Pursuit of the Truth

“He’s gone…” After a long while, when Su Ming walked off the platform, the crowd registered what had happened. Then, an uproar that seemed to surge into the sky rose among them.

“This… This is… what happened? Why is the person with black feathers who has always existed in the pillar of light… gone?”

“Can Dynast Dao Kong be considered to have cleared the fourth Striking Lands?”

“Nonsense. The person guarding the land is gone, so you tell me whether Dynast Dao Kong cleared the stage!”

“Just what level of cultivation does he possess? How can this be? Could the garrison have been killed?”

“This isn’t the main point. The point is, the garrison of the fourth Striking Lands has disappeared. How… are we going to challenge this Striking Lands in the future?”

“This might be something that has never happened in Morning Dao Sect…” The sounds of discussion had never been so strong. Even when Su Ming had cleared the previous three Striking Lands, the voices had not come close to such loudness.

The Dynasts in the area, including Dao Lin and Dao Fa, held great shock and astonishment in their eyes as they looked towards Su Ming. In fact, there was already an indescribable wariness and fear in the depths of their hearts.

On the other hand, the dozen something divine senses who had descended had swiftly dissipated while keeping their silence. However, the instant they did so, a dozen something spots from the ninety-nine continents in the second plane and the 999 continents in the third plane let out booming sounds. A figure shot out from each of them, and after most of them raised their heads to stare at the nine continents in the first plane, they took a step to change upwards.

They knew that something major had happened. The garrison of the fourth Striking Lands had disappeared. This was something unprecedented and would surely stir up a huge storm. If they were late, Dynast Dao Kong might manage to die, and they would lose their chance to challenge him.

Besides them, old Bei Bang standing at the edge of the group of cultivators on the fourth continent had a dark expression on his face. He stared at the empty pillar of light, then at Su Ming. He did not say anything though and remained silent. He could only be considered as one of the core members in Morning Dao Sect, but not the top one, since there were quite a few people whose ranks were above his. Those people had to have learned of what happened… and would probably come soon.

The three sect masters behind Bei Bang were stunned, especially that tanned old man. He had even sucked in a sharp breath, and for the first time ever, wariness appeared in his gaze as he stared at Su Ming.

The moment Su Ming walked off the platform and stepped into the air, wind stirred and clouds began to surge. Thunder roared, and a gigantic vortex formed.

As it spun and roared, three wills descended from within it with a bang. The moment they did so, the hearts of the cultivators in the area immediately trembled. Even Bei Bang shuddered and lowered his head before wrapping his fist in his palm and bowing to the sky.

As he did this, the three sect masters behind him immediately wrapped their fists in their palms and bowed respectfully as well. The ten million cultivators around him also worshiped those three wills together.

Su Ming who stood in midair raised his head to look at the vortex. His eyes shone. He decided not to act too arrogantly in this matter and lowered his head before bowing as well.

“Dao Kong!”

The instant Su Ming bowed, a buzzing sound came out with a bang from the vortex in the sky like a God. A voice spread to all four planes like tumbling waves and reached more than ten million continents.

“What have you done to the existence of Extreme Darkness guarding this land?! Why has the presence of his vitality disappeared?!” The buzzing spread out again. There was a freezing chill contained in it, and it immediately caused all the living beings in the world to feel as if their hearts had withered and their lives would end if the speaker so much as gave the command.

“Death Realm!”

There were naturally those who had great knowledge of things in the world. At that moment, in shock, they lowered their heads even further. Each disciple in Morning Dao Sect knew that Morning Dao Sect… had accumulated its strength over countless years, and it was fathomless!

“I don’t know,” Su Ming said flatly while shaking his head. He remained composed, and not a single change could be detected on him. He might be in Morning Dao Sect, but it did not matter to him.

More than one thousand years ago, Dao Kong had stepped into the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. The Almighties in True Morning Dao World fending against the Barren Lands of Divine Essence had mentioned that they only listened to Progenitor Dao Chen. When he stepped into Morning Dao Sect, the Blood-Soul Fusion test had given him the golden bloodline. If Su Ming still did not understand what was going on, then he would have lived his life in vain.

Was there anything in Morning Dao Sect that he should be afraid of?

When Su Ming delivered his answer, the three wills in the vortex did not immediately speak, but the increasingly oppressive mighty pressure seemed to continuously gather around them in that silence. It made the ten million cultivators in the land to immediately begin trembling.

“Cancel Dao Kong’s right to be a Dynast.” After some time, the buzzing sound came from the vortex again. At the instant that voice spoke, another one filled with an imposing tone reverberated in the air as well.

“Cancel his right to be a direct descendant.”

“Excluding those who are sect masters, all those who share the same blood as him will be demoted to being members of a branch family.”

“Banish him to Dao Ocean. Suppress him there until he voices his secrets. If he does not answer in ten thousand years, then he shall sink into Dao Ocean until the universe is destroyed.”

The three buzzing voices spoke one after another. The mighty pressure contained in them made it sound as if they could decide the fate of all lives as well as the direction the world should head towards with just their words.

“This punishment will be effective immediately!” As the words left the vortex, a gigantic palm stretched out and charged towards Su Ming with loud booming sounds.

