Pursuit of the Truth

When Su Ming’s words were heard by the crowd, the area immediately fell silent. The ten million cultivators around the platforms instantly looked towards Su Ming and Bei Bang.

Bei Bang frowned then said languidly, “Dynast Dao Kong, since you were not injured during the challenges, you are not suffering from something that I am supposed to heal.”

Su Ming remained as calm as ever and did not continue speaking, but he put it to memory. He also remembered how that Sect Master Bei Bang had asked him whether he had understood what was going on previously and also remembered the people who had mocked him the most in the area. He would naturally not let their actions slide.

Old Bei Bang’s expression was slightly sour. With a swing of his arm, he said in a low voice, “The challenge continues!”

After a short period of silence, people began issuing challenges once more. However, the person they challenged was no longer Su Ming, but someone else.

There were quite a number of people who did that, which resulted in a completely different scene to appear compared to the one earlier… No one came to challenge Su Ming. Instead, the number of challengers for the others increased.

There were even a few challengers that came to Dao Lin and Dao Fa’s lotus platforms. But besides Su Ming himself, not a single other person appeared on his platform.

This scene lasted for about one hour, until the first challenger appeared in a flash on Su Ming’s platform. It was a middle-aged man dressed in a sackcloth. His expression was incredibly solemn. At the instant he appeared, some of those in the crowd who were watching immediately recognized the man.

“Dao Yun! He came to challenge Dynast Dao Kong?!”

“He was forced to a stop at the ninth stage of the third Striking Lands, but he was previously known as the person who was most likely to clear the third Striking Lands. It’s said that his power is fathomless!”

“This is what is meant by a fight between powerful warriors. Looks like Dynast Dao Kong’s challengers from now on will be only those who are famous people in Morning Dao Sect.”

There were plenty of discussions in the surrounding area, while on the platform, the middle-aged man wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed to Su Ming.

“I am Dao Yun. I did not come to challenge your right as a Dynast, but only wish to exchange blows with you. Your Highness, please grant me your teachings.”

As he spoke, he had his cultivation base spread out. It was… the power which belonged to those who were already half a step into Mastery Realm, a power that had already surpassed great completion of Solar Kalpa Realm.

As his power spread out, a brilliant light shone in his eyes. When he lifted his right hand, a layer of dark clouds appeared above his head. Thunder roared, and the dark clouds twisted until they turned into a huge shield that moved to stand tall before him. When the middle-aged man took a step forward, the shield of clouds let out a bang and charged forward.

Su Ming raised his right hand and swung it, causing a bang. Immediately, a large layer of falling rocks appeared out of nowhere in front of him. Booming sounds rose without end as those stones crashed against the incoming attack.

The shield shuddered and was torn to pieces, changing back into clouds and fog. At that moment, purplish-black light suddenly appeared on the middle-aged man’s face. He opened his mouth and sucked in a sharp breath. Immediately, the clouds and fog were sucked into his body through his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth.

Then, even his eyes started shining with a purplish-black light. With his mouth wide open, he let out a loud roar that shocked the skies.

“Darkening Clouds!”

As the middle-aged man roared, purple fog gushed out of his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. A large amount of it also burst out from the other parts of his body. His blood and essence were in that fog.

After it condensed, it turned into a giant made of purple around the middle-aged man. That giant took a large step forward and charged towards Su Ming with loud bangs.

After executing this divine ability, the middle-aged man looked as thin as a skeleton. Feebly, he sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes. Dark light shone at the center of his brows, showing he was controlling the giant of fog through the distance to charge at Su Ming.

The middle-aged man had yet to reach Mastery Realm, but the fog giant formed by the divine ability he executed exuded the power belonging to those in Mastery Realm. When it took a step forward, it instantly closed in on Su Ming and raised its right hand to push its palm against its target.

The air was torn. A destructive power erupted from the palm of the fog giant as if it wanted to instantly destroy Su Ming’s body and form.

Su Ming remained calm. When the fog giant approached him, he raised his right hand and threw a punch at it. He did not use his cultivation base, but only the greatest force he could muster from his physical body.

With a bang, the fog giant shuddered and collapsed. Fog tumbled backwards. The meditating middle-aged man coughed up a mouthful of blood, and his body was immediately seized by a phantom claw formed by the fog sweeping towards him. He then swiftly left the lotus platform.

“Thank you for sparing me, Your Highness. I, Dao Yun, will surely repay your kindness. If you open your own chamber, I will definitely join you.” The thin middle-aged man’s face was pale, but determination shone in his eyes, as if his fight against Su Ming had allowed him to understand something. At that moment, he bowed deeply towards Su Ming before leaving.

After he left, Su Ming narrowed his eyes and suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. His face turned slightly pale before he cast an indifferent gaze at Bei Bang, who was beyond his platform and had an incredibly dark expression on his face at that moment.

Su Ming might not have said anything, but most of the ten million cultivators in the area immediately understood the meaning behind his actions. Bei Bang had refused to offer his life force to help cure his injuries with the excuse that Su Ming had not been injured during the challenges, but now… even though Su Ming’s actions were clearly very fake, there was indeed blood, so it could be said that he had been injured during battle.

