Pursuit of the Truth

This was directed outwards…

And the attack directed inwards…

At the instant Su Ming’s divine sense returned to the black-robed old man who was about to rush out of the pillar with fear and disbelief, Su Ming sensed great danger.

It did not come from the physical body which he had believed belonged to him, but… from his Nascent Divinity’s right hand!

Su Ming’s right hand, the one which could allow him to release power surpassing his level of cultivation, gave off ripples which could endanger his life. It did not choose to self-destruct like his physical body, but instead… it had started melting, turning into an energy source that nourished… the Seed of Life Extermination!

This might not cause direct harm to Su Ming, but it could change the Seed of Life Extermination’s parasitic relationship with his soul. From mere absorption, it could turn into an incomparably violent and blatant pilferage.

This would not last long. When the Seed of Life Extermination was close to ripening, it would use a short period of madness to instantly complete the entire process.

“Su Xuan Yi… what a man you are. I don’t know whether you have any follow ups to your plan, but by the looks of it, this is still part of it. To the world outside, you showed the souls of one billion corpses exploding to destroy the pillar and overturn Saint Defier as well as Dark Dawn, while underneath this plan… you hide the fact that you’re using my soul to nourish the Seed of Life Extermination. Only half of it has formed because I am not your son. I am only nourishment to restore your real son!

“If I hadn’t seen the sealed memories, then perhaps even at my last moment I would have not known the reason for my death…”

Su Ming fell silent. He understood everything now. His fake physical body was an item used by Su Xuan Yi to further his goals, and his soul was clearly the same. It was an object entangled in the man’s numerous schemes.

But Su Ming still remained silent. Even though he had come to understand everything, he wanted to know whether Su Xuan Yi intended… to utterly annihilate him in his plan.

Did he still have other tasks for Su Ming after using him this time, or was Su Xuan Yi going to cast him away after he lost his purpose once his soul was used to nourish the Seed of Life Extermination until it fully matured?

This question was incredibly important to Su Ming.

He wanted to know the answer.

And it was not hard to find that out. When Su Ming saw the right hand melt and the Seed of Life Extermination descend into a frenzied state before gradually burning his soul, he knew his answer. The seed seemed to be persecuting him, even burning his soul just so it could reach maturity.

His lips curled up into a smile while he shook his head. There was an air of a person being freed from all their shackles in that smile. Su Ming seemed to be bidding farewell to his past as well as finally growing up from a child he’d been for so long.

At that moment, Su Ming looked like he had truly grown up. All his emotions came to a single point that cut him off from his past. After all, he was supposed to die there, because of the Seed of Life Extermination buried in his soul as well as Su Xuan Yi’s plan.

“From now on, the Su Ming you speak of has died… The person who will appear from now on in this world will be a new person, a ruthless and unfeeling person…” Su Ming mumbled.

The moment the destructive power erupted from the body he once believed was his, it disintegrated with a bang, and Su Ming… chose Possession.

He would Possess the black-robed old man, and he would be born anew when he Possessed his physical body.

“Su Xuan Yi, you’ve kept a broken soul like me alive up to this moment. Even though you’ve only done so to have my soul nourish the Seed of Life Extermination, this is still a kindness towards me.

“You let me grow from that weak, broken soul to this date. If you weren’t around, I would have disintegrated a long time ago. I will never forget this kindness you’ve given to me.

“If you want to have my soul to make this half of the Seed of Life Extermination mature… why should I hesitate in giving it to you?!”

The moment Su Ming chose to Possess the black-robed old man, he let go of many things, just like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

Rumbling sounds rang out. They were so loud that they resounded at an unprecedented volume. That sound spread through the entire True Morning Dao World, and even went to the galaxy belonging to Saint Defier’s camp through the gap where the pillar once was.

As the rumbles echoed in the galaxy, Di Tian’s will was wiped off, and a destructive force which could collapse True Morning Dao World was brought forth. The destruction did not affect the area beyond the pillar of light, however. Instead, it charged straight into Saint Defier’s galaxy through the gap.

The space in True Morning Dao World was torn apart by the destructive force, and a huge tear was formed. Countless screams of pain traveled down from the other side. Those screams were from the people controlling the Heaven Penetrating Pillar in Saint Defier’s camp dying all at once.

The moment the power which could destroy a True World erupted, the pillar of light… shattered with a bang. Countless fragments fell back, cutting space. It tore apart the galaxy, but most of the power rose continuously into the gap, tearing it wider.

Xing Ji Dao, one of the Eight Paramount Daos of Saint Defier who had just descended and who was a powerful existence with a great level of cultivation as well as a high status in Saint Defier Expanse Cosmos, almost disintegrated once the destructive power erupted. Only his Nascent Divinity managed to escape. With a fearful expression, he charged forward through the destructive force. While enduring waves of terrifying damage, he had only one thought in his mind—Run!

