Pursuit of the Truth

“He’s not defending! He’s actually attacking!”

“All the others who challenged the Golden Armor Platform mostly prioritized defense. After all, the sword attack from the man in the golden armor is incredibly powerful, and it far surpasses the power which he shows.”

“This is not the main focus. The main point is… Dynast Dao Kong actually made Jin Xiu take a step back! I wonder if you met him before, but over the years, I’ve never seen anyone who actually managed to force Jin Xiu back.”

“I’ve seen someone do it before, but the power needed is at the very least in Solar Kalpa Realm!”

As the people in the area fell into discussions, the Dynasts who had come to the area looked over with dark expressions. Hints of shock were in their eyes, and even Dao Lin as well as Dao Fa were solemn.

“He’s at the fifth stage now,” Dynast Dao Lin, the young man with the aloof expression, said in a cold voice at that moment.

“One of them has only released four-tenths of his power, and the other is fighting at full strength. There’s nothing worth any shock,” said Dao Fa, the gentle man who was also a Dynast and who was standing beside Dao Lin, faintly when he heard those words.

On the platform, Su Ming lifted his head and stared at the man in golden armor before him. The image of the golden sword shone in his eyes. He had been able to make the man take a step back in the previous exchange because he had understood the power causing the rebound in that sword attack.

That power could make all people’s Qi and blood surge. If they could not withstand it, their Qi and blood would disintegrate, and they would die. But even if they could withstand it, the surging of their Qi and blood could still make their bodies numb.

“Thou hast cleareth the fourth stage. I wilt now release five-tenths of mine power.” As the man in golden armor spoke languidly, golden light shone in his eyes. The power of those in Lunar Kalpa Realm erupted from his body. His presence was so strong that it instantly formed a mighty pressure that spread through the area.

At the instant that presence of Lunar Kalpa Realm appeared, it erupted again. It was a power that was just a sliver away from Solar Kalpa Realm. Compared to the power the man had exuded when he was in the fourth stage, the difference was incredibly great, even though they were both in the same Realm.

A glint appeared in Su Ming’s eyes as the man in golden armor lifted his right hand. It was still the same movement, and he still took a step forward. With a presence that seemed like it wanted to split apart space, the golden sword swiftly swung down on Su Ming.

He took a step forward and did not dodge. When he raised his right hand, he positioned two of his fingers together to form a sword, then swung it from the ground to the sky. An invisible sword seemed to have formed in his hand, and with an upwards motion, it crashed against the incoming golden sword.

Booming sounds reverberated in all directions. This time, Su Ming shuddered and staggered three steps backwards. The man in golden armor also shuddered and took five steps backwards. He stabbed the golden sword into the ground to stop himself and drew a long line in the land.

A smile appeared on Su Ming’s lips. The fighting spirit in his eyes had been ignited, and it was burning with bright flames. As he smiled, he stared at the man in golden armor. There seemed to be a golden sword manifesting and being crushed in the flames of his eyes, then manifesting again. This process repeated as if he was deducing the structure of the divine ability.

“Again!”

Su Ming moved forward. When he took the initiative to attack, the man in golden armor lifted the golden sword swiftly. A power which belonged to those in Solar Kalpa Realm erupted from his body. This was six-tenths of his power, and also the sixth stage of the land.

The power of Solar Kalpa Realm which erupted from his body gathered on the golden sword in his hand, and the presence spreading out from his body was strong enough to threaten those who had attained full completion in Solar Kalpa Realm. At the instant Su Ming closed in, the man in golden armor let out a low growl at the sky before charging forward as well. He swept his sword sideways, instantly stirring up a violent gust of wind that rushed towards Su Ming.

It lasted only the blink of an eye. Su Ming formed a sword with two of his fingers on his right hand, and his attack collided against the golden sword again. With a loud bang, the two of them retreated. Blood trickled out of Su Ming’s mouth, and the man in golden armor also had blood on his lips.

This time, neither of them spoke. Instead, seven-tenths of the man in golden armor’s power erupted from his body, causing his level of cultivation to rise straight to the great completion of Solar Kalpa Realm.

At this level, the sword he swung down could make the pupils of even Almighties in Mastery Realm shrink, which was a telling sign of just how powerful he was.

At the instant his power erupted, the man in golden armor rushed forward. The fighting spirit in Su Ming’s eyes became even stronger, and the image of the golden sword had already crumbled several times before being reassembled in them. The two people collided once more.

This time, the instant Su Ming’s two fingers clashed against the golden sword, a layer of ripples appeared in the area, which was the sign of laws being changed.

Booming sounds surged into the sky. The two of them retreated at the same time and coughed up a mouthful of blood, but they were not really injured. The blood was forced out of them due to the rebound force again their Qi and blood. When they split apart, Su Ming threw his head back and laughed before rushing forward again.

“The seventh stage! Dynast Dao Kong has already cleared the seventh stage!”

“Could it be that he really wants to clear the ninth stage and become the ninth person who will clear this place?!”

“By the looks of it, you’re right. I just wonder whether he’ll succeed or not…”

“It would be easier to predict whether he can clear the eighth stage, since the main problem lies in the ninth stage. Dynast Dao Kong might not be able to clear it successfully. After all, plenty of prodigies have been forced to stop at the ninth stage!”

