Chapter 1475 - 1450 - 1457

Chapter 1450: My Name is Hao Hao

Within One Dao Sect was the world with the three ancient statues. At that moment, the entire sky looked like the surface of a lake. It sparkled and reflected all that happened on the Tree of Dao Verification.

It had shown Su Ming's ingenious scheme that had led him to once again be in the lead by fifty thousand feet. Everything was transferred in perfect detail.

"That boy… cannot leave alive."

"Fellow Daoist Lin, once you obtain the Phala, kill him. Then, you will obtain his kismet. Not only will it gather on the first prince, but on One Dao Sect too. It will become an incense that will make One Dao Sect shine in glory," said a dark and sinister voice.

It entered the ripples on the water in the sky and traveled into the ears of Lin Dong Dong, who was on the ancient Tree of Dao Verification in the third layer right then.

At the instant Su Ming touched the trunk of the ancient Tree of Dao Verification, a sense of danger so great he felt the threat looming over his head rose in his heart. He looked down, and at first glance, he saw the killing intent that appeared briefly in the first prince's eyes while he was still fifty thousand feet below him.

The killing intent was so strong that once Su Ming saw it, his pupils shrank. He looked at the second prince, who was ten thousand feet below the first prince, and saw the killing intent in his eyes as well.

'You want to kill me in this land?'

A cold sneer appeared on Su Ming's lips. As he smiled coldly, a bloodthirsty air could be detected around him. When he turned back, he intended to continue climbing up, but suddenly, a barely discernible chuckle that seemed to have come from a child reached his ears.

It echoed around him, but when Su Ming looked around him, he found nothing.

"I'm here."

The speaker was no longer chuckling. When he spoke, his voice sounded like it was drifting over from a distance, but at the same time came from somewhere nearby.

Su Ming remained as calm as ever and did not pay too much attention to the voice. While he had not seen many strange things before, but with his experiences, he would naturally not show any hint of surprise. Instead, he continued charging up the tree without any hesitation.

As he did so, the sweet fragrance grew continuously thicker and surged into his pores, which weakened the effect of the mighty pressure, which was getting stronger with each passing moment.

It was as if… the tree had been prepared for him!

"Your presence made me think of my family…" the voice said, speaking up again. While the speaker still sounded like they were a child, there was a hint of melancholy in their voice.

"They left, and I don't know where they went. I'm the only one left…"

While the voice echoed in the air, Su Ming reached the middle of the Tree of Dao Verification. Yet he was still hundreds of thousands of feet away from the tree crown that replaced the sky.

Behind him, the first prince continued chasing by using the power of the Great Dao Paragon. In terms of speed, he surpassed Su Ming, and the distance between them was already only thirty thousand feet. Behind him was the second prince. He maintained the distance of thousands of feet from the first prince.

"Out of four people behind you, I don't like the last one. Hmm… it's not three either. I can't really describe it. One of them has three souls in his body, and they give me a feeling of closeness, just like you…

"The other one is the headless man. He doesn't have a soul, but there is a familiar presence in his body… The last one… I like his right eye… but all those people are slightly strange. Only your presence is very pure… Are you… my family?"

When the last sentence echoed in the air, Su Ming came to a swift halt. His pupils constricted. He started charging forward again the next moment, but he had already sent a few words to the speaker through his heart.

"Who are you?"

"Me? I don't know who I am either. I only remember playing with nine butterflies in the past… I had plenty of other family members, and all of them liked me very much… but one day, a bad person came…" The voice that seemed to belong to a child grew sad as it continued speaking.

When Su Ming heard this, his heart trembled, but he was not certain of the accuracy of the answer that had appeared in his heart at that moment. As he charged forward, he asked another question.

"What… What is your name?"

"Hao Hao. My name is Hao Hao… I was brought to this place by that bad person, but I miss home… That bad person bound my body, forcing me to stay here…

"I feel a sense of closeness to you." The child's voice hesitated for a moment, as if he was rather afraid. He then asked the same question again. "Are you… my family?"

Su Ming was just about to speak when the first prince's eyes shone. He lifted his right hand and pushed his palm against the ancient Tree of Dao Verification. At the same time, his voice echoed in every direction.

"Ancient Zang Dao, One Dao Sect, gather your kismet, change the laws!"

When his words rang out in the air, countless ripples appeared in the third layer of the sky. When they spread out, the first prince's body instantly became blurry, and he vanished. When he reappeared in the next breath, he was at the spot only five thousand feet behind Su Ming. His body instantly gained corporeal form and he rushed towards Su Ming.

"With just the power of Dao Spirit Realm, it's impossible for you to make it to the tree crown. You are… destined to be unsuccessful in this fight, and you are also destined to have your body and soul destroyed in this place. This is a fate you cannot change."

When the first prince's voice echoed in the air, they reached Su Ming's ears.

His eyes sparkled. The four great wills instantly filled his body, and the light from the Feng Shui compass under his feet reached far and wide, bursting forth with the power of Su Ming's cultivation base. While maintaining the speed of his charge, he rushed upwards.

He was getting close to the tree crown that replaced the sky. There were only two hundred thousand feet left. Because of that, an astonishing power also erupted from the headless figure beneath the second prince. Its speed increased by a large margin, and the headless man swiftly covered a lot of distance.

However, the disparity between Su Ming's level of cultivation was too great compared to that of Great Dao Paragons. Even though the mighty pressure was incredibly great and Su Ming had the fragrance that continuously helped him to recover, the distance of five thousand feet between him and the first prince was still slowly closing. When they were one hundred thousand feet away from the tree crown, the first prince was already less than two thousand feet behind Su Ming.

"Do you… want to go to the tree crown? Do you… want to come to my homeland? If you go home, can you bring me along?

"I want to go home…"

When the child spoke, an idea appeared in Su Ming's heart. "Can you bring me to the tree crown?"

"Yup."

Once the child said that, the part of the Tree of Dao Verification Su Ming came into contact with became limp, then instantly turned into a vortex that dragged him inside it.

It happened so quickly that the first prince was left stunned, and even the pupils of the second prince shrank.

The next moment, Su Ming appeared at a spot thirty thousand feet away from the tree crown as if he had walked out of the ancient tree. Once he saw where he was, a shocked expression appeared on Su Ming's face.

"That's all I can do. You have to hurry up, I'll be waiting for you up there. Let's go home together… You want the two fruits, right? That's okay, I'll give them to you as well."

Su Ming sucked in a deep breath. The fragrance was so strong around him that when he took a whiff of it, the fifth Dao Spirit in his third eye became more distinct as if its power had grown.

When he lifted his head, he stared at the tree crown thirty thousand feet away from him. He could already see the two two fruits from where he was. When he moved, he maintained the speed of his charge and headed for the tree crown.

Tens of thousands of feet below him was Lin Dong Dong, who had temporarily Possessed the first prince. A monstrous killing intent appeared in his eyes. He had not expected that Su Ming would still have such a trick up his sleeve and instantly widen the distance between them. It caused him to roar, and loud, banging sounds instantly came from his body. When he lifted his right hand, he pointed at the air.

"My fellow Daoists from One Dao Sect, how long are you going to wait to change the laws?!"

When he spoke, the cultivators in the world with the three statues in One Dao Sect who happened to be the ones leading the plan were shocked by the sight of Su Ming moving up the ancient tree. When Lin Dong Dong's voice shot up from the surface of water into the sky, the three pairs of eyes on the three ancient statues opened, and dark light shone in them.

The six rays of dark light turned into six long arcs that charged to the water. When they sank into it, a large amount of ripples appeared on Lin Dong Dong's lifted right hand. When they spread out, the world turned dark from the laws being changed. At the same moment, the mighty pressure from the Tree of Dao Verification lessened. Lin Dong Dong roared, and his speed increased several times as he charged straight for Su Ming.

He was so quick that he swiftly closed the distance between him and Su Ming. The next moment, the world around him let out an astonishing boom, and countless illusory nets took shape. When they appeared in the world, they seemed to be filled with dark light. If anyone took a closer look, they would be able to see that those nets… were being weakened at that moment, and there were even some parts on them that were being torn apart!

The headless figure by the second prince's side shuddered as if some power burned in his headless body. As it burned in invisible flames, his speed instantly increased exponentially, and he charged to the tree crown.

It was already the final charge. Be it Su Ming or the other two princes, all of them summoned their full speed at that instant. They turned into three long arcs that rushed towards the tree crown.

Thirty thousand feet was not a great distance for Su Ming, but the other two behind him charged forth at a speed which disregarded all costs to their body, and it caused the advantage Su Ming had over them to swiftly disappear.

Su Ming's eyes sparkled brilliantly. When the first prince and second prince caught up to him, he rose into the air like a shooting star and stepped into the Tree of Dao Verification's tree crown!

Su Ming immediately charged towards the smaller Phala while the first prince's goal was the bigger Phala. Their targets were different, but their direction was the same.

"You're just asking for death!"

The killing intent in the first prince's eyes shone brightly. When he lifted his right hand, he flung his arm, and the great power belonging to Great Dao Paragons immediately rushed at Su Ming.

"I'll help you…"

Right then, the child's voice spoke again, and the ancient Tree of Dao Verification that had stood motionless for countless years started swaying violently.

Chapter 1451: Destruction of the Dimension!

When the ancient Tree of Dao Verification swayed, the world roared. The countless illusory nets in the area started swaying as well, and if anyone looked down from the highest point in the sky, they would be able to see that the illusory nets had completely enveloped the Tree of Dao Verification. They were formed of laws… and were clearly seals that bound the tree!

