Pursuit of the Truth

”Our Berserkers…” Su Ming cast Elder Feng a glance and did not speak. He identified with those two words, but there was also a complicated feeling in him that he could not describe. This complicated feeling came from Tai Ci Progenitor’s new name.

Berserker Seed number four.

If there was a number four, then while there might not be a number five and number six, but there would definitely be a number three, number two… and a number one.

Who were they..?

’With Lie Shan Xiu’s intelligence and methods, if he decided to scheme against me, then perhaps I am… numbers one, two, or three.’ Su Ming’s expression remained calm and he did not reveal a single hint of his thoughts. All of this was just his guess, so while his thoughts might be correct, they could also be just him thinking too much.

It was just like how a person might not have the intention to harm others, but they must maintain vigilant of those around them, because… this was the world of cultivation. This was a world where the law of the jungle was the prime principle. It was a brutal era in which one wrong step would cause a person to be damned eternally.

Elder Feng walked in the air with Su Ming by his side, the two of them moving forward leisurely. Yu Rou and the Duke of Crimson Flame with the yellow and black dogs followed behind them. As for Yu Chen Hai, he had already gone back to Yu Family’s base.

”More than half of the families in Black Ink Planet have been planted with the Berserker Seed, and as they are unconsciously influenced by it, they no longer think of themselves as cultivators but accept being known as Berserkers,” Elder Feng said leisurely.

”We’ve control about an eight-tenths of the trades conducted between Black Ink Planet and the world outside. We can limit the number of a particular item being sold, and with this, we control one of the lifelines of Divine Essence Star Ocean and the four Great True Worlds.

”But the fights to seize the market have never disappeared. Once in a while, a force from the outside will come here to snatch the resources in Black Ink Planet, such as this Tai Ci Family. It is part of the Shamanic Dao from the world outside which came to this place after traversing through many galaxies. However, from the shadows, we divided them, and even if their family members had not provoked you today… before long, we would have wiped them off.” Elder Feng’s voice echoed in the world as he brought Su Ming through mountains, rivers, and meadows.

”Didn’t you notice that you didn’t feel too much unfamiliarity when you came to Black Ink Planet?” As Elder Feng moved forward, he turned his head around to smile at Su Ming.

”The rivers, meadows, and the terrain here… If you take a closer look, you will find… that everything has been modified and changed into… those of the world of the Berserkers that resides in our memories.” When Elder Feng finished saying these things, he stopped speaking and chose instead to look quietly at Su Ming.

Su Ming remained silent. He had noticed this before, but as they were now moving through the land, he had been able to sense something. It was just as Elder Feng had said, there were certain parts in the terrain here… that gave him a sense of déjà vu.

”Ink Kirin City lies a distance away. The rules within its family are incredibly strict… and they are also the family upon which we have the least control. They are an important alien race from Divine Essence Star Ocean that serve as the core of all the alien races here, and they… have their own pride.”

As they traveled through the land, Su Ming saw plenty of different families. When Elder Feng’s spoke up, Su Ming looked over and saw a vast city built… upon a foreign creature!

It was a gigantic black kirin. That kirin stood on the ground with its head was tilted towards the sky. There was a yearning look on its face, as if it was looking at the star of its home.

That black kirin was several hundreds of thousands of feet big, and when Su Ming looked at it, he could see no end to the creature. A vast, mighty pressure spread out from it, and the its strength seemed to be same as the one that belonged to a Master of Fate, Lives, and Death.

Elder Feng did not bring Su Ming to Ink Kirin City, but instead they went past it. He brought Su Ming through almost the entire Black Ink Planet, and on their way they saw Worldly Star Planet as well.

In the end, when the sky gradually darkened, he brought Su Ming to a mountain range. It looked like a dragon’s spine, as if a dragon had curled up on the ground and was deep in sleep.

The place was all dark.

When Su Ming looked down from the sky, he could see a vague shadow of a person standing at the peak of the tallest mountain. That person was incredibly tall and well-built. As he stood there, he gave off a feeling that he was even taller than the mountain under his feet.

It was as if wherever he went, everything would be centered around him. Even the portion of the world in this region seemed different from the other parts in the world. It gave a feeling as if it had sunken slightly, as if… it was worshiping this man.

Su Ming could only vaguely see that person’s back. As he approached with Elder Feng, the large back slowly became clearer, and complicated emotions appeared on Su Ming’s face.

Because… this was no longer a living person, but a stone statue.

Lie Shan Xiu’s… stone statue!

Elder Feng descended on the mountain and stopped beside the stone statue. Su Ming landed beside him quietly, not saying a single word when his gaze fell on the stone statue.

After a long while, Elder Feng sighed and said calmly, ”You were too late.

”This isn’t a stone statue. Eight thousand years ago, Lord Lie Shan stood here and looked at the sun setting and rising as if he was thinking about something. He stood here for three years, and his body turned into a stone statue. We don’t know where his soul went, just that his life force disappeared without a trace.

