Pursuit of the Truth

A long arc charged through the whirlwind. Su Ming was at the front of it with Hu Zi was by his side. As for the bald crane, it was lying on Hu Zi’s shoulder and continuously trying to confuse him by whispering into his ear. This gradually annoyed Hu Zi. He grabbed the bald crane by the neck and threw it into the distance. Yet in the span of a few breaths, the bald crane returned and lay down on Hu Zi’s shoulder once more to continue with its work.

Su Ming’s expression was calm. The third eye at the center of his eyes had already opened, and it was shining with a strangely enchanting light while staring at the whirlwind in the galaxy. With it, Su Ming could see a silver line stretching into the depths of the whirlwind.

This silver thread was a sign left behind by his divine sense when he struck the top of his clone’s skull. Through it, he could find his clone that practiced the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole.

Days passed, and in the blink of an eye, half a month was gone. Su Ming had been charging forward all that time. He rushed forward in the direction of the silver thread, and the distance between him and the clone grew smaller.

His clone, a person who now had his own independent will, had clearly noticed Su Ming’s actions, and he was fleeing into the distance, continuously changing his direction in an attempt to shake off the pursuit.

But no matter how he tried to flee, he could not run away from Su Ming’s senses. On the nineteenth day of the pursuit, a glint shone in Su Ming’s eyes. He took a step forward, disappearing. When he appeared, he was far into the distance, standing above a broken planet.

The moment he stopped there, his third eye saw the silver thread going into the broken planet. As the third eye magnified the view, Su Ming saw his clone meditating on a mountain.

The instant Su Ming looked at it, the black-robed clone raised his head and stared at the sky coldly, meeting its old master’s gaze.

Su Ming’s lips curled up into a cold sneer. At that moment, Hu Zi and the bald crane arrived behind him, and their gazes fell on the broken planet.

“Hu Zi, guard this place. My clone is slightly cunning. He must have made preparations against me since he chose this place. If he runs, try to block him, but just a little.

“Baldy, guard this place as well.”

Su Ming lifted his finger and pointed in the direction before him. Hu Zi grinned, and with a single move, he appeared at the spot Su Ming had requested of him.

The bald crane quickly patted its chest, putting on an expression that told Su Ming not to be worried.

A glint shone in Su Ming’s eyes, and when he looked at the broken planet, the cold sneer on his lips became even colder. The clone’s personality was incredibly similar to his own. Since he chose this place, he had to have prepared an ambush, but Su Ming did not intend to step into the broken planet.

Instead, he raised his right hand, and the ring on his right hand sparkled. A ripple spread out from it and surrounded Su Ming’s palm. He formed a seal with his hand. Immediately after, countless ripples that formed multiple circles charged towards the broken planet.

The moment the ripples touched the planet, it shuddered, and cracks spread through the ground with loud noises. In just two breaths, booming sounds reverberated in space, and the planet crumbled.

Su Ming took a step forward as swiftly as a bolt of lightning. He stepped on the broken pieces, then lifted his right hand, formed a seal, and pointed forward. With it, space was sliced apart.

Su Ming changed the rules in the place by using his power of Fate Realm. This power was gathered on his finger as he charged straight towards the center of the clone’s brows while the planet crumbled around him.

He was so fast that he closed in on the clone that practiced the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole right away, but the clone looked like he had expected Su Ming to do such a thing. Not a hint of panic could be detected on him.

The instant Su Ming closed in, he raised his right hand, clenched his fist, and let out a low growl. His body instantly started squirming, and he threw a punch at Su Ming.

When it collided with Su Ming’s finger, a deafening bang echoed in the air, shaking the sky as well as the earth. A huge wave of power swept towards Su Ming from the clone, causing him to freeze for a moment, but it was only for a moment. No matter how strong the clone was, he was still just a clone, and the time in which he had an independent will was too short.

Su Ming let out a snort, and his cultivation base surged to his finger. Once he formed a seal with his right hand, he flung that power forward, and immediately, the clone coughed up a large mouthful of blood. He staggered backwards, retreating several thousands of feet backwards in one go.

Su Ming’s pupils contracted. The clone being forced back was within his expectations, but if it was forced back several thousands of feet back, then there was a problem with it.

Almost at the instant Su Ming noticed this, the clone’s lips curled into a ferocious sneer. There was even a hint of derision in it. He raised his hands, pushed his palms together in front of him, and a string of words with which Su Ming was familiar tumbled out of his mouth.

“Form the Earthen Script: Grave!”

The clone raised his hands, formed a seal, then pointed forward. Immediately, the shattered planet froze for a moment. In the blink of an eye, they moved in reverse no longer scattering away. Instead, they fell back. It looked like time was flowing in reverse, but in truth, this was due to the clone’s divine ability.