However, the parts on the nets that had been weakened previously were swiftly shattering, and the regions where the nets shattered… started cracking!

Booming sounds instantly shook the sky. When the Tree of Dao Verification shook, Lin Dong Dong's expression changed swiftly. He sensed an indescribably mighty pressure that shook even him. As the tree crown swayed, that mighty pressure gathered on his body, and he felt as if he had been reduced to a mortal. He staggered and was forced to take a few steps back. The power of a Great Dao Paragon which he sent at Su Ming also disintegrated against his will.

The expression of the second prince, who had stepped into the tree crown at that moment, also changed in an instant, and he moved back.

"I want to go home!"

The child's voice echoed in the air and shook the sky and earth. The Tree of Dao Verification began to sway even more violently. When the world trembled, the illusory nets burst forth with a sealing power that they had never released before.

The Tree of Dao Verification's swaying affected the first and second princes, but for Su Ming, the effect was miniscule. The moment the Tree of Dao Verification swayed, he charged towards the Phala. He instantly closed in on it, but just as he was about to take the smaller Phala, the first prince let out a powerful roar.

"I am Lin Dong Dong! I inherited the Emperor of Ancient Zang's Art of Kismet, and I am a Great Dao Paragon! Today, with Ancient Zang Dao Sect's kismet and the legacy left behind by the Emperor of Ancient Zang, I will change the laws again! Laws of this land, scatter!"

The eyes of Lin Dong Dong, who had temporarily Possessed the first prince, turned bloodshot at that moment. If the Phala was taken by Su Ming right before his eyes, then it would be a great humiliation to him.

Thus, even though the Tree of Dao Verification was swaying violently, Lin Dong Dong was still roaring. And the entire world roared with him. The illusory nets were immediately weakened again, and the damaged areas shattered to pieces… Those cracks then connected together to form a gap!

Lin Dong Dong turned into a long arc, and while the laws changed, his cultivation base was no longer suppressed. Instead, it burst out while he charged at Su Ming.

His face changed slightly while he was in the long arc, and he no longer looked like the first prince. Instead, he looked as if he was about to turn into Lin Dong Dong.

He had increased the power of Possession without caring about destroying the first prince's foundation. When he rushed forward, he used the laws to chase away the power of the world that erupted when the Tree of Dao Verification swayed. In an instant, he closed in on Su Ming.

But… he was still too late!

Su Ming had already plucked the smaller Phala. And when he stretched his right hand out, he grabbed the larger Phala too!

"GET LOST!"

Lin Dong Dong instantly closed in. With a roar, he swung his arm, and a great power Su Ming could not fight against rammed into his body. It was an attack which contained a Great Dao Paragon's rage. Su Ming jolted and instantly fell back while coughing up several mouthfuls of blood. His body looked like it was about to break down at that moment. A feeling as if his body and soul were about to be destroyed submerged Su Ming like a tidal wave.

There was blood at the corners of his lips when he was swept back.

When Lin Dong Dong made a grab for the bigger Phala, the second prince narrowed his eyes and charged towards Su Ming with the headless figure. Su Ming lifted his right hand, then threw the Phala in his hand into his mouth. He sucked in a breath, and the Phala instantly withered and disappeared.

There was a murderous glare in the second prince's eyes, but no anger. Instead, his gaze turned darker and more sinister. He instantly closed in on Su Ming, and his voice echoed in the air.

"If you didn't swallow the Dao Phala, then on behalf of us being connected by blood, I wouldn't have killed you, but since you ate the Phala, then I… might have to turn your entire body into the power of a Phala."

A brilliant glare shone in Su Ming's eyes, and he immediately cried out, "Hao Hao!"

The ancient Tree of Dao Verification swayed and rumbled again. The noise resounded through the air in every direction and shook the sky and earth. The Tree of Dao Verification did not just move its tree crown, but also shook its branches violently. Even the ground underneath it cracked.

The tremors in the second layer became violent, and even the first layer was affected. When the Tree of Dao Verification swayed, the one hundred thousand trees on the one hundred thousand altars swayed as well. It brought about a destructive power which made it seem like the trees wanted to self-destruct. But at that moment, an illusory net that stretched endlessly appeared in the skies of the second and first layers. They enveloped the ground and completely suppressed the destructive presence.

But this still shocked the cultivators in the first and second layers. Some of them immediately chose to leave.

Numerous cultivators flew out of the black hole in the vortex in the sky above Ancient Zang. The entire sky rumbled. The vortex looked as if it was about to collapse, but it was soon wrapped up by the illusory net.

The middle-aged man dressed in the Emperor's robe in the royal capital under the vortex was standing on an altar in the palace. There was a cauldron before him, and a black-green dragon sprawled under it. Its body surrounded the altar.

The dragon opened its eyes at that moment and let out a shrill roar.

"Someone changed the laws… causing the kismet to change… our inexorable doom will descend upon us. Will… the words spoken by the emperor in his chamber… really come true?"

The middle-aged man dressed in the Emperor's robes stared at the roaring dragon while mumbling under his breath.

At the same time, long arcs flew out from the world in One Dao Sect where the three ancient statues were. The three statues were shuddering. Plenty of dust fell from them, creating chaos.

"Stop changing the laws! Remold them into their original form!"

"Lin Dong Dong, stop changing the laws!"

When the anxious voices echoed in the air, even Asura Clan was in shock. The nine old men on the statues watched everything reflected in the ancient mirror with their mouths hanging open.

"This is…"

"This is the Tree of Dao Verification wanting to break free from the laws the emperor set all those years ago. Damn it, One Dao Sect! They should not have changed the laws like that!"

At that moment, the Tree of Dao Verification swayed violently again in the third layer. This time, it tore through the illusory nets, making everything fall into chaos as if the world had been overturned. Rumbles shot up into the air.

Even the second layer started trembling at that moment. The ten thousand altars roared, and the illusory net could no longer envelope them. It was torn to shreds straight away.

The trunk of the ancient Tree of Dao Verification stood tall in the desolate world. A powerful mighty pressure spread out from it, and in that instant… the cultivators who did not leave the second layer crumbled. Their blood charged towards the trunk to be swiftly absorbed into it!

At the same time, the second layer… shattered to pieces and completely collapsed!

When it crumbled, all its connections to the third layer was cut off… and the first layer experienced a drastic change as well. The one hundred thousand altars roared!

Countless figures flew out from within the vortex in the sky above Ancient Zang's royal capital in a panic. Among them was Gu Tai and the other elders. They had all rushed out of the second layer. The shock brought forth by a sense of life-threatening danger had caused them to fly out of the vortex without having the time to care about anything else. At the moment their bodies appeared in the sky above Ancient Zang, an astonishing boom resounded through all of Ancient Zang.

The vortex in the sky… had crumbled. The illusory net that enveloped it had shattered, which resulted in the loud bangs that shook the sky and earth. When the vortex immediately broke into pieces, even the first layer… exploded.

The dimension was destroyed when the one hundred thousand altars had exploded together!

That destruction was similar to Ancient Zang cutting off all connections with the dimension where the Tree of Dao Verification was located. From then on, Ancient Zang would no longer have any new Phalas ever again.

This matter was akin to a disaster that came out of the blue sky. When the vortex in the sky slowly dissipated and the sky slowly returned to normal, the many people in the royal capital stared above them in a daze. Their minds were blank.

There were quite a lot of cultivators who had managed to escape, but there were also plenty of those who had not managed to flee in time, and among those were Su Ming, the first prince, and the second prince. All of them were trapped in in the third layer. Since the vortex crumbled, they no longer had any way of returning.

Once the sky returned to normal, the black-green dragon in the royal capital roared, and its roars were especially loud at that moment.

The world of One Dao Sect swayed. Two of the three statues of the Emperor of Ancient Zang crumbled, and all of One Dao Sect descended into chaos…

There were three people standing on the only statue that did not crumble at that moment. One of them was Sen Mu, and the other two old men beside him were two of the four Great Dao Paragons of One Dao Sect!

Chi Yang and Bai Lu!

"It's not that… they have a way to return, but it's better this way. The person who manages to walk out will be our future ruler!" The three of them cast each other a glance, and they too saw the dark look in each other's eyes.

While there was no chaos in Asura Clan, what they saw in the third layer had already left them in shock.

Most of the other sects and clans were in the same situation. They were stunned by the destruction of the dimension where the Tree of Dao Verification was, and their amazement only intensified when they remembered… that the three princes were trapped inside!

"When we meet again, it should be outside the gate to the royal capital…"

An old figure with a straw hat in the royal capital lifted its head at that moment. The man stared at the sky, and after a long while, he sighed softly.

At the same time, the sounds of wood being cut came to a stop in a small village located among the mountains in the southwestern region of Ancient Zang. The old man in the courtyard stared at the log of wood before his eyes. In silence, he lifted his head and looked at the distant sky.

"One thousand years later, I will head to the royal capital, and the three of us will fight. Will you… be able to return in time to attend the ceremony and watch us fight? Oh well, I will wait for you," the old man mumbled softly, then quietly lowered his head.

Chapter 1452: Tear the Road to Heaven

The dimension connecting Ancient Zang and the formerly glorious world and serving as a barrier between the two worlds had incredibly tight seals done by the Emperor of Ancient Zang. With the power of the seals, the most eye-catching and mysterious Tree of Dao Verification, which once belonged to the glorious world, had been bound within the dimension.

