Pursuit of the Truth

“Damn it, how can he still chase after me?!”

A powerful killing intent shone in the clone’s eyes. With a sullen expression on his face, he charged through the whirlwind. It blew against his body, and he was already beginning to feel sharp stabs of pain from it.

He knew that he could not persevere for much longer. With the power of his physical body, he could last for quite some time, but if it continued for a long period of time, he would end up with the exact same problem as the Ancient God.

Earlier, he had thought that he had shaken off his pursuer. Once he forced out the silver threads, Su Ming should have lost his tracks. This would then have forced him to give up because he would not be able to find him. However, even after losing the guidance of the silver threads, Su Ming still kept on drawing closer to him.

The clone’s expression was sullen. He let out a low roar, and after the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, his expression changed drastically. The space in the whirlwind behind him had distorted. A figure walked out from the air before the clone.

When it raised its right hand and brought it down, the whirlwind disintegrated with loud bangs. The figure moved forward while stepping on the crumbling whirlwind. Soon, his appearance was revealed. Needless to say, it was Su Ming who had come chasing after the clone.

“I have indeed underestimated you, clone of mine.” Su Ming looked like he knew what the clone was thinking. His tone was flat, and he swiftly raised his right hand, pointing forward.

“Mountain Shifter!”

The galaxy roared at his words, and the whirlwind shuddered. Countless mountains manifested in the form of illusions in all directions. When Su Ming attacked, he started with one of his strongest divine abilities.

The clone’s expression changed. He moved back with a fierce look in his eyes. He too raised his right hand and pointed at space.

“Mountain Shifter!”

It was the same divine ability, the same Art. Su Ming had used his cultivation base to execute the Art while the clone had used his physical power to activate it.

The difference was that Su Ming had thousands of mountains in all directions, while an illusory mountain had appeared over the clone. He had used his own body to form the mountain to resist the upcoming attack.

Su Ming’s eyes focused. He was no longer surprised that the clone understood the Mountain Shifter Art, but he was surprised that this Art had changed in such a manner in the clone’s hands. This was something he had not expected.

“Looks like you do not just have your own independent will, but have also obtained some serendipities.”

When Su Ming said those words coolly, he lowered his right hand. In an instant, countless mountains which contained his full power charged towards the clone.

The image of the mountain had completely formed around the clone. Once it turned into a huge mountain, the mountains that came charging towards him from all directions collided with it. Booming sounds instantly surged into the heavens, and all of the mountains shattered inch by inch. The mountain around the clone fell apart, and the clone coughed up blood. The next moment, he raised his right hand and struck his chest.

After that, he threw his head back and roared. His body instantly withered. Su Ming’s pupils shrank as he watched it. The clone’s body slowly changed form. Then, right before Su Ming’s eyes, the clone turned into a gigantic… Crimson Python Phoenix!

It had a gigantic body that shone with multiple colors. The Crimson Python Phoenix shot through space with a screech, charging into the distance at a speed that surpassed what the clone had possessed previously.

When it looked like he was going to escape, Su Ming let out a cold harrumph. He lifted his right hand, pressed his fingers together to form a blade, and took a step forward while making a slashing motion with his hand.

“God Slayer Art!”

This was an Art formed from the principles of the laws of fate. When Su Ming used it before reaching Fate Realm, it had been incredibly powerful. Right then however, after he had mastered the fate around him, the effects of this Art were even more shocking.

The first thing he cut was the laws in the area, and this action was followed by the power of absolute accuracy. As booming sounds reverberated in space, the clone that had turned into the Crimson Python Phoenix and had fled into the distance let out a shrill scream of pain. His body cracked, but he did not break down.

Instead, he continued to charge forward in desperation. Right after though, the third part of the God Slayer Art, the power of rebound, arrived. The loud bang that shot into space then was even stronger, shattering the Crimson Python Phoenix’s body. As he was reduced to a bloody mess, he turned back into the clone. His face was pale, but he still stepped into space and disappeared without a trace.

If it was any other cultivator, they would have definitely died under Su Ming’s series of attacks, but the clone that practiced the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole possessed a powerful physical body that not even Su Ming had at that moment. The strength of that physical body even allowed him to move through the whirlwind. Naturally, this meant that he would not die that easily.

‘You’re this injured, so you should be thinking of going to that place!’

Su Ming smiled coldly. He had not expected to be able to capture the clone with that attack. After all, he could be said to be the person who understood the clone the most. He knew just how difficult his physical body was to deal with, which was why he had told Hu Zi that he would need some time.

In reality, it was not hard for Su Ming to kill the clone. However, what he wanted to do was not to kill him. He wanted to Possess him a second time.

He thus rushed away, chasing the the clone with the tracks he had left behind.

‘The heavier his injuries, the harder it will become for him to move through the whirlwind. When I catch up to him again, I will be able to capture him alive!’

