Pursuit of the Truth

Su Ming stood in the galaxy and stared at the group heading into the distance with an aloof expression. As the space behind him distorted, around a dozen people walked out.

Among them was Xu Hui, the nine old Frail Darknesses, as well as six old men with complicated expressions. One of them was an old man with a purplish black face. The mighty pressure spreading out from his body was the thickest, and it was on par with the Almighty in Life Realm from True Sacred Yin Realm. It was clear that he was someone with the same status in the camp that belonged to the forces of power from True Morning Dao World as the middle-aged man from True Sacred Yin World.

“Greetings, Your Highness! We welcome you back!”

The nine old Frail Darknesses had excited looks on their faces. They bowed together towards Su Ming. They had followed him into Divine Essence Star Ocean in the past, and though they remained at the periphery, they had still experienced quite a number of things. They were incredibly worried about Su Ming, and even though they had returned to the camp where the forces of power from True Morning Dao World were stationed, they were still worried about his safety. At that moment, when Su Ming saw their excitement, he could not help but wrap his fist in his palm and bow to them as well.

When Su Ming turned around, the color of his hair had already changed to its normal shade. He also saw Xu Hui. At that moment, there was a smile on Xu Hui’s lips. It was so gentle that it looked as if it could melt anything.

“I am Tai An Yin. Greetings, Dynast Dao Kong.” The old man with the purplish black face wrapped his fist in his palm towards Su Ming and bowed deeply. In truth, with his level of cultivation, even if he met True Morning Dao World’s heir, he did not need to do this. Unless that heir truly became the master of Morning Dao World, he was not worthy of the old man bowing to him.

However, the things that happened just then had shocked him deeply. At that moment, he was not bowing in respect to Su Ming as the heir, but was using the form of greeting for those of equal status. No one in the area felt that there was anything amiss about him choosing that. The five people behind him also wrapped their fists in their palms and bowed simultaneously.

“Greetings, Dynast Dao Kong.”

Su Ming stared at the people in front of him, and a faint smile gradually appeared on his lips. At that moment, Flame Fiends’ Progenitor cast a sideways glance at the people around them while beside Su Ming. Zhu You Cai, who had walked out of being sealed a long time ago.

“I remember that when I entered Divine Essence Star Ocean, no one referred to me as a Dynast.” Su Ming looked towards Xu Hui.

“Your Highness, you might not know about this, but three months ago, a sealed order came from within Morning Dao Sect to designate you as one of the heirs.” Xu Hui was not the one who answered. Instead, it was one of the nine old Frail Darknesses beside her.

“Three months ago…” A barely noticeable glint shone in Su Ming’s eyes. Three months ago… that was the time when he had walked out of the fifth kiln.

Su Ming remained silent for a moment before he suddenly asked, “Did you say that there were ten heirs?”

“That is correct. There are ten designated Dynasts. All of them possess the right to become the heir. The future master of True Morning Dao World will be chosen among the ten. However…” An Almighty in Mastery Realm beside Tai An Yin said respectfully. When he reached the contradictory part, he hesitated for a moment. When he saw Su Ming look towards him, he continued.

“However, based on Morning Dao Sect’s rules, you will need to return as soon as possible to receive the challenges and trials from the members of your sect, Your Highness. Only when you receive the Progenitor’s blessing will you truly be able to receive the world.”

Su Ming’s expression remained the same, the smile still on his lips.

“It has been a long time since Morning Dao Sect chose heirs, but based on the records in ancient scrolls, every single time it happens, the heirs would be tested by the members of their sects. If there they manage to complete the challenges successfully, they will obtain the right.

“Then. they would receive the trials of the heirs. The sect would distribute a mission for each one, and those who complete it are examined. If they succeed, they receive Progenitor Dao Chen’s blessing, and will then be conferred the official title.

“Your Highness, to you, everything will not pose too much of a problem. But you will still have to be careful. There are nine other heirs,” Tai An Yin said calmly as he stared at Su Ming.

“I only know that the other nine are all older than you. Three of them are even from the same generation as I am.” Tai An Yin did not say much, but those few sentences already told Su Ming plenty of crucial points.

“So there will be plenty who will challenge, and there will also be plenty of people who won’t want me to complete my trial. Even if I eventually succeed, I will have to protect myself against the other nine.” Su Ming smiled faintly.

“I hope that there will come a day when you will become the master of True Morning Dao World, Your Highness…. but your actions here might become a weapon used by the other factions of the other heirs from the sect to attack you.

“Also, the source of your sudden increase in cultivation as well as the fact that you are in possession of the fifth kiln will become the source of other people’s suspicions. After all, there are plenty of Possessions in the world, so please be careful.” Tai An Yin smiled. As he spoke, the other Almighties by his side lowered their heads and closed their eyes, as if they did not hear his words.

The nine old Frail Darknesses also lowered their heads and closed their eyes, as if they did not hear those words.

When Su Ming heard them, his expression remained the same; the smile was still on his face.

“I received enlightenment from the Progenitor in the past, and it was only because of him that I gained my current power to protect all my fellow Daoists in this land, who were the people the Progenitor occasionally sent here while being in isolation. Each of them… are eternally grateful to the Progenitor.” Tai An Yin smiled and wrapped his fist in his palm to Su Ming.

“We of the nine old Frail Darknesses originally failed in the cultivation method we practiced. The bodies of eight of us crumbled, and we were bound to die when with nine souls sharing one body. It was the Progenitor who sent us a Spirit Core in the past that allowed us to separate and form our bodies again. We… will never forget this grace.” The nine old Frail Darknesses bowed again to Su Ming.