From then on, it became an item that belonged to Ancient Zang, and… an Enchanted Vessel that allowed Ancient Zang to keep its kismet firmly in the country!

The royal family of Ancient Zang practiced a cultivation method that required them to understand the will of kismet. The Emperor of Ancient Zang had also reached Boundless Dao Realm through the Dao of Kismet. Because of it, the appearance of the Tree of Dao Verification made those with royal blood shine even brighter.

However… the Emperor of Ancient Zang did not completely win the fight. No one else but he knew what exactly had happened. But the Emperor of Ancient Zang's disappearance many years later and his life plate's subsequent destruction told everyone that… he had paid a huge price for his victory.

If he had not disappeared and his life plate had not shattered, then even if the drastic changes had appeared in the dimension, the tree would not be able to break free of its seals.

But… he had already died. Because of it, only the royal family's kismet was left to maintain the seals in the dimension. Yet kismet was not something solely possessed by the royal family. One Dao Sect was the sect that the Emperor of Ancient Zang had personally created in the past, and it had inherited the country's kismet, which was why Lin Dong Dong's actions as a Great Dao Paragon and all of One Dao Sect changing the laws had caused a drastic change to happen in the dimension.

Su Ming also served a critical role. It was he who gave the spirit of the Tree of Dao Verification a sense of closeness. It was what caused the spirit to wake up, and the child was willing to help Su Ming… all for the sake of going home.

When the first and second layers completely shattered and countless cultivators had their bodies shredded to pieces, their blood was absorbed by the Tree of Dao Verification. Its huge trunk contorted and exuded waves of destructive power that could destroy the world. That power swept outwards in every direction, spreading to the third layer, which had yet to be destroyed but was already trembling violently. When the power spread to the tree crown, a roar that came from the ancient Tree of Dao Verification rang out.

"I WANT TO GO HOME!"

When that voice echoed in the air, it immediately shook the sky and earth. A huge wave of impact instantly tumbled outwards from the tree crown of the Tree of Dao Verification.

Lin Dong Dong bore the brunt of the attack. Once the impact crashed into him, blood trickled out of the corners of his mouth. He instantly fell back, and shock appeared on his face. He had already noticed the destruction of the first and second layers and that the connection between the dimension they were in and Ancient Zang had been severed.

He also noticed that… his connection to One Dao Sect has been severed as well. In fact, he could not even leave the first prince's body. He was forced to stay.

The realization made his face turn pale. When he fell back swiftly, his gaze when he looked at the ancient Tree of Dao Verification was filled with shock, but there was a hint of another emotion that he had not felt for many years in his eyes too—Fear!

He was not the only one who felt it. The impact tumbled outwards in every direction. It flipped over the sky and overturned the earth. The second prince coughed up blood and let out a shrill scream of pain. If the headless figure had turned around to withstand the impact with his back while holding him, then with his level of cultivation, the second prince would have suffered an instant death.

Yet even so, the second prince coughed up blood continuously. The headless figure jolted, and it too was forced back tens of thousands of feet before finally regaining its footing.

If they were already in such a state, then the situation was even more dire for the other disciples from One Dao Sect and Asura Clan in the third layer. The moment the Tree of Dao Verification shuddered, those cultivators were torn by the distortions formed by the ripples in the air. Both their bodies and souls were destroyed without any fight.

The only one who was not affected by that impact… was Su Ming!

He stood on the tree crown, and his body swayed with the tree crown, but he did not sense any impact. The next moment, he sat down without any hesitation. His cultivation base was tumbling about within him. It was the effect of the Phala erupting in his body.

The wondrous effect of the Phala was that it could allow a person to break through the limits of their level of cultivation and become a Dao Paragon. Based on Gu Tai's descriptions, the powerful effect would be over in a few days, but at that moment, Su Ming noticed that a connection seemed to have formed between him and the Phala. This was definitely not something he could finish absorbing in a few days. Yet… in an instant, Su Ming absorbed about half of the Phala.

At that moment, he could clearly sense the great power of the Phala. Its juice seemed to be raging in his body like a tidal wave that had been lit on fire. It roared continuously within him. In an instant, it filled all of his veins, and the third eye at the center of his brow opened to reveal a monstrous sea of fire!

Su Ming's four complete Dao Spirits sat meditating within it, but they were were trembling. The fifth Dao Spirit—still an illusion—started contorting violently.

Loud rumbles and invisible waves of impact spread through Su Ming's body, and they grew stronger with each passing moment. In the end, it was as if Su Ming's body had turned into a big drum, and every time it was sounde, it would send a loud rumble through him.

The power of the Phala was so terrifying that Su Ming bled from his nose, ears, mouth, and eyes, but he still persevered through gritted teeth. However… the more he persevered, the more he felt a maddening sensation that every single part of his body was hurting.

Su Ming wanted to kill, to attack, to vent, but it was not the time just then. He had a vague understanding that the power from the Phala could make a person become a Dao Paragon, and the main focus of the process was enduring the pain. The longer he could endure it, the more power he could bring forth later.

Lin Dong Dong and the second prince could see him clearly. Killing intent shone in Lin Dong Dong's eyes, but there was also terror in them that he could not describe. Needless to say, what he was terrified of was not Su Ming, but the Tree of Dao Verification, the destruction of the dimension, and the lack of path to return to Ancient Zang.

But he still did not want to admit defeat. At that moment, he turned around swiftly, but he did not pay any attention to Su Ming. He turned into a long arc and left in search of anything that would allow him to rush out and go back to Ancient Zang.

As for the second prince, he felt indignant. His heart was filled with twisted feelings, and his eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Su Ming. A crazed look appeared on his face.

He could not accept that the Phala was taken by Su Ming, and even less so that Su Ming would absorb its power. He had Asura Clan helping him with all their strength, he had been taken in as Progenitor Xiu Luo's disciple, and he was the second prince of Ancient Zang, a person with royal blood coursing through his veins!

How could he possibly accept it? It was why even though Lin Dong Dong had left, he could not. He wanted to kill Su Ming, refine him, and then devour the power of the Phala!

In truth, he was no longer even thinking about refinement. The expression on his face made it obvious that he wanted to eat the person before him alive. He wanted to eat Su Ming and then seize what he believed was the power of the Phala that belonged to him.

However… with the Tree of Dao Verification around and the impact coming from it, the second prince's desires were something incredibly difficult to fulfill. Yet even so, his madness burned in him like a raging fire.

Moments after Lin Dong Dong left, the Tree of Dao Verification swayed even more violently. The trunk shook, the countless branches of the tree crown shuddered, and the world showed signs of crumbling. The sky shattered, the ground cracked, and it seemed like the apocalypse had arrived.

"I… want to go home!"

When the child's voice roared again, the rumbles from the Tree of Dao Verification shook the sky and earth, and numerous branches immediately split up to form two hands on the Tree of Dao Verification. They seized the sky and pulled it in two directions!

The world roared then. The destruction of the entire world became even more serious. However… while the sky could be torn and the air could be ripped apart, the dimension could not be torn apart!

And if the hands could not tear apart the dimension, it would mean that they could not open the door leading to the once glorious world.

The second prince let out a piercing cry, and as the tree spoke, he lifted his right hand, and a helmet immediately appeared in his hand. There was a pair of horns on the helmet, and they looked incredibly ferocious. Once he brought it up, the second prince immediately put the helmet over his head.

In an instant, his roars grew to an astonishing degree. His body began to grow without stop. In the blink of an eye, he grew to be one hundred thousand something feet, and by the looks of it, he had yet to reach his limit.

"Asura Ghost Dao, with the blood of the royal family flowing in my body, I will nourish the ghosts in the world, and gather them… on myself!"

After he spoke, the second prince roared at the sky. He then lifted his right hand, and it seemed to have turned into a phantom's claw. His skin was green, and his nails were sharp. In fact, a ferocious bone spur had also appeared on his right arm.

His left arm changed as well. His entire body had grown to be around two hundred feet. His aura increased to a monstrous degree, and he was already infinitesimally close to a Dao Paragon. At that moment, his face contorted, and he let out a pained roar.

"Wu Gui! Bring me up!"

At the instant the second prince said those words, the headless man grabbed him, and a tricolored screen of light instantly appeared around him. It surrounded him entirely, and as he rushed up, it withstood the astonishing power of the Tree of Dao Verification swaying.

When he drew close to Su Ming, cracks appeared on the headless man's body. The tricolored screen of light around him distorted as if it was about to crumble. When he was about one thousand feet away from Su Ming, the tricolored screen of light shattered. A muffled groan came from the headless figure, and he grabbed the second prince to throw him towards Su Ming.

The second prince roared while the headless man sat down cross-legged. His cultivation base spread out with a bang and enveloped the entire area. With his own power, he fought back against the Tree of Dao Verification… so that he could buy a small amount of time for the second prince to attack.

The moment the second prince went to devour Su Ming with madness and killing intent, Su Ming lifted his head while remaining seated. His eyes flew open to reveal a dense blood-red light.

"We should end things between us now!"

Su Ming shuddered. The pain brought by the multiple rumbles in his body had already pushed him to his limit. The second prince's arrival would be met with… an explosive power from Su Ming!

Chapter 1453: Indestructible Will

The instant the second prince drew close, Su Ming opened his eyes and quickly stood up. Without any hesitation, he lifted his right hand and pointed at the incoming second prince.

