Pursuit of the Truth

The clone that trained in the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole which Su Ming had formed by Possessing the Crimson Python Phoenix had passed through the first disaster of the nine disasters that came with the Duke of Crimson Flame race’s unparalleled Art for physical bodies. From then on, it had reached the level of a Paragon, and Su Ming had entered World Plane Realm with it.

However, that clone was just in the initial stage of World Plane Realm. He needed to devour more power of World Planes and survive through several more disasters before getting sufficiently stronger.

However, the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole became increasingly more difficult to train the more one advanced through it, and before Su Ming stepped into Western Ring Nebula’s foreign land, he had stopped devouring the power of World Planes, because once he reached the second state of completion, his soul would fuse completely with this physical body, removing the inborn talent of the Abyss Builders to make their clones from him.

His soul would not even be able to fuse with his real physical body in the land of Immortals.

Su Ming thought about it before. If he could not find a suitable being for Possession, then he would randomly choose one to Possess. After all, he could not let his cultivation stop because of this. Even if there were plenty of problems that would come if he chose randomly, he still had to do it.

Yet now, the matter that had him hesitating had been resolved perfectly. Even if his Ecang clone wasn’t what he had originally intended to for a clone to gain an epiphany for his cultivation, the Divine Essence Ecang’s body refined surpassed Su Ming’s expectations and turned into a serendipity that could change his entire life.

It was especially since with this serendipity, he escaped from the control of the wills in Yin Death Region and the seal Di Tian had hidden deep within him. To Su Ming, this outcome was as great as him obtaining his Ecang clone.

Besides, once he obtained it, Su Ming could divide his soul. Because of it, he could be at complete ease when leaving a portion of his soul in the clone that trained in the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole, allowing it to continue going through the nine disasters.

As these thoughts fleeted through Su Ming’s mind, he looked at that clone, and the clone also looked back at him. As their gazes met each other, a feeling of perfect harmony rose within him.

This was a very mysterious feeling. It was as if a single being had two bodies. Perhaps this comparison was not really that accurate. At that moment, what Su Ming felt was that these two clones had turned into his left and right hands. His soul was his mind, and he could control them with ease. There was no lack of fluency in his movements.

”This clone should be stronger.” When Su Ming mumbled this, the clone which trained in the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows opened his mouth and said the same things as Su Ming did.

Laws surrounded him, and rules filled the air. Upon the voicing of those words, a loud bang rang out in the galaxy. It echoed in all directions, and faint shadows of a planet appeared as the galaxy trembled.

That planet was golden in color.

Soon after, the second, third, fourth… and up to the one hundred thousandth planet appeared!

Once the one hundred thousand galaxies fused together, they had not just formed the purple Ecang. The one hundred thousand planets in the place had also gathered together, but they had not turned into one single planet. Instead, they turned into a golden cosmos formed by one hundred thousand planets.

The light from the cosmos shone endlessly, and there were hints of purple within that golden light. At the instant it illuminated the entire galaxy, Su Ming’s Ecang clone casually swung his right hand before himself.

”Cosmos formed by one hundred thousand planets, the one hundred thousand planets that are the start of my cosmos… I will now awaken your Essence of the World.” Right when Su Ming finished saying his final word, waves of presence that belonged to the Essence of Worlds erupted with a bang from the one hundred thousand planets.

Their presences fused together and spread all over the galaxy. At the instant they shook it, Su Ming spoke again.

”The power of World Planes shall be born within the Essence of Worlds!”

Boom!

A tremendous amount of power of World Planes erupted from the cosmos, and it was so dense that it could not be described with words. In an instant, it surged into Su Ming’s clone which trained in the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole.

As the power of World Planes gathered on him, the hair on that clone started moving without wind, and the powerful presence increased exponentially within that body.

Su Ming lifted his head and looked at the cosmos before looking down and mumbling under his breath, ”Absorb at will. Now that I have become the master of one hundred thousand galaxies, from now on… I will not let anyone manipulate me.”

His face was pale. The runic symbols overlapped in his right eye, which... had an air of ancientness to it.

Before him, as the presence of the clone that trained in the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole continued rising without end and the power of World Planes born from the Essence of Worlds from the one hundred thousand planets continued fusing into him, the clone reached the second state of completion in the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole.

’From now on, this clone will become my strongest body in terms of the power of Qi. If each of my clones can become the strongest, when I eventually fuse with all of them…’ A glint appeared in Su Ming’s eyes.

Boom!

Once the clone reached his second state of completion, he took a step forward. The second disaster descended on him, causing a faint wisp of a presence that did not belong to the one hundred thousand galaxies to immediately appear.

That presence which did not belong to Su Ming appeared from the clone that trained in the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole. It was just like when he experienced the first disaster. Besides the final three disasters, the nine disasters from the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole from the Duke of Crimson Flame’s race were all born within the physical bodies, as if they were experiencing a backlash.

”Begone!” Su Ming’s expression was indifferent as he spoke calmly. With that one word, the galaxy instantly distorted, and a tremendous will erupted from Su Ming’s Ecang clone, sweeping towards the clone that trained in the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole like a windstorm.

