Pursuit of the Truth

Su Ming lifted his head and stared at the indistinct, gigantic figure within the tumbling mist in the sky. The figure could not be seen clearly, and most of its body was concealed by the mist. The people could only see vaguely that the deity statue was built in the shape of a person sitting cross-legged in the sky.

It was covered in black armor that exuded a vicious aura, as if there was an innumerable amount of wronged souls sealed within the armor. A black wisp of air that eventually turned into the tumbling black mist in the sky surrounded the deity statue.

The voice was still echoing in the sky. It sounded as if the might of the heavens itself was reverberating in the air. If anyone heard it, their wills would break due to this sound. They would obey the voice despite themselves and act on the desire to Transcend, even though that will was practically imposed on them.

A bright flash appeared in Su Ming’s eyes. He was only 700 feet away from Puqiang Mountain. As the first order of Transcendence echoed in the air, he took huge steps forward, shortening the distance from 700 feet to 400 feet!

At the same time, booming sounds reverberated through his body. As if it was on the verge of breaking down, a change suddenly occurred on the giant and another blood vein formed on its body. The moment the blood vein appeared, the giant trembled, looking as if it wanted to lift its head and rage against the sky.

988 blood veins!

Su Ming did not hesitate, he moved forward like a shooting star. As he walked forth, the distance between him and Puqiang Mountain decreased once again. When he was only 100 feet away from the mountain, the majestic voice came from the sky once again!

”I order thee… Transcend!”

The moment the voice came, the giant above Su Ming broke down. Yet at the same time it shattered, the 989th blood vein manifested on Su Ming’s body!

The additional blood vein shone with a brilliant red light that illuminated the sky, causing the collapsing giant to reform from its collapsing state to whole once again, the shattered parts starting to gather together.

This scene of Su Ming obviously wrestling control from the deity made all those who saw it to fall into a state where they could no longer describe what they were feeling. The Elder of Puqiang Tribe trembled, and as he stared at Su Ming standing 100 feet away, he fell to his knees and bowed deeply.

”Sir, we respectfully welcome you to Puqiang Tribe…”

The Elder of Puqiang Tribe was originally the only one standing on the mountain. The moment he fell to his knees, Su Ming took another step and arrived on Puqiang Mountain from the ninth section of the Chain!

He had completed the challenge of the Chains of Han Mountain. From Han Mountain, he moved along the Chain and arrived at Puqiang Mountain!

The moment his feet landed on the mountain, another blood vein manifested on his body with a boom, and once the 990th blood vein appeared, the giant above him seemed to finally posses enough strength, and it let out a roar towards the deity statue of Transcendence in the sky.

The clouds reeled to the side and the weather changed. The roar made it seem as if the giant wanted to go up against the deity statue of Transcendence clad in black armor. A cold and indifferent glare appeared in the black armored figure’s eyes. For the first time since it appeared, it lifted its right hand slowly.

As it lifted its hand, an indescribable pressure descended upon everyone abruptly. Unable to withstand it, the Elder of Tranquil East Tribe fell to his knees, and his actions were followed by Yan Luan, who also knelt down trembling.

The final one who knelt down was Lake of Colors Tribe’s Elder!

At that moment, besides Su Ming, all those in the entire region around Han Mountain were on their knees prostrating on the ground.

”Puqiang Elder, allow me to loan the aura of death stored in your tribe. Hurry up and activate all the aura of death you have in store!”

Su Ming stood on Puqiang Mountain and looked at the prostrating Elder of Puqiang Tribe before him calmly. His voice was not loud, but in this situation, there was an inexplicable pressure in them.

The Elder of Puqiang Tribe trembled and closed his eyes before he lifted his arms and slammed them onto the ground by his sides.

The moment he pressed his palms on the ground, a surge of power traveled from his body into the mountain.

”With the blood of the Elder of Puqiang Tribe, I now activate the force of death of Puqiang, calling out to all the aura of death buried deep in the earth throughout the ages. Come forth!” the Elder of Puqiang Tribe mumbled and bit his tongue, coughing out a mouthful of blood. His blood turned black the moment it appeared, and once it spilled on the ground, the entire Puqiang Mountain started trembling furiously.

A thick surge of aura of death erupted forth from the depths of the earth under the mountain. It spread out abruptly along veins within the mountain, causing it to be enveloped by the aura of death in an instant!

In the midst of the endless aura of death were shrill cries. Everyone could see countless innocent souls within the aura of death that had erupted forth from the ground, and those souls filled the entire area.

A glint appeared in Su Ming’s eyes as he stared at the large amount of aura of death surging forth. This was the critical moment, and he did not want to waste even a single instant. Almost at the same time the aura of death appeared, he slammed his right hand on the storage bag in his bosom, and immediately, a corpse covered by herbs appeared before him.

The corpse was entirely shrouded by herbs. It was impossible to see its face, yet the moment the corpse appeared, the aura of death around surged towards the corpse like a contained flood that suddenly found an exit.

It was as if the corpse had turned into a gigantic whirlpool that could make all the aura of death gravitate towards it. The wronged souls within the aura of death fell over one another as they rushed forth, letting out piercing howls. In an instant, they enveloped the corpse and rushed into its body madly.

This strange sight made Puqiang Tribe’s Elder and tribe leader shocked. They had been training using the aura of death for all their life and activated their Berserker Arts with the aura of death, but they had never seen anything like this before.

