Pursuit of the Truth

As the cultivators from the Immortals’ Union spread out, the cultivators from the War Chamber also became intimidated by the powerful Ancient God. Under the orders of their commander Wild Dog, they gradually moved back and cleared an empty space.

This empty galaxy belonged to Su Ming and the Ancient God alone.

With an aloof expression on his face, Su Ming stared at the ten thousand feet tall Ancient God. He narrowed his eyes, and when he focused his gaze on the center of the giant’s brows, he could vaguely tell based from the mighty pressure spreading out from the giant’s body that he possessed power equivalent to the Almighties in Mastery Realm.

However, it was completely impossible to determine the combat abilities of those from Saint Defier based on their presence alone. After all, the two black-robed men did not even seem to have reached Mastery Realm. They appeared to be in Solar Kalpa Realm.

Yet with their offensive abilities, they could easily kill those in Mastery Realm, and even those in Fate Realm had to retreat when they saw them.

It was the same cultivation presence, but the difference between them was like the distance between heaven and earth. Su Ming would not have bothered if it was one person alone who showed this difference, but clearly, it was not something unique to a single individual. It was a fundamental difference between the cultivators of the 180 Expanse Cosmoses in Saint Defier and those in Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos.

This was telling enough that when it came to the use of their cultivation bases, while the cultivators in Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos might seem to have reached an incredibly powerful level, their strength was superficial. It was not the true power of cultivation.

‘Immortals categorize their levels of cultivation into the Second and Third Step… the black-robed man mentioned that I was near completion of the Third Step, and the power I showed thenn wa equivalent to those in Life Realm. Based on this, could it be that this near completion of the Third Step is equivalent to the power of Life Realm in Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos? But isn’t this a little too exaggerated? After all, while I can fight against those in Life Realm in Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos, it doesn’t mean that I could win against the people who are near completion of the Third Step in Saint Defier Expanse Cosmos!

‘Then what about Death Realm? Is it the so called great completion of the Third Step, or has it surpassed completion to reach another height in the cultivation system for the 180 Expanse Cosmosrs of Saint Defier?

‘Then there’s the Sublime Paragons as well. I wonder what is their equivalent in Saint Defier Expanse Cosmos, and there’s also… Avacaniya!’

Su Ming’s eyes sparkled. He remembered the Masters of Fate, Lives, and Death he ran into the past. Some of them were strong, and some were weak. He also remembered how he had manifested all five fingers of his palm in Mastery Realm while there were far too many people who had only manifested one or two fingers.

‘I wonder… which Step do the two black-robed men belong to in Saint Defier Expanse Cosmos?’ As Su Ming’s eyes sparkled, he looked towards the ten thousand feet tall Ancient God.

“We can fight, but I want to know what level of cultivation do the two black-robed men I killed just now belong to in your world.”

“You want to know? If you can withstand one of my attacks, then you will have the right to know.”

The ten thousand feet tall Ancient God threw his head back and laughed. He took a swift step forward and instantly arrived in front of Su Ming. Then, he raised his left hand, and in the simplest manner, he threw a punch.

A brilliant light shone in Su Ming’s eyes, but he did not use his right hand, which was the strongest part of his body. Instead, he brought his left hand up and threw a punch forward. Once his fist collided against the Ancient God’s through space, a loud rumble that shook the entire universe resounded. Su Ming let out a muffled groan, and his body swayed. The Ancient God had also staggered a few steps back.

“Interesting. It’s rare to see a powerful warrior who has mastered the Essence energy of Expanse Cosmos in this barbaric place. No wonder the two hateful cultivators from the Celestial Realm couldn’t kill you. They didn’t die in vain!”

The ten thousand feet tall Ancient God laughed at the heavens, completely unbothered by the fact that he had been forced back a few steps due to the rebound. His voice reverberated in space, and there was a tone in it that spoke of his desire for an exciting fight.

“Those two Greatmasters from the Celestial Realm were at the peak of the Second Step in my homeland. They were half a step into the Third Step, and as for you, even if you’ve mastered the Essence energy of this Expanse Cosmos, you aren’t near the peak of the Third Step, as what they’ve said. This is also why I hate those cultivators from the Celestial Realm. Even if they die, they still want to trick other people. They only know how to scheme and plot against other people; they are not worthy of being known as warriors!

“Since you could withstand my attack, I will tell you a word of truth, the power you exuded is the exact same as the others with the same level of cultivation as you in my homeland.

“Your real level of cultivation is the Third Step’s Nirvana Void! As for the old monsters who are near the peak of the Third Step, they would need just one finger to kill cultivators like you a million times!”

The words of the Ancient God shook Su Ming’s heart. He had been wondering about his own level of cultivation previously and had speculated that the black-robed man had intentionally said those words with the goal of confusing him. Because of that, he would have a false impression of people’s relative power, and it could very likely become the cause of his death in the future!

When he heard the Ancient God’s words though, his head instantly became much clearer.

“How many Realms do you have for the Third Step in your homeland?” he asked again.

“If you can withstand my next attack, you will have the right to know that too.”

The Ancient God’s eyes were filled with fighting spirit. He took a step towards Su Ming once more. This time, when he lifted his right hand, he released the axe, and the seven stars at the center of his brows shone with a piercing light. A power that was several times stronger than before erupted with a bang from his body and was channeled to his right fist. With a fighting spirit to crush the universe, he charged towards Su Ming and threw a punch at him.

A glint appeared in Su Ming’s eyes. When he saw the Ancient God closing in on him with a monstrous presence, he did not move back. Instead, he went forward. He once again did not use his right hand. He stuck with his left hand, but he did not counter with a punch this time, as he had done previously. Instead, the instant the Ancient God’s right fist closed in on him, he turned around and used his back to fight back against the attack. At the same time, he struck his chest with his left hand.