A brilliant light shone in Su Ming’s eyes. He lifted his head to stare at the incoming palm without any change in his expression. He was making a bet about whether Dao Chen, who was in constant isolation, would appear to interfere. If that did not appear, then Su Ming would summon the fifth kiln and slaughter his way out of Morning Dao Sect.

Even though he would have wasted his identity as Dao Kong, he had methods to obtain a new identity. However, unless he absolutely had to, Su Ming was unwilling to do such a thing.

The huge palm came towards him with loud booming sounds. At the instant it was about to touch him, a brilliant light filled with madness shone in Su Ming’s eyes, and suddenly, a ray of golden light descended from the heavens, a place even higher than where the vortex was located.

The golden light was so fast that its speed could not be put to words. The instant it appeared, it shot through the huge palm pressing down towards Su Ming. Amid the loud bangs that were stirred up, the palm crumbled and was disassembled without any resistance on its part. The golden light then stopped in front of Su Ming. It showed up to be a piece of paper!

It was a very ordinary and common piece of rice paper.

There was ink that had yet to dry on it. When dazzling golden light shone from it, a presence that made the sky, the earth, the entire Morning Dao Sect, and even the entire True Morning Dao World tremble spread out without restraint.

“Dynast Dao Kong shall now act as the garrison of the fourth Striking Lands, and he shall be responsible for all those who come to challenge the land,” a faint voice said from the rice paper, and a young man appeared next to it. Once he showed up, he wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed to Su Ming. As he spoke, the young man did not even bother to look at the vortex in the sky, but instead raised his right hand and swung it. Then, the rice paper immediately flew towards Su Ming.

“This is a gift from Lord Dao Chen to you, Your Highness. I shall take my leave now.”

As he spoke, the young man cast Su Ming a faint smile. In that smile was a profoundness Su Ming could not decipher. It was as if a great wave of sentiment had risen within the man. He turned around and stepped into the air where he disappeared without a trace. From the start till the moment he disappeared, he never looked at the vortex, treating it as if it was not even there.

The area was covered by a dead silence. Everyone’s expressions might have looked the same as before, but an astonishing storm had stirred up in their hearts, especially in that of old Bei Bang. His expression changed several times, and the three sect masters behind him also had bewilderment and shock on their faces.

Stripping Dao Kong of his status as Dynast and intending to banish him to Dao Ocean was the highest order from the Council of Sect Masters. The three ancient existences in the vortex were also incredibly illustrious people in the council. There were plenty of times when their words had decided everything within True Morning Dao World.

But that rice paper… its presence was enough to tell everyone that it… came from the Kalpa Lord Dao Chen! Everyone also knew that the young man just then was the disciple responsible for acting as the guard at the entrance to Progenitor Dao Chen’s isolation grounds. He’d had that position for countless years, and was also the one who would usually deliver the Progenitor’s orders!

He… was the only disciple Progenitor Dao Chen had accepted after all his disciples had suddenly died while he was in isolation!!

There was only one word to his name—Sang!

The area was enveloped in dead silence. No one spoke. With a calm expression, Su Ming put away the rice paper into his storage bag. When he turned around, he stepped into the air and turned into a long arc that charged forward. He, too, did not cast a single glance at the vortex in the sky. At that moment, there was an almost oppressive silence coming from it.

When Su Ming left into the distance, not a single sound came from the vortex. Instead, it distorted, and then just like that, it disappeared into thin air.

This sort of quiet disappearance caused all the people to be able to sense the anger hidden in the silence, but no matter how angered they were, it was useless. This was the order given by Progenitor Dao Chen himself, and it had the power to directly overrule the Council of Sect Masters’ orders.

Due to this matter, the people in the area had also shifted from being wary to not daring to provoke Su Ming recklessly. There were also some who immediately thought of the golden light appearing a few days ago in the first plane. The golden light that spread out from the Blood-Soul Fusion test became the best explanation for what had happened just then.

‘Is Dynast Dao Kong going to challenge the Fifth Striking Lands?’ As Su Ming left into the distance, the ten million cultivators behind him focused their gazes on him, and various speculations rose in their hearts.

Soon, they obtained their answers. Su Ming did not head to the Fifth Striking Lands. As he charged forward, he moved towards the spot used for the Anointment Ceremony.

He might have appeared to be in good condition, but in truth, he had been injured under the attack of the Light of Extreme Darkness, and half of the two hours had passed. More importantly, if the requirement to challenge the Fourth Striking Lands was Mastery Realm, then Su Ming did not have too much confidence in regards to the Fifth Striking Lands, which was why he decided to put it aside for the time being. When the chance arose, he would head there and see what it was about.

As he charged forward, Su Ming returned to his lotus platform at the spot used for the Anointment Ceremony and sat down cross-legged. When he closed his eyes, he began healing his injuries.

Gradually, after Su Ming returned, the crowd, too, came back from the Fourth Striking Lands. In time, the other Dynasts also returned. As the people in the area spoke to each other in whispers and the Dynasts contemplated their surroundings with faces filled with complicated emotions and sullenness, the two hours break passed.

Su Ming opened his eyes.

“Sect Master Bei Bang, please heal me,” Su Ming said calmly and looked towards Bei Bang.