After some time, with a dark expression on his face, Bei Bang let out a cold harrumph and lifted his right foot to step on his own platform. Su Ming’s platform was then immediately covered by a gentle white light. It blinked a few times, and Su Ming sensed a vast amount of life force surging into his body through the platform.

His injuries recovered slightly, but only by the portion that he’d lost in the last fight. The gentle light did not cure any of his other injuries. Su Ming’s expression was calm, but he was laughing coldly in his heart.

His goal was very simple. The old man in Life Realm had been arrogant with his words before and had even mentioned that with his cultivation base he could offer endless healing. Then what Su Ming wanted to do next was to suck that old man dry.

‘It’s been a long time since I fought to my heart’s’ content.’

A desire to fight shone in Su Ming’s eyes as he waited quietly. He had not killed Dao Yun previously because he wanted the powerful warriors of Morning Dao Sect who truly had the right to challenge him to come forth so that he could fight to his heart’s content.

After a moment, the weather above Su Ming’s lotus platform changed, and a figure appeared in a flash.

“Chi Ling Wei, a Salu [1]. I am at the initial stage of Mastery Realm. Your Highness, please grant me your teachings.”

As the freezing voice rang in the air, the figure gained the corporeal form of a young man. He had a lean figure and a straight back. He was dressed in a green robe, and when he stood still, he was like a pine tree. His eyes were like lightning itself and his gaze was as sharp as blades when he looked towards Su Ming.

His arrival immediately caused the ten million cultivators in the area beyond to begin to buzz among themselves. At that moment, most of them were no longer paying any attention to the other Dynasts. Instead, they cast all gazes on Su Ming’s lotus platform. After all, compared to the others, it did not matter whether it was the challenger or the one being challenged, Su Ming was the one existence that shone the brightest and was the one that attracted the most attention.

“Chi Ling Wei, the strongest prodigy over the course of ten thousand years among the Salus. He successfully cleared the third Striking Lands, but was forced to a halt at the fourth stage in the fourth Striking Lands!”

“This person has always been cold. He poured every single bit of his heart and soul into training. He has already reached Mastery Realm, and even during the battle against the Immortals’ Union, he showed brilliant results. He is known as one of the thirty-six Almighties of this generation of ten thousand years in Morning Dao Sect. It’s said that he’s ranked thirteenth in the Immortals’ Union. Just a little bit more, and he would be among the top ten!”

“That’s right, none of the Dynasts, not even Dao Lin and Dao Fa were included in those ranks…”

Su Ming’s eyes lit up. This was the first person among his challengers in Morning Dao Sect who had stepped into Mastery Realm. By the looks of it, he should not have arrived in that Realm long ago, but had only made his foundation stable. He had not yet reached the level of Flame Fiends’ Progenitor, but he was not too far from him.

When Chi Ling Wei finished speaking, a cold glare shone in his eyes. He looked up and formed a seal which he pointed at Su Ming’s feet.

“Heavy!” When he spoke, a powerful force bore down on Su Ming’s body, as if a pair of invisible hands had shot out of the ground to seize his body to drag him down.

Su Ming shook his head.

“Your power is still not great enough to challenge me, and you haven’t come to challenge me. Whether or not you will understand this will depend on your luck.”

As Su Ming shook his head, he lifted his right hand and stomped on the ground. With it, the platform let out a loud bang, and the heavy weight instantly disintegrated. Chi Ling Wei shuddered, and a look as if he knew it was exactly what he had expected appeared in his eyes. He staggered a few steps backwards while his Qi and blood surged. A feeling of numbness spread through him.

“I have learned from you. Your Highness, if you have any requests in the future, you only need to send word.” A breath later, he recovered, and excitement appeared in his eyes. He wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed towards Su Ming deeply. He left the lotus platform without any hesitation and rushed into the distance.

First, it was Dao Yun, and next was Chi Ling Wei. The two of them had come with goodwill and had shown the willingness to join Su Ming’s chamber. Once those words were heard by the people outside, there was a loud buzz among the ten million cultivators around the area.

It was also during that moment that in the area beyond the four planes of Morning Dao Sect, one of the one hundred something Relocation Spots to enter Morning Dao Sect, a long arc was traveling forth at an extreme speed.

In that long arc was an old man. The mighty pressure spreading out from his body made it clear that he had already attained great completion in Solar Kalpa Realm. At that moment, his face was pale, but there were no injuries on his body. However, there was a look in his eyes that made it clear that something had shocked and intimidated him so much that his heart was trembling.

Needless to say, he was the person who was sent to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence by the tanned old man. He had returned, and he brought with him news regarding Su Ming that caused him to shudder.

It was news about True Sacred Yin World that would surely cause the entire Morning Dao Sect to tremble.

Translator’s Note:

1. Salu: 萨鲁 (sa1 lu4), 萨 is only a surname and a short term for Bodhisattva, so it’s a transliterate version for this race.