Pursuit of the Truth

Zhao Guang You remembered clearly that because he had been late to the fight one thousand years ago in Heavenly Treasure Planet, he had been outside the ocean of wind as he witnessed the crazed slaughter.

Those in Heaven Cultivation Realm all died, and plenty of other cultivators didn’t leave alive either. Aside from that one cultivator in the middle stage of World Plane Realm, it was as if every other person had to die before Mo Su.

The sight of a hunter turning into a hunted had shocked Zhao Guang You. If he had not reacted to the situation quickly enough and decisively chosen to immediately leave Heavenly Treasure Planet, he would have probably been one of those who had died as well.

Heavenly Treasure Planet had been torn to pieces and reduced to ashes, but under that terrifying strike, Mo Su had once again appeared in Western Ring Nebula, and the shock it brought to Zhao Guang You was incredibly great.

He was one of the very few people who had managed to survive after witnessing Su Ming’s attack, that was why after the other was forced into Western Ring Nebula’s foreign lands, he chose to come to Crimson Flame Planet.

He saw the might of Su Ming’s physical body and wanted to search for the reason behind it. He had heard about Su Ming gathering blue stones in Crimson Flame Planet to absorb them, and he tried to do it as well, but failed.

However, he was the first powerful warrior to arrive in Crimson Flame Planet, and was also the first to imprison Yue Hong Bang. From then on, there were quite a few powerful warriors who came to Crimson Flame Planet in search for the reason behind Su Ming’s strength, but they were the same as him and did not obtain any answers.

As one thousand years passed, fewer people came, and it was especially so during the last few hundred years. Practically no one came to this place. It was as if Mo Su’s name had already been forgotten.

Zhao Guang You did not harbor any hope anymore. The imprisonment of Yue Hong Bang had been without much purpose, just because he was a reminder. After all, if Zhao Guang You had still cared about it, he wouldn’t have thrown the task of watching that place to his disciple. In his heart, he saw no point to it anymore. He had already done everything that he could do, but he still did not obtain any answer.

In fact, in his mind, Crimson Flame Planet was a good place, and he had already decided to stay here for long, which was why he had built his sect here and taken in disciples.

However, he did not expect that he would run into Mo Su here, the man who had terrified him in the past. This was something he never thought about. In his mind, all those who stepped into the foreign lands were dead men, since it was so rare to see anyone walk out alive. In fact, even if they managed to come out, they required at least several thousands or ten thousand years to do so.

Even if Mo Su managed to come out, he would definitely be cautious, because the four Great True Worlds had yet to cancel his bounty. If they could chase him down the first time, then they could do so a second time, and all the times after.

Yet now… only one thousand years had passed.

Yet now… this person had appeared in Crimson Flame Planet in such a brazen manner!

Almost at the instant he registered what was going on in his head, Zhao Guang You’s expression changed rapidly. His body came to an abrupt halt just as he was about to fly out of the hall, and he turned around to immediately change his direction and retreat.

He did not fly out of the entrance. Instead, as he retreated, he shot up and rushed straight towards the roof of the hall with a bang. In the mid of that booming sound, he tore through a hole in the hall and charged out from within.

Dim sunlight scattered on the ground. At the moment Zhao Guang You appeared on the roof, the first thing he saw were the thousands of cultivators standing close to each other far away from the area, and immediately after, he saw Yue Hong Bang, who was not only healed, but was also standing with all of his cultivation base restored and refined.

Then, he saw… a figure that made his heart tremble furiously, and the one thread of hope remaining in his heart wishing that he would be lucky was shredded to pieces.

The figure was dressed in white and had gray hair as he stood there allowing the mountain breeze to blow against his robes. His face was handsome, but exuded an ancient air, and he was naturally the person whom Zhao Guang You found impossible to forget, and who was buried deep in his memories after terrifying him all those years ago - Su Ming!

”I see, so it’s you.” Su Ming placed his hands behind his back as he stood at the top of the mountain. The booming sounds from the roof of the hall echoed in his ears as he looked at the person who had flown out. Su Ming had seen this person before. He was one of the cultivators who had fled from Heavenly Treasure Planet from fright.

At the moment he heard Su Ming’s words, Zhao Guang You felt his skin crawl, and he was almost terrified out of his wits, because at the instant he heard Su Ming’s voice and looked over, a loud bang rang out in his heart, and his mind went blank. The only thing that remained in his head were Su Ming’s eyes.

Those were a pair of eyes that shocked him. It was as if they could suck away his soul and make him lose his consciousness. In fact, he could feel that Su Ming could damn him for eternity with just one thought.

This was an incredibly distinct feeling, and it was clearer to Zhao Guang You than anything before.

’He’s not in the initial stage of World Plane Realm. He-he’s definitely different from one thousand years ago. He couldn’t make my heart tremble with just one gaze back then. He… Just what sort of serendipity did he obtain in the foreign land?’

Zhao Guang You’s body trembled, and right after, without even having time to speak, he swayed and coughed up a mouthful of blood. It turned instantly into blood mist, and he chose to flee without even fighting.

This was not any ordinary form of escaping either. This was a frenzied escape where he flung all caution to the wind and even injured himself to execute an Art that allowed him to instantaneously reach the horizon.

Since he was a cultivator at the peak of the initial stage of World Plane Realm, the thousands of spectators burst into a commotion due to his actions. They had originally expected a great battle. After all, in their eyes, while Su Ming was strong, Zhao Guang You had been a supreme existence during the hundreds of years that were nearing a thousand he was in Crimson Flame Planet. That was why in their minds, Zhao Guang You’s strength was not to be questioned. However, the scene unfolding before their eyes immediately overturned their beliefs.