BOOM!

A deafening boom surged into the heavens, shaking the hearts of all the cultivators who witnessed this scene. All of them retreated with their expressions changing drastically.

Su Ming moved. When he turned around, his expression was the same as before. Not a single change could be detected. However, a jolt ran through the Ancient God’s body. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and was forced back. Only when he was pushed thousands of feet back did he lift his head. A ferocious expression appeared on his face, but a hint of shock was hidden under it.

“The Essence of tremors!”

“You still haven’t answered my question,” Su Ming said flatly.

“Even though you clearly have the aura of the Third Step’s Nirvana Void Realm and there are plenty of other people who have the same aura as you do, all of them are not worthy of being known as being in that Realm. But you… you have the power that matches to what those in this Realm should have. I understand the reason behind it now.

“Your physical body can match up to those of my tribe, and your level of cultivation can match up to that of the Immortals. It is equivalent to you possessing the Essence energy of this Expanse Cosmos, which is why you can bring forth the power that surpasses your own level of cultivation!

“You might be in Nirvana Void Realm, but you can bring forth power that is close to those in Spirit Void Realm.” The Ancient God wiped off the blood at the corners of his mouth. When he looked towards Su Ming, the fighting spirit in his eyes became tainted with madness.

“I don’t see any problem in me telling you all this. In my homeland, there are four Realms in the Third Step. Nirvana, Spirit, Arcane, Tribulant [1] which correspond to your Mastery, Fate, Life, and Death Realms, even if their names are different!

“However, it seems like this Expanse Cosmos’ Death Realm is slightly strange. It isn’t a complete equivalent to the Void Tribulant Realm.” The Ancient God kept to his promise and answered without withholding a single secret.

Su Ming felt his heart tremble. A huge storm was raging at that moment in his head.

‘As expected, the Mastery, Fate, Life, and Death Realms correspond with the four Great Realms of the Third Step in Saint Defier. As for Death Realm… as the final Realm for the Mastery, Fate, Life, and Death Realms, it naturally has its own remarkable aspects!

‘But the Masters of Fate, Lives, and Death need to possess the offensive powers that truly match with these Realms before they can really be considered as Almighties. No wonder the people from Saint Defier call us barbarians.

‘It makes sense why all of them act so conceited and arrogant once they arrive here. In fact, when they kill Almighties, they even show very obvious glee. This is because when they are in their own Worlds, those who possess the presences of Almighties are all existences who make them tremble, and they have to bow down to worship them. But when they’re here, even though there are plenty of people who possess the same presence, it’s easy for them to kill them!

‘If that’s the case, then I can understand why I can bypass the levels of cultivation and kill Almighties. This isn’t because I’m powerful, but because they are weak!

‘Except for the small handful who truly possess combat abilities that match their levels of cultivation, most of the other Almighties in Mastery Realm are… only equivalent to those in the Second Step in Saint Defier Expanse Cosmos. In fact, it is the same for Fate Realm. This is why the black-robed men could kill those in Mastery Realm, but needed to be a little more serious when they came face to face with those in Fate Realm. In reality, those in Fate Realm who have not mastered this Expanse Cosmos’ Essence energy possess the same level of cultivation as they do. However, if the black-robed people use their strange divine abilities, they could still gain the upperhand.

‘And those in Life Realm who have yet to master the Essence energy of this Expanse Cosmos possess the same combat ability as I showed just now in Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos. They are in truth in Nirvana Void Realm, and are very close to Spirit Void Realm, which is why these black-robed people did not dare provoke the Almighties in Life Realm within Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos.

“It’s all because they couldn’t win against them! They were only half a step into the Third Step and hadn’t yet become powerful warriors of Spirit Void Realm!

‘How many Almighties in the Third Step do the terrifying 180 Expanse Cosmoses of Saint Defier have? Right now, they have only sent those who have not reached the Third Step, and they are already so strong…’

Su Ming narrowed his eyes. He thought of his own level of cultivation. He originally thought that he was very powerful, but right then, he came to a realization that while he could call himself a powerful warrior in Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos, he would only be at the bottom of the Third Step if he was placed in Saint Defier’s camp. There were clearly quite a large number of old monsters above him, and they could easily kill him.

‘But since that’s the case, it’ll be much easier to determine the levels of cultivation and the combat abilities of those cultivators from Saint Defier’s camp. The Ancient God possesses the presence of those in Mastery Realm, so he’s really in Mastery Realm, which is the Third Step’s Spirit Void Realm for Saint Defier Expanse Cosmos. It is also the same as Life Realm of those who have not mastered the Essence energy of this Expanse Cosmos!

‘He has the same level of cultivation as I do, but since he is an Ancient God, his offensive abilities are stronger… but he can’t win against me in this battle because the power of my right hand can bring forth power that is practically above those in Life Realm who have not mastered this so-called Essence energy and are equivalent to those in the Third Step’s Spirit Void Realm mentioned by the Ancient God!

‘If I can think of all this, then the Ancient God must have figured it out a long time ago, which is why even if he had been forced back twice, he still dares to continue fighting against me…’ A brilliant glare shone in Su Ming’s eyes, and powerful fighting spirit rose in them.

“If you want to fight, then we will fight!”

At the instant fighting spirit surged in Su Ming’s eyes, the ten thousand feet tall Ancient God tightened his grip over his greataxe and threw his head up to roar. His body grew tens of thousands of feet, and he took a step forward. The greataxe in his hand cut open the galaxy, and with a piercing whistle, he charged towards Su Ming.

Translator’s Note:

1. Nirvana Void, Spirit Void, Arcane Void, and Void Tribulant: Mentioned in Renegade Immortal’s Chapter 1275.