It only lasted for the span of one breath. At the instant this invisible windstorm that contained Su Ming’s will touched the clone, the second disaster which had been born within the clone immediately fell apart, and the presence which did not belong in this galaxy disappeared like the wind.

When the second disaster vanished, the clone which trained in the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole lifted his head and let out a low roar. As it echoed in space, he instantly rose from the initial stage of World Plane Realm to the peak of the initial stage, then straight towards attaining completion in the initial stage.

The increase of strength by multiple fold made the clone let out a long cry. It was a shout that shook the sky and earth. His hair fluttered in space, and during that instant, his body became much stronger than before.

When he clenched his fist, the feeling that he had full control was absolutely wonderful, and it was a feeling that could get people addicted.

This feeling of becoming stronger instantly, especially the exponential increase of levels within World Plane Realm would immediately fill any other person with surprised delight and excitement, but Su Ming’s two clones only frowned at the same time.

’This was an incredibly dense power of World Planes, and based on what the Duke of Crimson Flame said when he taught me this Art, once I got through the second disaster, I should have reached the middle stage of World Plane Realm.

’And since the middle stage of World Plane Realm is much stronger than the initial stage of World Plane, that is why… I would need the third and fourth disasters before I could reach completion the middle stage of World Plane Realm.

’During the fifth disaster, I could reach the later stage of World Plane Realm, and when I reached the ninth disaster, I would attain completion in World Plane Realm. Once I fused the nine disasters in my body, I could form Lunar Kalpa and become a powerful warrior in Lunar Kalpa Realm.

’But now that I’ve completed the second disaster, I’ve only reached the peak of the initial stage in World Plane Realm. Something… is wrong here.’

A contemplative look appeared in the eyes of both Su Ming’s clones. Once they exchanged glances, the Ecang clone sent his will outwards, and it immediately gathered on the clone that trained in the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole. As he observed him carefully, he controlled the power of World Planes around him to surge into him once again.

As the clone absorbed the power, reaching the third state of completion, and Su Ming wiped off the third disaster, his clone became stronger once again. Booming sounds echoed in space nonstop, akin to a drum being struck within the clone, and he immediately moved from the peak of the initial stage in World Plane Realm to the middle stage of World Plane Realm!

The middle stage of World Plane Realm was completely different from the initial one. It was just like how Su Ming had been able to kill those in the initial stage of World Plane Realm in the past but was forced to flee when he came face to face against those in the middle stage. These were two completely different stages. In fact, it could even be said that only those in the middle stage of World Plane Realm could truly be considered Lords of World Planes, and only when they reached this stage could they treat those in Heaven Cultivation Realm like ants.

Su Ming might have become stronger, but his brows were still furrowed. After a moment of pensive silence, he gathered the power of World Planes from the one hundred thousand planets to come forth once more.

Time trickled by slowly. After an hour, the clone reached the fourth state of completion. Su Ming neutralized the fourth disaster, and his body became stronger once again. His presence became monstrous and shook the entire area. Several hours passed, and the fifth state of completion also arrived.

If the Duke of Crimson Flame was awake at that moment, then this training speed and increase in levels would have definitely shocked him so much that he would have been tongue-tied and staring at Su Ming, wide-eyed.

This was the right only possessed by those who controlled an entire galaxy.

As the fifth disaster disappeared, the strength of the physical body of the clone that trained in the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole reached the stage that was near the peak of the middle stage of World Plane Realm. At this stage, if he returned to one thousand years ago, then with his Qi alone, he could fight against Zhao Family’s Progenitor on equal grounds.

After all, Zhao Family’s Progenitor was just at the peak of the middle stage in the World Plane Realm. However, this sort of power had allowed his family to become the third in Western Ring Nebula, and this was a show of how powerful he was.

’I knew it. Something is wrong. I would have let it slide if it was just the second disaster that was not as powerful as I thought, but this fifth disaster is supposed to have physical bodies reach the later stage of World Plane Realm, but it only managed to make this clone reach the state that is similar to the peak of the middle stage of World Plane Realm.

’Is this because this clone of mine is naturally powerful on its own, that’s why the Art can’t reach its ideal condition, or is it… because there is a flaw in this clone?’

Su Ming’s eyes shone, and when he manipulated the power of World Planes to gather on the clone that trained in the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole once again, he suddenly understood the answer.

Because his clone… could no longer absorb the power of World Planes. The fifth disaster was his limit.

’It’s a flaw. It’s the Crimson Python Phoenix’s flaw.’ Su Ming shook his head.

’All manner of lives in the universe have flaws, and we practice cultivation to mend those flaws… I don’t know what are the flaws within the Crimson Python Phoenixes… but there will come a time when I will be able to mend it.’

Upon falling silent, Su Ming closed his eyes. The clone training in the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole also closed his eyes.

”The third change of heart [1]… should end now,” Su Ming mumbled. Thousands of years had flowed by. Age and nostalgia changed places with each other and turned into a thread in the depths of Su Ming’s heart. This thread was like the first point he would make when he drew. And now… it had turned into a circle.

At the instant Su Ming’s two clones closed their eyes, a world changing event occurred in the one hundred thousand planets in the cosmos.

Translator’s Notes:

1. Third change of heart: The one Su Ming has to create grass knot dolls for.