Martial World

Chapter 1931A – Love and Hate

…

…

…

Listening to Sheng Mei’s words, Lin Ming bitterly smiled. He was finally aware of the reason why the Soul Emperor had met with him after he left the ancient galactic battlefield at the Soul World, and why he had guided him.

At that time, Lin Ming had thought the Soul Emperor’s words were reasonable and true. He even thought that perhaps the Soul Emperor wanted to cultivate him to fight the saints.

Now it seemed his thoughts were far too naïve.

It was only afterwards when Sheng Mei handed him the copies of the golden pages and gave him some words of warning did he become a bit more wary.

But by then it was already too late.

Afterwards, Lin Ming went to the Primeval Universe and joined together with the ancient races to contend with the saints. All of this was within the schemes of the Soul Emperor.

And the reason that the Good Fortune Saint Sovereign had caught up to him and learned of his whereabouts was likely also the Soul Emperor…

Finally, the Soul Emperor chose the time when Soaring Feather God King was hunting him down. He chose the moment when Lin Ming’s life had fallen to its lowest point, when his will was at its weakest, and then caused an accident to occur. In a state where he couldn’t distinguish reality from illusion, Sheng Mei had appeared. Through the desires of men and women, he had coupled with Sheng Mei, melding together in body and spirit, joining in perfect harmony, and finally having his source soul force drawn out.

Lin Ming looked at Sheng Mei and his eyes were much gloomier than before, as if at this moment, he felt utterly disappointed in her.

He laughed at himself. He looked at the skies, his voice turning hollow. “You really… are willing to resort to any means possible. In order to cultivate the Art of Eternal Life, you are even willing to use your body as a tool. In the mortal world there are women that can sell their bodies for money. And you, just what distinguishes you from them?

“After you return to the Soul Emperor’s side, will you dual cultivate with him and offer up half of the Eternal Soul? This is where your pride and cold arrogance comes from? Although you and I may be enemies, I could not help but acknowledge you and admire you. In my life, I admire two women above all, and you were one of them. Once, you were like a goddess in my eyes, however in order to chase after the peak of martial arts and the Art of Eternal Life, it seems you are actually this cheap…”

Lin Ming rarely spoke such sarcastic and vicious words. Today, his body and soul were pained to the peak. This was because he knew he had utterly lost. How could he not hate, how could he not loathe?

Not only did he hate himself, but he also hated Sheng Mei. It wasn’t that he hated Sheng Mei harming him, but because she had left him thoroughly disappointed.

Lin Ming’s words were like a blade that stabbed into Sheng Mei’s heart!

Her body shook and her face froze. She had never been insulted like this by someone before and the words left her completely shocked.

All sorts of complex emotions immediately flitted through her eyes. There was extreme anger, but also… grief!

She bit her teeth, almost to the point that she bled. As she looked at Lin Ming, her eyes had become sharp and edged. Her chest heaved up and down, but almost immediately, her complexion paled and the light in her eyes darkened. Her voice became indifferent once more.

“You aren’t wrong, there is no difference… the Eternal Soul originally needs you to voluntarily offer it in order to be effective; it cannot be taken. Since it is impossible to have you voluntarily offer your source soul force, I used this demonic fruit to cause you to lose your sanity and have your mind fall into my illusion. I coupled with you in body and soul so that I could draw out your Eternal Soul.

“Even the copy of the golden pages I gave to you was done so on purpose. The Holy Scripture is divided into the pages of life and the pages of death. The golden pages are the pages of life and the black book comprises the pages of death.

“My focus are the pages of life and I gather vitality within my body. I also had you cultivate the pages of life so that your aura would be more compatible with my own.

“From the start until the end, you were nothing but a chess piece in my game, a paving stone on my road to eternal life.”

Sheng Mei’s words were icy cold and heartless. But, Lin Ming heard something strange within them. Even so, he didn’t care. What meaning was there in investigating such a thing now?