”However, before his soul disappeared, Elder Yu and I heard our Lord God of Berserkers’ divine thought. He told us that he went… to a place where he could decide the fate of Berserkers. He might never come back from there, so we were told that if he didn’t return within ten thousand years, then everything that he created would belong to the God of Berserkers who would come here after him.

”If the God of Berserkers who came to this place wanted to find him… then a competition between the Gods of Berserkers would occur!

”I don’t really understand what the Lord God of Berserkers meant, but I think you should be able.”

Elder Feng remained silent for a moment after saying this, then he cast a profound look at Su Ming and took a few steps backwards. He sat down cross-legged several thousand feet away and closed his eyes, speaking no more.

Su Ming’s expression remained as calm as before. No one could see his thoughts. When Elder Feng moved back, he lifted his head to look at the statue before him and walked over. When he stood in front of it, he saw how Lie Shan Xiu looked like.

His a face was one filled with an ancient air and an awe-inspiring righteousness. The profound look in his eyes stood out starkly even after he had turned into a stone statue, and it gave off a feeling of sadness. When Su Ming looked at the statue, he could sense that grief.

Lie Shan Xiu was looking at the sky in this manner while thinking about something.

Su Ming looked at the statue. This image was the one that fit with the image of what he thought of Lie Shan Xiu in his heart, not the person who had used all those despicable means and used Berserker Seeds with a sinister air about him.

After a long while, Su Ming mumbled to himself, saying words that only he could hear. ”Is he giving me the power to choose..?”

The words Lie Shan Xiu left behind were not complicated but very straight-forward. Elder Feng had lied when he said he did not understand his words. He had simply not wanted to understand them since he was not the one who could make the decision. This was a path that could only be chosen by the one who had the right to make this decision.

The only people who had the right to walk down this path were the Gods of Berserkers.

It did not matter whether it was the first, the second, the third, or the fourth… As long as they had been acknowledged by the land of Berserkers and won over the Berserkers’ hearts…. they had the right to walk down this path.

Time trickled by as Su Ming continued looking at Lie Shan Xiu’s statue until the night passed. When the sky grew bright once again, Su Ming lifted his head to look at the sky while standing by the statue.

His action was the exact same as that of Lie Shan Xiu. He might not be as tall and built as the other, but as he stood there, he looked as if he was stepping on top of the world.

He looked at the sky quietly.

One day, two days, three days…

Another person silently arrived to the mountain range. He was a person Su Ming had seen before on the screen of light - the old man sitting on the gigantic octopus. He was the Rain General of the four Generals of Wind, Rain, Lightning, and Fog.

His old appearance was incredibly similar to Feng Lai’s. He arrived quietly and silently sat down beside Elder Feng. The two of them did not speak, just sat there as if they were waiting for Su Ming to make his choice.

Time passed, and even more people appeared behind them. These people were all old men and were all respectable personas in the Lie Shan Family. They seldom ventured out on normal occasions, but now… they had all come to this place and were looking at Su Ming’s back with complicated expressions on their faces. In the end, they chose to sit down and wait for him.

Half a month later, nearly one hundred people arrived and fixed their gazes on Su Ming’s body. However, he could no longer sense it. He looked at the sky as he pondered about what Lie Shan Xiu had seen in the past.

Having watched the sky for half a month, Su Ming had seen a dozen something cycles of the sun rising and setting, but he did not obtain his answer. When another half a month passed as he looked at the sky, he suddenly came to a realization while his mind was still in an absent-minded state.

There was nothing in the sky. Lie Shan Xiu had not been looking at the skyt, but was looking at… himself… at his own heart. He was hesitating as he mulled over something.

”The competition between the Gods of Berserkers…” Su Ming said softly. ”But I don’t want to compete.” He looked at the sky. ”If I don’t want to compete and you still don’t return in two thousand years, then everything here will belong to me… Are you telling me that this is your choice?

”But why do I feel like everything about this is just an illusion. This isn’t your real choice. In the end, you would choose to have me compete against you…” Su Ming sighed. He slowly lowered his head and turned around to look at the nearly one hundred Berserkers who were thousands of feet behind him.

He was looking at them, and they were also looking at him.

Both parties were silent.

”Tell me. Who is Berserker Seed number three?” Su Ming asked slowly.

”A prodigy of the previous generation from twenty thousand years ago, who is a Heaven Stealer from Divine Essence Star Ocean.” The person who answered Su Ming was Elder Feng.

”What about number two?”

”A cultivator from True Morning Dao World… who is among the forces of power from the four Great True Worlds keeping an eye over this place,” Elder Yu said hoarsely. This was the first time he spoke, and wherever his voice traveled to, it would felt as if there was water vapor around there.

Su Ming remained silent for a moment, then asked softly, ”Who is number one?”

The moment he said these words, Elder Feng and Elder Yu cast their gazes at him at the same time. However, since Su Ming was standing beside Lie Shan Xiu’s statue, their gazes also landed on it, but no one could tell if it was just a coincidence or not.