Pursuit of the Truth

Sikong stood at the edge of the battlefield. He had been injured too badly previously, and the power of the Curse within him was incredibly difficult to deal with. Right then, his whole body was filled with a large amount of rotting black patches.

His hate towards Su Ming was already running so deep that it reached the depths of his soul, but after he saw his battle against Di Tian, and especially after he saw the pillar of fog that descended from the sky, his breathing quickened and his heart trembled.

Su Ming’s strength made Sikong completely hide away his thoughts for revenge. He did not dare reveal even a single hint of it. At the same time, he felt a strong sense of danger rise within him, making him look swiftly towards the black patches on his body.

The intensity of that sense of danger was like a flood that almost drowned him. Sikong had a clear hunch that if he did not manage to get rid of these black patches within a short period of time… then his body and soul would be destroyed!

This feeling was too strong, causing him to no longer hesitate, and he brought out an incredibly valuable medicinal core his sect had given him before.

The core’s name was Sacred Half Step!

It was a medicinal core that was rare even in Evil Sect, and only prodigies like him would be given one of these things. This core had no use towards training. Its greatest effect was to heal injuries.

Sikong had always been reluctant to use this, but now… he brought it out without hesitation. With gritted teeth, he placed it in his mouth.

Shen Dong’s eyes went wide and he sucked in a sharp breath. There was no one else who was more familiar with this Verdant Abyssal Seal than him in this place, but at that moment, Shen Dong looked as if he was seeing it for the first time. His heart trembled, his mind rang, and he suddenly understood the true method to use this Verdant Abyssal Seal. It was unlike what he had previously done. Su Ming’s method was the true way of bringing out its might!

The Verdant Abyssal Seal he cast could let him fight against powerful warriors at the same stage as he was, but in Su Ming’s hands, it had managed to gain such power that it could threaten Di Tian’s clone.

The golden-robed Di Tian’s face turned livid with rage as he stood in the sky. He glared at Su Ming, who was standing beneath him, and took a sudden step forward. Right at the moment he was about to charge down though, his footsteps came to a sudden halt. Then, right before his eyes, Ji An walked out from the air in front of him.

”He could manipulate the power of Yin Death in this place and make it descend… That child down there… must be that Destiny, no…? But by the looks of it, you seem to want to kill him?” Ji An asked with a smile.

Di Tian’s expression grew dark, but before he could say a single word, the gigantic pillar of fog beneath gradually disappeared to reveal a pit of about thousands of feet deep on the ground, as well as Di Tian, who was sitting within a ball of dull, purple light.

That Di Tian’s expression was pale. When he lifted his head, the purple light around him instantly shattered, and the Emperor’s robe on his body swiftly turned dull. Not a single hint of color remained.

He coughed up a mouthful of blood, and it spilled on the ground before him. At that moment, the purple-robed Di Tian’s face was incredibly pale, but killing intent rose like surging waves in his eyes. He slowly stood up and glared at Su Ming.

There was also blood at the corners of Su Ming’s mouth. When he wiped it away, he lifted his left hand and pressed it swiftly on his right arm, all while keeping his gaze fixed on Di Tian. With those actions, his right arm instantly grew taut. His flesh and blood on that arm changed and looked as if it had become like that of a golden statue.

Su Ming cut open a gash on his right arm with his left index finger. Multiple bloody gashes could be seen under his skin. This bizarre act instantly caught the attention of all those around him.

Even the purple-robed Di Tian also found his pupils shrinking at that sight.

With a calm expression on his face, Su Ming pushed two fingers into the wound on his right arm, and slowly, right before everyone’s eyes, he brought out something from within the flesh and blood of that limb!

That was a blood-red ring!

Su Ming had obtained it many years ago from Madam Ji. It was something Ji Yun Hai had obtained by coincidence, and it was the source of the Curse.

Su Ming had hidden this ring in his right arm, which was why his Curse had become stronger and gained more depth as his power increased. It was also the true reason why he had been able to gather the Curse on his right hand.

Almost at the instant Su Ming brought out that red ring, the presence of the Curse swiftly surrounded the wound, and the gash closed up in an instant. Su Ming placed the ring… right where he had lost his right index finger.

That finger had shattered into pieces, but when Su Ming placed the ring on that appendage, the presence of the Curse instantly exploded. It gathered together into a finger, which was the Curse’s finger!

At the instant the ring was on the Curse’s finger, the power of the Curse spread out from Su Ming’s entire right hand. It caused the weather to change, and the hearts of all the people watching trembled.

Even Ji An narrowed his eyes, and a brilliant light shone briefly within them.

At the same time, a strong sense of danger rose within the purple-robed Di Tian’s heart. He could not let Su Ming continue. The feeling of danger from his right hand was actually much stronger than that from his left hand!

But what truly shocked Di Tian was how his cultivation base had become chaotic when Su Ming had used that Verdant Abyssal Seal earlier. That chaos and that stab of pain he’d felt had come incredibly suddenly, causing him to be completely incapable of predicting and reacting to them. This strange occurrence made Di Tian have a strong feeling that there was a distinct difference between his current self and his past self.

