Chapter 1467 - 1388 - 1394

Chapter 1388: Life Sage's Chance

While meditating in the Rune with the five-colored pearl in Seven Moons Sect, Su Ming opened his eyes slightly. He sensed the fluctuations of aura from the pearl.

The aura belonged to that woman. Once a few breaths passed, Lan Lan's face gradually appeared on the surface of the pearl.

"Don't worry, my Master… wants to see you."As Lan Lan spoke, a drop of liquid showed up on the huge pearl. It slowly drifted to Su Ming.

Su Ming's expression remained the same. He mulled over it for a while, then swiftly brought up his right hand to tap the liquid. Immediately, the liquid covered his right hand, and in the blink of an eye, his whole body. It turned into a suction force that pulled him into the pearl.

At the same time, Lan Lan's face disappeared.

Su Ming manifested in the air above the thirteen lands in the world inside the pearl. When he swept his gaze across the area, he narrowed his eyes in a barely noticeable manner, then looked at the third continent under him.

His gaze shot through clouds and fog, and he saw a middle-aged man dressed in a simple, unsophisticated sky-blue Daoist Robe standing at the tallest mountain on the third land. Lan Lan stood right beside him.

The moment Su Ming saw the man clearly, his pupils shrank in an unnoticeable manner. The feeling that person gave him was incredibly shocking. When he stood there, the entire world seemed to have to lower its head. That person's appearance seemed to be able to make the sky instantly darken, for only he could stand above the heavens.

Even when he stood on flatland, he could still make the flatland stand above all mountains!

When Su Ming's gaze landed on the middle-aged man in the distance, the middle-aged man in the simple sky-blue Daoist Robe also cast his gaze on Su Ming.

At the instant he saw Su Ming clearly, a sparkle appeared in his eyes, and his lips curled up into a profound smile.

"Come." When he spoke faintly, his voice spread through the air and reached Su Ming's ears. A vortex appeared in front of Su Ming. Within the vortex was the mountain with the middle-aged man.

Su Ming was quiet for a moment, then he stepped into the vortex. When he reappeared, he was already standing at the top of the mountain, right in front of the middle-aged man.

"A Life of being able to bring prosperity and decline with a single thought. Interesting. Very interesting…"

The middle-aged man scrutinized Su Ming. When a smile appeared on his face, it seemed to contain some sort of epiphany. He shook his head, and a blue plate instantly charged towards Su Ming.

"Fine then, I will take in one more disciple…"

When the middle-aged man spoke, his expression suddenly changed. He looked at the sky, and blood capillaries immediately appeared in his eyes.

Hesitation showed up on his face, but it instantly turned into determination.

"I will take you in as my successor disciple. In regards to your practice… Lan Lan, you are fully in charge of it. Wang Tao… is not your junior brother, but your senior brother. I will allow you to use all the rules in the sect to make your Senior Brother Wang Tao become the strongest of my line!"

The middle-aged man in the simple sky-blue Daoist robe did not speak slowly. Instead, his words tumbled out of his lips one after another. When Lan Lan heard him, her eyes went wide, and surprise showed up in them.

She originally thought that her Master would take Su Ming in as a disciple in name, so she was shocked when she heard that he would take him in as a successor disciple, and Su Ming was even… her senior brother in her Master's line. This did not fit with Lan Lan's judgment, but it allowed her to understand that her Master valued Wang Tao even more than she had expected.

"Go! Fa Wang, send them away immediately!"

The expression of the middle-aged man in the simple, sky-blue Daoist robe changed again. When he spoke, his voice was low, and he lifted his right hand to swing his arm. Immediately, a violent gust of wind roared, and a giant covered head to toe in fur appeared behind the mountain. He jumped up, grabbed Su Ming and Lan Lan, and charged into the sky.

At the moment the fur-covered giant stepped into the sky, he shot through the air and disappeared. Before that though, a glint shone in Su Ming's eyes. When he lowered his head to look, he saw blood trickle out of the corners of the middle-aged man's mouth.

When Su Ming was brought out of the world by the fur-covered giant, the middle-aged man dressed in the sky-blue Daoist robe on the mountain suddenly coughed up blood.

His body instantly became older. Signs of withering also showed up on him, causing him to take a few consecutive steps backwards. When he lifted his head, a ferocious look appeared on his face, and he threw his head back and laughed.

"The Life of a person who seizes the kismet of the world and who stands above all existences. He is the Third Prince of Ancient Zang, but also… not! No matter what, he has a noble fate, and it is not to be spoken. If I become his Master, then I will have hope to become a Great Dao Paragon. In fact… it will no longer be a dream to become a Dao Divinity!

"But… his kismet is so strong that even with my level of cultivation, I can't withstand the backlash from his life matrix for becoming his Master…"

He had already become an old man. When he laughed at the sky, he coughed up blood again, then moved back once more. His face turned incredibly pale, and he looked as if his life was about to end.

"To bring about prosperity and decline with one thought. Perhaps Seven Moons Sect… is about to flourish soon! My eleven fellow Daoists, you don't need to sleep anymore. Wake up…" The man, now an elderly, brought his right hand up at that moment, then pushed down swiftly at the mountain under his feet.

With it, the mountain immediately rumbled. Even the entire land began to shake violently. It affected the oceans as well as the other lands in the area, making all of them tremble, except the thirteenth land at the borders of the world.

When the eleven lands began to shake, eleven old presences erupted from their continents.

"This is the chance to become the Life Sage, the chance to become the Emperor's Educator. This chance… is the final chance for the twelve of us!" As the old man's voice echoed in the air, the eleven presences swiftly erupted!

They turned into eleven long arcs that charged towards the mountain where the old man was and swiftly descended, turning into eleven men and women who were rapidly changing from their withered states.

They did not say a single word. Once they came, they sat down cross-legged and surrounded the old man in the sky-blue Daoist robe to quickly form… a Rune.

It immediately shone with a powerful white light, which spread through the area and covered the entire world. It began to look like a white void…

At the same time, within Seven Moons Sect, Su Ming and Lan Lan manifested outside the pearl in the Rune. Lan Lan observed Su Ming closely before she spoke softly.

"Senior brother, you have indeed gained a serendipity. Since Master has taken you in as his successor disciple, it is only logical that you belong to Master's line and come under his tutelage."

When Lan Lan spoke, she brought her right hand up, and a blue plate appeared in her hand. Drawn on it was a picture of mountains. Once she touched it, her body disappeared into the plate, and even the plate vanished without a trace after flashing once.

Su Ming was absorbed in his thoughts. When he turned his head around, he cast a glance at the pearl that was no longer shining with the five-colored light. In silence, he brought out his own blue plate. Once he cast a glance at it, he patted it.

His body, too, immediately disappeared from Seven Moons Sect.

When he reappeared, he was on a tall mountain. It was so tall that it shot into the clouds. It looked exactly the same as the one in the third continent, where the middle-aged man was.

It would have been the same if not for quite a few exquisite towers on the mountain… There were many cultivators in them, and when Su Ming looked over, he could see snow on the summit in the distance, where a huge palace stood.

He stared at the palace for a long time before shifting his gaze away and looking at the foot of the mountain. Seven Moons Sect was there, but when he looked over, he felt as if there was a layer of fog covering it. It was like Seven Moons Sect had become slightly blurry in his eyes. Though more accurately speaking, they were overlapping shadows. It was the feeling as if all the buildings in the sect had overlapped with each other.

Seven Moons Sect was a basin surrounded by mountains, and Su Ming was on one of those mountains.

Lan Lan appeared beside him. She stared at Seven Moons Sect at the foot of the mountain and said calmly, "Seven Moons Sect has a total of seven layers of Sky Beyond the Sky. The first layer is the world of the outer sect, where you previously were. That includes the field of the inner sect and everything that you saw. All of them are in the first layer.

"The world where Master is located is the seventh layer of Sky Beyond the Sky. As for the sixth layer, only the great sect elder who is in charge of the affairs in the sect can reside there. It can be considered a supreme treasure.

"We are currently staying in the fifth layer. This is the place where only the successor disciples off all the Great Sect Elders have the right to live and train.

"The fourth layer is where the disciples of the sect live, though their accommodation is made based on their status. My disciples live in the fourth layer, and it's the same for the disciples of other sect elders.

"The third and second layers are allocated to the inner sect disciples based on their levels of cultivation, and besides the outer sect, the first layer is also what we show of Seven Moons Sect to the outside world.

"Seven Moons Sect practices the Seven Lives Art. Once we complete the seven lives and sit at the seventh layer of Sky Beyond the Sky, we can manifest seven figures in the world outside… When we reach the peak of this cultivation method and complete the first level of Dao Divinity Realm, we can make our Dao Divinities overlap with our bodies and form seven Dao Divinities!

