Pursuit of the Truth

”This Soul Crystal is tied to my life, and once I use it three times, I will definitely die! This is the third time I will be using it, so even if I die, I will make all of you pay!”

Madness appeared on Qi Bei Shan’s face, and he squeezed the crystal in his hand. A tri-colored ripple instantly shot out and spread through the area. All the cultivators who were touched by that ripple found their bodies freezing swiftly.

This Soul Crystal could instantly freeze up the souls of the people within its area of effect. The effect would not last for a long time, but during battle, it could be crucial.

Almost at the moment all the people in the area stopped moving and looks of confusion appeared on their faces, Qi Bei Shan looked towards Su Ming standing on the Crimson Python Phoenix, and killing intent shone in his eyes.

He hated Yue Hong Bang the most, because he was an incredibly intelligent and calculative man. He had already thought about everything before his death. He would kill Su Ming, and then Yue Hong Bang could only continue struggling in Crimson Flame Planet. Besides, if Su Ming had not become Yue Hong Bang’s reinforcement, then Qi Bei Shan would not have been forced to face death. Before he died, Qi Bei Shan let out a fierce bark of laughter and closed in on Su Ming.

The Crimson Python Phoenix let out a roar, and as it swung its head in an attempt to hit Qi Bei Shan, the old man let out a shrill bark of laughter, and as he lifted his right hand, the tri-colored crystal in his hand appeared as a four-colored crystal. He knew that he was about to die without anyone having to do anything, which was why he decided to burn his own soul and activate the mysterious divine ability once again. He squeezed the four-colored crystal that had manifested in his hand, and a four-colored ripple spread out instantly, freezing the Crimson Python Phoenix’s body. Right then, Qi Bei Shan appeared before Su Ming. His face was twisted in a ferocious expression, and with a raging killing intent, he pointed towards Su Ming with his right index finger.

”So what if you’ve subdued the Crimson Python Phoenix?! Die with me!!”

”It might not apply to all of you, but most of you who managed to survive in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence are people who are difficult to kill…” Su Ming shook his head and lifted his left hand coldly, then swung it towards the incoming Qi Bei Shan.

With it, the flow of time between the past and future intersected with each other, and the power of Destiny spread out. The power of a law descended swiftly, freezing Qi Bei Shan’s body in midair. His eyes went wide in disbelief. He could no longer move his body forward, but instead started moving backwards, as if time suddenly begun going in reverse. The shattering of the four-colored crystal was turned back, and everything returned to its original condition.

In shock, Qi Bei Shan saw that the Crimson Python Phoenix’s movements were no longer halted after the four-colored crystal recollected itself. It was as if the entire world, all the things and people on it, never experienced any sort of changes. Only Qi Bei Shan had seemed to be isolated from this world. Only he was retreating, and only his time was flowing in reverse.

At that moment, the hundreds of people in the distance had regained their freedom. At the instant their souls recovered from being frozen, they saw a sight that was so incredibly strange that it made all their hearts tremble.

This scene surpassed the limits of their imagination. In fact, they could not tell just what had happened. They could only see that the mysterious person standing on the Crimson Python Phoenix’s head had swung his arm, and that Qi Bei Shan began falling back. The crumbling four-colored crystal also gathered together once again…

However, the scene that happened next caused expressions of shock and fear on the previously puzzled faces.

”It was three colors just a moment ago. Now, it is four colors.”

Without any expression on his face, Su Ming looked at the four-colored crystal in Qi Bei Shan’s hand. He lifted his left hand and swung it at Qi Bei Shan, and the four-colored crystal in his hand immediately turned into five colors. Qi Bei Shan’s expression twisted, and his eyes went wide. As fear and despair appeared blossomed in his gaze, the crystal in his hand crumbled. Everything that had happened moments before started playing back once more, but this time, the four-colored crystal had turned into five-colored one.

Yet soon, as Su Ming swung his arm and Qi Bei Shan moved back again, the five-colored crystal that had gathered together once more had turned into six-colored one.

The cultivators in the area burst into a commotion. Their hearts were filled with shock. This strange sight caused alarm to appear within them as they looked towards Su Ming.

Six colors turned into seven!

The commotion grew even more intense. There were even shadows distorting in the sky. One of them was in the east, and the other in the west. As these shadows distorted, they revealed two figures with grave expressions on their faces. These two people were the World Paragons in this planet.

At that moment, as Qi Bei Shan moved forward before retreating once again, the seven colors on the crystal turned into eight!

The commotion died down and turned into death-like silence. All the people were watching with dumbfounded gazes. Their faces had turned pale, and their breathing seemed to have frozen.

Once the crystal gained eight colors, Su Ming frowned. He had already reached his limit with Destiny, and it was difficult for him to continue casting the Art. With a swing of his arm, he gave up on continuing with the execution of the Art. The Crimson Python Phoenix beneath him let out a roar at that moment and rammed its gigantic body straight into Qi Bei Shan. Without a single sound, Qi Bei Shan’s body disintegrated. The madness and grudge was absent from his face, though. Strangely enough, an expression of being freed had taken its place. He turned into ashes and disappeared into the air.

Su Ming seized the air with his right hand, and the eight-colored crystal flew into his hand before Qi Bei Shan’s body with all his items disintegrated. He closed his fingers around the crystal.

At the instant the crystal landed in Su Ming’s hand, the dazzling colors on it were unparalleled.

Soul Crystals were formed using a Secret Art. Every single time it was used, a color would be added to it. Su Ming’s Destiny had caused the eight-colored crystal that was incredibly rare in this world to exist, and it was shining with an appealing light in Su Ming’s hand.

Yue Hong Bang sucked in a sharp breath. When he looked towards Su Ming, a deep reverence appeared in his gaze. He could not tell what divine ability Su Ming had cast. The scene before looked incredibly strange in his eyes and was able to overturn everything that he knew. He begun to think that the mysteries surrounding Su Ming were so great that they could fill the sky.

The hundreds of people in the area had already fallen silent by then. They had been able to tell that Su Ming only possessed power of Earth Cultivation Realm when he opened the door to the cave abode, but even though they still harbored uncertainties in their hearts, once they saw Qi Bei Shan’s bizarre death, and most importantly, the continuous cycle that turned Qi Bei Shan into a puppet which he manipulated to form that eight-colored crystal, they no longer dared to underestimate him. Instead, in their hearts, Su Ming became known as a powerful warrior that they absolutely could not provoke.

At that moment, wariness appeared on their faces as they looked towards Su Ming.

This time, they were not just wary of the Crimson Python Phoenix. They were also wary of Su Ming.

Strength was everything in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. If anyone wanted to earn respect and resources, they needed to show power that could intimidate and frighten those around them!

Those who were powerful were respected!

”Fellow Daoist, congratulations on making a place here in Crimson Flame Planet. You’ve become a pioneer by subduing the Crimson Python Phoenix, creating this monstrous change, and with an Art that takes the form of a law, you easily killed Qi Bei Shan… and gathered together an eight-colored Soul Crystal! I am Tian Lin.”

A hearty voice came from the sky in the midst of the silence in the area. The speaker was the middle-aged man from the forest, one of the two World Paragons in the planet. He was a middle-aged man who possessed power that belonged to a Lord of a World Plane. His body appeared in midair, and with a smile on his face, he wrapped his fist in his palm towards Su Ming.

It was a form of greeting towards someone who was of the same status!