Pursuit of the Truth

”We Immortals have a saying that goes like this: The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it [1]... My fellow Daoist, you must have hidden your face because you were afraid someone might recognize you. If that is the case, I shall call you fellow Daoist Oriole,” Shen Dong said languidly, taking a step forward.

He stared into Su Ming’s eyes. His face was dark, but there was also a grave expression on him. In truth, he had long since detected that there was something off about this person when he sensed a presence within him that made him wary. That was why Shen Dong had not attacked, but had instead let the others test his strength, but even he had not expected that the person would only need to take three steps before he killed the second strongest in Evil Spirit Sect.

Even he would have to make preparations to report this matter to Evil Sect’s Sir Ji An. After all, the person who died was not a Berserker who had changed his bloodline, but a true pureblood Immortal who had descended in Evil Sect.

The death of such a person, especially when he was also a powerful Immortal in Ascendance, was absolutely nothing trivial to Evil Sect!

”Fellow Daoist Oriole, you are a shrewd man. You must have snuck in while we invaded Hidden Dragon Sect. The things you pilfered are surely more than all of the things we of Evil Spirit Sect have pillaged, no?

”Especially this Bright Yang Stone… But my fellow Daoist, this battle is not entirely worth it for you. From what I understand of Gu Yuan Hai [2], he definitely had a backup plan. The storage bag he brought out is most likely just a diversion.

”He should have hidden away the real Bright Yang Stone.” As Shen Dong spoke, his eyes started sparkling, and as he looked into Su Ming’s eyes, he took another step forward.

Su Ming remained calm and did not speak. He merely looked at Shen Dong taking that step forward.

”You killed one of Evil Spirit Sect’s Sect Elders, and we cannot let this slide easily. Evil Sect’s Assassination Squad will naturally search for you… But before that, this humble Shen would have to fight against you, fellow Daoist Oriole…

”You must not want to waste time here, fellow Daoist Oriole. You’re holding us back here so that you can give Gu Yuan Hai time to escape. This must also be one of the deals you made in the trade between the both of you, right?

”That Bright Yang Stone isn’t in that storage bag, but it should be within one of Hidden Dragon Sect’s treasuries, or else with your cunning, you would have definitely not have fallen into his trap, fellow Daoist Oriole.

”If that’s the case, then let’s exchange three blows. We will fight for these three blows, and regardless of whether we manage to kill the other or not, and after the three blows, we will not bother each other anymore. What do you say?” Shen Dong offered slowly. At the moment his words left his mouth, some of the people around them who were a little slower in the head immediately spotted confused looks on their faces.

Su Ming narrowed his eyes, and a sparkle of surprise flashed within them. That Shen Dong had practically spoken the truth, and if he could tell what had transpired with just these clues, his intelligence was definitely nothing to be scoffed at.

The truth was just as Shen Dong had said. Su Ming was not too concerned about that Bright Yang Stone. He did not have much knowledge about that thing, anyway, so it was only natural that he would not stain his hands in too much blood for that item, and it was also impossible for him to kill all of the people here just so that he could have that item for himself.

Doing so was contrary to his interests, which was why when that Nascent Soul of the Hidden Dragon Sect’s old man was in danger, Su Ming had sent a ripple from his divine sense to send a message to him.

He did not want that Bright Yang Stone. He only wanted the treasures of Hidden Dragon Sect and the things he took away in his storage bag. If Gu Yuan Hai could deliver those things to him, then Su Ming would help him stall for time.

This was a trade, and during that critical point, Gu Yuan Hai did not have time to think about his profits and losses. He had to agree to it, which was why that scene of a few moments ago had transpired.

Su Ming smiled faintly. Since this Shen Dong had managed to see what was going on, then there was no need for him to hide anything. Smiling, he opened his mouth to speak.

”If it’s just three blows, then I’ll agree to it!”

Shen Dong’s eyes flashed with a brilliant light. He was waiting for these words, or else he would not have bothered wasting his breath saying so many things just now before he finally mentioned the exchange of three blows. This person’s strength made him incredibly wary, and he was not confident that he could win against such a powerful warrior, but if this person persisted in interfering with his task, then it would be incredibly difficult for him to complete his mission.

After all, as time passed, that Gu Yuan Hai would manage to escape even farther, and while Evil Spirit Sect had sealed off all the Relocation Runes in the area, the old man would still be able to escape this sealed area if they continued delaying their search. Trying to track him down then would be incredibly difficult, and it would also be incredibly easy for unexpected situations to pop up.

”All of you, go and chase down Gu Yuan Hai!”

As Shen Dong spoke, he took a step towards Su Ming and lifted his right hand. Immediately, a red whip appeared in his palm, and with a flick of his wrist, thunderous roars instantly traveled from his weapon. A large amount of lightning balls also manifested in the air. As they let out sizzling sounds, they fused together and charged towards Su Ming.

All seven people, including Bao Qiu, looked at each other for a moment then instantly turned into long arcs that flew into the sky. Bao Qiu originally did not want to leave, but it was not convenient for her to stay at the moment, so she left with the crowd.

It was difficult for her to calm her heart. That image of Su Ming killing a person with just three steps and three spear thrusts was deeply etched into her mind, and it still refused to leave even after such a long time had passed.

Su Ming did not stop those people from leaving the area. He only looked at Shen Dong, and battle intent gradually appeared in his eyes. As he lifted his right hand, he tightened his grip around the Undertaker of Evil’s Spear, and immediately, that spear let out a humming sound and a large amount of black smoke seeped out. Moments later, he threw the spear at the incoming balls of lightning from the sky and the whip in Shen Dong’s hand.