"The plate Master gave you has the cultivation method of Seven Moons Sect given only to successor disciples. Senior brother, you can go on ahead and ponder over it to gain an epiphany. Your level of cultivation is still low, so if you have something you don't understand, you can come to me. Before you each Avacaniya Realm, I will be the one in charge… of Master's line in the sect."

Lan Lan cast a deep look at Su Ming, then bent her head and her knees slightly to bow to him. Then, she turned around, stepped into the air, and went to the palace covered by the snow at the summit.

"Senior brother, if any of the spots in the mountain catch your fancy, please feel free to turn it into your abode for cultivation purposes." Only her faint voice still echoed in the snow and reached Su Ming's ears.

Su Ming's expression was calm. He stared at the indistinct and overlapping Seven Moons Sect at the foot of the mountain. After a long while, a glint appeared in his eyes.

'This so-called Master should have discovered something, but this suits my tastes and will help to check the truth. I need to… watch how other people do things. By doing so, I can indirectly verify my own assumptions.'

Chapter 1389: Seven Lives Art

When Su Ming looked at the Seven Moons Sect at the foot of the mountain, one sect and one clan of the seven sects and twelve clans in Ancient Zang started shuddering and rumbling in an unseen manner.

It was One Dao Sect and Asura Clan!

Legends had it that One Dao Sect was the oldest sect in all of Ancient Zang, with only the royal family claiming a longer heritage. It had a long history, and it was difficult for the other sects to compare with it. There was also very few people who could find it..

An ancient temple stood in the land, and in the temple there were three statues. They had calm expressions and had been placed in the temple an unknown number of years ago.

There were plenty of cracks on them, and they criss-crossed each other to form a picture. Anyone who saw it would find themselves thinking that there was a world contained in the picture formed by the cracks.

One Dao Sect existed in the world formed by the picture made by the intersecting cracks on the three statues!

In fact, more accurately speaking, One Dao Sect was a sect that existed in all cracks in the world. As long as there were places in the world that had cracked, One Dao Sect would exist there.

Its mysteriousness and strangeness made others wary of it…

At that moment, the twelve Great Sect Elders in Seven Moons Sect had woken up. At the instant they set up the Rune, all the regions in Ancient Zang that had cracks in it… let out cracking sounds, and the cracks spread out.

It was especially so for one particular mountain. From a distance, it appeared to be dark red. There were countless cracks on it, but it had not shattered nor broken down. There was a fire lake in the mountain, and its heat was astonishing. It gave off the feeling that if anyone fell into it, they would instantly be burned to a crisp.

There was a huge rock in the fire lake, and that rock was also covered in cracks. Sitting on it was a half-naked man, who was also covered in cracks. Not a single inch of his skin was undamaged. His hair was crimson red, and it was the same shade as the fire lake.

At that moment, his eyes flew open to reveal his pupils. They were also filled with cracks, and at first glance… they seemed to be blood capillaries.

"My brother… have you also joined a sect? Judging by the fluctuations, it should have come from Seven Moons Sect!" The man grinned, and killing intent showed up in his eyes.

"I wonder if you've already woken up, or are you still in a daze… If you've woken up, then I wonder how will it feel to be the only one awake while all the people in the world are drunk? If you are still in a daze, then I wonder how it will feel for you to be the only one in a daze while all the other people in the world are awake?

"No matter what, it should be good. It is just like I said before… the battle between us has just started."

The man laughed loudly. As he did, the red hair that covered about half of his face flew up to reveal his crack-filled face.

If Su Ming was there, he would definitely be able to recognize him at first glance. That person… was like Lei Chen, but he resembled… the younger version of Old Man Extermination even more so!

In the westernmost area of Ancient Zang was a desert. Erected in it was a huge stone monument. There were no words on the stone monument, but if anyone with extraordinary power came over and saw it, their hearts would definitely roar as if they had seen a sea of blood and countless ferocious beasts.

The stone monument was a clan. It was known as Asura Clan, and it led to the place where Asura World was located!

Asura World was a created world, and the strongest sect in it was known as Asura!

At that moment, there was a ferocious beast that was one hundred thousand feet in the dark world. It had the form of a human, but there were three spiral-like horns on its head. It sat cross-legged on the ground, and around it was mud and skeletons…

The young man in a white robe was sitting on top of a huge beast's head. His expression was calm, and when his black hair fluttered in the wind, he opened his eyes slightly to reveal an aggressive glare.

It could be vaguely seen that there was a figure in his right eye, and it was a man dressed in an Emperor's robe!

"Three thousand years of trials, I wonder if… you will be different compared to that brother of mine who chose to be foolish for the remainder of his life for friendship…

"If you are as foolish as ever, then perhaps… before three thousand years are up, you will already have been eliminated."

The young man smiled faintly, but the figure dressed in the Emperor's robe in his right eye had a mocking look.

The young man's smile froze at that moment.

"You are me. You are the one I sent in the past to throw the soul Xuan sent for refinement, but now that you returned, you refuse to merge with me!" The young man's voice was cold, and when he spoke languidly, he sounded as if he was talking to himself.

"How laughable. I am Di Tian, a life born during the 967th aeon in Harmonious Morus Alba. What connection do I have with you? It's hilarious that you don't even know about it!"

The person in the young man's right eye was Di Tian, and the mockery in his sneer was very prominent.

"The age of Harmonious Morus Albas has been gone for countless aeons. They were devoured by us, the Xuannese. Your memories are in reality, fake. I added them in you to disrupt his trial.

"You still don't understand what is real or fake!" The young man brought his right hand up swiftly and tapped his right eye.

"I, Di Tian, know what is real. The world in which I lived was real, and the world in which you live is just a lie. This is a world created when Su Ming Possessed Xuan Zang. This is… a Possession against you!"

Di Tian laughed loudly. Resolve showed up in his eyes when he saw the finger draw close to him, but pain immediately appeared on his face, as if he had just been sealed.

"Su Ming, if you can wake up, then you will be the black-robed man sitting on the Feng Shui compass. If you lose yourself and believe in this world, then you… will no longer be you!"

Di Tian's voice slowly became weaker. When the young man pulled his finger back, Di Tian's figure was no longer around, but had instead been sealed and kept hidden in his body.

"You are already lost. If that's the case… then be refined in my body. Possession… such an absurd concept. This should be my brother's idea… Su Ming, so he believes himself to be Su Ming, hmm?" the young man said calmly, and a cold smile appeared on his lips. He closed his eyes.

Within Seven Moons Sect, Su Ming moved his gaze away from the sect below him. To the right of the mountain was a protruding wall of rock at the mountainside. He chose… one of the houses there that seemed uninhabited.

The house was very simple. It did not have any carved railings or jade steps, no exquisite and beautiful pavilions. It looked as ordinary as a wooden house could. Besides a table and a wooden bed, there was no other furniture in it.

It was clean, tidy, and simple. Su Ming swept his gaze across the area, then brought up his right hand and swung outwards. A layer of seals instantly appeared around the area and enveloped the house. Su Ming sat outside the house, just like how he sat alone under the wooden house beside the River of Forgetfulness.

"Seven Lives Art…"

A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. He lowered his head and looked at the blue plate in his hand. His gaze landed on the picture of mountains carved on the plate, and he sank into deep thought.

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, three months went by. During them, no one came to bother Su Ming while he was outside the wooden house, but most of the cultivators on the mountain had come to know of his existence. The people living on the fifth layer of Sky Beyond the Sky were not disciples, but cultivators who did not belong to any faction.

The cultivators who had a status like Lan Lan could be considered part of Seven Moons Sect, but also not part of Seven Moons Part. Su Ming had already noticed that besides Lan Lan, there was another woman in the mountain. She was also the disciple of the middle-aged man in the sky-blue Daoist robe, but she did not live at the top of the mountain. Instead, she was at the foot.

During the three months, Su Ming sat outside the house and kept staring at the plate in his hand. The Seven Lives Art had stirred up quite a large amount of interest in him. It seemed to be a Great Dao Art that could refine his cultivation base.

Before, Su Ming had reached the first level of Dao Divinity Realm, but he had only had a vague idea about such a method to increase his power. Right then, as he continued researching the plate, he slowly gained a bit of an epiphany.

'Seven Lives Art. It might seem complicated, but in truth, the principles behind it are very simple. Make your own shadow… fade by seven layers and turn them into seven lives… This is different from clones. It's instead an Art that allows you to use your shadow to exchange for life.'

