Pursuit of the Truth

The Tree of Dao Verification had borne fruit seven times, and seven Reversed Spirit Pearls had appeared. They were all fought over by the seven sects and twelve clans, and the last battle over the seventh Phala of Dao Verification had resulted in the victory of Seven Moons Sect!

It had been a long time since Seven Moons Sect obtained the Phala that some details had been forgotten, but when they thought back on it, they still remembered how treacherous the event had been.

Dao Han stood on the dark cloud calmly and stared at the distant sky. A nostalgic look was on his face. It was the second time he participated in the battle of Dao Verification, but this time, he would no longer be the person who would step into the third layer of the shattered dimension. Instead, he would be someone who would assist in the first and second layers.

He still remembered the first time he had joined the battle of Dao Verification. At that time, he had just joined Seven Moons Sect, but due to his amazing potential, he had been given the important task of becoming the person Seven Moons Sect would send into the third layer while the others would assist him.

During that battle, he killed many people, which earned him a reputation. He slaughtered until blood flowed in rivers, and he had also been heavily wounded. Most of his sect members beside him had died, but in the end, perhaps due to luck, he had managed to obtain the big Phala.

He helped Seven Moons Sect gain glory it had never had before. Full of excitement, Gu Tai had protected him while he staggered back from the third layer while pursued by many people. The sky was dyed red with blood on his way back, and it followed him right back to Seven Moons Sect.

From that moment onwards, he was taken in as Gu Tai’s disciple and became the youngest great sect master of Seven Moons Sect while Reversed Spirit Pearl was treated as a legacy treasure. Only the great sect elders who led the sect during each generation could obtain it.

A long time had passed since then. When he became the greatmaster, he often looked at the Reversed Spirit Pearl and remember the faces of his companions before they had died.

Right then, he was going to join the battle of Dao Verification once more, but he was no longer the main part of the battle. The main focus had shifted to Su Ming. Dao Han lifted his head and looked at him.

‘When he returns in success, I wonder if he will feel the same sort of sentiment as I do.’

Dao Han closed his eyes. In his mind, the third layer of the Tree of Dao Verification appeared. When he stepped in all those years ago, he was careful and at full guard all along the way. It was a dimension filled with battles to the death. It was… a game of survival.

‘Fortunately, due to the cracks in the dimension, the third layer is incredibly unstable, which is why only those who are weaker than Dao Paragons can enter. Once someone becomes a Dao Paragon, it’s impossible for them to step inside. They will be rejected.’

Dao Han opened his eyes, and his expression became calm again. He no longer thought about his past that made him sigh.

Xu Zhong Fan was also staring at Su Ming. He hesitated for a moment before taking a few steps forward and sitting down cross-legged beside Su Ming.

Xu Zhong Fan was silent for a moment before he said softly, “Be careful along the way…”

Su Ming opened his eyes, snapping out of meditation. He looked at Xu Zhong Fan. This person had become his Master on his own, without asking for Su Ming’s permission. Right then, when he observed the man, Su Ming could tell that his concern to him was sincere. Even though Xu Zhong Fan cared for his own level of cultivation and kismet, his concern was something Su Ming would remember.

“There is no need for you to be the first to enter the third dimension. It will only turn you into a target for everyone. Even if you don’t obtain the Phala, it’s fine.”

When Xu Zhong Fan looked at Su Ming, there was worry on his face. He mulled over it for a moment before he brought out a medicinal core and placed it in Su Ming’s hand.

“This is… a Thanatosis Core! Once you take it, your body and soul will be destroyed in an hour. If you run into any life and death situations, you can swallow the core, then flee after faking death,” Xu Zhong Fan said softly. Once he finished speaking, he cast Su Ming a deep glance, then turned around and walked to the back.

Su Ming stared at the medicinal core in his hand, then turned his head back to look at Xu Zhong Fan before he quietly put away the medicinal core.

Soon, another two hours passed. While sitting on the cloud, Su Ming could already see the central region of Ancient Zang on the ground in the distance. There was an incredibly large city there which remained enormous even when seen from the sky!

It was Ancient Zang’s capital and also the place where Su Ming would return to two thousand something years later. He still remembered the Master of his who looked exactly the same as Tian Xie Zi. He once told Su Ming that when he went to the city gate, he would wait there to help solve his final question.

As they drew closer to Ancient Zang’s capital, Su Ming saw that quite a number of cultivators from other sects and clans had already reached the sky above the city. Su Ming did not know any of them, but based on their formations, he could tell that five sects and clans had already arrived.

They rode on different Enchanted Treasures. One of them was a huge dragon with nine heads, another a huge gourd, while some cultivators sat on screens of light.

Seven Moons Sect was the sixth sect to arrive.

No one said anything. The cultivators from the other sects and clans sat meditating on their respective Enchanted Treasures with closed eyes to rest their minds.

When another two hours passed, booming sounds echoed in the air. More sects and clans had arrived. Su Ming saw One Dao Sect and Immortal Qing Han of Asura Clan.