With it, a wave of impact immediately rose in the space between the two of them. When faced with it, madness appeared on the second prince's face. He instantly moved back, while Su Ming took a step forward. This time, he no longer used a finger to attack, but his palm instead.

When his palm landed against the second prince's body, the pain formed by the rumbles in Su Ming's body spilled out of him in violent waves. They instantly hit the second prince's body, and an even more astonishing roar erupted in the air.

The second prince tumbled back again and coughed up a mouthful of blood before looking at Su Ming in shock. Su Ming shuddered, and blood trickled out of the corners of his mouth as well, but a brilliant light shone in his eyes. He could clearly sense that the intense pain in his body had lessened a little.

Su Ming did not say another word. At the instant the second prince moved back, Su Ming rushed forth again. This time, he threw a punch. When it landed, the second prince let out a cry. He lifted his hands and pushed them swiftly forward. A shadow about one thousand feet tall immediately appeared behind him. That shadow was green, and it looked like a malicious ghost. When it roared ferociously, it shot through the second prince and charged towards Su Ming.

"Asura Ghost Dao!"

When the second prince's voice echoed in the air, the one thousand feet malicious ghost came into contact with Su Ming. Loud rumbles resounded through the air, and Su Ming coughed up a huge mouthful of blood while falling back.

The originally illusory fifth overlapping Dao Spirit in his third eye… manifested completely at that moment, then turned into a complete Dao Spirit, which made Su Ming's level of cultivation reach a breakthrough, and he truly reached the fifth level of Dao Spirit Realm!

With just one more step, he could cross over Dao Spirit Realm… and become a Dao Paragon!

"This is impossible! It's impossible!" Disbelief appeared on the second prince's face, and his face contorted slightly. His crazed look became even more pronounced.

"It's impossible! You can't possible absorb the Phala so quickly! Since ancient times, even the person who managed to absorb the Phala in the shortest amount of time took three days to do so! It's impossible for you to use such a short amount of time to absorb it completely!"

While roaring, the second prince charged forth again. This time, when he drew close to Su Ming, his body grew again. His height increased from two hundred feet to three hundred feet, and more bone spurs appeared on his body. His power rose swiftly, and it grew to be infinitesimally close to that of a Dao Paragon.

Su Ming lifted his head swiftly and wiped off the blood at the corners of his mouth. Powerful fighting spirit shone in his eyes. At that moment, the pain in his body had already largely dissipated, but some of it still remained. Because of it, his fighting spirit only became stronger.

"The word impossible… has never existed in this vast universe."

When Su Ming said those words coldly, he jumped up and charged to the second prince. He did not use any divine abilities, only the simplest, most direct method to make the intense pain spill out from his body.

The two of them instantly drew closer to each other on the tree crown. At the instant booming sounds surged into the sky, the child's voice from the Tree of Dao Verification echoed in the air again, and this time, it was filled with determination.

"I… want to go home!"

When the voice reached a deafening degree, the two hands formed by the countless branches of the Tree of Dao Verification tore at the sky again.

With it, the crumbling sky rumbled… and a huge crack was forcefully ripped open. Shattering with the sky were the numerous illusory nets, which created a dark line which looked like a scar within the crack.

That scar was like the entrance to another world, something that had been sealed up a long time ago!

The dark entrance was so big that it seemed boundless. Su Ming could only imagine what astonishing power had been necessary to seal up such a tear in the sky, though he could see a gigantic talisman floating in the air!

The paper was crimson in color, and it had a big mark. Right then, it was flashing. If anyone took a closer look, they would be able to tell that the lines that seemed like the stitches which formed the seal on the entrance to the other world and kept it closed had spread out through the talisman.

If the talisman was taken down, the sealed entrance would open, and then… the once glorious world could be seen again!

While the world rumbled, the sky was torn, the edges of the crack continued collapsing, and the ground shattered completely. Su Ming and the second prince fell back while the rumbling sounds continued echoing in the air.

Su Ming coughed up blood, then threw his head back and laughed loudly. An illusory figure appeared clearly around the five overlapping Dao Spirits in his third eye. It was… the embryo of his sixth Dao Spirit!

Once it formed and gained full corporeal form, Su Ming would have six overlapping Dao Spirits, and when they merged together… he would reach Dao Immortal Realm!

The second prince's expression had already changed, but the indignant look in his eyes showed that he no longer cared about anything else. As he shouted, he brought his right hand up, and with a swing, a chest plate immediately appeared on his body, then in the blink of an eye, he was equipped in a full set of armor.

At the same time, his body grew again. This time, he shot up to five hundred feet, causing his cultivation base to grow at an explosive rate, and it allowed him to gain the power of a Dao Paragon.

"Today, no matter what price I have to pay, I will seize the Phala that belongs to me!"

As the second prince roared, a vortex appeared in his right hand. That vortex was weakened quite considerably, as if there was a will that was about to break free from it.

"Asura Disaster, Dao of Reincarnation, DIE!" the second prince growled.

Black fog appeared around him, then surged into the sky and charged towards Su Ming. The black fog formed a huge vortex that rotated while rumbling as if it represented the cycles of life and death.

And right then, the second prince's huge body was like a malicious ghost in the black fog. It was an Art from Asura Clan which verified the path of Asura using ghosts!

The second prince knew that his time was limited. The headless figure helped him withstand the mighty pressure from the Tree of Dao Verification, but it could not do so for a long period of time. Once the headless man could no longer withstand the pressure, it would become difficult for the second prince to fight against Su Ming on the tree crown.

That was why when he attacked next, he brought out his full power.

Su Ming's eyes shone. The pain in his body had already lessened by quite a considerable amount and was now barely noticeable. A normal venting of his power was no longer sufficient for him to get rid of the rest of the pain. He lifted his right hand swiftly, and a huge axe appeared in his hand.

Su Ming sucked in a deep breath. At the instant the second prince drew close, the axe fell, and the last bit of pain in his body surged into his axe-wielding arm, then spilled out of him!

The world rumbled, and loud bangs resounded in the air. The second prince let out a shrill scream of pain. His left arm was detached from his body, and when he fell back, the vortex in his right eye crumbled. Di Tian, whom he had suppressed within it, then replaced his entire right eye at that moment!

With just one glance, he saw Su Ming.

Su Ming was tumbling back and coughing up a few mouthfuls of blood. His chest had sunk inwards, but despite his lungs being filled with blood, his laughter echoed in the air. His body was continuously recovering. The sixth Dao Spirit in his third eye had manifested, and a mighty power belonging to his cultivation base rose into the air with a bang.

"Six Dao Spirits… merge together and reach Dao Immortal Realm!"

Su Ming's eyes sparkled, and at the instant he spoke, the Tree of Dao Verification started trembling violently.

"Home… Where… is my home?"

The tree jolted, and the vast power that it had gathered together instantly erupted from the two hands of the Tree of Dao Verification and charged towards the talisman covering the scar in an aim to tear it off.

The entire world seemed to have fallen silent at that moment. When the hands grabbed the talisman, the Tree of Dao Verification's large body flew up a little, but when its hands touched the talisman and tried to tear it off, the mark on the talisman suddenly shone nine times. Each time it shone, a black bolt of lightning would descend with a roar. Every one of them had an indescribable power, which was… enough to destroy a Great Dao Paragon!

The nine black bolts of lightning all landed on the ancient Tree of Dao Verification, which made it show signs of falling apart, but it was nothing. Once the nine bolts of lightning descended, the air in front of the talisman covering the scar distorted to show a blurry figure.

That figure was dressed in a wide black robe. There was no emotion on its face, but it was staring coldly at the Tree of Dao Verification beneath it.

"Punishment!" the man said flatly.

He lifted his right hand and pushed downwards, in the direction of the Tree of Dao Verification. With it, rumbling sounds came from the Tree of Dao Verification without stop. The lifted hands broke to pieces and crumbled with a bang.

"It's you! You destroyed my homeland! It's you!"

There was a hitch in the child's voice then, suggesting that he was crying. There was also anger there too. When it echoed in the air, a figure appeared on the Tree of Dao Verification's crown. It was a boy of about five or six years old.

Lin Dong Dong, who was searching for the exit out of the third layer, jolted when he saw the black-robed man in the sky. Disbelief showed up on his face.

'The great Emperor… This is… This is not the Emperor's real body. It is a small part of his indestructible will left behind in this place. It was his final method to suppress the Tree of Dao Verification!

'Even though it's just an indestructible will, it still has a part of the Emperor's power…'

Excitement appeared on Lin Dong Dong's face. He felt that he had seen the road to return to Ancient Zang. As long as the Tree of Dao Verification was suppressed again, then with Lin Dong Dong's level of cultivation, he might need to spend ten thousand years to do it, but he was still rather confident that he could open a crack in the dimension to go back to Ancient Zang.

Chapter 1454: I'll Help You!

At the instant the black-robed man looked at the ancient Tree of Dao Verification with an aloof expression while standing in the air right in front of the talisman sealing the scar in the sky, the boy who appeared on the tree crown lifted his right hand and pushed at the Tree of Dao Verification under him.

With it, the boy's youthful voice echoed in the shattered world, and it contained a tone that seemed to have come from his very bones.

"Dao Verification!"

At the instant he spoke, a great suction force that could not be described with words spread out from his body. That suction force was so powerful that it instantly enveloped the entire Tree of Dao Verification.

During that instant… the shattering dimension around the tree instantly tumbled back, and when the fragments fell back, they distorted and turned into ripples that rushed to the boy.