When another month passed, Su Ming's eyes sparkled. Under the setting sun, he lowered his head to look at his shadow.

After thinking for some time, he lifted his right hand and pointed at his shadow. It immediately twisted and became blurry. Just when Su Ming was about to test the Seven Lives Art that he had come to understand, bell tolls suddenly echoed in the fourth layer of Sky Beyond the Sky.

They came from a distance, and when they reverberated through the mountains, they formed countless echoes. At the instant the whole place trembled, the same bell tolls came from the third layer of Sky Beyond the Sky, and the same happened in the second layer. When the first layer rang with the same bell tolls, Su Ming frowned. He canceled the idea of testing his Art and lifted his head to look into the distance.

Countless runic symbols appeared right above Seven Moons Sect in the distance. They intersected with each other, and when they turned into a circle, they formed a huge Feng Shui compass!

However, it was slightly indistinct. It was not located in the fifth layer of Sky Beyond the Sky, but in the fourth layer, which meant it appeared indistinct to Su Ming.

He narrowed his eyes slightly. When he looked at the Feng Shui compass, he saw a long arc charge out from the mountain that practically overlapped with his mountain. That long arc charged to the Feng Shui compass formed by the runic symbols.

It was Ye Long!

Dressed in white, Ye Long rushed towards the huge Feng Shui compass formed by runic symbols. Once he swept his gaze across the area, he sat down on the compass.

Ye Long also appeared indistinct to Su Ming. This was because he existed in a different world. He could not see Su Ming, but Su Ming could see him.

"I, Disciple Ye Long, will challenge Seven Moons Sect's Dao Divinity Shadow Descension Rune in the fourth layer of Sky Beyond the Sky based on my Master's orders!"

Chapter 1390: Senior Brother, Please Wait

"I will allow it! All members of the sect will watch you. If you cannot live through the third formation… then you will die."

Right after Ye Long made his declaration, a low voice echoed through the five layers of Seven Moons Sect's Sky Beyond the Sky.

That voice belonged to Dao Han, the red-robed man.

With a calm expression, Su Ming cast a glance at the Feng Shui compass formed by the countless runic symbols. At that moment, the Feng Shui compass began to spin and completed the first formation.

Ye Long, who was sitting and meditating on it, suddenly jolted. Resolve showed up in his eyes. Once he shut his closed them, he stayed still on the Feng Shui compass.

Su Ming cast a glance at him before moving his gaze away, back to the blue plate in his hand. He no longer paid any attention to Ye Long, but started pondering over the Seven Lives Art.

Unlike him, quite a number of cultivators of Seven Moons Sect watched Ye Long challenge the Rune from different layers of Sky Beyond the Sky. When an hour passed, the Feng Shui compass formed by the runic symbols let out loud rumbling sounds. It spun again, and the complexity of its rotations dazzled those who saw it.

"Second formation!" The red-robed man's voice echoed flatly in the air at that moment, causing more Seven Moons Sect disciples to focus their attention on Ye Long.

As if Su Ming did not hear him, he continued being immersed in contemplating the Seven Lives Art. When four hours passed, Ye Long trembled while on the Feng Shui compass. Veins popped up on his face. He gritted his teeth and let out a low growl, and the Feng Shui compass immediately began rotating again. Runic symbols filled up the area, and when their light reached spread everywhere, the red-robed man's voice appeared again.

"Third formation."

When his words echoed in the air, another Feng Shui compass appeared above Ye Long. When both Feng Shui compasses rotated at the same time, blood trickled out of the corners of Ye Long's lips, but he continued to persevere.

When nearly eight hours had passed and the rising sun of the morning cast its rays on the land, Ye Long let out an astonishing cry. The Feng Shui compass above him disappeared. As his body shuddered, he stood up slowly. Upon seeing it, the cultivators of Seven Moons Sect began to speak among themselves at a volume that even Su Ming could hear them.

"I, Ye Long, have not let down my Master's teachings. I have successfully resisted three formations!" Ye Long sucked in a deep breath. He wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed deeply towards a mountain in the distance.

When he stood up, he swept his gaze past the mountains in the area and suddenly spoke once again.

"Wang Tao, I've already cleared three formations. Will you… dare challenge this Dao Divinity Shadow Descension Rune just like I did?!"

When Ye Long's words echoed in the air, the inner sect disciples of Seven Moons Sect in the fourth layer's Sky Beyond the Sky immediately began speaking to one another. Those in the third, second, and first layers were also doing the same.

There were quite a few people in the fifth layer where Su Ming stayed who began paying attention to the matter as well.

Su Ming's expression was calm. He cast a glance at Ye Long, but did not speak. Instead, he closed his eyes. He had already discovered some methods to practice the Seven Lives Art. After a while, when he opened his eyes, he lifted his right hand and pointed at his shadow. It immediately started contorting, and overlapping images appeared.

Ye Long's voice lingered in the air. After a long while, when he saw that Su Ming did not take any action, he repeated his words, but still, no one came forth in response. In the end, Ye Long turned around, transformed into a long arc, and charged towards the mountain in the distance. Once he left, the Feng Shui compass formed by the runic symbols in the land gradually disintegrated.

Seven Moons Sect became calm again, but Ye Long's name was etched deeply into the minds of the many disciples in the sect.

Time passed, and another year went by in the blink of an eye. During it, Ye Long challenged the Dao Divinity Shadow Descension Rune the second time, and that time, he survived through the fourth formation!

Three years later, he cleared the fifth formation!

Another four years passed, and Ye Long became one of the few people who had cleared the sixth formation. It could be said that during those eight years, Ye Long had become famous in Seven Moons Sect. Practically no disciple did not know about him, and he… was gradually seen as the prodigy with the most potential among the sect members.

Ye Long had only taken eight years to clear the sixth formation, which was far shorter than what everyone else needed.

As for Su Ming, he seemed to have been forgotten. Be it Lan Lan or the red-robed man, they had never appeared in front of him..

Only Ye Long persisted in questioning Su Ming every single time he finished his challenge, asking him whether he dared to challenge the Rune. Because of this, even though Su Ming seemed to have been forgotten, he was still very famous among the disciples in the sect.

But his reputation was mostly negative…

Over the eight years, Su Ming had been mulling over the Seven Lives Art. He tried it a few times, but he was not pleased with the results. Then, on the morning eight years later, when he lifted his right hand and formed a seal, he tapped his own shadow. He bit down on his tongue and coughed up a mouthful of blood, making it fall on his shadow.

His blood instantly melted, making the shadow turn red. Then, as Su Ming slowly pulled his finger back, his shadow twisted and overlapped with the blood… A red figure separated from his shadow!

Two shadows were then under Su Ming!

One was black, and the other red. Facial features slowly appeared on the red figure, and gradually, it appeared the exact same as Su Ming. A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. He lifted his left hand and patted the red figure.

The figure immediately vanished.

The moment it disappeared, in the protruding rock wall on the same mountain in the first layer of Sky Beyond the Sky, the air at the same spot as Su Ming… distorted rapidly, and a figure appeared.

That figure was Su Ming!

It was not a clone, and neither was it a Possessed body. Instead, it was a projection formed by Su Ming's Seven Lives Art.

It was Su Ming, and it had an unbreakable connection to Su Ming's real body. At that moment, once it walked out, it lifted its head and looked at the sky. When it smiled faintly, it turned around and walked down the mountain. Su Ming wanted to test the projection and see what was the difference between it and a clone.

He had just taken a few steps forward when he came to understand many things. His eyes sparkled, and his figure fused with the mountain. When he reappeared, he was already at the foot of the mountain.

"This isn't a physical body, but is an entity which is similar to an illusion, which is why it is so difficult to destroy, but it's not a soul… This Seven Lives Art is nothing ordinary," Su Ming mumbled softly.

When he walked to the foot of the mountain, he suddenly came to a stop and looked at a bamboo forest to the right. A woman was sitting and meditating there.

Notes that seemed to have come from a xun drifted in the air. They echoed without anyone noticing them.

When Su Ming looked at the figure behind the bamboo forest, he was aware that the woman was the other disciple of the middle-aged man in the sky-blue Daoist Robe. She was the junior sister under the same Master who he had never met before.

Su Ming did not bother her training. He moved his gaze away and turned around to walk into the distance. He went down the mountain and entered the Seven Moons Sect which the world saw in Ancient Zang.

"Have you heard? Eldest senior brother Ye Long will attempt to challenge the Dao Divinity Shadow Descension Rune during the next few days. The senior brothers from the second layer mentioned this before. They said that they will be able to see the Talisman Rune then."

