Martial World

Sheng Mei’s question implied that she knew who the mysterious youth was. But someone that Sheng Mei knew who was so incredibly powerful that Lin Ming couldn’t understand him at all, and who also made him feel fear and apprehension, Lin Ming couldn’t think of anyone else besides the Soul Emperor.

“Yes.”

Sheng Mei slowly nodded. She wasn’t surprised that Lin Ming could guess the identity of that youth.

The Soul Emperor was the one who held ultimate control of the spiritas and the seven Heavens of the spiritas. Although the spiritas had many True Divinities, these True Divinities took the Soul Emperor as their ruler.

Towards this immeasurably deep and mysterious character, Lin Ming was filled with dread.

“If he didn’t discover Ruby, he shouldn’t have discovered the Magic Cube…”

Lin Ming felt his back drenched in a cold sweat. When he met the mysterious youth, Lin Ming had tried his best to restrain his every thought and emotion. Even so, he felt as if he had been completely seen through.

Luckily, the Magic Cube was originally a supreme divine tool of the universe and Ruby was also an extremely mysterious character who could even see through the Laws left behind by the creator of the Holy Scripture.

These were two existences that surpassed the imagination of others. If they hid their aura as best they could, it was normal if even a True Divinity couldn’t discover them.

Moreover, according to what Lin Ming learned before, the Soul Emperor should never have seen the Magic Cube before.

“The Soul Emperor… why is he here to especially see me?”

Lin Ming thought, awed. Without a doubt, the Soul Emperor had been deliberately waiting for him on the banks of that dead lake!

The Soul Emperor had said that Lin Ming’s road was too smooth and not conducive to him reaching the true peak of martial arts. These words had left a deep impression in Lin Ming’s mind, but he didn’t believe that the Soul Emperor had been there just to leave behind these words and help guide his cultivation.

As Lin Ming spoke, his eyes blazed and he stared at Sheng Mei. He waited for her response; this was something that concerned his life!

The Soul Emperor was far too powerful. Although humanity had no conflicts of interest with the spiritas right now, and could even be called loosely connected part-allies, Lin Ming was still alarmed by being noticed by this figure who possessed unimaginable strength and could control his life or death at any moment.

Sheng Mei sighed, not replying.

Lin Ming continued to stare at Sheng Mei. “Why are you sighing?”

“I’m sighing over your destiny…”

Sheng Mei quietly said.

Lin Ming grew increasingly cold. “Why are you sighing for my destiny?”

Sheng Mei shook her head, not saying anything.

Lin Ming also fell silent.

After the two remained quiet for a quarter hour, Sheng Mei suddenly looked at Lin Ming, her eyes glistening like stars.

“Lin Ming, let me ask you one more time. Are you willing to abandon humanity, abandon everything, and follow me in reaching the peak of martial arts, probing the limits of the road of martial arts, establishing a vast world that lies separate from the 33 Heavens and becoming the rulers of that world?

“You and I can even become like the Asura Road Master and Holy Scripture master from 10 billion years ago. We can cultivate the Law of Eternal Life and live forever in this world.”

Sheng Mei’s words were filled with a dark temptation. Moreover, as she spoke, Lin Ming could feel an invisible force field covering the both of them, isolating out all sounds.

He didn’t know why, but the look that Sheng Mei cast his way caused his heart to race.

In that moment, he intuitively felt that Sheng Mei’s eyes were filled with sincerity and hope, causing one to be unable to refuse her…

In Lin Ming’s impression, Sheng Mei was a strong woman filled with ambition and calculating plans. Through the time he had been in contact with Sheng Mei, on the surface it looked as if they got alone happily and when they cooperated it even seemed as if their thoughts were in sync.

But in the depths of his heart, Lin Ming had always been wary of Sheng Mei. If Lin Ming held 120% trust towards Xiao Moxian, Qin Xingxuan, and Mu Qianyu, then towards Sheng Mei he might not even have 20% trust.

But this time, for some unknown reason, Lin Ming thought that Sheng Mei’s words were true, words that came from her heart. Lin Ming wanted to refuse her, but he couldn’t seem to summon the words even though they lay near his lips.

This was because he could faintly feel that Sheng Mei had summoned a great determination to say what she said, and this might be the last time she asked. And that if he were to refuse her now, he would be refusing something important.

“The Soul Emperor… how can he allow my existence?”

Lin Ming slowly asked beneath Sheng Mei’s sound-blocking enchantment.

Without a doubt, the Soul Emperor was also someone who held vast ambitions. If the Soul Emperor still had a long time left to live, how could he allow a competitor from a different race to grow?

Even if the Soul Emperor didn’t have much lifespan remaining, he still needed to choose a descendant, and he absolutely wouldn’t choose a human to inherit his legacy.

“Me and the Soul Emperor are different from what you imagine. I am only asking you – will you agree?”

Sheng Mei’s words were ambiguous. She didn’t explain anything to Lin Ming, only continuing to look at him with sincere hope in her eyes.

In that moment it seemed as if she wasn’t the Soul Empress Sheng Mei that dominated the spiritas and looked down at the world, but a delicate woman who aroused one’s deepest sympathies.

“I don’t understand…”

Lin Ming quietly said. Sheng Mei’s actions today left him startled.

Sheng Mei shook her head. “I only want to ask you this and know your answer. If you agree then I will explain the doubts you have in your heart, but if you refuse, I’m afraid that in the future, perhaps…”

Sheng Mei didn’t continue speaking. Her last words left Lin Ming feeling something strange in the pit of her stomach, as if saying them would hurt her.

Lin Ming knew that if he agreed to Sheng Mei’s conditions, it was possible that she would teach him the nearly complete Holy Scripture!

