Pursuit of the Truth

“What a load of nonsense!” The tanned old man laughed coldly, then swung his arm as he stared at the person who came back from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence while speaking in an aloof manner.

“Forget what sort of followers Dynast Dao Kong has, how could it be possible that a powerful Almighty like would be willing to become a servant? This is obviously just a rumor! This is the most absurd joke I’ve ever heard! I didn’t ask you to go to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence to bring back all the absurd rumors there. Are you as gullible as a three-year-old child now?!

“I’d like to know who you heard it from this time. Could it still be that Progenitor Long Hai?” The tanned old man absolutely did not believe that Su Ming could have such an Almighty as his follower.

As he spoke, a hint of derision appeared on his face. If Progenitor Long Hai was still the one who said those words, then the tanned old man could have his say in this. After all, even if Long Hai’s words were believable and understandable, with his level of cultivation, as long as it involved Almighties near Death Realm, his status would not be enough to say such things.

Even the old Bei Bang frowned, thinking that this rumor was too over the top. He was himself an Almighty in Life Realm, and he had always stood on top of the others. With how he prided himself in his level of cultivation, he could not imagine himself or a powerful warrior who was even stronger to willingly become Dao Kong’s follower.

Even if Dao Kong had extraordinary power and could fight against eight Almighties in Mastery Realm, to Bei Bang, this was still not enough for an Almighty in Life Realm to become his follower. It was just as the tanned old man had said: it was the most absurd joke he’d ever heard!

He was not the only one who thought like this. Practically all the people in the area—the ten million cultivators and the Dynasts—had great doubt in regards to those words.

They did not believe them!

“That’s impossible! Even if Dynast Dao Kong’s level of cultivation is exceedingly high, this is still impossible!”

“That’s right. A person nearly in Death Realm is of incredibly noble status. No matter to which True World they went, they would be an existence akin to someone who could touch the heavens. With one stomp, they could make the universe change. How could someone like that become someone else’s follower?”

“It’s definitely just a rumor. Looks like we truly can’t believe him easily. These rumors are too exaggerated.”

The buzz of discussions reverberated in the air. Voices of doubt spread, but Su Ming’s expression remained as calm as ever, as if none of the things said had anything to do with him. He only cast a profound look at the person who came back from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence.

This person had managed to dig out information to this extent in such a short amount of time, which showed just how far reaching were his connections in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. At the same time, it also allowed Su Ming to tell that this person’s ability to handle affairs, especially in terms of searching for information, were much stronger than those of other people.

‘I suppose you can also consider this a talented person.’ A barely noticeable glint appeared in Su Ming’s eyes.

The expression of the old man who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence turned dark when he was faced with the doubts and distrust from the ten million people in the area. He listened to the buzz by his ears and stared at the cold sneer as well as the contempt on the tanned old man’s face.

He remained silent for a moment. When the discussions around him grew even louder, the old man who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence calmly and slowly opened his mouth to utter a sentence that instantly caused the land to fall into dead silence once again.

“What if this was personally told by Reverend Zi Long from the Fourth True World?”

As the area fell silent, the tanned old man’s expression instantly changed. His breathing even quickened. He hadn’t expected that the one who said those words… would be the incredibly famous Reverend Zi Long of the Fourth True World!

This person was really famous in the Fourth True World. He was half a step into Fate Realm, and along with the Fourth True World’s uniqueness and mystery, he had a great reputation in the other three Great True Worlds. Also… he was the representative from the Fourth True World who was sent to Morning Dao Sect to partake in witnessing the anointing of the Dynasts.

He was bringing a group of people from the Fourth True World and would arrive in True Morning Dao World in a short while!

“Are you certain that these words were spoken by Zi Long?!” Bei Bang’s expression swiftly turned stern. He stared at the old man who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence while he enunciated every single word in his question clearly and slowly.

“Sect master, if you see Reverend Zi Long, then you will know whether this is true or false when you ask him. There is no need for me to lie about this.”

Once the old man who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence spoke with resolution, the silence in the area was immediately broken by an uproar. Discussions of disbelieving as well as shocked voices spread out. The tanned old man had an incredibly sullen expression. As for Bei Bang, he turned around to look at Su Ming who was still standing on his lotus platform.

Su Ming’s face was still as pale as before, but he stood in a relaxed, calm, and indifferent manner. Not a single hint of change in emotion could be detected on his face, but the more he acted this way, the more fathomless he seemed.

“What is the name of your follower? Perhaps he is an old friend of mine,” Bei Bang said in an unhurried manner after a moment of silence. This was the first time he took the initiative to speak to Su Ming.

In truth, under his seemingly calm appearance, there was a huge storm raging in his heart. Each word of the person who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence was more shocking than the last, causing all the people in the area, including himself, to be unable to help themselves but feel a sense of disbelief amid their shock.

Su Ming toyed with the Life Inequity Spear in his hand. When he heard the words aimed at him, he smiled and said flatly, “Let him continue. I believe that he is yet to finish speaking. It would be best if we let him finish telling us everything in one go.”

Su Ming’s smile was flat, but when everyone saw it, they felt as if there was an incredibly malicious air contained within it. It was something that they felt but could not put to words.

Bei Bang narrowed his eyes. He immediately had a feeling that something bad was about to happen.