The people in the area immediately began discussing among themselves. Their eyes were glued on Su Ming. The events before them caused them to have numerous guesses as they watched in shock.

For the first time ever, fighting spirit rose in the calm eyes of the man in golden armor standing on the platform. With a bang, eight-tenths of his power erupted, and with a single move, he stepped into the initial stage of Mastery Realm. This sort of power was the difficult part of the eighth stage. In the past, those who had cleared this stage had needed to use many Enchanted Treasures to protect themselves against the shocking strike.

Whether or not they succeeded was related to their Enchanted Treasures and their levels of cultivation. It was also connected to the man in the golden armor. Usually, he would let those who had managed to reach the eighth stage pass and head straight to the ninth stage.

However, once they reached the ninth stage, it would be impossible for them to clear the stage successfully without… the power of those who were Masters of Fate, Lives, and Death.

Because of that, there were quite a large number of people who were stuck at the ninth stage and could not clear it. Unless they were Masters of Fate, Lives, and Death, it was impossible for the man in golden armor to let them pass.

However, it was different for Su Ming. The man in golden armor had acted as a garrison in for many years, but during the course of ten thousand years, he had never met a challenger like Su Ming. His act of clearly copying his divine ability had made the man in golden armor place an incredible amount of attention on him, which was why even though it was just the eighth stage, he treated it with great seriousness.

The power of those in the initial stage of Mastery Realm erupted from him. Those in the area outside could not detect it, since all presences and everything on the platform had been locked tightly in the area. Outsiders could only watch with their naked eyes, but could not sense it directly.

“When the ordinary ones come forth to challenge this land, I wilt oft allow them to pass when they reach the eighth stage to see mine power during the ninth stage. If they can understand it and obtain something from it, then perhaps they can go further down their path of cultivation.

“But for thee, I shalt not do so.”

Golden light shone in the man’s eyes, and he swung the golden sword in his right hand. This time, he did not step forward, but instead used the simplest manner to swiftly slash down at Su Ming.

The platform trembled, and booming sounds reverberated in the air. The golden sword formed a golden long arc with its slash and charged towards Su Ming. His eyes sparkled and he also lifted his right hand. In the same manner, he slashed upwards.

Another shocking sound rose into the air. Su Ming’s body trembled violently, and all his Qi and blood surged within him as if they were about to burst out of his body. He was forced back and coughed up a mouthful of blood. Only then did his body feel better, but he felt numb. For the span of a few breaths, he even felt as if he had turned into a mortal.

There was the sound of cracking from all parts of the golden armor. It might have been damaged, but it did not shatter. When the man was forced back, he too coughed up blood.

“Observe well. This is the power of the ninth stage in this land, and also nine-tenths of my power.”

The man in golden armor raised his head, and the blood at the corners of his lips disappeared instantly. When he opened his mouth to speak, the power of those in Mastery Realm erupted from him with a bang. This no longer belonged to those in the initial stage of Mastery Realm, but those who had stepped into the Realm for many years and whose power had had time to accumulate.

“There were eight people who cleared this stage before you. During it, three of them withstood this power through brute force. Five of them did not, but since they had already moved into Mastery Realm, they had surpassed the limits of the Battle of the Golden Armor, and so I let them pass.

“If you can use your previous attack and shatter this golden sword, then I will release my full power… to fight against you!”

When the man’s power erupted from him, he took a step towards Su Ming. The longsword in his hand shone and formed nine afterimages in midair, making it seem as if there were nine swords slicing down at the same time.

With fighting spirit burning in his eyes, Su Ming raised his right hand, formed a sword with two of his fingers, and at the instant a grim expression appeared on his face, he slashed at the incoming golden swords.

That slash drew a long arc in the air. When it crashed against the golden swords, without any sound or obvious reason, Su Ming’s right hand trembled. The golden swords shuddered as well before crumbling at the same time as Su Ming was thrown backwards. When he was forced to the edge of the platform, he coughed up several mouthfuls of blood.

But joy appeared on his face. He did not even bother wiping off the blood at the corner of his lips, just threw his head back and laughed.

“I understand now, so that’s how it is. Bring out your full power, we’re fighting again!”

As Su Ming laughed, he raised his right hand and positioned two of his fingers into the shape of a sword, but this time, golden light shone on his fingers. The golden image of the sword in his eyes was no longer an illusion, but looked as if it had become real and replaced his pupils.

This scene landed in the eyes of the ten million people in the area outside, and their voices immediately resulted in a powerful commotion.

“The ninth stage! He really cleared the ninth stage!”

“I didn’t expect there to truly be someone who can clear all nine stages in one go. I remember hearing from someone before that if there was someone who could clear the nine stages in the third Striking Lands in one go, Jin Xiu would bring out his strongest power… and the hidden tenth stage would appear!”

As the discussions echoed in the air, the man in golden armor regarded Su Ming seriously while he stood on the platform, as if he wanted to etch Su Ming’s face deep into his mind.

“Ten thousand years ago, the ranks in the Striking Lands were reset. You are the first since then… to have me show my full power. I’ll remember your name, Dao Kong… I do not know how much you have come to understand, but if you wish, you can leave now. You will still be considered to have cleared the stage. And think hard about your choice, for if you did not understand… you will not be able to parry my God Slayer Art!”