene did not dare to open their mouths. When the cup was completely filled, Ku Mu laughed brokenly and took a few steps back before wrapping his fist in his palm to the group.
"Today, I have been rash. I will leave first. My fellow Daoists, I bid farewell to all of you."
Once he finished speaking, he intended to leave, but Su Ming spoke up faintly at that moment. "Did I say you could leave?"
"You!" Madness appeared in Ku Mu's eyes, but it was immediately pushed down.
"You can leave now."
No resentment could be seen on Ku Mu's face, but those who knew him understood that it had definitely grown to an incredibly great degree, and the more he hid his emotions, the stronger they were. They would then grow in him until the day they could erupt.
Ku Mu turned into a long arc that charged out of the cave abode and into the sky. In an instant, he stepped into the galaxy. His expression contorted with ferociousness, and he turned his head around to glare at the planet behind him.
"I, Ku Mu, hereby swear that one day, I will eat all of your family and friends to wash away the humiliation I suffered today!"
Chapter 1340: A Plea for Their Legacy
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"It's just as I expected…" the boy said in anguish.
He looked at the purple-robed old man and the young man in white, but the two of them were silent.
Once a person reached their level of cultivation, had lived for an incredibly long time, and had gained an insight towards life and death, they would more or less no longer be that concerned about living and dying.
What they cared about… was their level of cultivation. Perhaps the end of their lives could no longer be changed, but once they reached their particular level of cultivation, their obsession towards the path of cultivation would have long become their greatest desire.
They were no longer living for the sake of living. The state of being alive was simply the most basic need for them to continue training in the path of cultivation, which was the reason they had fallen silent at that moment.
There were few among those who had lived for so long who would be afraid of dying, but most of them knew that they had not reached the limits of their cultivation. Because of that, they would be unwilling to accept the fact that they did not have enough years to live. This was the main reason why they would not want to die.
"So, we only have a few hundred years left, huh?" The young man in white smiled. There was no anguish in his smile. Instead, a hint of determination appeared in it.
"A few hundred years…"
The purple-robed old man sighed softly. He still had plenty of things he wanted to do, but he had too little time left. To them, a few hundred years was equivalent to a few days for a mortal.
"Since everything is about to be destroyed, then even if I leave behind my phala [1] and all the legacy of my cultivation, I still won't have a chance… to keep it, but I will still try!"
The purple-robed old man also had a determined look. The domineering air spreading out from his body at that moment was incredibly distinct. It was clearly a presence of someone who was fearless in the face of true disaster.
The boy, the purple-robed old man, and the young man in white were incredibly good friends. They had been together for many aeons, and the friendship formed through the course of such a long time allowed them to go through all storms together.
As for the old Ku Mu, it was clear that he had not been on very good terms with the three, or else the event before would have never happened. If the purple-robed old man or the young man in white had been in his place, the boy would surely have stopped them.
This was something Su Ming had deduced based on how everyone had descended, the expressions they had on their faces when they did so, and how they had spoken to each other. It was also why he had attacked so ruthlessly and without hesitation just then. He had wanted to intimidate them.
The three did not show any signs of not trusting what Su Ming said. After all, they had spoken about this beforehand, and they had formed their own speculations. Su Ming's arrival and his power, which so obviously surpassed theirs, could only come from one logical explanation.
Besides, they had lived for many years, and they each had their own judgments. They… would not doubt Su Ming's words.
"This is my second question: I would like to ask… how confident are you in surviving this disaster that will truly destroy everything?"
The boy looked at Su Ming when he spoke. Upon hearing his words, the purple-robed old man and the young man in white looked over at Su Ming as well while waiting for his answer.
Su Ming was silent for a long while before he answered slowly, "About half,"
"Is it five-tenths or…"
When the boy heard his words, he formed an answer in his heart, but even so, he still wanted to verify it, and his voice could no longer remain calm.
"Half of one-tenth," Su Ming answered while looking at the boy.
Once he said that, the trio immediately fell silent. Su Ming did not attempt to hide the truth. He was indeed only half of one-tenth confident that he could live through the disaster.
"What method will you try to attempt living? Are you going to the Vast Expanse?" the boy asked after a moment of thoughtful silence.
"But the universe is boundless, and the fog and lives in it have great strength. It's impossible for us to survive there for long. In just a hundred years, we would surely die," the purple-robed old man said calmly with a sigh in his heart.
His words were true. Even with Su Ming's level of cultivation, it would be impossible for him to survive for long in the Vast Expanse…
Unless he attained great completion in Avacaniya Realm. Once he reached that stage, he would have the right to move in the Vast Expanse, just like the nine Harmonious Morus Albas.
Su Ming sighed softly. He then swept his gaze past the three people and said slowly, "It is one of the choices."
"Fellow Daoist, do you have other alternatives? Do you mind telling us?" the boy said with a grim expression.
"The second alternative is to make my own level of cultivation reach the level of this Harmonious Morus Alba, but even so, I would still only have half of one-tenth of a chance to survive while in the universe beyond, which is much more dangerous than the disaster.
"The third alternative is something I sensed vaguely in this universe when I received an epiphany some time ago. Perhaps countless years later, or perhaps countless years before, or perhaps in a place incredibly far from here, there was another world.
