Pursuit of the Truth

‘Where did that child go? I can’t find him. This is something that has never happened before. The Seed of Life Extermination is about to become fully mature, but it seems like there is a power interfering with it… But as long as it doesn’t affect the first stage of the plan, I’m fine with it. There are certain things he mustn’t know before the Seed of Life Extermination matures.’

A complicated look appeared on Su Xuan Yi’s face. He sighed softly, and a hint of regret appeared in his eyes. He lowered his head and stared at the rattling drum before him, then raised his hand and touched it gently.

‘I’m sorry… but you really do not suit Yu Xuan, because you… really don’t have the right to… I will use another method to make it up to you…’ Su Xuan Yi closed his eyes.

Far away in the Emperor of Abyss’ True World was a palace. It had a pink room which belonged to a girl and was filled with a strange, floral fragrance. It was definitely not something ordinary. With one whiff of that scent, a person’s cultivation base would increase slightly. In fact, even their soul would be nourished.

If a person trained in that room, they would find that their progress was much faster than when they were outside of it. This sort of place was rarely seen in the entire Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos, but it was present in the Emperor of Abyss’ True World.

Yu Xuan was in that room. She sat quietly in there and stared at the starry sky beyond the window in a daze.

Before her was a table, and on that table was a tray with two things. One of them was a rattling drum. It was a toy she had possessed since she was a child. There were originally supposed to be two, but one of them had gone missing…

The other item was a black stone fragment.

If Su Ming was there, he would definitely be able to tell that the fragment… was identical to the one he had received from Xiao Hong.

It was… a fragment of the Seed of Life Extermination!

…..

The cultivators of the Immortals’ Union were engaged against those in Morning Dao Sect in all sorts of intense battles in many parts of True Morning Dao World. The hearts of many cultivators from both sides trembled during the numerous battles, but there were few who knew the real reason for their war.

They did not know… that a disaster was about to descend on True Morning Dao World. They also did not know that the pillar of light at the core of the Immortals’ Union had become extremely dazzling.

Beyond the pillar of light was the black-robed old man with his hands behind his back. By his side was Bai Feng, and with a gaze full of longing, she stared at the pillar of light. She wanted to become an Immortal. This was something she craved for deeply, and she could give up on everything for it.

Di Tian had also returned from the other side. Excitement was on his face. He had been waiting for this day for far too long. The results of his wait were about to show up. Even with his previous status of Sublime Paragon, he could not contain his emotions while he wondered whether he would fail and end up losing.

Time trickled by. The booming sounds lasted for the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn. When they became louder, an afterimage suddenly appeared at the top of the pillar of light. At an extreme speed, it shot down and descended in the area below.

Through the pillar of light, the trio could see that the afterimage had the shape of a person. The figure distorted and changed, as if moving from another world.

Waves of vast, mighty pressure shot through the pillar of light to spread out violently through the area. In fact, even the space in the surroundings started showing signs of cracking when a power that seemed to be able to make space change spread out with loud rumbles.

Di Tian’s pupils shrank. He stood without moving, but his hair and robes rustled as they were blown by back by the pressure. Bai Feng’s face turned pale. She gradually moved back, forcibly withstanding the spread of this mighty pressure.

“What a powerful cultivation!” Bai Feng sucked in a sharp breath.

The black-robed old man looked as calm as usual. With his hands behind his back, he stood still with a cold smile.

“It’s not due to his level of cultivation. This is the power of the World that appeared due to the friction caused by movement between two worlds, and this is just a hint of it. Those who descend all possess this sort of power of the World, but when they come out of the pillar of that, it will disappear.

“But if we’re talking about his real level of cultivation, then it’ll be stronger than what you are sensing right now… It’s a pity that the pillar of light leading to Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos still has flaws. Otherwise, us Eight Paramount Daos could send our real bodies here instead of using our souls to rebuild them.

“Xing Ji Dao is well-matched with me in terms of our levels of cultivation, and he is skilled in the power of stars. The changes in his power are fathomless…” As the black-robed old man spoke, he cast a glance at the afterimage who was rapidly being formed in the pillar of light before he suddenly smiled.

“Xing Ji Dao, it’s been a long time since we saw each other.”

At the moment the black-robed old man said those words, two spots of dark light shone in the distorting afterimage in the pillar of light. They were at the height of a person’s head, which made it seem like the figure had opened its eyes to reveal a fierce light aimed at the black-robed old man.

“Zhang Ji Dao, it’s only been one thousand something years since we met. Can you actually consider it to be a long time?” The new voice was not as hoarse as the black-robed old man’s, but had a gentle tone to it. When it spoke languidly, Bai Feng’s heart trembled, and she took a few steps back again.

Di Tian, however, remained standing still while staring at the pillar of light.

“You must be Fellow Daoist Di Tian.” The afterimage in the pillar of light became even more distorted. Yet even so, it gave them a feeling that it was becoming more corporeal. The two lights moved their gaze away from the black-robed old man and looked towards Di Tian.

“It is indeed me,” he said with a smile.

During that moment, the distorting afterimage in the pillar of light came to a halt, and an incredibly handsome middle-aged man with long hair appeared. He had an awe-inspiring face, and his eyes seemed to contain an entire galaxy. They had countless planets intersecting with each other to form runic symbols that changed continuously.

While the black-robed man looked towards the afterimage in the pillar of light, Su Ming too directed his attention to it. When he saw the newcomer, he verified that this was the person he had seen in the previous black-robed man’s memories.

Yet there was one thing that did not add up. The difference between this person’s level of cultivation and the one he saw in the black-robed man’s eyes was too great; it was like heaven and earth. However, when Su Ming thought of the black-robed old man’s words moments ago, he laughed coldly.

