Pursuit of the Truth

The black-robed man’s soul became weaker and weaker under the Light of Extreme Darkness. As he charged forward, his piercing voice echoed in the air as if he wanted to make sure all the people outside learned of what he had found out.

Su Ming remained composed and did not move in the slightest. He only stared coldly at the black-robed man’s soul doing its solo performance.

Around a dozen breaths later, when the black-robed man had fled tens of thousands of feet away, he swiftly came to a halt. When he turned his head around, the panic and fear on his face disappeared, and it was replaced with a faint smile.

He immediately returned to the spot of the runic symbol. Once he observed it carefully, he rushed forward, causing his soul to directly crash against the runic symbol. With a bang, it turned into countless threads that wrapped themselves tightly around the runic symbol.

‘This black-robed man is really cautious. He didn’t use his real body to come into contact with me, but sent his subordinates to come forth and indirectly retrieve me as well as to continuously test me.’

Su Ming observed the runic symbol which had appeared after he turned into the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness, then sensed that the soul threads were continuously fusing into him.

After a moment, when the second black-robed man arrived, his body also collapsed with a bang. His blood and flesh splattered on the runic symbol, and his soul also turned into countless soul threads that sped up the process of fusing with the runic symbol.

Like that, the third, fourth, and fifth body arrived… All the seven black-robed man who were in Su Ming’s Light of Extreme Darkness self-destructed around the runic symbol. The flesh and blood dyed the runic symbol in blood, and the souls completely covered it. Then, the blood and flesh which had scattered all around the runic symbol started swiftly shining with a crimson light that surged into the heavens.

At that instant, the crimson light seemed to form a Rune. It shone several times, and another black-robed man walked out from within!

This black-robed man was in Arcane Void Realm, and he was naturally the black-robed old man who was one of the Eight Paramount Daos of the Saint Defier’s camp.

It was just as Su Ming had deduced, everything from before was just a test. The black-robed man had lived for many years, and there was no way he would be reckless. Even if he was incredibly tempted and absolutely certain that there was no danger, he would still remain cautious.

However, even though he might call this a test, it was also his method to retrieve the origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness. He did not intend to do what those in the area outside thought he would. He did not wish to fuse the Light of Extreme Darkness into his body… but to refine and turn it into his own Enchanted Treasure.

He had planted portions of his soul in his seven subordinates, and with their flesh and blood, he activated the Relocation Rune. With their souls, he enveloped the runic symbols, and since they were a portion of him, he could indirectly refine the runic symbol without even touching it.

“It’s fine even if you are not sentient. I will treat you as if you are,” the black-robed old man said hoarsely in front of the runic symbol. When he raised his arms, he pointed at it, and immediately, all the black threads tightened. Ringing sounds reverberated in space, and all the black threads shattered to turn into black smoke that crawled into the runic symbol.

The black-robed man swung his arm and sat down cross-legged. He continuously formed seals with his hands, and all sorts of seals appeared out of thin air to Brand the runic symbol, which was now surrounded by black smoke.

Besides Su Ming’s will, the bald crane’s will was also in the runic symbol. At that moment, the bald crane was shivering while it used its talent as if it had gone completely mad. It was not fighting against the black-robed old man’s brand, but was activating all of the tricks it had left behind beforehand which would cause the runic symbol to go through certain changes.

This was a decision they had come to after Su Ming and the bald crane had a discussion. If they divided the complete runic symbol to one hundred portions, then what Su Ming required the bald crane to do was hide seven-tenths of it. This was not difficult. The difficulty lay in making the others think that the remaining three-tenths were the complete runic symbol.

If it worked, Su Ming could wipe off the other person’s will on the runic symbol at any time he wanted to complete his plan since he possessed most of it.

“Darn it all, how dare this man play tricks with me?! Little Boy Su, give me some stimulation. I need stimulation!” The bald crane shuddered and shouted at Su Ming. The black-robed old man’s speed as he formed the seals was getting faster while he remained beyond the runic symbol, and the Brands were increasing in number. Hints of connection were swiftly being built between them.

“Two crystals,” Su Ming stated calmly.

The bald crane let out an arrogant cry, instantly filled with excitement.

Su Ming had always believed that the bald crane did not have the concept of difference in numbers. As long as the number was greater than one, it was already considered stimulation in its eyes…

The black-robed old man beyond the runic symbol swiftly bit the tip of his tongue and coughed up a mouthful of blood. At the instant it fell on the runic symbol, it let out a bang, and the connection was completely formed.

“Twenty crystals,” Su Ming stated flatly, and the bald crane’s excitement reached its peak. At the instant the black-robed old man beyond the runic symbol coughed up blood and the connection was formed, the bald crane finally completed all it needed to prepare and activated its Art. The runic symbol did not change, but seven-tenths of it had been hidden away.

In a dozen of breaths, the black-robed old man’s Brand occupied the entire runic symbol. Excitement appeared on his face, and he threw his head back to laugh.

He could sense that he had formed an inseparable connection with the ball of origin of the Light of Extreme Darkness. With just one thought, he could make it change, and he felt as if it had become a part of him. This was a feeling that came from his Blood Refinement having worked. It did not matter whether the Essence of Light had been sentient prior to his actions, for at that moment, the only will it had was of that black-robed man.

