Pursuit of the Truth

The aura from Su Ming’s clone that practiced the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole erupted forth. However, as it did so, Su Ming realized that his level of cultivation was kept within the limits of nearing the peak of the middle stage of World Plane Realm no matter how much his power increased, and he could not break through that level.

’The clone that practices this Art is imperfect, that’s why my level of cultivation won’t increase… If I want to make it complete, then I must fuse with something!’ Su Ming lifted his head. With a glint in his eyes, he took a step forward.

With that one step, the broken world around him distorted and instantly started disintegrating. He saw Black Ink Planet’s sky and earth before him... and he also saw the near ten thousand members of the Yu Family, along with the three cultivators with great levels of cultivation standing at the foot of Dao Avenue Mountain.

Almost at the instant Su Ming walked out from the shattered statues of the Sun God and Moon Goddess, the gazes of the near ten thousand people immediately gathered on him. There was shock, astonishment, and also complicated feelings contained within those gazes.

The buzz of discussions rose up among the people, and all of it… was because of Su Ming!

”Is that him?!”

”He’s the one that cleared the first gate in Dao Avenue Mountain, and during the Second Gate: the Sun and Moon Shine Together, he made the statues of the Sun God and Moon Goddess shatter!”

”Who brought this person here? There’s no way a normal member of the family could get in contact with such a powerful warrior. Could it be that the family elders asked him here?”

”Could he… Could he be considered to have cleared the Second Gate of Heavenly Dao? Would… the Third Gate of Heavenly Dao appear?!”

The noise from the commotion rose and fell. The Eldest Family Elder who had the highest status among the three family elders in the Yu Family wrapped his fist in his palm towards Su Ming. Just as he was about to speak, his expression suddenly changed and he rapidly moved back.

Almost at the instant he moved back, Su Ming spread out his arms in midair. He had no time to deal with other people at that moment. Once he devoured the Sun God and Moon Goddess, his Ecang clone was swiftly digesting the Divine Essence and becoming stronger. At the same time, the Divine Essence which was controlled by Su Ming’s soul also became stronger.

In this situation, his clone that practiced the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole would also become stronger. However, he was still kept at the state where he was near the peak of the middle stage of World Plane Realm. If he wanted to break through that level, he would need to mend the flaws in this clone of his.

Su Ming’s eyes shone. He lifted his right hand and pointed at the ground, and the shards that came from the statue of the Sun God shuddered and tumbled in all directions. Then, with sharp piercing whistles, they went towards Su Ming.

These shards were disintegrating swiftly in midair, turning into thin threads that looked like flesh that charged into Su Ming’s right hand. Once they fused with him, they filled his entire body.

The fusion happened too quickly, and within an instant, Su Ming was enveloped in those threads. From the distance, he looked like a gigantic cocoon. Soon after the cocoon was formed, the shards from the shattered statue of the Moon Goddess charged towards him from the area as well. They enveloped him within an instant, causing Su Ming to look as if he was covered in a grave!

Su Ming had activated the Earthen Script Art on himself. With the unique characteristic of the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole, he devoured the quintessence of the statues of the Sun God and Moon Goddess in an attempt to mend his close somewhat.

This was the only method Su Ming could think of at that moment. There was no other way for him to make this clone of his become complete within a short period of time besides this method, and if he missed it, he would have let this opportunity to grow stronger disappear.

A grave that was several thousands of feet tall floated in midair. It looked like a statue and was shining with sudden flashes of bright and dim light. There were also a large number of runic symbols around the statue, which gave it a bizarre feeling.

This scene astounded all the members of the Yu Family in the area. Even the pupils of the three family elders had shrank at the sight.

”He’s…”

”He’s absorbing the quintessence of the statues of the Sun God and Moon Goddess to mend the flaws in his Life!”

”This is… This…”

The expressions of the three people turned dark. The statues of the Sun God and Moon Goddess belonged to the Yu Family, and now, they could only watch as they were absorbed. The three elders could not help but be slightly displeased by it.

However, the sinister and majestic mighty pressure spreading out from the grave at that moment made the three of them slightly hesitant. Just as they did not know what they were supposed to do, a sigh echoed through the entire Yu Family and caused the world to tremble.

”Let him absorb it.” As the voice spoke, a figure walked towards them from the distance. That figure was obscure in the beginning, but as the person walked over, it gradually became clear. The person was a woman.

There was a veil over the woman’s face, and her features could not be seen clearly. However, there was a wave of ripples that could not be described with words spreading out from her body to the entire area.

As the woman walked over, the members of the Yu Family were mostly stunned. Only the expressions of a few of them had changed immediately when they saw this woman. At the same time shock appeared on their faces, they immediately knelt down while trembling.

”Progenitor!” The three family elders shuddered when they saw the woman and knelt down to worship her together. Their expressions were filled with reverence, along with a form of fanaticism.

As the three people knelt down and her title rang in the air, the members of the Yu Family in the area who were still perplexed swiftly remembered the portrait of a woman among the few other portraits they saw when they were offering sacrifices to their ancestors.

”Greetings, Progenitor!” As they remembered her identity, all the members of the Yu Family knelt down to worship her.