To Lin Ming, this was an unimaginable advantage!

“You can’t wait?”

Lin Ming already took a step back. The so-called ‘wait’ was to wait until he grew into an extreme Empyrean that neared a True Divinity, to wait for him to possess enough strength to contend with the saints’ Good Fortune Saint Sovereign and even turn the tide of the war.

At that time, once humanity was safe then he would have more choices he could make. He could wholeheartedly chase the peak of martial arts.

However… Sheng Mei shook her head.

“No.”

She refused without brooking any compromise, leaving Lin Ming stunned.

“Why?”

“I don’t have time.”

A nervous look flashed in Sheng Mei’s eyes.

Didn’t have time?

Lin Ming took a deep breath, trying to compose his racing heart. At that moment, in his mind, images of his parents, Xiao Moxian, Mu Qianyu, Qin Xingxuan, Lin Xiaoge, Empyrean Divine Dream, Empyrean Vast Universe, and even Empyrean Primordius who left him his legacy, flashed like a panorama. There was the Black Dragon of the Eternal Demon Abyss and the countless individuals of humanity who had crossed paths with him, aiding him, supporting him…

These were things he could not discard.

A human was never an independent existence. They needed human society, and also to be recognized by others.

Lin Ming couldn’t allow himself to become independent, desolately climbing towards the peak of martial arts all by himself.

To withstand an immortal life of loneliness.

That was an unimaginably despairing fate.

Eventually… he grit his teeth and shook his head.

“I refuse!”

Hearing Lin Ming’s deep voice, a look of disappointment crossed Sheng Mei’s face. She looked at Lin Ming and slowly closed her eyes. Beneath the starlight, her long lashes seemed to shiver.

The truth was she had already expected Lin Ming’s answer. Otherwise he wouldn’t be Lin Ming at all.

With a sigh, Sheng Mei turned around, looking at the boundless starry skies.

Her outstanding figure was outlined with her dark red dress. As it fluttered in the wind, she exuded an infinitely beguiling charm.

She was like a goddess of the heavens and earth, controlling creation, perfect and immovable. But at that moment, within her star-bright eyes, she also revealed endless loss.

Why did she ask again?

Perhaps… she just needed a reason to give up…

“Lin Ming… you are a moth drawn to the flame. Although you know there is a raging fire in front of you, you still desperately plunge into the roaring flames…

“Me, I am also a moth…”

Sheng Mei’s voice was like flowing starlight that cut through the night sky.

Lin Ming was silent. Indeed, he was a moth.

The saints were strong to an incomprehensible point. Perhaps, no matter how hard he tried, even if he exhausted the totality of his potential and burned his life, he still might not be able to stop the invasion of the saints.

But Sheng Mei… what were the flames she faced?

“Your words, sound familiar…”

Lin Ming sighed. He remembered when he was 15 years old and had just stepped onto the road of martial arts, he had lacked raw medicines to help cleanse and heal his body. And for a mortal, if they lacked the materials and medicines to nourish their body, they might overdraw themselves and be disabled for the rest of their life.

In the past he had gathered money to purchase these medicines. He had drawn up inscription symbols and went to various city squares, auction houses, and inscription association stores, but because he wasn’t famous, he had received nothing but a cold shoulder.

As a result, the scene of his failure had been witnessed by his first love, Lan Yunyue.

At that time, the advice Lan Yunyue gave him was similar to Sheng Mei’s…

“I remember… that when I was a mortal, an old friend of mine warned me not to be stubborn and practice martial arts. She didn’t want me to spend the rest of my days disabled on a bed. But, my answer was…

“The path of the martial artist is like a flame. Practicing the martial arts will only cause pain. The dangers are countless and the road is filled with obstacles. Everyone who walks down it will eventually turn to ash, but the true martial artist will be reborn from these ashes. Even if I am only a small and weak moth, I will walk into the flames without hesitation. I will fight my destiny for a one in a million chance that I will experience my own samsara and be reborn as a flaming phoenix. And even now, I am no longer a moth…”

As Lin Ming spoke these words, he didn’t know what he felt in his heart.

He knew that he was discarding an easy road to take, and choosing to walk down one filled with thorns and obstacles, and he didn’t even know whether or not he could reach the end of this road.

And when he chose to take this road, he seemed to have hurt Sheng Mei. Even so, Lin Ming didn’t know what difficulties Sheng Mei had that she couldn’t bring up…

“Forget the words I’ve said tonight.”

Sheng Mei suddenly calmed down. She turned around, the disappointment in her eyes already completely vanished, replaced with cold indifference.

It was as if what Lin Ming had seen and heard was just an illusion. As if that pitiful Sheng Mei had never existed at all.

She was the same as she had always been, the Empress of the spiritas, dominating the world, looking down upon all others!

“Lin Ming, a worm that lives amongst the dead leaves and fallen branches will never understand the beauty and greatness of this world. You have far too many chains shackling you down. The road of martial arts is to struggle for life with the heavens, and to climb to the peak of martial arts is to crush the heavens beneath your feet. Since ancient times, those that were willing to discard all others naturally possessed extreme talents of their own, and yet they were still defeated, much less someone like you who has chosen to place such a great weight upon yourself and shoulder the destiny of your race. Don’t you know the story of Empyrean Divine Seal from 3.6 billion years ago? He was a truly peerless character, a True Dragon of the world, but he also chose to shoulder the destiny of humanity and in the end he died in battle. What a pity, what a loss!”

Sheng Mei softly sighed. Lin Ming shook his head. “I am not Empyrean Divine Seal. My road is one I will walk down myself. And the choices I make, I will not regret them in the future!”