’I have to destroy him in this battle, or else… if he has more time, then it’ll be even more difficult to suppress him.’

The purple-robed Di Tian swiftly took a step forward and turned into a long purple arc that flew straight out of the pit and closed in on Su Ming within an instant.

He might be injured, but those injuries were forcefully suppressed. He had confidence that this particular clone of his still contained an overwhelming advantage in strength over Su Ming.

If no one interfered with his actions, then there was no way he would fail in killing him this time!

Besides, even if someone tried to stop him, the other clone would do everything he could to delay that person at all costs.

Almost at the instant Di Tian closed in, Su Ming lifted his right hand and pushed it against his chest before he immediately opened his mouth and spat out a ray of green light. It immediately turned into Han Mountain Bell and charged towards Di Tian. As bell chimes reverberated through the air, the shadow of the Nine-Headed Dragon manifested instantly above it.

When the bell appeared, Ji An turned his head swiftly around, but once he saw that it was the shadow of the Nine-Headed Dragon, he calmed down.

However… the tens of thousands of people from Evil Sect and the Immortal sects around the area could not see it too clearly. Because of that, once they saw Han Mountain Bell, they were instantly unable to quell the roars in their hearts, and voices rose into the air once again.

”Eastern Wastelands Bell?!”

”Could… Could this be Eastern Wastelands Bell, but it’s impossible!”

”Who is he?! He can fight against Di Tian’s clone, and even has the priceless treasure that is Eastern Wastelands Bell… He’s a Berserker!”

In the midst of those voices, Hidden Dragon Sect’s Chenchong stared blankly at Su Ming. His mind was a mess. That sense of familiarity had become even clearer, but no matter what, he could not recall where he had seen this person before.

His face and divine abilities were all so incredibly unfamiliar to him…

Hidden Dragon Sect’s Jingnan had an incredibly dark expression on his face. He stared at Su Ming in the sky, and gradually, a frightening guess rose swiftly from the depths of his heart.

’He brought so much of Lord Di Tian attention on himself… and he set up such a plan to kill Lord Di Tian… This child… could he be…?’

Jingnan’s breathing quickened and he turned his head swiftly towards Chenchong. Then, right before his eyes, he saw a dazed look on Chenchong’s face, who had now woken up from his grave injuries. His heart let out a loud thump against his chest.

’Could it really be him?!’

Shihai’s expression changed swiftly. In his entire life, there was one thing that had changed the path in his life. This was something he had always kept buried deep in his heart. At that moment, his heart trembled, and as he looked at Su Ming, the sense of familiarity brought a sense to him as if even his blood was trembling.

There was also Evil Spirit Sect’s Shanhen. He looked dazed, and the familiarity he felt brought a stab of pain in his head… This sensation made him feel as if some sort of memory which had been sealed away was trying to break free to reveal itself.

There were also a dazed expression on Chenlong[1] from Great Leaf Immortal Sect and also on the man who was the Head of the Guards in Dark Mountain within Su Ming’s memories. Their hearts trembled, and they looked at each other. In the midst of their uncertainty, shock appeared within their hearts.

There was also Sky Mist Dao’s Wu Le. This ordinary looking woman also had a dazed expression on her face. She looked at Su Ming blankly, and that sense of familiarity made her sink into her thoughts for a long time.

However, all of these feelings remained indistinct. Some people had begun asking questions, while some continued feeling lost and dazed. The bell chimes from Han Mountain Bell caused all of their hearts to tremble, and their attention was drawn towards it.

Han Mountain Bell turned into a bell that was a thousand feet big and blocked Di Tian’s path. At the same time, Su Ming lifted his right hand and pushed his palm towards the ground.

The land trembled with a loud bang. Then, a large number of Immortal sect disciples started shuddering violently and let out shrill screams of pain. Their bodies were instantly filled with a large amount of black patches, and in the blink of an eye, they started melting as if they were rotting away…

As these Immortal sect disciples died, Su Ming’s right hand turned into a black mess. It looked as if there was some sort of color spreading out from it, and there was a strangely enchanting radiance to his hand.

Right then, a shocking roar reverberated through the entire world. The purple-robed Di Tian had executed his World Punishment Art and caused Han Mountain Bell to instantly disintegrate. Then, he turned into a sharp, long arc that sliced through the air and charged towards Su Ming.

Right at the instant he closed in, Su Ming brought out a grass knot doll with his left hand from his bosom. The doll was gray, and there was a thick aura of death surrounding it. At the instant it appeared, a shrill howl that was voiceless but could be detected faintly with divine senses rang out from within it.

Killing intent appeared in Su Ming’s eyes. With the Curse’s black aura swirling on his right hand, he pressed it against the grass knot doll, causing the doll to be instantly dyed in black!

Translator’s Notes:

1. Chenlong: Very obviously Chenxin’s dad.