"I wonder whether Eldest Senior Brother Ye Long will be able to succeed this time…"

"It's not so easy to clear the seventh Rune. It's not been long since you joined the sect, so you don't know about this, but I heard from others that Dao Divinity Shadow Descension Rune is in truth an ancient Rune the thirteen great sect elders obtained from some place in the past. There's a total of thirty formations in the Rune, and it's said that not even the thirteen great sect elders can clear more than twenty-seven formations!"

While walking through Seven Moons Sect, Su Ming ran into quite a number of disciples along the way. Most of them were discussing Ye Long among themselves.

After all, during the eight years, Ye Long's name had already become famous in Seven Moons Sect. He had already cleared six formations, which was an incredibly shocking speed. He was already feverishly idolized by quite a number of disciples.

His status was also that of the disciple of Dao Han, one of the thirteen great sect elders. He might not be a successor disciple and was just a normal disciple that did not have the right to live in the fifth layer of Sky Beyond the Sky, but even so, his status was great enough to be the subject of envy among the cultivators of Seven Moons Sect.

"That's nothing. It's just the sixth Rune. To us, it might be shocking, but there are some among the disciples in the second layer who have cleared the sixth formation, and practically all the senior brothers and senior sisters in the third layer have cleared the sixth formation. It's even more so for the eldest senior brothers and sisters in the fourth layer!"

"You can't compare it this way. How many years did they take to clear the sixth formation? Ye Long only used eight years. Just take a look at who else could do this in just eight years?!"

"Isn't there still Wang Tao around? Heh heh, that person Ye Long challenges every single time… I'd really like to take a look at how that person who was stronger than Ye Long in the past has changed."

"Speaking of this Wang Tao, it's a bit strange, but there's practically no news about him. He joined the inner sect with Ye Long, but Ye Long has already become Great Sect Elder Dao Han's disciple, while Wang Tao seems to have disappeared."

The different discussions continuously reached Su Ming's ears as he walked forward. He naturally did not pay any attention to anyone's words. As he walked forward, he saw many people's shadows. They contorted once he walked past them, as if they had become much weaker, and he… became slightly stronger than when he was in the beginning.

But Su Ming had also come to discover that there was no shadow under his feet.

While walking in a circle, he gained an epiphany. He turned around, about to return to the mountain, when a solicitous voice reached his ears from behind him.

"Senior brother, please wait!"

Once Su Ming heard the speaker, he stopped moving. When he turned around, he cast a glance at the figure who was running swiftly towards him.

It was an old man who was dressed in a normal disciple's robe and had the cheeks of a monkey.

He ran over and cried out with an assiduous look, "Senior brother, please wait. Heh heh, with just one look, I could tell that you are someone outstanding. Clearly, you're not someone who will remain as a normal, average person. In the future, you will surely be successful and stand above all others." The old man was dressed crudely. Once he arrived beside Su Ming, he began chattering nonstop.

"Senior brother, when I saw you, I felt that we were fated. How about this, I have some spirit cores and great medicine which can help you in refining your cultivation base. They will make sure you get to soar in the sky. I usually do not sell this to other people, but it can't be helped, we're fated. Come, take a look." As the old man spoke, he came closer to Su Ming and drew his clothes apart to show a dozen something bottles hanging on the inner part of his robe.

"So? Do you see anything you like? You know Ye Long, right? Let me tell you this, if Ye Long didn't buy my spirit cores and medicine in the past, it would have been impossible for him to clear the sixth formation!"

The old man immediately began introducing the spirit cores and medicine. He brought out bottle after bottle while yammering nonstop.

"I have some medicinal herbs with me as well. Look at this… and at this. Let me tell you, senior brother, I can't sell this to you, Ye Long has already reserved it.

"And this… Ah, I can't sell these to you as well, the great sect elder won't allow me to sell this to you, but if you truly like it, and since we're connected by fate, I'll grit my teeth and sell it to you!"

The old man's spit flew into the air while he spoke. As he continued, he seemed to notice that Su Ming had yet to speak, and he instinctively lifted his head, looking at Su Ming.

It seemed to be the first time he looked at Su Ming's face clearly. When he saw it, he was first stunned, then his expression suddenly changed drastically!

"You-you…"

Shock and disbelief appeared on his face. It looked as if he had just come face to face with the most shocking thing in his life!

Chapter 1391: This Person is a Scoundrel!

"What about me?" Su Ming smiled faintly. A faint light shone in his eyes, and when he spoke faintly, he took a step forward.

The old man with the cheeks of a monkey turned incredibly pale. He instinctively stepped back and nearly fell down. He looked as if he had seen a ghost, but as a cultivator, he still had some semblance of self-control. When he moved back, he sucked in a deep breath and quickly forced a smile on his lips, but that smile looked even worse than a crying expression.

"It's-it's nothing. I didn't know that you have descended to this place, senior. I was even trying to sell you all those scrapped medicinal pills just now. Please forgive me, senior. I hope that you will not punish me," the old man said quickly. At that moment, he seemed to have calmed down, and he sounded as if he was begging for forgiveness.

"Oh?" Su Ming stared at the old man in front of him with the ghost of a smile on his face. When he took a step forward again, the old man's face changed, and he quickly took a few steps back.

"Did you truly manage to tell that my status of a senior… or do you know me?!"

Su Ming's eyes instantly shone brilliantly. When he took another step forward, the old man let out a shrill cry, but this time, he did not move back. Instead, he knelt in front of Su Ming with a loud thump.

"Senior, please forgive me, please spare my life, I didn't know about you before this. I only just… only just realized that you don't have a shadow under your feet. Only then did I come to understand that you are a senior in the sect who has gained some achievements in terms of practicing the Seven Lives Art," the old man explained while shuddering.

Su Ming frowned and scrutinized the old man before him. The man's face and his words when he peddled his medicinal cores caused Su Ming's memories to surge. He felt as if he had returned to the Wind Stream Tribe and he had just met the old man named Bei Qiong!

Besides his clothes, everything about the old man from his memories matched the person before his eyes. That old man had tried to sell Su Ming some medicinal herbs, and he had even given him a torn storage bag.

Originally, when he had noticed him, Su Ming had not paid him any attention. The old man before him was not the first familiar person he ran into in the rather strange world he inhabited as of right then. Be it Tian Xie Zi, the quite different looking De Shun, or Lan Lan, all of them gave Su Ming a unique feeling.

Because of that, while Su Ming had recognized the old man, he had not shown any signs of it on his face. There were also not many emotions in his heart. He only kept an eye on the matter.

But when the old man had looked at Su Ming for real… he had shown an expression which could not be controlled. This immediately caused Su Ming to show great interest towards him.

After all, Su Ming's appearance was not his original one, but that of Wang Tao. If the old man knew Wang Tao, he would have let it slide, but even if he knew Wang Tao before this, it was impossible for him to be that shocked upon seeing him.

Unless… he had participated in Wang Tao's death, but eight years had passed since that matter had transpired. Even if he had truly participated in Wang Tao's death, with the old man's level of cultivation, he would not have such a lack of self-control and be so shocked by Su Ming that all blood would drain from his face.

There was one more explanation for it, and it was the one that stirred up the greatest amount of Su Ming's interest. It was possible… that the old man truly knew him. Not Wang Tao, but Su Ming himself!

With this guess, Su Ming took a few steps forward, and the mighty pressure that spread out from them were all solely directed at the old man. Under that sort of oppression, he wanted to make the old man break down. It would make it more likely that he would tell the truth.

But Su Ming did not expect that under his oppression, the old man had provided a different kind of explanation. It sounded quite plausible, and when he thought about it carefully, it fitted the situation from before quite well.

Which was why Su Ming furrowed his brow.

The old man knelt down with a thud. When he had spoken before, his voice had not been soft, and the scene had caught the attention of the Seven Moons Sect disciples in the area. Many of them looked over, and there were even some people who were already rushing over.

The matter concerned Su Ming's secret. He did not want to complicate anything, and he could not find any loopholes in the old man's explanation anyway. Su Ming observed the old man once more, but he only found terror on his face. Besides that, he saw no other emotions.

"You can leave now." A barely noticeable glint shone in Su Ming's eyes.

Sweat had broken out on the old man's forehead. Before Su Ming gave him the permission, he did not dare stand up. But when Su Ming spoke and the mighty pressure on him vanished, he quickly stood up, and respect appeared on his face. His expression spoke that he had just escaped death. There was also a hint of regret on his face, as if he was regretting his act of peddling his medicinal cores to Su Ming just then.

All of his expressions fit what he had said earlier. Once he stood up, he quickly wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed deeply to Su Ming.

"Thank you, senior. Thank you so much." After he spoke, he turned around and quickly walked away.