With a bang, the Undertaker of Evil’s Spear turned into a puff of black smoke before closing in on the balls of lightning in an instant. Booming sounds echoed in the area, and the spear shot through the air and appeared right before Shen Dong.

A glint appeared in Grand Sect Elder’s eyes, as if he had come to understand something. He let go of the whip in his hand, and immediately, the Undertaker of Evil’s Spear swept it up before swiftly charging several thousands of feet ahead. Then, with a bang, it stabbed the ground.

”You can’t win against me in terms of Enchanted Treasures. Let’s fight using divine abilities!” Su Ming said flatly.

He would not use the Undertaker of Evil’s Spear anymore in this fight. Chances of meeting powerful warriors like Shen Dong were rare for Su Ming. Now that he met this man, he wanted to see how much he had improved without the aid of any external powers.

”A fight without Enchanted Treasures… one only of divine abilities… Alright!”

Shen Dong might usually be a sullen man, but if he could become the Grand Sect Elder of a sect, then he would naturally have his own manner of courage and resolve when solving problems, as well as his own charms. Once he heard Su Ming’s words, he nodded.

Right after that, he started forming seals with his right hand. Once he changed them multiple times, he waved his right hand before him, and a purplish red light appeared out of nowhere before him. As it shone, it turned into a purplish black bird. At the same moment a brutal look appeared in its eyes, a big bump started squirming on its back, and a small black humanoid crawled out of that bump before it let out a piercing screech towards the sky.

Its body seemed to be connected to the bird, which looked like a cuckoo, but was incredibly ferocious and murderous in appearance. Almost at the same moment it appeared, another bird manifested beside it. This was a crimson eagle with blood-red eyes shining with madness. There was also a bump squirming about on its back before another small black humanoid left it.

Right behind that eagle appeared an Andean condor, and behind it was a Garuda. Each of these birds was slightly bigger than the last, and all four of them were screeching as they flew before Shen Dong.

”This is my Four Moving Birds Art. This Art was formed once I killed four Immortals in Ascendant Stage, who were at the same stage as I was. With their souls and Nascent Divinities, I created these birds…” Shen Dong said calmly. He did not attack immediately, but instead chose to look at Su Ming.

Su Ming looked at the four birds. He could clearly feel a deep grudge surrounding these birds. That resentment seemed to have been suppressed within them for a long period of time, and because they could not vent their frustrations, that grudge grew deeper as time passed, causing their enmity to immediately make the world begin to feel a little indistinct right at the moment they appeared. It was as if they had even affected the endless amount of resentment in this land, and it was all gathering to this spot from all directions.

”What powerful grudge…”

Su Ming cast the four birds a glance. He knew that the matter of Shen Dong telling him the name of his divine art and how he had created it was a form of respect towards Su Ming, no matter whether his words were true or false.

This was the respect given to powerful warriors, and it was also an acknowledgement towards his status. Clearly, Su Ming was already a person who should be treated as an equal in Shen Dong’s eyes. Even if Su Ming was a Berserker and they were both from different races, he would still give him the respect he deserved.

This was the first time Su Ming felt the respect from a powerful warrior. He cast Shen Dong a glance and lifted his right hand to position two of his fingers into a sword, then slowly swiped his left hand up those two fingers from the base to the tip, as if those two fingers had turned into an invisible sword. The whole motion was done slowly, and even when Su Ming swiped through those two fingers, he still continued having his left hand rise into the air. When his left hand was seven feet away from the two fingers, they immediately shined with a golden light.

As it grew to a piercing degree, Su Ming spread his right hand wide open, and immediately, the golden light that was spreading outwards flowed back like streams of running water to cover Su Ming’s right hand, causing it to look as if it had turned gold!

Su Ming formed another seal with his right hand, and with a flick of his wrist, the golden light became much brighter. His right hand also started withering slightly right before his eyes.

But he was not done just yet. He continued forming eight other seals, and with each one, his right hand would change. When he formed the ninth seal, it was already in an emaciated state. The golden light also changed to black. By doing so, Su Ming’s right hand looked as if it had turned into a skeletal hand!

The black fingers and long fingernails were a stark contrast to his arm.

”There is no name to this divine ability… I gained it through an epiphany in the Candle Dragon’s Undying and Imperishable World after I went through fifty reincarnations. I fused my understanding of the source regarding binary opposites in this hand… and those who have died under this divine ability… can no longer be counted!

”That was what you saw in the beginning. After it went through my Nine Transformations Art, it changed nine times, and now, it can execute its strongest form…” Su Ming lifted his stated slowly as he lifted his head and looked at Shen Dong.

The Grand Sect Elder’s pupils shrank. His divine ability was born from killing four powerful Immortals in Ascendance, and it was an incredibly remarkable divine ability among those in the same stage, but when he heard Su Ming’s words, he could not help but suck in a sharp breath. In truth, when he saw Su Ming executing this divine ability, his heart was already in shock, and a vague memory surfaced in his mind, but he could not be certain of his guess.

”Candle Dragon… Nine Transformations…” Shen Dong’s expression turned incredibly solemn, and he became even more cautious than when he was facing the Berserkers’ Disaster.

Translator’s Notes:

1. The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it: A word by word translation, since Shen Dong decided to name Su Ming after the oriole. It is a Chinese idiom derived from a story in the Writings of Chuang-Tzu. It means that a person who only cares about the profits and gains before him will not be able to see the troubles or problems lurking behind him.

2. Gu Yuan Hai: The old man with that Bright Yang Stone who self-destructed earlier. His surname/family name is Gu.