”Paragon Zhao is… He’s running away?”

”He’s definitely thinking about executing a powerful divine ability in the sky. It’s impossible for him to immediately run without even attacking.”

”Nonsense. He’s clearly running away. Sir Mo Su is so strong that he can make a cultivator in the initial stage of World Plane Realm choose to not fight but flee by sacrificing his blood.”

The thousands of cultivators in the area were not the only ones shocked by this. Zhao Guang You’s eight disciples in the hall also had their mouths hanging open in shock. They stared at Zhao Guang You turning into a ray of blood-red light that fled madly into the sky from the hole that appeared on the roof in the hall. Their Master, who was an incredibly powerful existence in their hearts… was running away pathetically.

In fact, he looked as if he did not even dare to say a single word. It caused the shock in the eight disciples hearts to change into astonishment and fear, especially that of the young man who had kept an eye on Yue Hong Bang. His face had instantly turned pale.

When Yue Hong Bang saw that Zhao Guang You was about to disappear, anxiety appeared in his heart, but he did not dare to chase after him rashly. It was not because he was afraid of Zhao Guang You, but because Su Ming had not said even a single word by his side.

”He’s a clever one, at least,” Su Ming remarked flatly. This person had escaped the disaster in Heavenly Treasure Planet with that intelligent mind of his, but he should not have set his eyes on Su Ming.

Su Ming did not do much. His left eye only shone once, and immediately, the mark of the palm which he had formed in his left eye through the epiphany he had gained after he survived the attack of a Master of Fate, Lives, and Death disappeared.

In the next breath, the sky roared, and the dim heavens tumbled about to reveal a sight that caused all those who saw it in the area to cry out together in surprise. Zhao Guang You’s eight disciples also looked as if they had instantly lost all their strength, and despair appeared on their faces.

Even Yue Hong Bang’s breathing quickened when he saw this scene. As his pupils shrank, his heart filled with shock and disbelief.

At that moment, as the clouds tumbled about and ripples were formed in the sky, a huge palm replaced the sky and appeared before everyone’s eyes.

There was no end to this palm, and it completely replaced the sky, making it seem as if there was a giant standing in the galaxy, right outside Crimson Flame Planet, and he was striking the planet with his palm.

The sky rumbled, and the heavens twisted. The gigantic palm was Su Ming’s epiphany. At that moment, the epiphany gained form, and the palm descended as if it was falling from the sky. As it pressed down, it looked as if a sea of fire had risen up due to friction, causing the sky to burn.

As the palm swiftly descended, a loud bang rang out in the sky. The fleeing Zhao Guang You’s body formed from the blood-red light. His face was distorted in shock. With a piercing scream, his body plunged down as he tried to avoid the palm from seizing him.

Su Ming shook his head. The understanding he had was still not enough. The palm only possessed an outline and did not have much power. It was impossible for it to be compared with that of a Master of Fate, Lives, and Death, but its appearance could be used to scare others.

”Kill him.”

Su Ming averted his gaze from the sky. When he spoke lightly, killing intent shone in Yue Hong Bang’s eyes. He had been waiting a long time ago for Su Ming’s orders. At that moment, he let out a prolonged shout towards the sky and rose up, turning into a long arc that charged towards Zhao Guang You, who had been shaken by the palm in the sky and was currently retreating.

”That person is already scared out of his wits. He might be slightly stronger than you, but he won’t be able to bring out his full power. I will give you the span of ten breaths. If he doesn’t die by then, you will die with him. I do not need weaklings under my wing.”

Su Ming’s voice was calm, but there was a ruthless tone within it that caused Yue Hong Bang’s heart to tremble. He did not suspect the truth of that statement at all. Once he witnessed Su Ming’s strength, he once again remembered the other impression Su Ming had left in his mind all those years ago.

Temperamental.

His heart shuddered, and Yue Hong Bang clenched his teeth tightly. His eyes immediately turned bloodshot, and with a low growl, he rushed towards Zhao Guang You. He had to give everything he had in this fight. If he did not manage to kill this person within ten breaths, then he himself would die with the other. This was not something he could choose, and neither did he have time to dawdle. Even if he would be severely injured, he had to kill Zhao Guang You.

In this bout of madness, besides respect, he also felt terror towards Su Ming from the depths of his heart. This terror would accompany him for the rest of his lives, and it would not leave.

’Is this how the superior are..? There were four superiors recorded in Yue Family’s scrolls, and the experiences of the older generations of the family while dealing with them were recorded in the scrolls as well. The first was a forthright person, and the second a somber one. Yue Family’s Progenitor was that somber person. This sort of person was easier to serve, since those who are forthright are easier to get close to. The third was temperamental, and the fourth was also temperamental. The first of the two pretended to be emotionally volatile, and the second... was born this way. It didn’t matter which sort of temperamental person they were, they were incredibly difficult to serve.’ Yue Hong Bang’s heart was filled with anguish, but he did not have time to think much about this at that moment. With red eyes, he closed in on Zhao Guang You.

Su Ming closed his eyes. He did not pay any attention to the battle in the sky.

Time passed. Booming sounds echoed in the air, and eventually, during the tenth breath, a shrill scream of pain traveled through the air. When Su Ming opened his eyes, Yue Hong Bang returned to him with a head whose face was filled with despair. It looked as if there was fire burning on Yue Hong Bang’s body, and there were many parts of him that had turned into a bloody mess. When he knelt down on the ground, he coughed up a mouthful of blood. There was a dispirited look on his pale face.

It was clear that he had only won after burning his cultivation base, gave it his all, and executed his family’s strongest divine ability.

At the moment he knelt down, one word echoed in the deepest recesses of his mind.

’Temperamental…’