Su Ming looked at the old man's back. When his eyes sparkled in a faint light, he suddenly spoke up. "Bei Qiong."

The old man did not seem to have heard his words. He did not stop for even a moment. When he was about to leave into the distance, Su Ming smiled faintly.

"I still have your storage bag. It once belonged to you, and even if thousands of years have passed, I still have a way of taking your presence from it. You… can't leave."

Su Ming's words reached only the old man's ears. At the instant he heard them, he staggered slightly. Even though he instantly recovered his footing, his expression had already changed. He knew that at the instant he staggered, he had already exposed himself, and just when he hesitated…

"As I thought, it's you!" Su Ming growled.

With it, the old man looked like a startled bird. He instinctively began to run, wanting to quickly flee, but Su Ming did not rush after him. When he saw the old man fleeing hastily, a cold sneer appeared on his lips.

Su Ming took a step forward, but right then, several figures swiftly appeared from the towers before the old man. No one could fly in the sect, so they could only walk briskly. The person in the lead was a black-robed old man, and there were eight cultivators following behind him.

"How preposterous! Who would dare to insult my disciple!"

The black-robed old man laughed coldly. With a swing of his arm, he charged towards the land. Clearly, someone had told him about Bei Qiong kneeling down before someone. When he approached, Bei Qiong quickly cried out for help.

"Master, please save me! Please save me! This person… This scoundrel wants to snatch my medicinal cores!"

The old man did not react to the plea, but the people following behind him had strange expressions.

Everyone in the first layer of Seven Moons Sect knew of Bei Qiong's personality. If there was truly a scoundrel around, then Bei Qiong was the most deserving of that title.

"I'd like to see just which disciple has the guts to commit such acts of violence in the sect! This is an offense against the laws of the sect, and you must be chased out of the sect!"

While the old man spoke with a cold sneer, he walked out of a jade pavement beside a tower in the sect, then looked at Su Ming.

After that first glance, his expression changed drastically. He sucked in a sharp breath and took a few staggering steps backwards. Even the people behind him had stunned expressions on their faces. They did not know Su Ming. Their stunned expressions were due to the black-robed old man's change in expression and his instinctive reaction.

The old man groaned in his heart. Before, he had been striding forward from the jade pavement between the towers, which was why he did not see Su Ming. He had only thought that Su Ming was just a conceited disciple who did not know how things worked and had decided to bully his disciple.

Yet when he walked out while burning with rage and saw Su Ming, his heart let out a heavy thump. Other people might not recognize Su Ming, but there was no way he would forget him.

The old man was naturally Old Chen who had guided Wang Tao in the past, the boy Su Ming Possessed!

Since Su Ming stepped into the inner sect, the old man had harbored a grudge for the first few years, and his heart had been filled with uneasiness and anxiety. He was afraid that Su Ming would return to cause him trouble. Even though there was a huge difference between their levels of cultivation, Su Ming had become an inner sect disciple, so was different. There were plenty of methods for Su Ming to make the old man's life miserable…

But quite a few years had passed since then. When he saw that nothing happened to him, his old arrogance returned. It was especially so as of right then, after eight years had passed. Due to Su Ming forgetting the matter, the old man had also almost completely forgotten about it.

But it had never stopped being a thorn in his side. It constantly caused him to feel anxious, and it was especially so when he heard that Su Ming seemed to have come under the tutelage of some sect elder when he went around asking for information. It had even left him to be terrified for some time.

However, there had been no news about Su Ming for eight years, and gradually, he buried his fears at the bottom of his heart.

When he saw Su Ming again, everything that transpired eight years ago instantly appeared in his head, and his raging heart filled with nervousness. He might not be afraid of Su Ming based on his level of cultivation, but he held incredible respect for the sect elder behind Su Ming. With a sect elder that he could not figure out no matter how he asked about, the old man had grown extremely nervous.

When Su Ming's gaze landed on Old Chen, he spoke flatly. "You're the one who wants to chase me out of the sect?"

Old Chen's expression changed. Before he could speak, a middle-aged man from the eight people beside him laughed coldly. He pointed at Su Ming and shouted.

"How dare you not kneel down and greet Attendant Chen when you see him? Whose disciple are you? Call the attendant in charge of you. We have to settle this matter, or else—"

That man was clearly used to being arrogant. His expression was ferocious, but before he could finish speaking, Old Chen turned back to slap him, pushing the man one hundred something feet backwards.

"Damn it, how dare you?! Is it your place to speak?!" the old man shouted in exasperation. When he looked at Su Ming, he quickly forced a smile on his face, then wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed to him.

"So it's Brother Wang. Haha, it's been eight years since we last met, and your elegance is greater than before. Haha, I didn't manage to recognize at first. I hope you do not mind."

As Old Chen spoke, he bowed again with his fist in his palm.

This action and his words immediately stunned the people in the area. They all looked at Su Ming simultaneously. After all, Old Chen was incredibly domineering in the outer sect. It was especially so after Wang Tao was chosen to join the inner sect.

The old man had been promoted to chief attendant based on the rules of the sect. After that, there was rarely anyone who dared to provoke him in the outer sect.

Yet right then… he was acting as if everything was not like that, and all the disciples in the area began making assumptions towards Su Ming's identity.

Chapter 1392: Sect Rules

"You-you're Wang Tao!"

At that moment, while the outer sect disciples in the area were still wondering about Su Ming's identity, someone remembered his appearance and recalled the legendary blood moon!

All the disciples in the area were surprised upon hearing his words. They looked at Su Ming with scrutinizing gazes. To them, Wang Tao was a name they knew by heart due to its fame.

No news about Wang Tao had appeared since the Seven Moons disaster, but after he had been accepted into the inner sect, Ye Long, every single time he challenged the Dao Divinity Shadow Descension Rune, would try to make him challenge the Rune as well. Because of that, despite Wang Tao seeming being forgotten by the people in Seven Moons Sect, his name… had never left the people's minds for a long time.

"Wang Tao… is him?!"

"I remember now! Chief Attendant Chen was promoted because Wang Tao was among the people he guided!"

While the crowd burst into commotion, Su Ming looked as calm as ever. He cast a glance at Old Chen, who looked nervous, but how hid hatred in his eyes.

"I want this person!" Su Ming lifted his right hand and pointed at Bei Qiong.

Bei Qiong's expression changed. He instinctively took a few steps back, and terror appeared on his face.

Old Chen was silent. After some time, determination showed up on his face, and when he looked at Su Ming, he spoke with a smile.

"It's been many years since we met, and of course there's nothing wrong with such a trivial matter, but… Bei Qiong is my disciple. This is… Brother Wang, you're forcefully demanding him from me, and it is against the rules of the sect."

While speaking, Old Chen brought out a jade slip in secret with his right hand. He squeezed it slightly, and a smile blossomed on his face. He had already made his decision in his heart.

'Wang Tao, oh Wang Tao, they said you came under the tutelage of a sect elder, but it does matter whether this is real or not. Even if it is real, you still have to obey the sect rules. You've already committed an offense against the sect by trying to forcefully obtain an outer sect disciple!'

Old Chen laughed coldly in his heart. At that moment, he quelled the nervousness he previously felt and even let murderous intent grow in his heart.

However, he wanted to kill Wang Tao openly and in an upright manner. He wanted to use sect rules to punish him. If he did it like that, then even if a sect elder tried to interfere, he would stand at the side of the sect rules, and his act of trying to kill Su Ming would not be connected to him.

Su Ming's expression remained the same. He no longer looked at Old Chen. When he took a step forward, he walked towards Bei Qiong, whose expression changed. He was just about to move backwards, but he was grabbed by Old Chen and pushed forward, straight into Su Ming's direction.

"Don't be afraid. If you don't want to, no one can force you. He's not a sect elder just yet, and neither is he an attendant. He has no right to take you away! If he tries to forcefully take you away from my hands, he would break the sect rules!" Old Chen enunciated every single word while staring at Su Ming.

"But… But he…"

Just as Bei Qiong was about to leave, Su Ming approached him. He smiled faintly, then brought his right hand up and swung his arm, successfully grabbing Bei Qiong's arm. He then made to leave.

"Wang Tao, how dare you?! Do you truly dare to break sect rules? I might have been connected to you in the past, but I can't just ignore you breaking sect rules like this!"

Old Chen's eyes brightened, and he immediately took a few steps forward while shouting loudly.

"Sect Rule 37: Within Seven Moons Sect, besides the sect elders and attendants, no one can interfere with the outer sect disciples' training nor force them to do anything. This is a form of protection for the outer sect disciples, because outer sect disciples are the foundation that ensure Seven Moons Sects' increasing strength!

