Pursuit of the Truth

‘Why is the seventh flash non-existent? Since the ancient past, the Ancestral Spirits said that the disaster is known as Six Flashes because it would only flash six times. It would not flash any more than that number!

‘But why… is that?’

The old man from Heavenly Spirit Tribe stared at the swiftly disappearing Six Flash Disaster above them in Yin Death Vortex.

“Su Ming, how many years of life do you have left in your True World?” the old man suddenly asked with a hint of excitement in his voice, as if he had discovered some sort of secret.

While in midair, Su Ming stared at the Six Flash Disaster. In truth, he also had the same questions in his head. He might not have seen as many things as the old man from Heavenly Spirit Tribe, but he had gone through the disaster himself and knew clearly that if there was a seventh flash, then even if he had a True World clone, his life would come to an end. His True World would wither and die, and there would only be three True Worlds left in Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos!

That was why when the old man from Heavenly Spirit Tribe asked his question, Su Ming’s eyes lit up. With a look at him, he answered, “Nine-tenths!”

Su Ming did not hide a lot of secrets from the old man, and neither was there any need for him to hide them. If the old man wanted to know it, he would surely have his own methods to do so.

“Nine-tenths… nine-tenths… If the seventh flash existed, then even a True World’s life would not be enough to survive through this disaster. The True World would wither. That is why… it is not that the seventh flash does not exist, but that it cannot exist,” the old man murmured. A brilliant light shone in his eyes.

“The will that sends the Antecedental Spirit’s disaster is unbothered by the survival of all forms of life. It can ignore the changes in the universe, but it places a lot of attention in whether a True World would die… This is…

“It is just as I expected. The creature that sends the Antecedental Spirit’s disaster is no one else… but Arid Triad’s will! It is the disaster itself!

“It’s sleeping. In its slumber, its will had turned into the Antecedental Spirit’s disaster. It will not allow Antecedental Spirits to exist, which is why it turned into a disaster to wipe them out. As for the other sealed Antecedental Spirits… perhaps it has other uses for them, and it is controlling them as if it is rearing livestock!

“And it wants to wipe out Antecedental Spirits because…”

There was excitement on the old man’s face. This was the first time he told Su Ming of his guess. At that moment, when he said those words, he paused for an instant, but Su Ming could already continue what he left off.

“It’s because it does not want to be Possessed! Only those who have become Antecedental Spirits have the right to Possess Arid Triad’s will!” Su Ming’s heart trembled as he spoke slowly.

“That’s right, that must surely be it!!”

The old man became even more excited. His breathing even quickened slightly, but it was not because his control over his emotions was not strong enough. With his level of cultivation, there were very few things in the world that could make him so excited. If there was any, then it would definitely be the things regarding the Arid Disaster and Arid Triad’s will.

“When it fell asleep, it wanted to wipe out Antecedental Spirits, but also to seal them… This means that it wants to destroy all danger, but at the same time wants some Antecedental Spirits to help it in some form. Then… what happens when it wakes up?” Su Ming suddenly asked.

“Once it wakes up…”

The old man from Heavenly Spirit Tribe fell silent, but a hint of fear appeared in his eyes, and that fear allowed Su Ming to immediately know what was the old man’s unspoken answer.

He remembered that in the memories he obtained during his first spirit ascension, the old man in white in the final days of Su Ming’s previous aeon had stared at the sky and said, “It’s here…”

Su Ming’s pupils shrank. Besides those words, the old man in white had also said that he would have reached a certain Realm if he’d had more time. His words always existed in Su Ming’s heart, causing him to be unable to figure things out when he was making his speculations.

But when he heard the old man’s speculation, a guess suddenly appeared in Su Ming’s head.

‘When Arid Triad’s will fell asleep, to prevent itself from being Possessed, it wiped out the Antecedental Spirits. When it wakes up… it will want to destroy all of Arid Triad so that Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos would no longer have any lives or culture so that it can have a new beginning.

‘Why did it do this? Based on what the old man said, could we understand it as Arid Triad’s will turning into the Arid Disaster to destroy everything once it wakes up to find…

‘A life form who could reach a certain Realm during an aeon? It has been searching for countless aeons, and it has destroyed Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos repeatedly. It seems like it has never managed to find it…’

Su Ming’s heart trembled. He looked towards the old man from Heavenly Spirit Tribe, but he did not tell him of his assumption. Instead, another question rose in his heart.

“Why would Arid Triad’s will be weakened in this place?” he asked slowly.

“Before I came to this place, I had been thinking constantly. All lives in this world have an arch enemy. It is impossible for them to live eternally, and it is the same for the Arid Disaster.

“But I did not manage to find Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos’ arch enemy… until I came to this place. I can clearly sense that this place is different from the others. I can sense a will existing in the depths of this vortex.

