Pursuit of the Truth

“You don’t want to give up on me, to leave me behind and live alone outside… then how can I let you fight with all you have to win and lose the possibility of your future because of me?!”

At that moment, a wave of madness from the soul itself erupted from Su Ming’s storage. With a bang, the storage bag opened on its own, and the bald crane flew out from within. The sleazy look that was usually on its face could no longer be found, and neither was its obsession for crystals. Instead, its eyes were focused on Su Ming. There was reluctance to part in them, along with the fond memories of sharing thousands of years of friendship and companionship.

“I… don’t want to lose my memories again. I don’t want to forget my home after I lose them, and neither do I want to forget my best friend…”

The bald crane sighed softly. When it flew out, a bloody mess of a carcass also flew out of its storage bag!

The carcass was the bald crane’s physical body. It had not wanted to fuse with it no matter what in the past, because it knew that once it fused with its physical body, it might forget all its new memories. It would no longer be the bald crane, but the unfamiliar Kong Mo!

The bald crane would no longer have its personality, and it would truly be an unfamiliar entity, which was why it did not want to fuse with its body. It did not want to, right from the bottom of its heart, because it was satisfied with its new form and its new life. In fact, it could vaguely feel that it was the happiest since it had ever been.

But right then, since Su Ming was ready to risk everything for it, the bald crane could do the same thing for him. It would fuse with its physical body so that Su Ming would not throw away his life in attempting Possession at that moment. It would fuse with its body to fight against Xuan Zang so that… Su Ming could have a chance to leave!

“Su Ming, this is my choice!” The bald crane howled, and at the moment Su Ming looked over, it made its choice and fused with its physical body. “If there comes a day when you remember me… and I still remember you… I will come find you!”

The physical body fused with the bald crane at that moment. As it squirmed, the bald crane let out a shrill scream of pain. Black feathers grew all over its body. Its aura instantly grew, and once it reached an astonishing degree, a seven-colored light instantly erupted from the bald crane.

“I like seven colors…” The bald crane threw its head back and roared shrilly. Its eyes instantly grew aloof, and its presence became cold. At that moment, it was no longer the bald crane…

“I… am Kong Mo!”

The bald crane swiftly lifted its head and let out an astonishing roar. With what remained of the bald crane’s will in its mind, it swiftly charged towards the incoming Xuan Zang’s hand.

Its eyes became red, and a crazed presence erupted from it with a bang. Its roars shook the universe, and it spoke in an aloof, ancient voice.

“I am not Kong Mo either… I am… the seventh Reversed Spirit!”

Su Ming’s eyes were also bloodshot. At that moment, he did not hesitate. His life began burning, and what burned was not just his body, but also his soul, his Dao Divinity, and his will!

“With my burning will, I will reopen the gate in the universe once more. I will recreate a river, and it will be named the River of Forgetfulness. I will reform a world that will lead to another world’s space!”

Su Ming swung his arm, and when his voice echoed in space, with his burning life, he lifted his right hand and pointed at the space behind him. The full power of Su Ming’s will erupted at that moment, and a huge vortex showed up. It vortex rotated with a loud bang before revealing a world!

The moment Su Ming activated the world that might or might not have any connection with the River of Forgetfulness he had severed, the bald crane’s figure touched Xuan Zang’s palm.

Booming sounds instantly echoed in the universe. At the moment the palm paused, the bald crane let out a shrill scream of pain. Its body exploded with a bang. It fell backwards in a blood mess, but brilliant light exploded from the seventh pearl to form an astonishing suction force. It enveloped the bloody bald crane, intending to suck it over.

Su Ming threw his head back, and the flames burning his body reached their peak. In an instant, he appeared beside the bald crane and grabbed it, helping it withstand the suction force. Even if it instantly made Su Ming feel as if his body was about to be torn,a large number of cracks appeared on his skin, and blood covered him head to toe, the pain only made the flames burning his body to become stronger!

He used his body to fight the suction force in place of the bald crane with the knowledge that they would be separated forever and a hint of a reluctance to part. He showed no hesitation, however. He activated his full power and threw the bald crane into the other world he had activated!

With his own body, he fought against the pearl’s suction force, and with the flames burning his body, he released his strongest power to send his brother, his friend, the companion who had stayed by his side for thousands of years into the other world!

The bald crane’s eyes were unfocused at that moment, as if its memories had become jumbled up, as if it had remembered… some of the past.

There was a person in those memories, and he was smiling faintly at it. He extended a hand to it and brought it to multiple worlds over thousands of years.

‘What is that person’s name? I forgot… I can’t remember… even if his face is no longer clear… And… who am I?’ The bald crane’s eyes gradually fell shut. Under the power brought forth by Su Ming burning everything of his life, he threw it into the vortex and sent it into the other world.

“If there comes a day when you remember me and I remember you, I will come find you…”

Su Ming watched the bald crane fall into the distance, watched it disappear into the vortex, watched the vortex vanish, and a smile appeared on his face.

A black feather left the vortex before it disappeared. It floated towards Su Ming, landing right on his palm…

“Huh? You again? Damn it, y-y-you… Why must you always follow me?”

“Heh, let me tell you, your Grandpa Crane is very powerful Oh well, I won’t make things hard for you? Well? Why aren’t you leaving yet? Can’t you sense this powerful presence coming from me?”

“Crystals! Darn it all, I’ll do whatever it takes! So many crystals… I’ll do it! I’ll do it!”

“Su Ming, you damned fool! You can’t die here, you coward, you bastard! If you really want to die, then I will die with you!”

“Su Ming… I want to cry…”

Su Ming clenched his fist and held the feather tightly in his palm. His body was tumbling backwards swiftly due to the suction force at that moment, heading towards the huge hand.

His body started cracking more. It gradually turned into a mess, but resolve appeared in Su Ming’s eyes, along with a madness that spoke of his lack of fear for the universe. At the instant he approached the palm, even if his body was about to break down, he forced himself to turn around. At the instant he got infinitesimally close to the palm, the determination to continue living appeared in his eyes.

“Abyss Builder… Possession!”

Boom!

Su Ming’s body shattered completely. As his flesh and blood flew everywhere, the huge palm clenched all signs of his being in its fist. Then, when the palm vanished, the black-robed young man sitting on the Feng Shui compass lowered his hand with a numb expression.

It was as if he had seen the bald crane leaving, but he showed no signs of any change in emotion. It was as if… there was never any emotion in him. Since the seventh Reversed Spirit was no longer around, then it shall be so.

He gradually lowered his head and slowly shut his eyes as if falling into a deep sleep. He simply allowed the Feng Shui compass to drift about in the vast universe without any destination in mind.

By the time he fell asleep, he had no noticed that when he pulled his right hand back… a black feather had appeared in his palm.

His act of holding the feather was exactly the same as Su Ming’s action of holding onto his determination.

End of Arc 6.