"I once sent the souls of a race called the Mourning-Death Soul into that world, and they brought with them my Curse, but I don't know whether that world truly exists or not. Perhaps all of it was fake… but perhaps, it truly exists.
"I will send the people who are most important to me into that world I cannot be certain exists with my blessing, but this choice… is the last choice.
"Because I cannot be certain whether that world truly exists. Once they enter that place, will they still be them? Will they still have their memories intact? Will we… be able to meet again?" Su Ming said slowly, and there was a melancholic tone the trio could sense in his words.
They fell silent again.
"You've finished asking the three questions, right? If you don't want to talk about Life Extermination Hall, then it's fine… I will take my leave now. If we are fated to meet again, perhaps we will. Fellow Daoist, thank you for your nectar." Su Ming wrapped his fist in his palm towards the trio.
"Fellow Daoist Su!" the boy said.
When Su Ming looked towards him, he wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed deeply towards him. Stern looks appeared on the purple-robed old man and the young man in white's faces, and they wrapped their fists in their palms. They too bowed deeply to Su Ming.
"It's not something I cannot say. The ancient ship is ever at one spot, and that is beside the gap leading to the Vast Expanse, but it will occasionally hide itself. However, I can be certain that it's there.
When the boy lifted his head, determination appeared on his face. He did not hesitate in his speech. "As for Old Man Extermination… He always sits on the ancient ship!"
Su Ming looked at him. It might have been the first time they met, but the feeling the boy gave Su Ming was very unique. He was a powerful warrior who came from an ancient aeon and who possessed great wisdom.
"Thank you." Su Ming nodded.
"I do not deserve your thanks. I would like to ask you to promise me something as well, fellow Daoist Su…"
There was resolve in the boy's determination. When he spoke, he looked at Su Ming with expectation in his eyes.
"My Dao is different from other people's. Among the cultivators over the countless aeons in this universe, my Dao… is one of a kind! My Dao is born from my epiphany. In it, the world, the universe, this Harmonious Morus Alba, and all lives contain two forms. When all people close their eyes, everything is reduced to nothingness. They are pellets no one can see.
"When everyone open their eyes, the pellets instantly gather together and turn into this world.
"This is my Dao, and it is also the origin of my Daoist monastic name. My only wish is that the legacy of my Dao will not end with me. Fellow Daoist Su, please agree… to send my Dao into that world that may or may not exist. Let it have hope in that place!"
The boy's expression was grim. When he spoke, he bowed deeply to Su Ming again.
"It's the same for me. Fellow Daoist Su, please fulfill my request. Please send my legacy, which is the accumulation of all my epiphanies and my cultivation into the world that may or may not exist!"
The purple-robed old man swung his arm, and he too wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed deeply to Su Ming.
"Since the two of them have already decided to do this, then I also do not wish to have lived in vain. If that world truly exists, I wish the will of my sword will have a legacy as well. If it doesn't exist… then it's fine that everything that I have done will return to dust."
The young man in white smiled, but a resolute glint appeared in his eyes. He wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed to Su Ming.
"Have you thought about this properly?"
Su Ming looked at the people who had wrapped their fists in their palms towards him, then sighed in his heart. The trio did not care about their lives, but they could not afford to not care about the legacy of their cultivation. It was why before the destruction, they wanted to fight for their survival.
"There's no need to think!" The boy lifted his head and stared at Su Ming.
Su Ming was silent for a while before he made his decision. The three had gained his respect. "Alright. I don't know how long I'll be in this Expanse Cosmos. The shortest will be several months, but perhaps I will stay longer… Three months later, I will come to this place again, and I will execute my divine ability to send your legacy items into that world,"
"If there are others…" The boy hesitated for a moment.
"As long as they are as determined as you are, then even if I have to spend some of my cultivation base, I will help all of you, but I cannot guarantee whether that world exists once I send your legacies over, and I cannot guarantee whether your legacies will change if that world truly exists."
Su Ming looked at the boy while speaking, then nodded at the other two as well. Once he wrapped his fist in his palm towards them, he turned around and walked towards the sealed entrance of the cave abode above him. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared.
When Su Ming left, only the boy and his two friends were left. They were silent for a moment before the purple-robed old man let loose a long sigh. More wrinkles appeared on his face.
"I have to go back and prepare the Brand of my legacy. I will take my leave now. A few hundred years…"
The purple-robed old man shook his head, then once he wrapped his fist in his palm, he stepped out of the entrance.
The young man in white did not say anything. He only nodded to the boy and left as well.
When the boy was the only one left in the cave abode, he slowly sat down beside the table, picked up his wine cup, and drank. The determination on his face grew stronger.
'Only hundreds of years, huh? If I could personally witness the destruction, then even if I died… I would not have lived my life in vain! But the only difference between me and the others is my legacy… It contains my epiphany and also the legacy of my life.
'I wonder… how the children who have my legacy will look like when they are sent to that world that may or may not exist. I wonder if they will remember that an ancestor of theirs existed here?'
The boy drank all of his wine in one gulp while full of anguish. The wine was spicy, but the sweetness at the end was like time and the vicissitudes of life…