Fortunately, he still had the white ring with him. The supreme treasure from Saint Defier was the only item which could fight against the destructive force.

With the greatest speed he could muster, Xing Ji Dao dashed into the white ring while swamped by fear. He watched the pillar of light beyond the ring shatter and the huge gap being created in the heavens high above the pillar. He knew that it led to Saint Defier’s camp and heard countless shrill screams of pain. He trembled, and disbelief appeared in his eyes.

“They’re mad, these people from Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos are all mad! This is a scheme, Dark Dawn’s scheme!”

When this event in True Morning Dao World whose after effects could even be felt in the remaining three True Worlds, the black-robed old man let out a shrill scream of pain. As his body shuddered, madness appeared on his face. It was very clear, and it looked like he was fighting against something trying to Possess his body from within.

His robes had long ago been torn, revealing an old face and a thin body. He had countless injuries, and blood spilled out from him before it was reduced to nothingness.

However, all of this was insignificant compared to the fear he felt in his heart at that moment. It originally came from Di Tian’s body self-destructing, but that had only lasted for an instant. His fear changed targets the instant he sensed someone Possessing him from within his body.

The strange power had appeared without a single sound, having hidden away from his senses. In fact, only when most of his body had been Possessed did the black-robed old man suddenly realize the unfamiliar presence. The shock and terror this discovery brought to him instantly reached the peak.

Yet even when the black-robed old man cast his gaze on the power Possessing him, he had no idea who the other was and why they would want to Possess him from within instead of the general trend of Possessing forcefully from the outside world.

The timing was also so impeccable that it was terrifying. It began when the black-robed old man fought back against the destruction of the world around him with all his strength, which meant he had no spare energy to watch within himself. At that moment, the power had appeared like a bolt of lightning and instantly began Possessing him.

The Light of Extreme Darkness shone brightly around him and moved with him towards the white ring. He approached it in no time. The moment he rushed in, the eyes hidden under the Light of Extreme Darkness were no longer filled with madness, but had turned into aloof and as cold as ice.

At that moment, the old man was no longer Zhang Ji Dao, one of Saint Defier’s Eight Paramount Daos, but… the reborn Su Ming!

The speed of his Possession this time was unprecedented. After all, the current Su Ming was incredibly powerful. Besides, his soul had started burning due to the stimulation provided by the melting of his right hand. This sped up Su Ming’s speed in Possession, and since he had hidden himself in the black-robed man’s body at the start, his Possession had become even faster.

Besides, since Su Ming’s timing had been impeccable, it meant that before the black-robed old man could even notice him, Su Ming had already Possessed most of his body. Because of it, Su Ming managed to complete the Possession in a few breaths. He had also devoured the black-robed man’s soul in one fell swoop.

The power of his soul instantly fused with Su Ming’s soul to serve as nourishment. Once the Seed of Life Extermination devoured Su Ming’s soul, the black-robed man’s soul would replenish it.

“Damn it, what’s going on?! Zhang Ji Dao, what’s the meaning of this!” Xing Ji Dao’s Nascent Divinity trembled. When he saw Su Ming rush into the white ring, he immediately questioned him while lifting his head to look at the huge gap in space which had been formed when the pillar of light had shattered.

“This is Su Xuan Yi’s plan,” Su Ming answered in a raspy voice. While hidden under the Light of Extreme Darkness, he stared at Xing Ji Dao. His gaze was that of a hunter staring at a prey.

Waves of power from the World turned into whirlwinds that spilled out from the gap. They swept out in all directions, and since it was their first outburst in countless years, they instantly filled a small portion of True Morning Dao World.

No one knew how long the power of the World would continue rampaging in the galaxy, but once it weakened, Saint Defier Expanse Cosmos would descend en masse. Before that could happen though, Dark Dawn would definitely launch a heinous massacre beyond Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos to fight against Saint Defier Expanse Cosmos for the only gap which would allow them to descend into Arid Triad!

As the power of the World swept about the galaxy in a wild rampage beyond the white ring, invisible whirlwinds destroyed everything. Countless cultivators from the Immortal’s Union died straight away. Their sects were also instantly reduced to nothing.

Bai Feng was the closest to the attack. By then, she had already coughed up an unknown amount of blood. Her face was pale, but there was a huge cocoon encasing her. It was crimson, like the egg of a fire phoenix, and it was one of the Ultimate Protection Arts in Phoenix Sect. It could be used only once in their lives, the Phoenix Art Cocoon!

At that instant, all those in the Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos who were capable of noticing what happened in True Morning Dao World were shocked. In truth though, even those who did not notice felt an abnormality in the galaxy, and all of their hearts trembled. A mighty pressure descended, traumatizing them.