"Wang Tao, if you don't stop now, I will report this to the sect, and I will have them punish you! I've already recorded everything that you've done!"

Old Chen took a few steps forward again, and his power spread out from his body with a bang. When he lifted his right hand, he revealed the jade slip on his palm!

Su Ming cast a cold glance at Old Chen, but did not say anything. He grabbed the wailing Bei Qiong and turned into a long arc to leave.

"Master, save me! Master, this scoundrel… He-he has no shadow! He's a person in the sect who has gained some achievements in practicing the Seven Lives Art!"

With a terror on his face, Bei Qiong screamed in a shrill voice. Upon hearing his words, the disciples in the area immediately looked at Su Ming.

When Old Chen looked over as well, his pupils shrank. He was stunned.

"So what if he gained some achievements in practicing the Seven Lives Art? Does it mean that he can break sect rules?! And… Wang Tao, you've broken another sect rule. Besides the sect elders, no one in Seven Moons Sect is allowed to fly! Even us attendants can only fly for short periods of time if we have to settle something urgent!"

Old Chen kept his focus on the sect rules. As he spoke, he leapt up and charged towards Su Ming. At the instant he flew up, dozens of long arcs appeared in the sky.

All of them were outer sect attendants. They had already received the news and were charging over. The person in the lead was the white-robed scholar Su Ming had met in the past. He was the chief attendant, and because of Ye Long, he had become the master of the outer sect. When he arrived, his expression was awe-inspiring.

"Stop!"

His voice rumbled like thunder. In an instant, it echoed in every direction. With one glance, he saw Su Ming and Bei Qiong, who was in Su Ming's hand.

"Sect master, this person has broken a number of sect rules in succession. He first came out to capture an outer sect disciple without any reason, then he flew without authorization even though he isn't an attendant or a sect elder. I couldn't manage to talk him out of it, so sect master, please make a final decision in regards to this matter! This is the proof."

Once Old Chen saw the white-robed scholar, he started laughing coldly in his heart, thinking that he would finally teach Wang Tao a lesson so that he would know that he was not to be easily provoked.

As he spoke, he threw the jade slip to the white-robed scholar. Once the scholar caught it in his hand, he frowned and looked at Su Ming.

Su Ming was in midair, not feeling in a hurry to leave. Instead, he stood calmly and stared at Old Chen, who had left his previous nervousness behind and replaced it with arrogance.

The white-robed scholar frowned and cast a glance at the ground underneath. Quite a large number of disciples were in the area, watching the event unfold.

The white-robed scholar quite disliked what Old Chen had done. While they had to obey the sect rules, there were certain times when they did not need to pay much attention to them.

One of such was the appearance of an inner sect disciple wanting to capture an outer sect disciple. As long as it was not too overboard, they would usually not pay too much attention to such an event. After all, those in the inner sect had a much higher status, and it happened frequently that they required a furnace or an outer sect disciple to become their servant. There were far too many times such a thing happened for them to manage all of them.

However, right then, Old Chen had sunk his claws into the matter and refused to let go, which made it hard for the middle-aged scholar to handle the matter. If he used sect rules to attack Su Ming, he would naturally offend the sect elder behind him.

The middle-aged scholar also recognized Su Ming as the disciple who had appeared with Ye Long in the past. He had his own channels and learned of things that other people did not know about Su Ming. He had heard that the youth had gone under the tutelage of Sect Elder Lan.

"Junior Brother Wang, how about we settle things like this: Please let me have that outer sect disciple first, and I will handle matters. What do you say? As for the other things, it's been many years since you've returned to this place, and it was just a moment of impulse. We can talk things out," the middle-aged scholar said while smiling faintly.

A glint appeared in Old Chen's eyes, and he let out a cold harrumph.

"Sect master, that won't do. Since Wang Tao broke the sect rules, you must punish him, or else other people will learn from him. What will we do then? Right now, right before all the disciples below, please serve justice!"

Since Old Chen had already offended Su Ming and had evidence of his wrongdoing, he would naturally not let him off easily. As long as he had evidence, he would be much safer in the future. At the very least, he could defend himself if Su Ming wanted to target him.

Su Ming smiled faintly in midair, his expression never changing. At that moment, he spoke flatly. "Oh? And I wonder what sort of sect rules have I broken?"

"Do you still need me to repeat myself? First, you broke the rule of flight. Second, you captured an outer sect disciple, you—"

Old Chen was smiling coldly during his speech, but before he could finish, his expression changed in a drastic manner, and an incredulous look showed up in his eyes. In fact, even the expressions of the white-robed scholar and the other attendants changed.

As for the disciples in the area, all of them were still in a daze, even though they also saw… Su Ming flick his left wrist and reveal a blue plate in his hand!

They did not know what that plate was, but Old Chen, the white-robed scholar, and the dozens of outer sect attendants knew clearly what it symbolized!

That plate… could be said to be a supreme treasure in Seven Moons Sect, and only sect elders could be in possession of them. Once they had them, their statuses could be said to have reached the peak of Seven Moons Sect!

The only ones above them were the great sect elders in charge and the twelve sleeping great sect elders. Besides them, there was no one else in the sect whose status surpassed those with the blue plates. At most… they were of equal status.

Before the people with the blue plates, sect rules and sect laws were all just a joke! If they wanted to fly, they flew. Forget capturing an outer sect disciple, even if Su Ming wanted to kill them or chase them out of the sect, he only needed to say a word.

"I, Xu Yi, sect master of the outer sect, greet Sect Elder Wang."

When the white-robed scholar's expression changed, he wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed deeply to Su Ming.

"We greet Sect Elder Wang!" The dozens of attendants behind the white-robed scholar bowed together with nervousness and respect on their faces.

As for the outer sect disciples in the area, they had dazed expressions while quickly kneeling down.

"Greetings, Sect Elder Wang!"

Even the people next to Old Chen swiftly bowed to Su Ming with nervousness on their faces.

Old Chen's face went pale while full of disbelief. He had not expected that Su Ming… would be a sect elder!

It was something he would have never guessed. To him, Su Ming would be just a disciple of a sect elder at best His mind jolted, and he quickly lowered his head. Nervousness and terror instantly returned to his heart, and he bowed deeply to Su Ming with his fist in his palm.

"Greetings… Sect Elder Wang."

Chapter 1393: You Are Su Ming!

"I lack a servant," Su Ming said flatly while standing in the air. He cast a glance at Bei Qiong, who was in his right hand. By then, Bei Qiong's face had already become pale. When Su Ming looked over, he looked full of despair and was begging for mercy.

"Sect Elder Wang, if you value this person, then it is his serendipity. We had some misunderstandings between us just now, so I hope that you will not mind."

The white-robed scholar stood up and spoke respectfully to Su Ming. He did not suspect Su Ming's identity. THey were within Seven Moons Sect, so no one would dare to pretend to be the sect elder.

And Su Ming was still a member of Seven Moons Sect. If he pretended to be a sect elder, he would be exposed in a moment. Ripples had spread out of the plate once it appeared, but up till then, no sect elder had come forth, which was a very telling sign of what was going on.

"Sect Elder Wang, I hope you will be magnanimous enough to forgive me. I had been careless previously. If this disciple is fortunate enough to become your servant, then it is his serendipity," Old Chen quickly said while forcing a smile on his face.

There was terror in his eyes; fear had been instilled deep in his heart towards Su Ming. It was not due to him being intimidated by his level of cultivation, but his status in the sect. It destroyed any desire Old Chen had to provoke him. In fact, the regret he felt at that moment had already caused his heart to tremble.

Su Ming shook his head. When the hearts of the people let out a thump, his gaze landed on Old Chen. There was still the ghost of a smile on his face.

"Becoming my servant is a serendipity?"

"Yes… this is naturally a great serendipity. It is a chance everyone dreams of having. Bei Qiong, follow Sect Elder Wang obediently. You have to set an example for your junior and senior brothers!" Old Chen said quickly.

"Then… you come with me. The servant I choose is not Bei Qiong, but you." Su Ming's words were calm, but when they landed in Old Chen's ears, he felt as if thunder had roared by his side. He was left stunned, and his expression changed drastically again. He instinctively moved back.

"This… This is… I…" He was practically speechless. "Sect Elder Wang, I am the chief attendant of the outer sect. This is… This is just…" Cold sweat broke out on Old Chen's forehead.

"Sect Master Xu, I don't really know much about the sect rules, so I'll let you handle this matter." Su Ming's smile remained the same. Since Old Chen had insisted on using sect rules against him, then Su Ming would also use sect rules against him.