The sky looked to have been lifted. It shattered layer by layer, and the shattered parts distorted. They seemed to melt into ripples that disappeared as if they were sucked into the Tree of Dao Verification. When Su Ming looked over, the sky… was no longer the sky. It had turned into a vast, empty space.

At the same time, under the suction force, the ground—which was originally also crumbling—rumbled and shattered to powder. The mountains and rivers on all crumbled. The ground tuned into a dust storm that charged to the Tree of Dao Verification.

Even the destroyed second layer and first layer fell back at that moment. The shattered parts joined the dust storm and were completely sucked into the huge Tree of Dao Verification, which was the only thing still standing tall in the dimension.

The suction force had not only affected the world, but also the cultivators.

The second prince was the first one who could not withstand the force, and his body was instantly dragged into the Tree of Dao Verification. With a bang, he was stuck to the tree, and he could not move a single inch. When panic appeared on his face, the headless figure shuddered, unable to fight against the madness of the Tree of Dao Verification. His body was instantly surrounded by numerous branches as if he had become a part of the ancient tree.

The Great Dao Paragon Lin Dong Dong might have been slightly further away, but under the suction force, it did not matter how he tried to fight back. He could not stop his body from being yanked to the tree by the suction force, and just like the second prince, he became a part of the ancient tree.

Only Su Ming alone was not affected by the astonishing suction force from the ancient Tree of Dao Verification despite being able to sense it. At that moment, the six Dao Spirits in his third eye were swiftly merging together, causing Su Ming to have no time to care about anything else around him. He sat down cross-legged in the air to experience the process of turning into a Dao Paragon and moving from Dao Spirit Realm to Dao Immortal Realm.

At the same time, the boy on the Tree of Dao Verification's crown slowly lifted his right hand, and the Tree of Dao Verification immediately started trembling loudly and letting out astonishingly loud bangs. The Tree of Dao Verification looked like it was about to wither, like all of its power had been sucked away at to fuse into the boy's right hand.

The child glared at the shadow of the Emperor in the sky when he lifted his head.

"Dao Verification, open the sky!"

The boy's youthful voice had an indescribably firm tone at that moment. It held his desire to go home, and that desire had reached its burning point. He was letting out his feelings of being oppressed and sealed for countless years once they had reached a boiling point. At the moment he spoke, he flew up in a long arc and charged towards the illusory shadow of the Emperor.

The boy looked weak, but his strength was greater than that of anyone in the dimension. His voice was youthful, but the emotions contained in his voice towards his home pertained a determination that would cause other people's hearts to ache for him.

He did not move quickly… but at that moment, he had the full power of the Tree of Dao Verification gathered on him. The power of the first and second princes' cultivation bases had also become a part of him at that moment, regardless of whether they were willing or not.

With resolve and longing for home, the boy called Hao Hao appeared in front of the black-robed man, which was the indestructible will of the Emperor of Ancient Zang. He lifted his right hand and tore at the air in the Emperor's direction.

The moment he did so, the black-robed man lifted his right hand as well. His expression remained calm, as if as a will, he had no emotions. With his right hand, he pushed towards the incoming Hao Hao.

"Punishment!"

It was still just that one word, but when he said it, an astounding dark light erupted from his right palm. From within it, nine bolts of black lightning instantly charged out at Hao Hao.

They instantly crashed into him. The nine bolts of lightning roared thunderously, and all of them landed on Hao Hao, but when they struck him, they crumbled and turned into electrical sparks that spread out in arcs around his body.

From the distance, Hao Hao looked to have broken through the nine bolts of lightning like a hot knife slicing into butter. He closed in on the black-robed man, but right when he collided against him… the dark light shining from the black-robed man's palm lines instantly reached an indescribable brightness. Each of his palm lines seemed to have turned into mountain ranges to suppress Hao Hao, the Tree of Dao Verification!

Booming sounds rang nonstop when Hao Hao's right hand came into contact with the black-robed man's. The sound that came from that strike turned into a wave of impact that could tear through everything. When it swept outwards in all directions, Hao Hao let out a battle cry with determination in his voice, and the black-robed man's body instantly became even more faded away.

The shadow became fainter with each passing moment, but the moment the black-robed man looked as if he was about to disappear, he shut his eyes. When he opened them again, he pushed his right hand forward almost violently.

With it, the booming sounds in the air became much louder, and Hao Hao looked to have been blown away by a violent gust of wind. With an unwillingness to admit defeat and grief… the boy vanished.

At the same time, the Tree of Dao Verification jolted. A large number of branches crumbled, and even the tree crown that could replace the sky shattered. Hao Hao's body then appeared again on the tree crown. This time, he was very blurry, and he looked to be crying as he stared at the sky and the scar in it as if he was looking at his home.

When part of the ancient Tree of Dao Verification shattered, the second prince coughed up blood. He summoned the headless figure, and both of them turned into long arcs. They left as fast as they could manage while the second prince's heart was filled with fear.

Lin Dong Dong was the same. With a pale face, he immediately widened the distance between him and the Tree of Dao Verification at the instant the suction force disappeared. When he turned his head around, there was rarely seen terror in his eyes.

It was also at that moment that Su Ming opened his eyes. When he did so, the six Dao Spirits in his third eye completed the final fusion, and from Dao Spirit Realm, he reached Dao Immortal Realm. He became a Dao Paragon!

Su Ming's six overlapping Dao Spirits could be seen exuding a golden light within his third eye. That light was incredibly strong and seemed capable of dyeing the whole world gold.

A Dao Paragon's power spread out continuously from Su Ming's body at that moment. It swept out in every direction, causing his hair to move without wind.

Dao Paragons were also known as Dao Immortals, and they gained that status once they had six overlapping Dao Spirits! With seven overlapping Dao Spirits, they would attain great completion of Dao Immortal Realm, and with eight overlapping Dao Spirits… they would become Great Dao Paragons!

At that moment, Su Ming had already reached Dao Immortal Realm. In fact, he had a vague feeling that he seemed to have already arrived at the edge of attaining great completion. He could already see… the path to become a Great Dao Paragon.

"Help me… Help me… You said before that you will come home with me…"

When Su Ming became a Dao Paragon, Hao Hao's sorrowful voice reached his ears. Su Ming lifted his head and looked at the boy watching him from the tree crown.

He saw the boy's determination and sadness. No one else could understand that sadness… only Su Ming, because he was the same as Hao Hao. They had both lost their homes…

"I want to go home… I miss home… Help me, help me, please…" The boy stared at Su Ming while pleading with him quietly. Each of his words touched Su Ming's heart.

There had been a time when he was the same as the boy. He had lost his home, all the familiar faces around him, and at that time, he could only remember all the faces in his memories in silence.

"How… should I help you?" Su Ming asked softly while looking at the boy.

He had no reason to refuse him, and he did not want to either. If Hao Hao was not around, Su Ming would not have been able to obtain the Phala. If Hao Hao was not around, Su Ming… might have already died or become lost when he was attacked by the first and second princes.

Be it to repay his kindness or because Su Ming felt moved at that moment, he wanted to help Hao Hao. He wanted to… send him home.

"I am the Spirit of Dao Verification. I cannot tear open that seal. The will of the Emperor of Ancient Zang is gathered on me, but it's not on you. You can tear open that seal. Once the seal is torn… we can go home."

Hao Hao straightened on the tree crown while looking at Su Ming with resolve burning in his eyes. His gaze caused Su Ming to fall silent for a moment before resolution appeared in his eyes.

He moved straight to the tree crown, showing up beside Hao Hao. He lowered his head to look at the boy, and the boy too lifted his head to look at him.

The moment their gazes met, Su Ming saw the clarity in the boy's eyes as well as the purity of his soul. He also saw… his longing to go home and the grief born from loneliness hidden in his heart.

Similarly, the boy also saw Su Ming's world as well as Su Ming's mourning.

"Help me go home… and I will also help you go home… Let's do it together…"

The boy sensed the indescribable sense of cordiality with Su Ming once more. He brought his hand up and held Su Ming's hand. At the moment their hands touched, Su Ming's eyes suddenly focused.

A mighty power surged into his body. The boy was sending his power straight into him as an inheritance.

Chapter 1455: The Path Down South is Difficult!

The power of the tree's cultivation base instantly swam through Su Ming's body, and his aura increased exponentially. Su Ming immediately noticed that the feeling of that power was practically the same as that of the Phala… barring the extreme pain it had brought to him!

The intense pain he suffered after he swallowed the Phala was still fresh in Su Ming's mind, but when Hao Hao held his hand and sent his power into him, there was no pain. However… the explosive increase of his cultivation base was even greater.

"You…" Su Ming looked at the boy before him and sighed softly.

"I can't go back home with the Tree of Dao Verification… Instead of having it stay here, it's better for me to give it to you, and only if I do so will you have the strength to tear through the seal. Then, we can go home…"

The boy looked at Su Ming, and his eyes were clear. They shone brightly with firm resolve.

Su Ming was silent. His power was increasing exponentially with loud bangs at that moment. The power surging into him was so strong that it instantly caused his aura to become stronger, and it filled the world. Due to the vast amount of cultivation base surging into him, Su Ming could not immediately absorb it, which was why the number of Dao Paragons in his third eye did not increase, but… the power of the cultivation base accumulating in his body immediately surpassed what a Dao Paragon would possess!

Su Ming did not need to deduce just what level of cultivation he had reached. He could sense that as his power grew, the boy gradually grew weaker, but the clarity and resolve in his eyes did not weaken. Instead, they only become stronger.

