Pursuit of the Truth

The Feng Shui compass flew out and merged with the cushion under Su Ming. When the ground in the cave abode seemed to have turned into a huge Feng Shui compass and the Space Whip flew to Su Ming to turn into a red thread around his right wrist…

The mountain around the cave abode began trembling. Booming sounds rose and fell, and in the millions of mountains in the southwestern region of Ancient Zang, it felt like an earthquake had descended. The mountains swayed violently, rocks fell, and dust flew, making it look like there was a huge sleeping dragon under the mountains.

At that moment, the dragon had woken up and was shaking off the dust and earth that had settled on its body in the passage of time, which was why the place looked as if the mountains were about to shatter and the ground about to crumble.

Loud booming sounds shook the sky and earth. In the blink of an eye, many mountains collapsed. Dust clouds filled the sky and earth, and the expressions of the thousands of people from Seven Moons Sect led by Xu Zhong Fanturned anxious.

At that moment, the sects and clans beyond the mountains noticed the abnormality in the area. Long arcs charged over with loud whistles in their wake.

While Xu Zhong Fan was feeling anxious, a white light suddenly flew out of the cave with its gaze fixated upon them. In that light was not Su Ming, but a large white dog. It approached Xu Zhong Fan, and an old voice immediately spoke in Xu Zhong Fan’s heart.

“The young master has a message. He will not be able to come out of the place for the time being. Please go back to Seven Moons Sect on your own. Once he comes out, he will go to all of you in Seven Moons Sect.”

Once the white dog sent the message through a divine thought, it turned around and returned to the cave. At the instant it flew back, a loud bang shot into the sky from the cave. Shattered rocks tumbled inside, and the cave collapsed.

Hesitation appeared on Xu Zhong Fan’s face, but when he saw the mountains swaying, and the Runes unable to stop that even when all of them were fully activated, he made his decision. As the mountains collapsed and numerous cracks appeared near where they had laid down their Relocation Rune, Xu Zhong Fan gritted his teeth and swung his arm.

Once the cracks spread to the Relocation Rune, all of them would be unable to leave, and the abnormality in the place had already attracted the attention of the sects and clans in the area. Before long, many of them would rush over.

And hence, to preserve the secrets in the place…

“Seven Moons Sect disciples, we leave now!”

At his order, the thousands of people charged into the Rune. At the instant light shone from the Relocation Rune, they all disappeared without a trace.

The moment they vanished, long arcs from all directions could be seen in the distance. Those cultivators had seen the light from the Relocation Rune, but they had not gotten a glimpse of the faces of who had left.

When the people from Seven Moons Sect left, the mountain where the Relocation Rune was collapsed, and the Rune shattered to pieces, making it impossible for others to reverse the process of the Relocation and drag back the people who had left.

Immediately after, the Runes Seven Moons Sect had set in the area self-destructed simultaneously. When booming sounds echoed in the air, all traces of Seven Moons Sect were completely destroyed.

The booms formed by the self-destruction of the Runes were connected with the tremors of the mountains, and dust clouds filled every inch of air in the area.

Soon, more cultivators arrived, but few of them ventured into the dust fog. They only stood in the air and stared at the mountains in surprise and bewilderment.

Then, powerful Dao Paragons from those sects and clans arrived and conducted detailed investigations. But only when the tremors in the mountains gradually calmed down after three days did they begin searching through the area for clues.

But in the end, they found nothing and could only leave with hearts filled with various guesses. Hence, even more detailed investigations were conducted, and they lasted for months before they slowly dying out. In time, no cultivators from any sects or clans paid any attention to the mountains anymore. The matter of nearly three-tenths of the mountains in the southwestern region of Ancient Zang suddenly collapsing had become an enigma.

But there were still some cultivators who believed that there was something wrong with the place, and they would occasionally go there, hoping that luck would allow them to find some clues that no one else was able to.

Time passed slowly like that.

Su Ming remained sitting cross-legged in the cave abode. The tremors from the ground and mountains in the world outside had caused a large number of cracks to appear in the cave abode as well. It seemed like it was about to crumble, but in the end, it did not collapse. However, it did look to be in a rather pathetic state.

Su Ming continued sitting on the cushion through it all. He had his eyes closed and was immersed in meditation. He had not left the place because the person who appeared in the ancient mirror was Xuan Zang.

If he did not settle this matter, Su Ming would not get out.

Behind him was the ice gate, and at that moment, the five white dogs stayed guard outside it while waiting for his return.

Days passed, and in the blink of an eye, a year went by.

During it, Su Ming had only opened his eyes twice. The first time he did so was half a year after the event. When he opened his eyes, he looked into the ancient mirror, and who he saw was still Xuan Zang, dressed in a black robe and sitting on his Feng Shui compass.

Then, Su Ming closed his eyes, and when another half a year went by, he had had already meditated in the cave abode for a full year. At that time, he opened his eyes again, and who he saw… was still Xuan Zang.