As he laughed long and hard, the black-robed old man raised his right hand and seized the runic symbol through space. Immediately, the runic symbol with Su Ming’s Nascent Divinity shrank swiftly. The Light of Extreme Darkness around the area also shrank rapidly, and in an instant, it disappeared. The runic symbol then landed in the black-robed old man’s withered hand.

When he squeezed it, the runic symbol disappeared and entered his body. It floated in his heart,s enveloped by his Nascent Divinity. The feeling that he had gained control of the Light of Extreme Darkness instantly rose in the black-robed old man, and the aura of his cultivation base seemed to grow.

The Light of Extreme Darkness disappeared, and everything in the area was instantly revealed before the group of cultivators waiting outside. They saw the black-robed old man letting out a long string of laughter, and they also saw piercing black light suddenly spreading out from his body when he turned around.

Countless shrill screams of pain immediately rang out in the area. The light surrounded the tens of thousands of cultivators who had been guarding the area vigilantly. When they screamed, their bodies tumbled backwards, and they coughed up blood. Their souls had been severely wounded, and their bodies had instantly filled with a freezing chill. They bled from their eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. In fact, there were thousands of cultivators whose souls crumbled straight away, and their bodies turned into ice that plunged down into the galaxy.

The black-robed old man’s laughter grew even stronger. He did not care if the barbaric cultivators died. They were ants and not worthy to enter his sight.

At that moment, he was incredibly at ease and very satisfied with the power of the Light of Extreme Darkness. He made an analysis in his heart. If he spread out the Light of Extreme Darkness with his full power and used his cultivation base to control it, he could instantly kill the hundreds of thousands of people in this place.

Even in Saint Defier’s camp, this sort of supreme treasure was rarely seen. With his status, it would be impossible for him to obtain it, but he could get it with extreme ease in Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos. There was no way that he would not be excited over this.

The souls of hundreds of thousands of people in the area had been injured severely, but Di Tian paid no attention to it. He wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed to the black-robed old man.

“Congratulations on obtaining the supreme treasure, Fellow Daoist Zhang Ji Jun!”

A brilliant light shone in Bai Feng’s eyes. A hint of a smile appeared on her indifferent face, and she bent her knees slightly to bow to the black-robed old man.

“Do not worry, the both of you. I will fulfill the promise I gave you earlier.” The black-robed old man’s laughter reverberated in the air.

When he was about to open his mouth and say something else, his expression swiftly changed, and he raised his head rapidly. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

“He came earlier that what was planned… Hmph, looks like the Ancient Gods possess methods to send messages back to Saint Defier Expanse Cosmos!” A focused glint appeared in the black-robed old man’s eyes, and a cold sneer twisted his lips.

Soon after, Di Tian’s expression changed. When he turned his head back, excitement appeared in his eyes. He looked towards the pillar of light that shot towards the heavens from the Immortals’ territory!

The pillar of light shone brilliantly, and in just the span of a few breaths, it instantly covered an area of one hundred thousand feet in width. When it surged into the heavens, all the cultivators in the area were able to see it clearly.

“Xing Ji Dao’s clone has descended ahead of schedule. Fellow Daoist Di Tian, your serendipity is high. Oh well, we shan’t let you wait any longer. We will go to the physical body of that Abyss Builder right now and retrieve it. Once Xing Ji Dao descends, we will activate the Art together.” The black-robed old man swung his arm, and with a single move, he charged through space towards where the pillar of light was located.

Di Tian could not hide his excitement. Without any hesitation, he stepped into the Immortals’ territory to charge straight towards Su Ming’s physical body.

Bai Feng regained the icy cold look she had previously. She stared at the hundreds of thousands of cultivators around her, and contempt, which made it seem like she was staring at ants, showed up in her eyes. When she turned around, she hesitated for a moment before heading after the black-robed old man.

The pillar of light connecting Saint Defier Expanse Cosmos and True Morning Dao World shone with a piercing light. There was a powerful, mighty pressure spreading out from it with loud bangs.

There were countless runic symbols surrounding the pillar of light. Each of them had a pressure that could make a person suffocate.

Booming sounds spread through the entire Immortals’ Union. They traveled into each corner of the land until it affected the entire True Morning Dao World.

All the cultivators in True Morning Dao World sensed a mighty pressure that felt like a mountain pressing down on them at that instant. There was also a feeling that caused their hearts to tremble and even their souls to feel as if they were about to be ripped apart.

Almost the instant the pillar of light rumbled and the cultivator from Saint Defier’s camp descended, the eyes of Su Xuan Yi, who was still sitting in his isolation grounds in Morning Dao Sect and meditating flew open. Intense anticipation rose within him, something that looked like it had been suppressed for countless years. At that moment, it was finally ready to erupt from his body.

‘The first stage of my plan… is about to be completed… True Morning Dao World is no longer useful… I’ve been preparing for this for many years, Lord Sublime Paragon, you’d best not disappoint me. My fellow Daoists from Saint Defier’s camp, you will all have to work hard as well…

‘As for Su Ming…’ Su Xuan Yi fell silent. A glint shone in his eyes, and he frowned.