In truth, targeting the old man was not something Su Ming would do based on his personality. He would just kill him normally, but when Su Ming Possessed Wang Tao, he sensed Wang Tao's hate for the old man. It was a hate that could not be resolved by just killing the old man. It could only fade away by continuously tormenting him.

Since Su Ming had Possessed Wang Tao, he did not mind satisfying some of the deceased boy's wishes.

"This matter… Sect Elder Wang, based on sect rules, sect elders can decide the fates of all disciples in the outer sect and inner sect at will, including the attendants. If they fight back, then you can kill them straight away!

"But if other sect elders come to stop you, then the Sect Elder Council will make a decision," the white-robed scholar swiftly explained. As he did, he cast Old Chen a cold glare.

Su Ming nodded, then closed his eyes. After ten something breaths passed, he opened his eyes and smiled faintly at Old Chen.

"Looks like no other sect elders are going to stop me. As for you… do you want to be my servant… or do you want to be wiped off?" Su Ming's voice was faint, but to Old Chen, it sounded like a funeral bell. He looked around him while trembling, then gritted his teeth.

"I am willing to be the servant of the sect elder!"

When he said those words, the bitterness in his heart could not be described with words, but what else could he do besides that? He could see Su Ming's killing intent, and if he refused, Su Ming would immediately open his mouth and order him killed.

If he fought back, he would die in an even more wretched manner!

He had the most supreme will in Seven Moons Sect, the will of the sect elders who stood above all other people!

"Then come with me."

Su Ming nodded at the white-robed scholar with his expression as calm as ever. He cast a glance at Old Chen, then turned around while still holding the pale Bei Qiong in hand and turned into a long arc that left into the distance.

Old Chen was conflicted. While feeling uneasy and terrified, he had to fly after Su Ming. He continuously comforted himself by saying that his level of cultivation clearly surpassed that of Su Ming. There were a lot of people around right then, so he could not do anything, but if Su Ming tried to do anything while they were in a place with few people, he could protect himself.

This thought allowed Old Chen to find a hint of confidence while quaking in his boots due to his nerves.

When Su Ming left, the crowd was too stunned by what had transpired before them to move. Only after a long time had passed did everyone disperse, and Wang Tao's name immediately spread through the outer sect like a violent gust.

As for Su Ming's status, the other sect elders in Seven Moons Sect clearly knew about it since a long time ago. However, none of them wanted to have this news leave, which was why the matter had become a secret.

When Su Ming revealed his own identity and exercised his power as a sect elder, the other sect elders did not stop him for such a small matter. After all… since ancient times, the number of great sect elders would mean a corresponding number of sect elders. It was something that had never changed since an eternity ago.

Those who became sect elders were the chief successor disciples of the thirteen great sect elders. They were also the greatmasters of the disciples of their Master's line. Take, for example, Lan Lan, she was the greatmaster of the line of disciples belonging to the man with the sky-blue Daoist robe.

But eight years ago, Su Ming had been added to their number, causing the number of sect elders in Seven Moons Sect to be fourteen when there were still only thirteen great sect elders.

This should have caused a great dispute in Seven Moons Sect, but strangely… each sect elder received a message from their sleeping Master in regards to it. They were told that this was something that all great sect elders had come to agree upon!

That included the red-robed man Dao Han who had been managing Seven Moons Sect over the past few aeons. He too did not say anything, which meant that he had also tacitly agreed to it.

Because of that, when Su Ming revealed his status as a sect elder for the first time for such an insignificant matter, nobody batted an eye. It was a matter concerning Su Ming and the attendant who had guided him in the past, so everyone understood what was going on and did not wish to interfere with it. They also did not want… to offend two Sect Elders at once: Su Ming and Lan Lan!

…..

With Bei Qiong in hand, Su Ming charged to the mountain. Old Chen followed behind him. Before long, the three of them arrived at the cliff where Su Ming's wooden house was in the fifth layer of Sky Beyond the Sky, though they were still in reality, still just at the first layer.

Su Ming lifted his foot and stepped on the ground. His figure immediately disintegrated to turn into a shadow that enveloped Bei Qiong and Old Chen. He then charged to the area above them and vanished.

When they appeared, they were already at the fifth layer of Sky Beyond the Sky, standing on the cliff. When Bei Qiong and Old Chen appeared, they immediately saw another Su Ming, who was sitting and meditating.

At the same time, they saw the Su Ming who had brought them turn into a shadow. He walked to the spot behind Su Ming and overlapped with his figure. Then, the meditating Su Ming slowly opened his eyes.

Su Ming lifted his right hand and pointed at Old Chen. The old man immediately let out a shrill scream of pain. His whole body was instantly covered in flames. When they spread out, they turned into a huge red kiln that enveloped Old Chen in it.

His screams lingered in the air, but the shock in his heart cause filled him with more terror than the pain he suffered. The moment before, Su Ming's attack had been filled with a power that he found himself unable to fight against. It was as if when compared to Su Ming, he was a child. This caused his shock and the pain he felt to turn into a dual attack on his body and his soul.

Old Chen was not the only one who felt fear. Bei Qiong, whose face was completely pale at that moment, felt the same fear. The scene caused his pupils to shrink. He instinctively took a few steps backwards, but behind him was a canyon, and he could not retreat anymore. As his body shuddered, he quickly put on an obsequious look on his face.

"Sect Elder Wang, your power is as great as the heavens itself, I am…"

"Before you appeared in front of me, I've heard these words before, and I'm already sick of them," Su Ming said faintly with his eyes on Bei Qiong.

"Urk…" Bei Qiong became even more nervous.

"Talk," Su Ming said calmly.

"I-I really don't know what to say. Sect Elder Wang, everything that went wrong is my fault. I should not have tried to peddle to you those fake medicinal cores. I've done wrong, I've truly done wrong…" Bei Qiong wailed and fell prostrate on the ground again. On his face was an incredibly regretful look.

"Tell me, who am I?"

Su Ming's expression was the same as ever. When he lifted his right hand and pointed at Bei Qiong, a gust of black wind immediately appeared and instantly blew at him. While spinning swiftly in the area, it immediately became like a sharp blade that caused Bei Qiong to scream in pain.

Countless fine wounds appeared on his body, and when the black wind blew past them, they immediately began rotting. The threat of death instantly filled Bei Qiong's heart.

"I will give you ten breaths to think. There is no grudges between us, and I don't want to perform a Soulseek on you, because it will harm your life, but if you insist on not speaking…"

Su Ming's words did not show a single hint of whether he was happy or angry. He had yet to finish speaking when the chilling intent in his words was felt by Bei Qiong.

"One," Su Ming said flatly.

"Two…"

Within the black wind, conflict appeared on Bei Qiong's face. When he screamed again in pain, more wounds showed up on his body, and as blood gushed out, the black wind gained a purple tint.

"Three…"

"I truly know nothing. Sect Elder Wang, please spare me. Y-y-you… You're Sect Elder Wang, I only know that you're Sect Elder Wang…"

"Six…"

Su Ming's expression did not change. He watched the black wind quietly while his voice echoed in Bei Qiong's heart like a funeral bell.

"Seven…"

"My expression only changed because I saw that you did not have a shadow. I didn't lie to you. Sect Elder Wang, please listen to me, I… I…"

Bei Qiong's screams became louder. By then, most of the black wind had turned purple. As it spun, some spots on Bei Qiong's legs even started to show bone!

"Nine…"

Su Ming's expression remained the same. When he said that number, he raised his right hand and seized the air in the direction of the black wind. Bei Qiong, while screaming in the wind, immediately started falling, and the top of his skull came to be right before Su Ming.

"Ten," he said flatly the next moment

Right when he spoke, the black wind let out a roar, and Bei Qiong was yanked towards Su Ming. Right when Su Ming was about to grab the top of his skull and perform a Soulseek on him…

"Su Ming! Su Ming! YOU'RE SU MING!"

Bei Qiong seemed to have used up all his strength and screamed shrilly.

Chapter 1394: A Battle of Arts!

Su Ming narrowed his eyes in a barely noticeable manner, and his lifted right hand stopped in the air. His burning eyes were fixated on Bei Qiong, and the ghost of a smile gradually appeared at the corners of his lips.

Once Bei Qiong saw it, his heart trembled. Compared to Su Ming's previous callous ruthlessness, he was even more afraid of his current expression. This caused him to be unable to guess what Su Ming was thinking of, and he could not guess what he would do next.

But he could guess that Su Ming would definitely think of asking him why he knew Su Ming's name, and why he could tell that he was Su Ming, even though his appearance had clearly changed!