In silence, Su Ming stood up slowly from the Feng Shui compass on the ground. He took off the red thread and threw it on the ground, and when he looked at the ancient mirror again, who he saw was no longer Xuan Zang, but neither was it Wang Tao. He saw himself.

“If I want your treasures, then I will have to become you…”

When Su Ming said those words faintly, a brilliant light shone in his eyes. He had not gone out because he was not Xuan Zang. If he did not resolve the problem he saw in the ancient mirror, it would become a thought buried deep in his heart, which was not appropriate for him.

There was another reason for it as well. Be it the Space Whip or the Feng Shui compass, Su Ming needed time to refine them. He could already predict that when he turned those two treasures into his own possessions, when he looked at the ancient mirror again, he would no longer see Xuan Zang, but himself.

While remaining silent, Su Ming sat down on the Feng Shui compass. Once he closed his eyes, he spread out his cultivation base to fuse it with the Feng Shui compass beneath him. At the same time, the third eye at the center of his brow opened. His Dao Spirit in the eye formed a seal with its hands, and immediately, an invisible ball of fire spread out from Su Ming’s body to begin his process of refining the Feng Shui compass.

Su Ming’s will also filled the entire cave abode and fused with his cultivation base as well as his Dao Spirit to turn into a power that belonged solely to him. It began an unprecedented process of refinement on the Feng Shui compass.

Time passed gradually. When Su Ming had been refining the compass for ten years in the cave abode as if he was going through a process of isolated training, not many cultivators could be seen any longer among the mountains in the world outside. Ten years might not be long, but far too many people had their journey rewarded with nothing after they came. The tremors that happened ten years before were gradually being forgotten.

But there were still some persistent cultivators who did not want to leave the place. Only when another ten years passed, they left with regret in their hearts.

When Su Ming had isolated himself in the cave abode for a total of thirty years, the mountains in the southwestern region of Ancient Region returned to the old times, when there would seldom be people who visited the area. It became a very quiet place, just like in the past.

Su Ming opened his eyes. At the moment he did so, he looked at the ancient mirror. The first thing he saw was still Xuan Zang, but when he cast a second glance… he saw himself!

Right then, about two-tenths of the Feng Shui compass had been refined by him.

Su Ming was not in a hurry. He closed his eyes again and immersed himself in the process of refinement. When another thirty years passed and he had been in isolation for a total of sixty years, five-tenths of the Feng Shui compass had been refined. When he looked at the ancient mirror again, he saw a blurry figure as a result of his own image overlapping with Xuan Zang’s.

No divine sense could extend into the mountains where the cave abode was located. Unless someone set up a Rune, it would be impossible for them to even Relocate to that place, much less send any divine thoughts there.

Hence, no one besides Seven Moons Sect knew about Su Ming being in there. All the thousands of disciples who had left the area all those years ago had their memories of that place wiped off by the great sect elders the moment they returned to the sect, and because of it, only thirteen people knew that Su Ming was in the cave abode.

Those thirteen people were naturally the thirteen great sect elders.

They locked down all information about Su Ming and waited quietly for the day he egressed.

Time passed, and when another cycle of sixty years passed and Su Ming had been refining the Feng Shui compass for one hundred and twenty years while he isolated himself in the cave abode, he opened his eyes and looked at the ancient mirror. At that moment, he no longer saw Xuan Zang, but himself.

He could not completely refine the Feng Shui compass, but he had refined nine-tenths of it. The final one-tenth seemed to have been sealed, and no matter how Su Ming refined it, he could not make it fuse with his Brand.

Yet even so, this could not be considered to be a burden in his heart, which was why Su Ming lifted his right hand from the Feng Shui compass and grabbed the red thread he had taken off his wrist one hundred something years ago. The red thread immediately at his right hand and bound itself on his wrist, and when Su Ming looked at the ancient mirror, he saw Xuan Zang again.

Su Ming calmly closed his eyes and began the process of refining the red thread formed by the Space Whip. Like that… another cycle of sixty years went by!

When Su Ming had isolated himself in the cave abode for a total of four cycles of sixty years, he opened his eyes again, and the person who appeared in the ancient mirror was him.

As he stared at the image of himself, a dark light shone in his eyes, and he stood up slowly.

‘The four cycles of sixty years is quite a long time, but since I could refine nine-tenths of the Space Whip and this Feng Shui compass, it was worth it.’

Su Ming lowered his head to cast a glance at his right wrist. Then, when he turned around to look at the ice gate, he lifted his right hand and gave a casual swing in its direction. With it, the originally bright sky beyond the mountains instantly turned dark. The stars in the sky looked to be connected with one another.

In a flash, an illusory whip appeared in Su Ming’s hand. At the moment it touched the ice gate, booming sounds echoed in the air, and the ice gate fell apart to reveal the five white dogs who were looking at Su Ming at that moment.

“Let’s go.”

When Su Ming spoke, a Feng Shui compass appeared beneath his feet. He could change its size at will, and right then, it was only the size of a cushion, allowing him to stand on it. He then turned into a long arc and charged into the distance.