At the same time, the Tree of Dao Verification that had partially shattered… started withering from its roots. It seemed to be sending all of its life force and power into Su Ming through Hao Hao's hand.

It was… Hao Hao's gift. A gift from the Tree of Dao Verification.

As the gift was sent his way, a wave of determination was also given to him. Su Ming stared at the young boy, and after a long while, he said softly, "I promise you that… no matter what price I have to pay, I will send you home."

The boy smiled. His smile was pure, and he held tight on Su Ming's hand. A dependent look appeared on his face, as if only by holding Su Ming's hand could he feel safe. Su Ming's promise seemed to be everything to him.

The Tree of Dao Verification's withering became faster, and its roots gradually turned into ashes. When Lin Dong Dong's saw it, shock appeared in his eyes. It was soon replaced by wonder and then an unprecedented jealousy.

'This… This is the Tree of Dao Verification giving all its life force and everything else to the third prince. Damn it… Damn it! How could he obtain such a serendipity?!

'Once… Once he absorbs all the Tree of Dao Verification's power and completely fuses with it… just what level of cultivation will he reach?

'This is a serendipity the world has never seen before!'

Blood capillaries appeared in Lin Dong Dong's eyes as he glared at Su Ming, but he did not dare to do anything reckless. The jealousy simply grew stronger in his heart, and in the end, it turned into a powerful killing intent towards Su Ming.

If he was overcome by killing intent, then it was even more so for the second prince. At that moment, he stared at Su Ming without moving his gaze. He had also seen the serendipity Su Ming was receiving at that moment. The crazed jealousy in his heart replaced all other emotions in his heart.

"This should have belonged to me, ME! You snatched away my Phala and even my serendipity! If you weren't here, that Phala would have belonged to me, and that serendipity would have also been mine!"

In his madness, Di Tian's figure in his right eye grew clearer. When he looked at Su Ming, a complicated look appeared in his eyes.

But jealousy and killing intent could not affect Su Ming in the slightest. Under the vast power send away, the Tree of Dao Verification's withering slowly spread up the tree. One-tenth, two-tenths, three-tenths… When eight-tenths of the tree had withered, from the distance, most the Tree of Dao Verification looked to have withered, and the only parts left untouched was the tree crown.

Su Ming's cultivation base had become so strong that it was already difficult for him to describe it with words. The face of the boy next to him had grown pale, and his body started to fade away, but the clarity in his eyes and the smile on his face remained the same as before. He was still as determined as ever, and there was a mournful look on his face that made Su Ming's heart ache in pain for him.

Beside him was a child who could give up on everything to go home. When Su Ming sighed softly in his heart… the tree crown withered. It was the last part of the Tree of Dao Verification, which was a towering tree that had stood tall for countless years.

Its glory had began in its world, and the remnants of its glory were brought to Ancient Zang. Right then, it gathered on Su Ming and became the boy's hope to go home.

As the Tree of Dao Verification disappeared, the boy slowly lost his strength. He was about to let go of Su Ming's hand, but right when he wanted to do it, Su Ming held on tight, and a gentle aura as well a soothing wave of cultivation base was delivered into the boy's body from Su Ming.

"Don't sleep. You have to watch me… bring you home."

Su Ming crouched down and looked at the boy before him, who had now turned into a mere illusion. He stroked his head.

The boy looked at Su Ming, and after a long time had passed… he nodded seriously.

"I won't sleep. I'll look at the road back home."

A smile appeared on Su Ming's face. That smile was very gentle. He stroked the boy's head again and stood up. When he lifted his head, the first thing he saw was the figure formed by the Emperor's indestructible will contained in the talisman covering the scar in the sky.

At the moment he looked over, the black-robed man also cast his gaze on him.

Su Ming looked at the man and the face he would never forget. It was… Xuan Zang's face. This was something Su Ming had already noticed before, but he had never expected that he would get to look at Xuan Zang like that once more.

"May you be Xuan Zang or the Emperor of Ancient Zang… we meet again."

Su Ming's devotion to Possess Xuan Zang was contained in his voice. At the instant he spoke, he turned into a long arc and charged into the sky.

He drew closer!

Right when Su Ming got close to the sky, he lifted his right hand and seized the air in the direction of the sky. The black-robed man also brought his right hand up, then did the exact same action and spoke in the exact same voice as he did when he dealt with the Tree of Dao Verification.

"Punishment!"

Booming sounds echoed in the air. Nine bolts of black lightning instantly drew close to Su Ming. When they struck him, Su Ming flung his right arm swiftly, and his will erupted from his body. The terrifying power of the Tree of Dao Verification that had accumulated in his body spilled out from him at that instant.

When Su Ming flung his right hand, his will crashed into the nine bolts of lightning.

Loud, booming sounds rang out nonstop. Every time a bolt of lightning struck Su Ming, it would cause him to jolt, but he did not stop him moving. When all bolts of lightning shattered, the palm lines that were like mountains on the black-robed man's right hand and which had caused the Tree of Dao Verification to fail previously went to suppress Su Ming.

The feeling of being suppressed was incredibly great. It was a suppressive force formed by nine layers of overlapping power, and each layer was stronger than the former. Once they overlapped with each other, they formed a powerful seal that felt as great as the world itself.

A loud bang shot up then, and blood trickled out of the corners of Su Ming's mouth. It was due to the first layer of suppression, which was followed by the second layer of suppression.

It caused Su Ming's footsteps to come to a stop, and at the same time, he coughed up blood again. His eyes turned bloodshot, and he let out a low growl. Without any hesitation, he took a step forward, and his right hand touched the black-robed man's right hand.

At that moment, the third suppressive layer descended on him. It caused the black-robed man to become slightly blurry, and Su Ming immediately felt an intense pain that made him feel as if his body was about to crumble.

He did not cough up blood then. Instead, he stirred up his four great wills to fight against the powerful third suppressive layer. During the loud bangs that stirred up, all four of Su Ming's wills crumbled, but he withstood the third suppressive layer, and with the power of his cultivation base, he went to fight against the fourth layer!

When booming sounds spread out from between Su Ming and the black-robed man's right hands, Su Ming used the power he had accumulated from the Tree of Dao Verification to withstand the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh layers of suppression!

Most of the black-robed man's body was reduced to an illusion, but fresh blood dyed Su Ming's robes.

Then, a loud bang shot up from Su Ming's right hand. Under the seventh suppressive layer, it had shattered. Su Ming roared, and when he lifted his right hand, he shouted four words from his mouth.

"God of Berserkers Transformation!"

It was the first time Su Ming executed the God of Berserkers Transformation after he woke up in the strange new world. His body instantly grew, but soon, all the parts that grew were reduced to blood rain, because Su Ming's growing body had broken down, and blood gushed out of it. Yet once he paid this price… he remained standing in the air and withstood the eighth suppressive layer.

"I refuse to believe that I can't tear open your seal!"

Su Ming threw his head back and laughed. As he did so, a bloody stench spread out from his body, which was surrounded by an air of madness that seemed to have come from within his bones themselves. 'If my right arm is broken, I can still use my left hand. If my left hand is broken… I can still use my head!'

Booming sounds echoed in the air. When the ninth suppressive layer descended, the black-robed man's body turned into a complete illusion. Only his right palm remained. When the talisman behind the palm could be seen, Su Ming's left arm shattered. Once he lost both his arms, he used his head to ram it against the black-robed man's right hand without any hesitation.

A loud bang shot up. Su Ming no longer had the four wills with him, and he had also released all his cultivation base. The God of Berserkers Transformation had shattered, but he had his determination with him, as well as his belief and promise. He believed that he could resurrect all the people who had died, and he had also made a promise!

He had promised Hao Hao that no matter the price he had to pay, he would send him back home. Those words were Su Ming's promise, and he would not give up on fulfilling it!

When he crashed into the right palm of the emperor's will, he was also crashing against fate while backed by his unwillingness to admit defeat, his desire to see his homeland, and resolve to resurrect all the familiar faces in his memories.

Many years ago, when the bald crane was dying, Su Ming had also rushed against the then death-shrouded Xuan Zang while fuelled by madness. Many years later, on that day, he still… chose to crash against Xuan Zang, with the same madness!

He would continue heading south and not turn back until he ran into a wall, and even when he ran into the wall, he would crush it and rush to the Vast Expanse. It was a resolve… that was easily declared, but difficult to follow through!

Because the path south… was difficult!

The solemn and tragic scene in the air shocked Lin Dong Dong and the second prince, but after they overcame it, they were filled with delight and started raining down malicious curses on Su Ming. They hoped that he would have his body and soul destroyed by the Emperor's indestructible will!

However, their curses were destined to not be fulfilled. While booming sounds shook the sky and earth, the third layer completely shattered to pieces, blood flowed down from Su Ming's forehead, and the black-robed man's right hand shattered… When it shattered, Su Ming used his mouth to bite down on the talisman covering the scar in the sky and yanked it to the side!

The seal… shattered!

Chapter 1456: I Don't Have Tears

His blood poured down in red drops from the sky!

At that moment, Su Ming no longer had any arms, so he had used his mouth to yank off the talisman. That action was fuelled by his determination, his promise… and an impulse that seldom appeared over the years!

The last time he had this sort of impulse was when he was young and still in Dark Mountain Tribe. At that moment, he had been bound by his elder in the house and was not allowed to join the battle for Dark Mountain. Back then, Su Ming had also descended into madness while his eyes filled with red. So many years later, the same thing had happened to him again.