“The war in True Morning Dao World is still ongoing. Right now, half of True Morning Dao World belongs to the Immortals’ Union. Once you return, you must be careful of them… There isn’t much time. There is a space separating everything in Divine Essence Star Ocean from the worlds beyond. They will need some time before they’ll know of what happened here. Your Highness, to prevent all of us from suffering long nights fraught with dreams, I will not send you off.”

Tai An Yin swung his arm. Immediately, distortions appeared behind him. Booming sounds came from within, and hundreds of gigantic battleships flew out. When they arranged themselves in a horizontal line, the near ten thousand cultivators in black armor stood up and knelt down on one knee to Su Ming. Their voices roared like waves.

“Greetings, Your Highness!”

The echoes of their words boomed and lingered for a long time in space. Su Ming cast Tai An Yin a glance before wrapping his fist in his palm towards him. Then, he appeared on the largest battleship. He was incredibly familiar with it, for it was the one he rode on when he headed to Divine Essence Star Ocean and ran into the Waves of Tears.

Flame Fiends’ Progenitor and Zhu You Cai followed Su Ming and went to stand behind him on the battleship. The nine old Frail Darknesses turned into long arcs and landed on the deck around him as well. As for Xu Hui, she naturally stayed with Su Ming with a smile on her face.

Under Tai An Yin and the others’ gazes, the hundreds of battleships turned into hundreds of long arcs and rushed out from the galaxy. They charged forward, and about a quarter of an hour later, a gigantic vortex appeared in front of them.

Divine Essence Star Ocean was in the shape of a gourd, and the vortex was located at its mouth. Once they passed through it, they could leave Divine Essence Star Ocean, then through the Runes belonging to the different forces of power from the different True Worlds head to different True Worlds.

As Su Ming stared at the vortex, he could not help the excitement that rose in his heart. When they drew closer to the vortex, he turned his head around and looked towards the galaxy behind him. He stared at the Barren Lands of Divine Essence, and the events that had happened over the past almost two thousand years rose in his head. When he was still a cultivator in Earth Cultivation Realm, he had been forced in there, and he lay on the ground in Crimson Flame Planet, completely immobile.

At that time, he had that mask on his face and could feel no emotions. He was so weak that anyone could control him. Back then, he did not dare to think about how he could leave the Barren Lands of Divine Essence which was like a prison.

Yet after all that he had gone through, he had risen to power in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. He became the master of Ecang, awakened the Seed of Life Extermination, destroyed the fifth ocean, became the master of the fifth kiln, and also became a legend among the alien races in Divine Essence Star Ocean. At the same time… he also destroyed the galaxy where True Sacred Yin World was stationed.

The events passed like fleeting clouds and smoke through Su Ming’s eyes. When he turned his head around, he stared at the vortex that had drawn closer and could not suppress the excitement in his heart. He… Su Ming, was about to return to True Morning Dao World!

He was about to have True Morning Dao World at his beck and call, and he would let all his acquaintances in the past know… that he, Su Ming, had returned!

Bright Yang Region would no longer be dangerous to Su Ming, because he no longer possessed a body from Yin Death Region. In the Barren Lands of Divine Essence, he had gone through a metamorphosis.

He would step into True Morning Dao World and into Bright Yang Region like a normal person!

Di Tian, the will in Yin Death Region, and all the people he was familiar with in the past, unless some of them had already passed away, Su Ming knew that when he returned after being separated from the place for nearly two thousand years, he would meet all of them again.

His childhood playmates, the prodigies from the sects, and his elder as well as Lei Chen, whom he had yet to meet… Su Ming believed that he would be able to find traces of all of them in True Morning Dao Sect!

His eldest senior brother who possessed the blood of Nine Li, was headless, and who swung his battle axe to fight against the heavens.

His second senior brother who was the Phantom King, but looked like a flower, was gentle, and liked the sun to shine on his side profile.

His third senior brother who was formed by the Vessel Spirit of the Rune sealing Yin Death Region, who snored while he slept, who looked as if anger was contained in his eyes when he opened them, who had an honest and straightforward demeanor when he laughed, who loved wiping the corners of his mouth when he drank, who taught himself everything about Runes, and who practiced the Dao of Entering Dreams.

Once all of these people flashed past Su Ming’s eyes, he remembered Fang Cang Lan, Tian Lan Meng, and the Sacred Lady, Wan Qiu, from the Shamans.

When Su Ming remembered Fang Cang Lan’s gentleness, the image of a person always standing facing the sea breeze rose in his head.

Tian Lan Meng’s quiet personality and the faintly discernible thread between them always seemed to be connecting them with a sigh of regret. There was also Wan Qiu. The pride the woman possessed in the past caused him to constantly think of a fish flying in the sky when he remembered her.

There was also… a woman who had left behind an incredibly deep impression in his mind, and who was a person Su Ming could not forget. Her name, her face, and all her smiles turned into one single sentence in Su Ming’s memories.

“Do you know why I’m called Yu Xuan..? The meaning for Xuan is daylily. I’m a daylily in the rain. My mother wanted me to forget sadness in my life and be happy forever…”

Su Ming closed his eyes. The last person he remembered was a woman standing beside his physical body with an aloof expression that held no emotions, but whose words were the exact opposite, because they were born from a desire to confuse Su Ming’s mind and cause him to harbor deep affection for her.

‘I’ve come back…’ The hundreds of battleships shot through the vortex without a single sound.