He also saw… the eldest prince surrounded by a group of cultivators in One Dao Sect! He was the much younger Extermination, but from a certain way, he was a man bearing some resemblance to Lei Chen. At that moment, he was staring at Su Ming coldly.

At the instant the two’s gazes met, their eyes sparkled with killing intent, and they were as sharp as sword glares.

When the two of them moved their gazes away to look at Asura Clan, they saw a figure surrounded by fog. It belonged to the second prince, and Su Ming saw him for the first time. At the instant he looked over, he found no signs of familiarity.

Su Ming closed his eyes and no longer paid any attention to him. When dusk arrived, all seven sects and twelve clans were in the sky above Ancient Zang’s capital. There were millions of cultivators, and they formed a great mighty pressure and enveloped the world.

When all the sects and clans arrived, they slowly formed unions by slowly gathering together around Seven Moons Sect, One Dao Sect, and Asura Clan as the foundation.

“In a moment, the first layer will be activated. When you step into the shattered dimension, don’t bother about those so-called unions. They are somewhat tolerable on normal days, but during the battle of Dao Verification, we won’t be able to stop accidents from happening.

“That is why once we step into the first shattered dimension, no matter where you are and whether there are people of the same sect around you, just remember that if you have the chance to place your Brand on the altars, immediately do so. If you don’t, then with the fastest speed possible, head to the gathering spot marked on your jade slips!” Gu Tai’s voice echoed in the hearts of the two hundred thousand cultivators on the cloud.

“In every single battle of Dao Verification, we need to clear the layers one by one. There are one hundred thousand altars in the first layer, and whichever sect or clan becomes the first to have fifty thousand Brands on the altar will get to immediately step into the second layer. If no sect or clan gets to leave their Brands on fifty thousand altars, then seventy-two hours later, the sect or clan with the most Brands will be the first to enter the second layer. The rest is done in the same manner, the sects or clans with less than ten thousand Brands will have no right to enter the second layer!

“I have already made an agreement with the other sects and clans who are in the union with us. They will assist Seven Moons Sect with all their strength to ensure that we will be among one of those who will enter the second layer! But do not entirely believe in this promise. We will have to rely on our own strength.

“Su Ming… do the same thing. Head to the gathering spot as fast as possible.” When Gu Tai’s voice echoed in his mind, a weaker murmur suddenly reached Su Ming’s ear.

“If you can head there, then go there, but if you can’t, find a place to hide. Great Dao Paragons can go to the first layer, so it’s very dangerous… As for the second layer, while Great Dao Paragons cannot enter, Dao Paragons will still pose a threat to you.

“It’ll be better for you in the third layer… but since this is a competition between the successors, it’s not easy to predict things. My real agreement with the other sects who have formed a union with us is not what I told the others… but to use their full strength to suppress all the interferences in the dimensions around you, allowing you… to bring those five white dogs of yours smoothly into the third layer!

“We are somewhat confident in this, but if we can do this, One Dao Sect and Asura Clan can do it as well, so you will have to venture with extra caution into the third layer,” Gu Ta said to Su Ming. When he heard it, his expression stayed calm, and he nodded.

At that moment, an orange-red pillar of light suddenly rushed out from the capital city of Ancient Zang. It was thousands of feet tall, and it shot straight up from the circle formed by the seven sects and twelve clans to disappear into the empty space in the sky.

A loud bang echoed through Ancient Zang’s sky. The orange-red pillar of light seemed to have dyed the sky with its color, causing the end of the sky where the pillar of light touched to form a huge orange-red vortex. It rotated with a bang and covered the entire stretch of sky visible to the naked eye.

The huge vortex rotated swiftly. When the time it takes for about half an incense to burn passed, the orange-red pillar of light disappeared, and a huge black hole appeared in the vortex in the sky.

“The Tree of Dao Verification has appeared, and its fruit has bloomed. All sects and clans, please take care of yourselves…”

A faint voice with a mighty pressure came from the royal capital of Ancient Zang. It echoed in the world, and when all the cultivators heard it, respect appeared on mosts of their faces, because they knew that the person who spoke was the Emperor of Ancient Zang, one of the three ninth level Dao Gods!

Su Ming lowered his head to look, since he had a feeling of being watched. It felt like someone in the city below had lifted his head to stare at him.

At the instant the Emperor of Ancient Zang finished speaking, a suction force that could not be described with words enveloped the area and the millions of cultivators from the seven sects and twelve clans. Long arcs immediately flew out towards the black hole at the center of the vortex.

The moment the cultivators of Seven Moons Sect were sucked into the black hole, Gu Tai lifted his hands and pushed down at the dark cloud. It crumbled with a bang and turned into two hundred thousand jade slips that went into the hands of all those from Seven Moons Sect, including Su Ming. He too had a jade slip appear in his palm.

“Use these jade slips to touch the altars!” When Gu Tai’s voice rang out in their ears, they were swept into the black hole in the vortex.

Millions of figures charged forward, which created an astonishing sight. Su Ming moved, and the Feng Shui compass beneath him disappeared. With the five white dogs in tow, he went with the countless figures beside him into the black hole in the vortex.