It seemed that not even those from Saint Defier could retain their complete level of cultivation when they descended. They needed to rebuild their bodies which would be akin to clones in which a large amount of power could be sent down. It was also likely that they would require some time to slowly recover.

Once the head appeared in the pillar of light, the rest of the body began to manifest as well. It was without clothes, and it looked like it was slowly growing from the top to the bottom.

The man’s body was so perfect, the hearts of teenage girls would let out a loud thump upon seeing it. Bai Feng stared at it without blinking. No one could tell at that moment whether she was doing it intentionally or not, but a hint of red had appeared on her icy cold face, making it even more beautiful than usually.

“Could this beautiful Daoist be Phoenix Sect’s Bai Feng?” The torso had already formed in the pillar, and the man’s arms were growing rapidly at that moment. He looked towards Bai Feng with a smile.

“I, Bai Feng, greet Senior Xing Ji Dao.” Bai Feng immediately lowered her head and bent her knees slightly to bow to him.

At the same time, Xing Ji Dao’s limbs formed in the pillar, and a long blue robe swiftly appeared on his body. With his wide shoulders and lean body, he was very attractive to the members of the opposite sex.

The middle-aged man took a step out of the pillar of light. At the instant he did so, the mighty pressure disappeared. It was just as the black-robed old man had said: the mighty pressure from before was due to the power of the World. Once it disappeared, a power that was equivalent to those in Life Realm and Arcane Void Realm in Saint Defier’s camp spread out from the middle-aged man’s body and started fighting against the black-robed old man’s in a subtle but profound manner.

The black-robed old man smiled, and a ray of black light flashed on his body. Needless to say, it was the Light of Extreme Darkness. It might only have appeared briefly, but it was enough to make Xing Ji Dao’s eyes shrink.

“Looks like I am still a step too late. The origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness has already been taken, but it seems like you still need to nourish it a little.” Xing Ji Dao shook his head and did not bother hiding the regret in his heart. As he spoke, a fierce glare appeared in his eyes.

“Everything in the primitive Arid Triad is still growing, and so foreign treasures that will accompany you for life may appear,” the black-robed old man said faintly.

“Then the next time…” A glint appeared in Xing Ji Dao’s eyes, and he looked towards the black-robed old man.

“I will let you have it.” The black-robed old man smiled faintly.

Xing Ji Dao also did the same. His smile grew wider until he started laughing loudly with the black-robed old man.

“I’ve finally left Saint Defier Expanse Cosmos. I do like this place with no forms of oppression. We can snatch everything here.”

Xing Ji Dao stared at his surroundings, and his expression filled with great emotion. When he raised his right hand, he seized Bai Feng. Her expression changed, but she did not show any resistance. Once Xing Ji Dao grabbed her, he took a sniff of her body.

“The women among these barbarians are also suitable to be made into furnaces, but do not be afraid. I will not turn you into a furnace. You are his, and your Master is mine.”

Xing Ji Dao cast a glance at the composed black-robed old man and smiled faintly before letting go of Bai Feng’s hand. With a pale face, she swiftly took a few steps back and instinctively stood beside the black-robed old man. Xing Ji Dao’s eyes sparkled, and he looked towards Di Tian.

“Fellow Daoist Di Tian, I have come here with Lord Saint Defier’s orders to aid you with my full power when you change your Life to become an Abyss Builder. Now, hurry up and place that physical body in Saint Defier’s Heaven Penetrating Pillar!”

A brilliant spark shone in Di Tian’s eyes. He raised his hand and swung it forward. Immediately, a huge altar appeared with a bang. Lying on it was Su Ming’s real physical body!

The instant the altar appeared, it charged towards the pillar of light and fused into it. It floated inside, surrounded by countless rings of light.

Su Ming was hidden in the runic symbol. Even though it was in the black-robed old man’s body, it did not affect Su Ming’s vision. He saw what happened to Bai Feng, but there was no longer any pain in his heart, only indifference.

That woman no longer had any connection to him. All her paths were chosen by herself. Pursuing the powerful was always a choice made by the weak. There was no right or wrong in it.

Su Ming also saw his real physical body on the altar that fused into the pillar of light. This was the first time he was so close to it!

“I’ve come with the treasure Lord Ni Sheng specifically created to help you change your Life. It can help you gain extra two-tenths more of a chance to succeed. With my help and Zhang Ji Dao’s help, we’ll be able to add another tenths of a chance.

“As for the possibility of success, you will have to calculate it yourself, but you still need to make careful preparations. There is a possibility… that you will fail. If that happens, this treasure will make sure that your soul will not be destroyed, but it will mean that you will lose your right to change your Life, and we will search for other people to continue testing this.” Xing Ji Dao’s expression was stern when he looked at Di Tian.

The white-haired man nodded. His eyes sparkled when he shifted his gaze to the black-robed old man.

The black-robed old man let out a dry cough.

“With my Light of Extreme Darkness guarding your soul, another two-tenths of a chance will be added.”

‘Nearly eight-tenths of a chance to succeed. I have nearly eight-tenths to succeed in changing my Life! Even if their words are slightly exaggerated and I take off two-tenths, there will still be six-tenths of a chance. It’s enough!’ A brilliant light shone in Di Tian’s eyes.

“Heed my words. Lord Saint Defier’s treasure, please fuse the soul into the body, manipulate the heavens to change Life, and overturn the universe!” Xing Ji Dao shouted.

He brought his right hand up. Immediately, a white ring flew off his finger and charged towards the pillar of light.