”What… What is this Berserker Art?!”

Su Ming’s breathing quickened. He had been waiting for this day for far too long.

‘Spirit Plunder… Whether I can make this pill into my Origin Transcendence Vessel all lies in this moment!’

Su Ming swung his right hand forward and the bones, along with the herbs growing on them, appeared in his hands. Once he crushed all of them, the herbs and broken bones fused into the corpse in a strange fashion.

A shocking presence burst forth from the corpse. The thick aura of death within that presence spread all around.

The urge to Transcend within Su Ming was already very difficult to suppress. Once the giant above him let out that roar, it broke down rapidly. Before long, it would completely shatter, and that would be the time Su Ming Transcended.

In the sky, the figure clad in black armor, the true form of the deity statue of Transcendence, was also lifting its right hand slowly. As it did so, the pressure also became stronger. Once it completely raised its hand, a great catastrophe would befall the entire land.

Su Ming’s face was grave with a hint of nervousness. Then, with the method to create Spirit Plunder ingrained in his head, he wrapped his entire body around He Feng’s corpse and beat it repeatedly. Every single time his palm landed on the corpse, the place he struck would sink down and a lot of aura of death would surge into the spot before it would swell up once again.

”What’s he doing?!”

”He’s not Transcending, but is filling a corpse with the aura of death! Just… what is he doing?!”

At that moment, that was the most dominant thought in the minds of the powerful Transcended Berserkers who were still conscious.

Time passed by slowly. After a moment, a boom echoed in the sky, and the giant above Su Ming broke down completely. The moment it fell apart was also the same instant the true form of the deity statue in the sky lowered its right hand and pointed towards Su Ming with one finger.

”I order thee… Transcend!!”

The moment it pointed downwards, a presence of Transcendence burst forth from Su Ming’s body. Amidst that presence, the 990 blood veins within his body instantly showed signs of melting.

The melting of blood veins to form the Berserker Mark. That was the symbol of Transcendence!

Almost at the same moment, Su Ming’s right hand fell on top of He Feng’s skull. He slammed his palm down on the spot signaling the final step of creating the pill in his memories!

The instant he slammed his right hand down, He Feng’s body abruptly swelled up and his eyes opened up. His pupils were grey.

Those eyes seemed like they had been revived, and they were looking at the sky with a gaze that did not belong to He Feng. The first thing that entered their vision was the true form of the deity statue of Transcendence in the sky. The grey hue in the eyes flickered, and the herb covered body floated into the air, slowly crossing its legs to arrange itself in the same fashion as the true form of the deity statue of Transcendence.

This was something not even Su Ming had predicted. He was momentarily stunned, but did not have time to think much into it. This was a critical period for him. His blood veins were melting rapidly within his body. The desire to Transcend had reached its peak.

”I’m going to Transcend…” Su Ming mumbled.

He no longer cared about He Feng’s corpse by his side. He might not understand its strange behavior, but he personally created this pill and no outsider had a hand in it during the entire procedure. From his memories regarding the method to create this pill, he could also feel surges of herbal aura flowing within He Feng’s body, and they were quickly gathering at the corpse’s brains. Once they gathered together and condensed into the pill, Spirit Plunder would be formed!

”Elder, I’m about to Transcend…”

Su Ming sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes. The moment he did so, muffled sounds of thunder suddenly came from within the clouds that were torn apart in the sky. At the same time, in the sky much higher above the true form of the deity statue of Transcendence, some clouds started gathering together when thunder started rumbling.

This did not make sense. Under the might of the true form of the deity statue of Transcendence, the clouds could only be torn apart and replaced by mist. It was impossible for them to gather together once again. However, now, the clouds had gathered!

The moment the clouds converged, a bolt of blue lightning suddenly descended from among the clouds. The bolt of lightning was about the breadth of the rim of a water pail. It crackled past the deity statue of Transcendence and charged towards the earth, descending upon He Feng’s corpse in a straight line.

Su Ming was shaken. He opened his eyes and saw the bolt of blue lightning suddenly falling on He Feng’s corpse clearly. It caused the swelled up corpse to rapidly wither as numerous electric arcs swam around it.

The herbs on the body also turned into powder in an instant, but the herbal aura within He Feng’s body seemed to have received great nourishment and came together even faster. It had already turned into a fuzzy orb that was rapidly spinning in He Feng’s brain.

The two strange sights in the sky stirred up incredible panic within Han Mountain City. The people who had lost consciousness due to the true form of the deity statue of Transcendence had woken up.

The deity statue of Transcendence in the sky shuddered. Due to the sudden appearance of the clouds and the bolt of lightning, some of the mighty pressure coming from its body was forcefully dissipated.

Because of that, the urge to Transcend within Su Ming eased up for a moment.

At that moment, a glint appeared in Su Ming’s eyes. During the moment the speed of his blood veins melting slowed down, another blood vein increased!

991 blood veins!

Su Ming closed his eyes. A memory that was buried by time surfaced in his head.

”I don’t have any sense of propriety. I don’t have parents. In your eyes, I have neither any right nor status… But, my elder once told me that you only see one part of the rain in the world. You will never know how much rain there is when it stops…

”You can only see the surface of the muddy water on the ground and never the bottom… This year, I am only 16 years old…”

In his memory, a teenager had his head lowered as he spoke his mind with calm resolution before the Elder of Dark Dragon Tribe!