It was something that should not have happened, because many years had passed since then and Su Ming was no longer the child in the past. His intelligence was enough to help him suppress all such impulses. However… humans could not gain complete understanding of every single thing. There were times… when they simply had to act according to their hearts.

If Su Ming had calmly accessed the battle of the Tree of Dao Verification tearing at the sky, he would not have gone all out for Hao Hao. After all, every single person had their own selfish desires, even if someone had once helped them.

The price Su Ming had to pay was too great even if the boy had helped him. Besides… Su Ming had to face a life-threatening risk, and someone who was determined to resurrect all the familiar faces in their life, perhaps, should not have done something like that.

Tearing the talisman from the scar was very dangerous. If Su Ming died, then all of his previous actions would have been in vain. From a logical standpoint, no matter how one looked at it, what Su Ming had done right then was incredibly unwise.

However… there were times when rationality was not everything, calmness could not decide what's right, and what a person needed to do was to ask themselves whether they would come out of a situation without feeling any regret!

They should not feel regret for their choices. It was easy to say that, but how many people were able to put it into practice? When Su Ming asked his heart, it had told him to act according to how he felt. No matter how dangerous it was, he had to repay those who showed kindness to him, and Hao Hao's words of wanting to go home also touched him deeply.

"If you help me, then I will help you, or rather… I will help you, so please help me" were very simple words, but all forms of logic had been screaming at Su Ming that it was difficult for him to repay that kindness. The price for it was simply too huge, but Su Ming still chose to do it.

At that moment, he did not think about whether his actions were right or wrong, and neither did he think about what he would lose in the process. From the depths of his heart, he simply wanted to help the boy… He wanted to help him go home.

The air roared right then. As Su Ming's body fell and the talisman was ripped off the scar, the stitches over the scar were instantly torn, and a gap was revealed!

The next moment, the dimension of the third layer began to crumble with a bang. The shattering air brought with it a destructive power that could bury all forms of life. When it swept out in every direction, Su Ming's body plunged downwards, but a figure appeared in a flash beside himt. It was Hao Hao. Even though he could see his road back home, he did not immediately step into it. Instead, he appeared beside Su Ming and hugged him.

"You helped me, so I'll help you…"

When the youthful voice reached his ears, a smile blossomed on Su Ming's lips. Hao Hao took hold of his body and flew to the gap in the sky.

"Let's… go home." When Hao Hao said those words softly, his desire to return home shone in his eyes.

"Let's," Su Ming mumbled and closed his eyes. His limp body was held tightly by Hao Hao, who turned into a long arc that charged into the gap in the sky like a shooting star.

Right after, the dimension of the third layer shattered to pieces. The destructive power started rampaging through the place, and Lin Dong Dong, the second prince, and the headless figure were all forced to turn into long arcs that charged to the gap in the sky.

Their only chance of survival was in that place. If they stayed, then even with Lin Dong Dong's power, they could only be buried along with the third layer.

They instantly rushed into the gap. The moment they disappeared, an astonishing rumble shot up in the third layer. While it echoed in the air, the third layer shattered completely, and from then on, disappeared from space!

When the third layer was destroyed, it vanished from sight as if someone had slowly shut their eyes to block it from their view. Once they completely closed their eyes, their world would turn black. Everything in the world would be gone as if it was no longer around…

Su Ming did not know how much time had passed, but a ray of sunlight fell on his eyelids and seeped into his eyes, causing him to think that the world was no longer black, but had turned pink. Then… Su Ming slowly opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was a blue sky and a gentle light from the sun that was not piercing to the eyes. The sunlight landed on him, and then, Hao Hao's voice reached his ears.

"You're awake!" There was joy in the boy's voice.

When Su Ming slowly sat up, he saw Hao Hao sitting by his side.

The five-year-old boy was smiling happily at that moment. The smile on his face was very pure, and delight radiated from his face; it could be seen that he thought everything was good right then. When compared to the ruins around them, his happiness and joy seemed to be even more precious.

The land around them was pure wasteland and covered in a layer of dust. It seemed to have been buried in the passages of time for an unknown number of years.

Su Ming could vaguely see mountains and rivers that had once existed in that land and faintly hear the delighted laughter that once rang in the area. However, in the next breath, be it the vague sights or the faint sounds, all of them shattered into nothingness. What he saw right then seemed to only be remnants of a blazing flame.

Aura of death filled the area. It might not have been brought by death, however… Because it had been too long since any living soul had appeared in the place, gradually, an air of familiarity filled the world. It became quiet, and the aura of death was born.

"This is…" Su Ming averted his gaze from the area. In his eyes were the reflection of all the wasteland after he swept his gaze across the world, bearing witness to the glory it had once enjoyed.

"This is my home… but it has already changed. I… can't quite find the atmosphere it once had. But I remember the sunlight here. I remember the night sky, and I can also remember its presence."

Hao Hao fell silent for a moment, as if he had become rather depressed, but soon, he lifted his head, and the faint but happy smile appeared returned to his lips. He seemed to want to bury all the unhappiness he felt deep in his heart. He was clearly telling himself that he had to be happy, he had to be satisfied, because that was his home.

When Su Ming saw Hao Hao's smile, he felt like he was seeing tears. In silence, he noticed that the arms he lost were back on his body. This sight caused him to sink into his thoughts. When he looked at Hao Hao again, he found that his body had become a little blurrier than when Su Ming had fallen unconscious.

"You…" Su Ming sighed softly. He lifted his right hand and patted Hao Hao's head. The boy looked at him happily with a very deep seated dependance in his eyes.

"You helped me, so I'll help you."

The boy's smile became even more innocent. When he looked at Su Ming, the dependent look in his eyes became even stronger.

He was a child who was afraid of loneliness. Su Ming was his only support, and he did not want to lose him. If that happened, he would return to the loneliness he once suffered.

That loneliness… was something he was afraid of.

Su Ming was silent. After a long while, he nodded, and when he sat down to meditate, he slowly closed his eyes.

Su Ming might not have sensed too much unfamiliarity in the air, but power was everything. The moment he circulated his cultivation base, he noticed that some of the power Hao Hao had sent surging into his body had already fused with him.

Even if it was not much, the seventh overlapping shadow had appeared among his six Dao Paragons in his third eye, and the cultivation base in Su Ming's body was so vast that he had a strong feeling that if he could completely refine it… he would be able to gather together his eighth overlapping Dao Paragon and become a Great Dao Paragon.

Time trickled by, and when dusk arrived, the world gradually grew dark. When stars shone in the night sky, Su Ming opened his eyes. He saw Hao Hao by his side, staring at the sky. There was a dazed look on his face, and Su Ming seemed to be able to see the tears at the corners of his eyes, despite the kid's dazed expression.

But when he looked at the boy closely, he found no sign of tears.

Days passed like that. Half a month later, Su Ming brought Hao Hao to walk past the wasteland, the world filled with the aura of death. They walked without a word, quietly.

They went past abandoned cities that had no signs of life. Even the first and the second princes had scattered after they entered. It was hard to tell where they were.

Hao Hao stopped at the edge of a pit that resembled a sinkhole and stared at it. After a long while, he said softly, "There was once a lake here…"

Hao Hao closed his eyes, and nostalgia surfaced in his voice. "I still remember this place…"

Su Ming stood next to him. He watched the sinkhole that was once a lake, the dust and cracks in it. He accompanied Hao Hao and remembered the past with him. A few days later, when they left, the sinkhole still remained in place.

They walked past the wasteland, past the lands that were once mountains and rivers, and past beaches whose seas had already been reduced to deserts. The end of both the sea and desert could not be seen, but while one of them resembled life, the other resembled silence.

One of them was the line connecting the sky and earth, and the other was the edge of sand. They were stretched far and wide as before, but the landscape had already changed drastically.

Hao Hao lowered his head. He crouched down and grabbed a handful of sand. As he stared at it, his voice echoed in the air. "Nine continents, nine butterfly spirits. They once surrounded me, but now… none of them are here…"

Su Ming sighed softly. He could understand the anguish the boy felt at that moment. He patted the boy's head gently with his right hand, and continued doing so until Hao Hao stood up. He hugged Su Ming while crying.

"I am the spirit of the Tree of Dao Verification. I… don't have tears, but I want to cry. After coming back, my heart only hurts…" After a long while, the boy lifted his head and looked at Su Ming.

As he listened to that youthful voice, Su Ming's heart was touched again. He looked at the boy, then crouched down and picked him up into his arms.

"Everything will be alright," Su Ming said while holding him and walked into the distance. His voice echoed in the air and lingered for a long time, refusing to disappear, as if it was a beautiful promise.

"Bring me to the center surrounded by the nine continents, please. That place… is where I was born," the young boy pleaded softly while burying his head into Su Ming's shoulder.

Chapter 1457: For What Reason?

They walked past mountains and rivers, wastelands, and saw dust as well as more of a desert…

It was as if the prosperity of one breath had withered away in the next breath. Just whose face would remain young? Whose sigh would stay forever? Whose past… was not be beautiful?

Su Ming sat down in the wreckage and watched the sun set. They were beside a mountain and river, watching the evening arrive. The echo of laughter seemed to come through the passage of time and ring in their ears, causing them to be unable to tell… just what sort of karma was contained in the beautiful moments of the past that brought forth the destruction around them.

When they lowered their heads, they could not tell what sort of cycles of life and death were contained in the destruction, or else… why was it that when they closed their eyes and opened them after, everything in the world had changed, even though it was still the same world.