In an instant, the shattered planet gathered together once more, forming something that was no longer the planet from before, but a lone grave formed by countless shattered rocks!

That grave was like a seal. There were countless bolts of lightning swimming on its surface, and they let out crackling sounds as they sealed Su Ming inside. All of this had happened in a flash.

The clone’s personality was practically the same as Su Ming’s, and he was incredibly cunning. He had predicted that Su Ming would definitely chase after him, and when he saw that he was on the planet, he would definitely guess that there was something off about the place. The probability of him landing on the ground was not high. It was more probable that he would destroy the planet.

Yet as long as Su Ming closed in on the place, the clone could execute the Earthen Script. He made a bet that Su Ming still did not understand him and believed that he was only skilled in physical Arts.

Almost the instant the seal was formed, the clone threw his head back and roared. His body was immediately covered in blood, and wisps of silver light were forced out of the center of his brows. All of this lasted for about three breaths.

Hu Zi’s expression changed in the distance. He roared in anger and rushed over, but the clone just laughed at the heavens. In the end, he forced out all of the silver threads from the center of his brows. He moved, and in the face of the incoming Hu Zi, the clone laughed ferociously, raised his right hand, and threw a punch at him.

Booming sounds reverberated in space. Hu Zi jolted and was forced several thousands of feet backwards. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, and when he raised his head, he found that the clone had not chased after him, but had turned into a long arc that left swiftly into the distance. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the whirlwind. Only his laughter echoed in space, and there was a wild, untamed quality to it.

“When my real self no longer has the silver threads to chase after me, I’d like to see how you will follow me! Don’t worry, I can tell you where I will go. Even if you destroyed the third Heavenly Incense and broke my path to copying your power, it doesn’t matter. I can go to the other True Worlds and search for Su Xuan Yi. I believe he will be very interested in me. When I am powerful enough, I will devour you and replace you…”

The clone’s laughter gradually faded away, and his body could no longer be seen.

With a bang, the gigantic grave formed of shattered stones sealing Su Ming crumbled. He walked out from within it with a sullen expression. He cast a glance at the galaxy in the distance, and a contempt shone in his eyes.

He had indeed not expected the clone to have mastered his divine abilities instead of relying on his great physical power. However, the clone did not know that Su Ming had never put all his hopes on a single plan. Besides the silver threads, he still had another method to track the clone.

The golden shade of his personality had fused with the clone. Even though the clone had severed the connection with his soul after he gained his own will, the golden personality still remained within it, faded away so it was almost unnoticeable.

However, due to the existence of the golden personality which was part of him, the clone was like a torch in a dark world in Su Ming’s eyes. He stood out starkly.

“Hu Zi, go back to eldest senior brother and second senior brother and build our Ninth Summit with them. This clone of mine is incredibly cunning. Capturing him will require some time. Once I subjugate him, I’ll go back and search for all of you.”

Su Ming turned his head around and cast a glance at Hu Zi. He lifted his right hand and swung his arm before a gentle power immediately surged out from him to seep into Hu Zi’s body. Once most of the injuries had recovered, Hu Zi stared at Su Ming, and after a moment of hesitation, he chose to agree.

After all, the clone was so strong that no matter how extraordinary Hu Zi’s level of cultivation was, there was still a great disparity between them. Not only would he not be of any use to Su Ming, he would even hold him back.

“Hu Zi, you’re the most skilled among us in regards to Runes. Please help me crack the Rune for Relocation to Morning Dao Sect. I want to go there and see whether there are any survivors in there, and its land can be used as the bedrock for the Ninth Summit. And the predecessor of Dao Ocean… is also there…”

Su Ming wrapped his fist in his palm towards Hu Zi, then sent a ripple that could reject the whirlwind under his feet. When he turned around, he changed into a long arc. The bald crane quickly followed after Su Ming and disappeared with him.

Hu Zi watched Su Ming leave into the distance while standing alone in the galaxy, and a hint of determination appeared on his honest face.

‘Level of cultivation… I must increase my level of cultivation. I absolutely cannot be so much weaker than them. I have to become stronger!’

Resolution shone in Hu Zi’s eyes. When he turned around, he changed into a long arc and left into the distance.

Su Ming moved quickly and also shifted. With the supreme treasure sweeping around him, the whirlwind could not affect him in the slightest, allowing Su Ming to move incredibly fast. In an instant, he covered a boundless distance. In just around a dozen breaths, he sensed the clone in his heart.

‘He’s moving through the whirlwind. No matter how strong his physical body is, he cannot do it for a long time. With the distance he covered just now, he should be reaching his limit.’

A freezing glare shone in Su Ming’s eyes, and he rushed forward.

Translator’s Note:

1. All Spirits Hall: Mentioned in ‘The Fifth Kiln’ as one of the three mysteries in Divine Essence Star Ocean, a place where all Ancestral Spirits are born, or so the rumors say.