"Su Ming… how did you manage to tell that I'm Su Ming?"

Su Ming smiled. He stared at Bei Qiong and did not attempt to refute his words. Instead, a glint appeared in his eyes. A huge pressure instantly fell on Bei Qiong.

"I… I'll tell you… It's…" Bei Qiong hesitated for a moment, but when he looked at Su Ming, he gritted his teeth. "You… are Su Ming, but also the Third Prince of Ancient Zang!"

When he said those words, Su Ming's expression remained the same, but a roaring storm had come to rage in his heart. Bei Qiong knew so much? This caused Su Ming to fall silent, and the light in his eyes grew stronger.

Bei Qiong was silent for a moment before he slowly spoke. His voice was slightly hoarse and seemed to contain nostalgia. When he looked at Su Ming, a complicated look appeared in his eyes.

"Three thousand years ago, the Third Prince of Ancient Zang left the royal capital to wander about the universe for six thousand years. During his travels, he lost his way and became immersed in the era of the ancient Harmonious Morus Alba. He lost himself there…

"He's not the only one who lost himself. All his friends and all the people who had formed ties with him through preordained fate during his travels had also lost themselves because of him.

"And while my level of cultivation isn't high, as the descendant of Ancient Zang's Taoist Master, I have a much longer life compared to normal people, and during the past… I was also lost with you.

"But I woke up much faster than the others, and after I woke up, I noticed that… Due to my bloodline, once I woke up, I retained my memories from when I was lost. However, I noticed that the people who woke up after me were confused. They no longer had the memories from the time when they had been lost…

"It's as if it was just one meditation, a short time of being confused. I could also see that a portion of their souls had been split from them, and while they were in the worlds where you were lost, they were them, and they were themselves in Ancient Zang as well.

"But they were also different…"

Bei Qiong sighed softly and lowered his head."Harmonious Morus Alba is fake…"

Su Ming was silent. After a long time and without any changes in his expression, he spoke flatly. "You said a lot, but you didn't answer me how you managed to tell that I'm Su Ming."

"If I look at you now, I can't tell that you're Su Ming or the third prince of the past… but back there, you didn't appear before me with your real real form. The one I saw was a shadow figure you formed through the Seven Lives Art.

"People's appearances can be different, but shadows… are like a person's soul. They might appear different under the sun, but very few people know that the darkness of the shadow can allow an observant person to see another's real self!

"But there are only few who know of this Art. I have the bloodline of a Daoist Master in me, which is why I can tell what is different and was able to recognize you."

Bei Qiong smiled wryly. Judging from his looks, he seemed to be sighing and regretting being able to identify Su Ming.

Su Ming's eyes sparkled, and the shock as well as disbelief showed by Bei Qiong when he saw him appeared in his head. All of what Bei Qiong said provided a perfect explanation for how he had acted.

"I've already told you what I know of the truth. After I woke up, I've also been pondering over the reason why you lost your way, and I discovered that this is closely connected to the second prince as well as the eldest prince. The two of them worked together to stop you by making you lose your way!

"Third prince, please… wake up. Everything during the era of Harmonious Morus Alba was fake. That time was not real, not even a single bit of it. You can find all the people you met in Harmonious Morus Alba in Ancient Zang. The people in Ancient Zang are real, and the ones in Harmonious Morus Alba were just wisps of lost souls. They were fake!

"As long as you wake up, they… will immediately wake up and remember you, such as Sect Elder Lan. She's one of those people. Three thousand years ago, she went out to train, and she ran into you, but she can't remember it now… because you still haven't woken up.

"Third prince, be it for you or for your friends, please wake up. As long as you wake up, then all the people will remember you!

"I don't know what you went through in Harmonious Morus Alba during the later days… but even if the people in that world died, as long as you wake up, you will realize… that they are all still by your side!" While Bei Qiong spoke, there was a hint of pity in his eyes.

"I've said all I know. If you don't believe me, you can perform a Soulseek on me. I've told numerous lies in my life, but this time… I did not lie!" Bei Qiong lifted his head and looked at Su Ming with a firm look.

Su Ming was silent. No one could tell what sort of emotions were tumbling in his heart right then. He lifted his head, but he did not look at Bei Qiong. Instead, he looked at the sky high above. He stared at the blue vastness as well as the clouds and fog. He also stared at the sun hidden behind the white clouds.

All of them seemed incredibly real. When he looked to the side, the world in the distance did not seem to have an end. There was a long line that seemed to connect the ground and sky together.

After Su Ming looked around, he lifted his right hand. Before Bei Qiong could react to the situation, Su Ming pushed his hand on top of Bei Qiong's skull. With it, Su Ming's power instantly spread out and enveloped Bei Qiong's entire body. It seeped into his head through his will to search through his memories.

In them, Su Ming saw many things, and among them was everything that Bei Qiong had mentioned before. However, this time, he did not hear words, but saw pictures.

Bei Qiong shuddered. Soulseek was incredibly harmful to a person, but there was a firm look in his eyes, as if he had already come to an understanding. Since he could not avoid it and destiny had already arranged for the meeting between them, it would be better… for him to make Su Ming wake up so that he would know what is real and what is fake!

When the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn passed, Su Ming moved his right hand away and put it down gently. He did not find any signs of Bei Qiong's memories being changed. Everything in them was what Bei Qiong had experienced.

"Third prince…" Bei Qiong's face was pale, and he looked incredibly weak. When he shifted his gaze to Su Ming, he was about to speak, but…

"You can leave now," Su Ming said faintly and closed his eyes.

He swung his right hand, and immediately, the black wind became a gentle breeze that swept up Bei Qiong's body. It sent him through layers of Sky Beyond the Sky until they reached the first layer of Seven Moons Sect.

The breeze beside Bei Qiong disappeared then, but he did not immediately leave. Instead, he stood still and lifted his head to look at the mountain in which Su Ming stayed.

Even though he could only see the first layer, he vaguely felt that he could see the overlapping mountain from the fifth layer of Sky Beyond the Sky and Su Ming sitting there alone, meditating.

Bei Qiong sighed softly.

'So it's not about the eldest prince or second prince being powerful and suppressing you in a manner that you cannot wake up… It's because you don't want to wake up yourself… You're immersed in Harmonious Morus Alba. You'd rather sink into the nine layers of earth and refuse to believe in the nine heavens.'

When Bei Qiong shook his head, he looked to have become much older. He then turned around and walked into the distance.

His shadow was elongated, but it stayed by his feet… However, while that shadow seemed to have gained a hint of ancientness, but it seemed to be wearing a straw cape and a straw hat. Slowly, it became fainter until it overlapped with itself. When it slowly faded away, even Bei Qiong did not notice it.

…..

On the mountain, Su Ming closed his eyes while sitting quietly. When the sun in the distant sky began to set, a woman appeared outside his house.

It was Lan Lan, and it was the first time she had appeared in that place in the eight years. She stood beside Su Ming and stared into the distant evening sky.

After a long time, she lowered her head and looked at Su Ming, who still had his eyes shut. Without saying a word, she turned around to leave.

When night fell and stars glimmered in the sky, midnight fell, and Su Ming… opened his eyes.

His gaze was calm, but in the depths of that calmness was a determination that would cause others to stare at him. That determination was like fire, and it could burn the world and the night sky.

"There are no signs of his memories being changed. This means that his memories are real, but the truth of his memories does not mean that they are the reality!" Su Ming declared slowly.

"Because my memories were not manipulated either, and if they're real, then it means I am also real! But there must be one that is fake…" Resolve was in Su Ming's eyes, and a fierce light shone in them.

"He accidentally revealed the biggest loophole just now, and because of it, his seemingly perfect story had a flaw.

"He should have called me Mo Su, not… Su Ming! After all… when we were in Wind Stream Tribe, I had changed my name to Mo Su. I had left after that and never met him again. When I searched through his memories, his memories in Harmonious Morus Alba also ended in Wind Stream Tribe!" A surprised glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes.

"But he called me Su Ming…" A profound smile appeared on Su Ming's lips. "Xuan Zang, is this your world or my world? You and I… we both know this clearly. My will is not something you can change so easily.

"This is a battle of Arts… between you and me."

When Su Ming said those words flatly, a roar of thunder suddenly rang out in the night sky. Rain began to fall from the sky as the dark clouds hidden in the dark night gradually gathered together.

The rain was not heavy at the start, but in the blink of an eye, it looked as if someone had tipped over a basin in heaven. A curtain of water enveloped the mountains, the land, and Seven Moons Sect.

But… the rain only poured in the first layer. Su Ming could see the rain in the fifth layer of Sky Beyond the Sky, but he could not sense it.