The tanned old man’s heart thumped against his chest while the ten million cultivators in the area immediately stood up to attention. They had a vague feeling that the person who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence… had indeed not finished speaking!

They were especially certain of it when they saw the old man who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence shudder instinctively. He had clearly remembered a matter that could stir up a huge storm. It was what caused him to be in a constant state of fear and had even pushed him to make a decision to never provoke Dao Kong.

It did not matter whether it was his act of entering the activated fifth kiln, killing Sir Wu, or having an Almighty who was nearly in Death Realm, when compared to the last matter, all of them instantly became insignificant.

“Besides the things that I’ve told all of you, there is still one more thing…” The old man who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence was silent for a moment. Fear appeared in his eyes, along with shock that made him look as if he still did not believe in what he’d heard. His breathing quickened slightly before he spoke again.

“The forces of power from True Sacred Yin World stationed in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence… were destroyed! All the cultivators in that camp… died in a sea of fire!

“Almost all the Almighties in Mastery Realm died. Only the Almighty in Life Realm from True Sacred Yin World acting as a garrison in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence survived, but he did so only because that person who destroyed the world did not want to kill him. If he had wanted to, then even that Almighty in Life Realm would have died a tragic death on the spot. His form and soul would have been destroyed!

“All of you do not know about this just yet, but before long, this matter will shock all four Great True Worlds. Right now, True Sacred Yin World is already seething in rage…

“This is something that has never happened before. Right now, there is practically no one among the forces of power stationed in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence who does not know about this matter. It has already spread to all the other True Worlds through every channel of communication.

“Right now… the forces of power from True Sacred Yin World no longer exist in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence!”

The old man’s voice shuddered. When he spoke, there was deep fear in his eyes. Clearly, the scene he saw with his eyes in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence had been deeply ingrained in his memories, and it became something that could not be wiped from his mind.

Once he said those words, the area did not immediately fall into silence. Instead, slowly and gradually, the ten million cultivators fell silent. Their expressions changed drastically, and the sounds of them taking in sharp breaths rose and fell before eventually going silent. The place went as quiet as death itself.

The shock brought by this news surpassed everyone’s imagination, causing all the people to be unable to accept what they’d heard. As they tried to imagine this based on the old man’s words, they saw a place in which a force of power from a True World served as garrison with an Almighty in Life Realm. They also saw a True World that could fight back even if the alien races invaded en masse. If there was enough time, it would even find itself with reinforcements coming to its aid!

Yet now, that place was destroyed. There was only one possibility for this to happen—someone had to have attacked the place with such power and speed that even those from True Sacred Yin World were unable to come assist the camp. And just like that, a force of power acting as garrison in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence was reduced to smithereens with a bang.

“Could it be that the alien races have invaded?”

“Are we going to go through another great war against Divine Essence Star Ocean?!”

“What’s going on?! A True World garrison has been completely destroyed! This is… this is…”

“How could this be possible? If the alien races are invading en masse, then something would have happened to the camps from the other three True Worlds, including True Morning Dao World’s.”

“Could it really be that the alien races are about to wage war against us again?!”

After a period of silence, a loud, rumbling uproar that surpassed all those that had happened before erupted in the area. The tanned old man’s expression instantly changed. In front of him, the old Bei Bang sucked in a sharp breath.

“Which alien race was it? How many people did they deploy? How many tribes were sent out? Who was their commander?” he asked without hesitation. This was such a huge matter that he had to report it to the Council of Sect Masters the moment he understood everything about it. This was definitely not something ordinary. If the alien races were about to wage war, it would be a huge matter that would involve all four Great True Worlds.

Compared to this, even if Dao Kong displeased him, he could still push this matter back and deal with him later. But the moment he instinctively finished asking the questions, his heart let out a loud thump. His expression turned pale, because he had suddenly remembered that the person who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence was clearly talking about things concerning Dao Kong just now…

The old man who had returned from the Barren Lands of Divine Essence cast Su Ming a terrified glance before his voice reverberated in the area. “It has nothing to do with the alien races…

“It’s not the alien races. There was only one person involved in the destruction of the camp from True Sacred Yin World… A cultivator took away this person’s belongings, but due to True Sacred Yin World taking this cultivator’s side, they eventually offended the person. He summoned the fifth kiln, and in one go… he… destroyed an entire camp from a True World!”

The old man’s voice echoed through the area, and the expressions of everyone present instantly filled with utter shock and astonishment so great that it was like nothing they’d ever felt before.

“He-he destroyed an entire camp of a True World alone?!”

“Who is he?!”

“Is there such a powerful warrior in the universe? And isn’t the fifth kiln an item that has no master in Divine Essence Star Ocean? How could it… Huh? The fifth kiln?”

At the instant the discussions rose in the area, there were quite a few sharp intakes of breath. The cultivators whose minds worked a little faster felt their hearts let out a thump at that moment as if it was the last thing they did. Those people turned their heads swiftly, and countless gazes gathered on Su Ming who looked as indifferent as ever.

The nine Dynasts in front of Su Ming sucked in sharp breaths at that moment. In shock, they moved backwards simultaneously, wanting to immediately leave Su Ming’s side.

“That person… is Dynast Dao Kong!”

The old man’s final sentence caused the world to instantly fall into dead silence. It was almost maddening how quiet everyone became. At that moment, the old man knelt down towards Su Ming.