Su Ming was at the edge of a desert with a boy in his arms. When the sun rose and he walked forward, his elongated shadow could be seen behind him as if it was following him for all eternity. It was something that seemed to live in the world as a guide for snow to arrive.

Su Ming walked during noon, and walked through the four seasons…

He crossed deserts and walked past continents on his way towards the center of the world. He had no direction, but he did not want to fly. In the world around him that was once beautiful, he walked with the boy as if they were going down the path of questioning their own Dao.

One year, two years, three years… and then, one hundred years passed.

During those one hundred years, Su Ming retained the same appearance. The boy also stayed in his arms. The two of them did not change in their appearance or their actions, just like how the world around them did not change. Everything was the same as before.

When spring arrived, all manner of life was resurrected, but in the world around them, no sign of green could be seen, no flowers were blooming, and naturally, since there were no flowers in bloom, there was no one to pick them.

During summer, heat filled the world. In Su Ming's and the boy's eyes, the entire world distorted because of the heat, and they seemed to be able to see some of the people which once existed in the past.

However, those figures were distorted, and since they could not be straightened, all they could see were memories.

When autumn arrived, nothing changed since there was no sign of green during spring and no red during autumn. Occasionally, some color would appear in the sky, as if the heavens could not bear seeing the singular color of the land, so they made some more high up above as if trying to give hope to those remaining in the world.

During winter, snow fell. It connected the sky and earth while being blown by a winter breeze. If anyone cast their gazes over, they would find that the world had turned into an indistinct blur. No distances could not be seen.

The only thing that could be seen were snowflakes that could not be counted. When they fell, they seemed to be trying to touch each other, but it was destined that two snowflakes could never reach one another. The only thing they could touch was the wind.

However, no matter what the wind's intentions were, when the snowflakes fell on the ground… they would gradually touch, but those that met then might not be those who had fallen together from the sky.

Su Ming carried the boy through the snow. As he walked, he moved through midwinter and welcomed the arrival of spring, sent away summer, witnessed the coming of the red of autumn, and then returned to wind and snow.

When two hundred years passed, they began to see shattered bodies, corpses reduced to ash, and even bodies who still retained their original looks before their owners' deaths in the once glorious world.

Most of the corpses were dried up and withered. Most of them were in the ruins of cities, but some of them were scattered here and there on the land, the mountains and rivers, and the deserts.

There were countless corpses. Some of them were couples who held onto each other before their deaths. Some of them were mothers who instinctively protected their children. The outlines of their intertwined bodies could be seen when they quietly returned to dust.

Su Ming and the boy buried the corpses, the cities, and the ruins…

Then, during the summer of one particular year, in an afternoon with a drizzling rain, Su Ming stopped to look at an incredibly majestic city in the distance while carrying the sleeping boy. There was a headless figure sitting on the city.

It was a huge city, and it was the third one built like that which Su Ming had noticed after walking through three continents. It was… once the core of that continent and should have been known as the capital.

It was just like the royal capital of Ancient Zang, though in that formerly glorious world, each continent was as great as all of Ancient Zang.

When Su Ming looked at the figure sitting on the city, a hint of complicated emotions appeared in his eyes. He could recognize that the person who followed the second prince had the appearance of his eldest senior brother.

He was not the first familiar figure Su Ming had seen in Ancient Zang, but even so, the soft sigh that came from the bottom of his heart still echoed in Su Ming's mind. It lingered there, refusing to fade away even after a long time had passed.

The headless figure did not move. The man sat on the city while facing Su Ming. No hint of vitality could be detected from him, but neither was there any aura of death around him. It was as if he had been fixed in that place and had turned into… a statue.

The gate of the city suddenly opened on their own, and groups of soldiers in black armor walked out slowly. Their footsteps were uniform, and the ground trembled from them. Each of the soldiers was shrouded in a thick aura of death, and it was so thick that it instantly threw the sky into chaos. The sunlight at noon suddenly turned black.

Those soldiers were people of the land. Years after their death, they had been refined into corpse puppets and turned into black armor. Their city became a city of the dead and a world of corpse puppets.

"I am happy to meet an old friend in a foreign land. Come in!"

At the instant the city gate was thrown open, a mighty voice traveled out from the palace. It spread in every direction and landed in Su Ming's ears.

The speaker was the second prince.

Su Ming was silent for a while before he walked past the black-armored corpse puppets and into the city with the boy in his arms. Inside, he saw countless people. Each of them was a corpse puppet, but at first glance, it seemed like the city was prosperous. Only when Su Ming took a closer look did he see that all of it was just an illusion.

He walked past the crowd and arrived outside the palace whose gate were thrown open for him. Su Ming's gaze seemed to be able to see through the halls where a man was sitting on a throne right at the center of the palace.

He was dressed in an emperor's robe and wore an emperor's crown. However, his figure was hidden in the darkness and could not be seen clearly.

In silence, Su Ming walked along the asphalt paths and the stairs until he walked into the center of the palace. Then, he saw the man sitting on the throne.

He had the exact same face as the second prince, but he gave Su Ming a feeling of familiarity.

"Di Tian," Su Ming said softly.

"It is I!"

The man in the emperor's robe smiled when he heard those words. He stood up swiftly, and when he walked out of the darkness, his appearance was different from the Di Tian in Su Ming's memories, but his presence belonged to him and no one else.

There was still a vortex in Di Tian's right eye. That vortex was like a seal. However, right then, the vortex sealed a soul that was struggling and roaring. That soul… belonged to the second prince.

Su Ming did not know how Di Tian had managed to turn the tables and seize control. However, with the wealth of experience Di Tian had, the calculative mind which he once used to scheme against Su Xuan Yi for ten thousand years, and how he had managed to escape death by connecting with Su Ming's Life Matrix when Harmonious Morus Alba was destroyed… he was definitely not someone the miserable second prince could control. As long as a chance showed up, he could replace the second prince.

"Su Ming, the most gifted of all cultivators over the countless aeons the seventh Harmonious Morus Alba lived through, who personally witnessed the death of Harmonious Morus Alba and who chose to Possess Xuan Zang while standing before him. Su Ming… it has been a long time since we last met."

When Di Tian spoke, his voice still echoed in the air. It spread through the entire palace, and the world outside became even more chaotic.

"Because of you, I managed to escape death. Because of you, I also stepped into this illusory world. Over the years, I was suppressed by that ludicrous second prince, but I have always known that I am Di Tian, not some second prince, because he is only a prince… while I am the Emperor of Immortals!"

Di Tian took a step forward again. With it, he arrived right in front of Su Ming and looked him in the eye.

"Didn't you notice that the world we stand in currently… is different from Ancient Zang? Ancient Zang is fake… but this is real!"

Di Tian swung his arm, and wisps of black smoke immediately filled the place. In an instant, they turned into a huge table set between him and Su Ming.

There were numerous pots of wine on it, and there were also some corpse puppets around it, surrounding them while dancing and singing, even though no sound came from their throats, and their movements were stiff. The aura of death filled them, and the dim light gave the entire scene a bizarre air.

"When we meet a friend in foreign lands, we should treat them with a feast. Su Ming, do you dare drink this wine?" Di Tian asked while smiling softly. The prideful look on his face was the same as before.

Su Ming was silent. While holding the boy, he stared at the Di Tian before him, and sadness gradually appeared on his face. He was sad, because the great Di Tian of Harmonious Morus Alba had already lost himself in the strange new world.

Or perhaps he was willing to get lost. Otherwise, with how firm Di Tian was in his beliefs, it would have been difficult for him to get lost if he did not want it.

"For what reason… did you do this?"

Su Ming sighed softly. To him, be they enemies or old friends, the connection between their Life Matrices had been cut when Su Ming let out his ninth Dao Spirit Voice. Yet no matter what… Di Tian was the second person who possessed the power of wills, the first being Bei Qiong. Right then, when Su Ming looked at him being lost, the emotions that rose in his heart only caused him to sigh.

He looked at Di Tian, then his gaze finally landed on the area around the throne behind Di Tian. He obtained his answer there.

"Su Ming, do you dare drink the wine?!"

Ddi Tian did not answer Su Ming's question. Instead, he asked the same one as before with a smile and his eyes sparkling brilliantly. Su Ming cast Di Tian a deep look, then turned around and walked out of the palace.

Di Tian's laughter echoed behind Su Ming, sending him off. Only when Su Ming left the palace did that laughter gradually fade away. The singing and dancing continued in the palace, but grief slowly appeared on Di Tian's face.

He turned around quietly and walked to the throne. There was a Rune around it, and several corpses could be seen in the dim light. On each of the corpses was a runic symbol carved into them with blood.

Di Tian stood in a daze while looking at the corpses. Gradually, the dispirited look on his face faded away, replaced by determination.

"I promised all of you before that I would resurrect you in this new world… It is my promise," Di Tian murmured and sat down slowly on his throne. His figure slowly faded into darkness again… and he could not be seen clearly anymore.

"Only if I believe that this place is real will you not suspect that this place is fake after you are resurrected. With just me losing my way, I can bring all of you back into existence. Even if I am wrong in this regard… I will accept it."

Anguish appeared on Di Tian's face. When he looked at the mute corpse puppets dancing, he gradually heard a song, and the stiff corpse puppets before his eyes became spirited, as if they had become alive. However, while he watched them, his soft sighs echoed in the throne room, but his voice did not travel out of the palace.

No one could hear him.