This woman was the only person who had cleared the Three Gates of Heavenly Dao in the Yu Family - their Progenitor! She might not be the oldest among them, but was the strongest in the Yu Family over the course of countless years. Even the founder of the Yu Family could not compare to this woman in terms of level of cultivation.

She stood there quietly, her head lifted to look at the grave in the sky, without saying a single word. Her silence made it seem as if the air around them had been frozen up, so all the people kneeling down did not dare to say a single word.

Time passed. In the blink of an eye, two hours went by.

At that time, cracking sounds suddenly came out from the grave that encased Su Ming. Those sounds swiftly became stronger, and after a moment, they practically connected into one unending noise. In the end, a loud bang shot up into the air, and most of the grave shattered.

No shards resulted from the parts that shattered. It was as if they had turned into ashes and had disappeared on their own.

At the same time, a muffled sound came from the grave.

”The sixth disaster!”

At the instant that voice spoke, the world rumbled, wind and clouds were swept to the side, and a red lotus appeared in the sky in the form of an illusion.

The lotus blossomed, and as it bloomed, its petals fell off one by one. When the first petal fell, the grave in which Su Ming was shuddered.

The second petal, the third… they continued to fall one by one. The grave in which Su Ming was located shuddered even more furiously, and a low growl that seemed to have emitted by someone who was enduring tremendous pain faintly came from inside.

When the final petal fell off, a booming sound rang out from the grave in which Su Ming was. A right hand stretched out. It looked normal, but if anyone took a closer look, they would have the misconception that no one in the world could destroy it.

At the instant the right hand extended out of the grave, a power that surpassed the peak of the middle stage of World Plane Realm and... belonged to the later stage of World Plane Realm erupted with a bang.

At the instant the presence of the later stage of World Plane Realm spread out, the lotus in the sky disappeared.

Su Ming had overcome the sixth disaster in the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole!

”The seventh disaster!”

When Su Ming’s voice came from the grave once again, the grave shattered once more. This time, its destruction reached its full extent. As layers upon layers of the grave disintegrated, Su Ming’s body was revealed before the people.

The grave was no longer around him, and neither were there any shards that belonged to the statues of the Sun God and Moon Goddess. He did not seem any different, but only Su Ming himself knew that the flaws of this clone of his were mended due to the quintessence from the statues of the Sun God and Moon Goddess, though he was still not perfect.

Still, this was enough proof to show that this method to make his clone that practiced the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole was feasible!

The sky trembled. The presence of Su Ming’s power erupted from his body, making it seem as if he was about to become even stronger. However… almost at the instant this presence appeared, it disappeared the next moment.

Su Ming had experienced this feeling before. He knew that this was due to the flaws within this clone of his. Absorbing the statues of the Sun God and Moon Goddess had only mended some of the flaws, which allowed the Qi in his clone to break through the middle stage of World Plane Realm and reach the later stage of World Plane Realm. However, once he reached this level, he could no longer go any further.

Su Ming opened his eyes. At the instant he did so, the sun, moon, and stars in his eyes shone with an incredibly brilliant light.

”Greetings, Lord Apostle.”

When Su Ming opened his eyes, all the people were kneeling down on the ground except for one woman. This woman, who was the only standing in the area, looked at Su Ming before she bent her body slightly. Her voice did not echo in the air, but appeared straight in Su Ming’s mind.

A glint appeared in Su Ming’s eyes. At the instant he looked towards the woman, he was suddenly stunned. The woman… was incredibly similar to the beautiful woman he saw within the statue of the Moon Goddess!!

They might not be completely the same, but the incredible similarity meant that the woman possessed unparalleled beauty. Su Ming could also sense the gentle power from the Moon Goddess coming from her body.

In fact, when he looked towards the woman, he had a strong feeling that… he could control her life and mind. If he wanted her dead, then she would immediately sacrifice her life without any hesitation.

”I am Sacred Lady Yu Rou of the Moon Goddess’ lineage. Greetings, Lord Apostle. My Lord, you have the presence of the divine bodies that belong to the Moon Goddess and the Sun God in you. It is also not just the presence of the statues, but also the vibes from their Divine Essence.

”The line of the Moon Goddess found the family’s sacred item of the Gods before the recording of history. Over the years, we have tried to have others inherit the power of the Gods, and after so many years of waiting… you have arrived among us,” the woman said softly, and only Su Ming could hear her words.

A barely noticeable glint appeared in his eyes. Those not involved might not know that he had devoured the Sun God and Moon Goddess, and it was logical that the woman had mistaken what had happened. After all… he had indeed used his Ecang clone to devour the Sun God and Moon Goddess’ Divine Essence.

As for those so called divine bodies of the statues, Su Ming had indeed absorbed them, thought it was to make this clone of his more complete.

It was apt for him to be known as the apostle of the Sun God and Moon Goddess. In fact, it was even apt for him to be known as the Sun and Moon God.

”Lord Apostle, please retrieve the Divine Vessel from the Third Gate of Heavenly Dao. I will offer up the power of Yin Essence to help you obtain the final legacy from the Gods… in order to complete my family’s mission.”