Su Ming’s eyes sparkled. He was so fast that with a single charge, he sliced apart the whirlwind and left into the distance.

“Damn it, damn it… I must still have some sort of mark that he can follow.”

The clone’s face was incredibly pale, and he was growing increasingly more sullen. Su Ming’s two divine abilities had severely injured him. If it was not because he was being chased down, he would have immediately searched for a place to heal his injuries.

Su Ming’s God Slayer Art had been especially vicious. It had nearly cut the clone’s body in half, making his injuries much worse than before. He had already felt stabs of pain when he moved in the whirlwind before and knew that he could not last too long like that. Now, his body had even began trembling. His injuries weakened his ability to resist the whirlwind, and it shrunk the already limited time he could spend in the whirlwind.

Su Ming clearly wanted to use this to force him into a corner… The clone’s eyes flashed while he kept charging forward. When he noticed that Su Ming was even closer to him after a shift, a hint of madness arose in the clone’s eyes.

‘If that’s the case, then don’t blame me for disregarding the relationship we shared in the past!’

The clone suddenly changed direction. He no longer charged forward. Instead, he moved left and disappeared into the distance.

‘Heavenly Incense enlightened me. Not only has this allowed me to gain sentience, it also presented me with the memories left behind in the Heavenly Incense Rune by countless cultivators from True Morning Dao World. One of them contained the Sun Sinking Talisman, one of the three mysterious places in True Morning Dao World!

‘That part of the galaxy is constantly dark, and your divine sense won’t be able to leave your body when you are there. When a cultivator goes there, it is the same as having all of their five senses sealed. In fact, even their power is suppressed.

‘Su Ming, since you want to die so much, I will devour you in the galaxy where the Sun Sinking Talisman is. And even if I can’t devour you, your divine sense and your cultivation base will be suppressed there. I’d like to see how you will continue chasing after me then!’

There clone looked positively evil at that moment. He flew swiftly towards the Sun Sinking Talisman, which was not too far away from him. He could reach it in about five days.

‘There will be no end to us unless one of us dies! This isn’t a grudge, but a fight for freedom! Only when I kill you will I be able to be completely free! From then on, I will be Su Ming!’

The clone’s expression twisted. As he charged forward, he was worried that Su Ming would catch up to him halfway through, so he struggled for a moment before gritting his teeth. A bang shot up from his body, and his skin turned crimson. Gradually, layers upon layers of his skin fell off, revealing the flesh and blood stream.

At the same time, his blood and flesh went inwards, as if they wanted to seep into his bones. Waves of indescribable pain caused the clone to grit his teeth, and he descended into madness.

‘Pain! Only this extreme pain can stimulate all the potential in my body!’

He gritted his teeth. In an instant, his speed reached an unlimited pace as he charged straight at Sun Sinking Talisman. As he rushed forward, his flesh and blood… slowly seeped into his bones. This might seem inconceivable, but in truth, it was a Forbidden Art that could allow his bones to be outside while his flesh and blood were inside.

‘Muscles on White Bones Art. This is a Forbidden Art I sensed in the Heavenly Incense Rune that can stimulate my subconsciousness and make my speed increase by leaps and bounds in a short span of time.’

The clone’s face was no longer a face, but a white bone with flesh and blood inside it. He no longer looked like a human, but by going through with it, his speed had increased several times. In the blink of an eye, he increased the distance between him and Su Ming, who was chasing after him.

Su Ming’s expression changed, and a brilliant light shone in his eyes. He noticed that the clone’s speed had suddenly surpassed it should be able to be able to achieve. He had almost escaped the distance in which Su Ming could detect him.

Without any hesitation, Su Ming jumped forward, raised his right hand, and patted the storage bag. When he sent his divine thought into it, a roar echoed in space. The Resentful Wei appeared before him the next moment. After the long slumber, the Resentful Wei’s aura had become slightly stronger, but cultivation base was not its specialty. Its strongest asset was its speed.

Once the Resentful Wei appeared, Su Ming jumped on it. In an instant, the horse shot into space, chasing after the clone.

While the clone used the Forbidden Art to flee, Su Ming used the Resentful Wei to give chase. After three days went by, the clone rushed into a black galaxy.

There was no whirlwind there. Even if it fused into the place, it would turn dark. The galaxy looked incredibly huge, as if it was a black ocean. It didn’t allow any light inside, hiding all that was within it.

Almost six hours after the clone rushed into the black galaxy, the Resentful Wei’s burning body appeared before the place. With Su Ming on its back, it rushed straight into the black galaxy.

When the Resentful Wei stepped into the black galaxy, Su Ming stood on the Resentful Wei’s body and stared before himself. A glint shone in his eyes.

‘It’s just as I expected. It won’t be hard to catch the clone in the Sun Sinking Talisman’s area. It’ll be difficult Possessing him the second time, but this is a good place for it.’

A hint of a smile appeared on Su Ming’s lips.