Pursuit of the Truth

“There are ten thousand altars, and each of us has occupied three-tenths of them. The difference in number is just in the hundreds, and it’s difficult for us to differentiate who will gain the upper hand in a short period of time…

“Say, why don’t we change our method? Whoever… among the three princes first steps into the ninth echelon and lights up the thousand storey altar, he will naturally be the first to enter the third layer,” the illusory old man from One Dao Sect who was levitating above the first prince and seemed to be connected to him said faintly.

The old woman narrowed her eyes slightly and replied in a languid manner. “It’s not bad. This idea is plausible, or else we can only be stuck here until time is up, and then all the disciples from every sect and clan will step into the third layer at the same time.”

Gu Tai pondered over it for a moment before he looked at Su Ming, who was by his side.

Su Ming’s gaze landed on the huge ancient tree. After a long while, he nodded.

Gu Tai was silent for a moment before he sighed in his heart. However, with Seven Moons Sect’s ability, they could already be considered to be successful for achieving their current result in their fight against One Dao Sect and Asura Clan. At the very least, the fight had reached a state where all sides appeared to be equal in power. As for who would be the first to enter the third layer in the end and successfully obtain the Phala was no longer something that was connected to the sects and the clan. The main deciding factor lay in the three princes.

Naturally, the three princes would not be the only ones who would enter the third layer. The other disciples from the sects and the clan would also follow them.

“Alright, then!” Gu Tai said resolutely.

At the instant he said those words, the old woman stood up and pushed the helmet in her right hand down against the ground. A large amount of green fog instantly appeared from the helmet, and its amount grew with each passing moment. In just a few breaths, a figure manifested in the fog, and once it gained corporeal form, the second prince appeared before their sights.

After coming, he took off his helmet. When he smiled at Su Ming, he lifted his head, then looked at the ancient tree stretching into the sky. There was an enchanted look on his face.

The first prince had also opened his eyes at that moment and stood up slowly. The illusory old man above the top of his skull swung his arm and cut off his connection with the eldest prince, then moved back.

“Then the sects and the clan will just serve as overseers to ensure that this battle of Dao Verification is fair. No outsider is allowed to help, such as the four white dogs. He isn’t allowed to bring them in,” the old man said faintly.

Gu Tai’s expression was calm. He did not say anything.

“I agree to this.” The old woman from Asura Clan nodded when she heard it.

“Then let’s do that!”

At the instant the old man from One Dao Sect spoke firmly, the first prince’s eyes sparkled. He instantly leapt up and stepped on the ancient tree before turning into a long arc.

When he left into the distance, three balls of fog instantly spread out. They immediately turned into three old figures who activated their power of Dao Paragons. They pushed the first prince forward, and in a flash, he traveled nearly three-tenths of the tree’s length.

The second prince by the side smiled coldly. He moved and also stepped on the ancient tree. Like fog, he surrounded the tree and instantly charged upwards. At the same time, a thick wave of power of Qi enveloped his body, and it grew instantly. Countless runic symbols shone on him, and each time they did, they increased the second prince’s speed exponentially. He swiftly left into the distance, and his speed was on par with that of the first prince.

Gu Tai’s expression was incredibly sullen, and he spoke with a cold smile. “You have Dao Spirits protecting the eldest prince, and then you have Asura being added to the second prince’s body to strengthen him. This is what you call fair?”

“At the very least, this is not receiving any outsider’s help. Dao Spirit Protection is One Dao Sect’s Secret Art. You can’t limit him from casting Arts, right?” The old man from One Dao Sect smiled faintly.

“Having Asura strengthen his body is just a form of utilizing talismans. It can also be seen as an Enchanted Treasure, so it’s also not considered as receiving outside help.”

When the old woman said those words, Gu Tai’s expression turned even darker. He lifted his right hand and patted his storage bag. A ball of black fog immediately appeared on his hand. Just as he was about to speak, Su Ming shook his head. He flung his right arm, and the Feng Shui compass manifested under his feet to instantly bring him into the distance.

The Feng Shui compass might move quickly, but he would not be able to overtake the first prince and second prince while they were using their divine abilities. It made the old man from One Dao Sect and the old woman from Asura Clan narrow their eyes for a moment before their expressions returned to normal.

They could tell that with Su Ming’s speed, he might be able to gain an advantage if it was a contest that lasted for a long period of time, but the distance right then could not be considered to be long. The difficulty in overtaking the other two was too great for Su Ming.

Gu Tai’s expression was incredibly dark. Just as he was about to speak, Su Ming’s eyes sparkled while he was charging up the ancient tree. He struck his storage bag with his right hand, and a log of wood the size of his palm appeared on his hand. It was the huge Sacred Wood he had obtained in Harmonious Morus Alba.

With the wooden log in hand, Su Ming pushed down on it with his other hand, then spoke flatly.

“Bigger!”

When that word appeared, the log of wood instantly grew to become one hundred feet long. One end shot to the ground beneath Su Ming and landed right next to Gu Tai and the other two with a bang. The power of the Sacred Wood caused the platform at the eighth echelon to shudder, making the old man and old woman’s expression to change swiftly.

They immediately noticed that the other end of the Sacred Wood was swiftly lengthening, pushing Su Ming upwards while he stood on it. With an indescribable speed, he charged upwards. This scene left the people in the area momentarily taken aback.

Gu Tai’s eyes shone with surprised delight. As for the others, especially the old woman, their expressions changed. They wanted to stop Su Ming, but Gu Tai did not let them.

“Fellow Daoists, you’re right. No outsiders are allowed to help them. Dao Spirit Protection, having Asura strengthen one’s body, or using other forms of Enchanted Treasures is all allowed,” Gu Tai said while laughing.

At the same time, the disciples from the sects and the clan who were chosen to step into the third layer turned into long arcs that approached the area and charged up the tree.

Su Ming stood on the rapidly ascending Sacred Wood whose actual size was more than one million feet in length. At that moment, it grew in a seemingly infinite manner to push him upwards, and in just the span of around a dozen breaths, he caught up to the second prince.

The second prince’s body was huge, and there were runic symbols shining on it. At that moment, as he continued going up quickly, he saw Su Ming standing on the rapidly ascending Sacred Wood. This scene caused his eyes to shrink.

The Sacred Wood’s growth instantly pushed Su Ming’s body so high up that he overtook the second prince and got close to the first prince, who was above him. At the instant their expressions changed, the Sacred Wood under Su Ming’s feet disappeared.

When he put it away, he used the propelling force provided previously by the Sacred Wood to turn into a long arc which left swiftly into the distance. When the Feng Shui compass manifested under his feet, his speed increased exponentially again. He overtook the first prince and became the person leading the race on the ancient tree that reached the heavens.