“But this will isn’t asleep. It has already broken down. I can also vaguely sense that there are some parts of it lingering on you… This will could bring an unprecedented calm to my heart, but even so, I didn’t think much into it. Even if the three ancient wills who call themselves Servants of Morus Alba gave me an even greater sense of the calm, I still didn’t think much into it.

“That was until… you brought the entire land of Berserkers away from Yin Death Vortex and your Antecedental Spirit’s disaster arrived. Only then did I come to a swift realization, because your disaster should have arrived earlier, but it did not because you were in Yin Death Vortex.

“At that time, I thought that there was some strange form of power existing in that broken will in the depths… but when we returned to the vortex and the Antecedental Spirit’s disaster descended into a frozen eternity… but everything within Yin Death Vortex remained normal.

“At that time, I suddenly understand that perhaps… the arch enemy of Arid Triad’s will is here!”

An excited sparkle appeared in the old man’s eyes. He stared at Su Ming, then at the depths of Yin Death Vortex, which was as dark as the abyss.

“The secrets lying in there are not something I am privy to. The repulsive force there is so strong that when I tried to enter it previously, I could not. You are the only one who can do it!

“You are the only one different. The repulsive force you sense is clearly much weaker, which is why I am certain that you have some form of connection to the broken will in that place.

“And you are the only one… who can enter the true depths of Yin Death Vortex to find the answer!”

The old man’s breathing quickened. When his words echoed in the air, Su Ming’s heart trembled. At that moment, loud booming sounds appeared once more above Yin Death Vortex. As they echoed in the air, the fourth disaster of the Antecedental Spirit’s disaster descended.

“As I thought, there is a fourth disaster lying in wait for you. The Antecedental Spirit’s disaster you have to go through is definitely nothing ordinary… It’s a murderous disaster from the heavens, earth, and man! The first three disasters are the Man’s Disasters. The next three disasters are the Earthen Disasters, and the final is… the Heavenly Disaster!

“And based on what I understand, when the Earthen Disasters appear, they will not come one by one like the Man’s Disasters. All three disasters will appear in succession right away, for only then can they be known to be the Earthen Disasters that surpass the Man’s Disasters!”

As the old man spoke, he lifted his head and swung his arm. A brilliant light shone in his eyes.

Su Ming stared at the spot where the rumbles came from above and asked in a low voice, “Senior, do you know what the Earthen Disasters are?”

“The fourth disaster is the Nine Deaths Disaster. The fifth disaster is the Fiendish Withering of Earth in Five Directions, and the sixth disaster… is the Disaster of Emptiness! These three disasters are no longer something that you can handle. They are disasters only those who had ascended their spirits three or more times can handle!

“You can try to experience them. If you feel that things are about to go wrong, I will immediately take action and help you get through it,” the old man said slowly.

If this was before the old man had seen Su Ming go through the three disasters, perhaps he would have immediately helped him without providing an explanation, but now that Su Ming had gained full maturity, the old man wanted to help him a little bit more. He wanted to let Su Ming experience the disaster to his limits, since only then would he gain a great number of benefits for his development in the future.

The old man knew that this time… he might die in the disaster. It would be good if he did not die, but he was also prepared to die, and Su Ming… was his hope. He was the hope that could fight against Arid Triad in the future.

That was why the old man would never hold back on providing everything needed for Su Ming to grow even faster.

“Su Ming, the number of disasters you can get through with your own power will determine how many times you will no longer need to go through the Antecedental Spirit’s disaster when you have your spirit ascend. This is an incredibly rare chance. You must have all your cultivation base erupt from your body and seize the chance… to obtain your serendipity through this disaster!”

The old man looked at Su Ming. There was encouragement and expectation in his eyes, and his expression was very sincere.

It was the first time he showed such a sincere look to Su Ming, who saw it and nodded. He knew that the old man did not lie. He had already gone through three disasters, and he could indeed go through his second and third spirit ascensions now. Based on this logic, if he successfully went through his fourth disaster, he could head on to challenge his fourth spirit ascension!

The moment Su Ming looked above him, an indescribably huge will suddenly descended from above Yin Death Vortex with a loud bang. It contained a domineering and supreme as well as imposing air. When it descended, it moved through the vortex easily and looked like it was about to chase away all the fog.

At the instant it descended, the will did not gain corporeal form, but instead seemed to remain an illusion. Once it filled Yin Death Region, it surrounded Su Ming.

A low murmur echoed from the will, and it sounded like the mumbles of a person sleep talking. Yet its words contained an indescribable presence. They seemed to possess some sort of strange power that could make everything… real!

“Your… hands… and… feet… shall… become… green…”

That was the first sentence spoken by the voice. At the moment it reached Su Ming’s ears, his hands and feet turned green!