Lin Ming mirthlessly smiled. He shook his head. “Understood. I remember what you told me before, that a worm living in the dead leaves and branches will never know the beauty and majesty of the world. You said the road of martial arts is to struggle with the heavens and trample the heavens beneath your feet. For a mortal to fight the heavens, just how difficult is that? The heavens have existed for hundreds of billions of years… and just how many years can a genius live? No matter how great the destiny upon your body, even being an extreme talent is far from enough… thus, you resorted to any means possible…

“I apologize, I will never be able to be like you. Although I have resolved myself to chase after the peak of martial arts, I still have my own bottom line. I cannot discard my race, my family, my friends, my wives, my child, and thus… I was destined to be defeated…

“It’s over. There’s no need for you to speak so much to a loser and a dead man like me.”

As Lin Ming spoke these words, he seemed to become much older.

Sheng Mei fell silent. Her expression was as still as a placid lake, but her eyes were terrifyingly cold.

As she looked at Lin Ming, her eyes no longer contained an unbearable sadness, but a suffocating calmness.

Her body slowly floated upwards. Her dress fluttered about. She turned around, as if she were about to leave, but she eventually turned around and looked at Lin Ming once more.

Her eyes seemed to contain the infinite indifference of the past.

She said, “This is the Sky Spill Planet. You can stay here and calmly live out the remaining years of your life…”

As Sheng Mei spoke, she stepped on the void and vanished into the skies.

Black flower petals fell down and brushed against Lin Ming’s face before fading away.

Lin Ming was stunned. He looked up at the sky, dazed.

Sky Spill Planet?

So, this was the Sky Spill Planet…

After he used the Asura Command to open a space channel, the Soul Emperor should have used his own transcendent methods to forcefully divert the space channel, making it so that he arrived here.

Sheng Mei wanted him to die in his own homeland?

Truly, what a kind and thoughtful charity…

After learning this was the Sky Spill Planet, Lin Ming didn’t feel much. Rather, the expression Sheng Mei had when she left lingered in his mind, causing his heart to ache.

This feeling was like his heart being cut apart. Besides a severe pain, it felt as if he had lost something important…

He couldn’t even breathe.

However, no matter what Sheng Mei’s last thoughts were, Lin Ming no longer cared.

Did a dying ant need to know the thoughts of a god…?

Sheng Mei had said that the Holy Scripture was divided into the pages of life and the pages of death. It was likely the Soul Emperor focused on the pages of death… no wonder his eyes were filthy and ragged, his entire body emitting a faint death energy…

How laughable. Just what point was there in thinking of this…

Lin Ming lay down on the grass. He had already lost his drive and his will.

As for the spirit mark left in him by Soaring Feather God King, Lin Ming no longer cared about that either.

Despair, desolation, loneliness, the loss of his strength, the arriving end of his life, all of this caused him to lose his fighting spirit, to lose the courage to continue living on.

He no longer deeply loved life, he no longer yearned to reach the peak of martial arts.

He was nothing but a loser.

He had ascended from the Sky Spill Planet. From a youth that knew nothing and had nothing, step by step, he eventually became the number one genius of the Divine Realm. His glory was endless and even the Good Fortune Saint Sovereign couldn’t abide his continued existence and was forced to expend a favor to have Soaring Feather God King hunt him down.

All of this was enough for him to leave behind a legend, his own fables.

But afterwards, he returned to the Sky Spill Planet as before, still possessing nothing.

The only difference was that his source soul force was stolen away and his fires of life had begun to weaken…

Everything was like a dream.

A person chasing after their dream, from the start, then ran back to the starting point once more. But, the difference was that this dreamer was already far too old and could no longer run.

What a joke…

The sun fell and the moon rose.

Starlight sprinkled down from the skies, but all Lin Ming felt was a desolate cold.

He lay motionless, as if he had died, not even moving an inch.

To him, the passing of time no longer held any meaning.

There was no greater sorrow than a withered heart that had lost hope…