Pursuit of the Truth

The rain was falling. Those in Sky Beyond the Sky could hear it, but not touch nor sense it.

It was just like the past Bei Qiong spoke of. Su Ming could see the path he treaded clearly when he turned his head. He could find the tracks when he went forward, but when he turned around and walked back… he would find that the path had been split in two.

Su Ming stood on the cliff with smile appeared on his lips. His expression was chilly, and there was a profound meaning behind it. When it corresponded with the resolve in his eyes, it turned into an evil look that could not be spoken. It was as if his eyes could see through all the changes in the world, as if he could see through the cycles of life and death in the past, and as if he could see through everything about himself.

It was like an epiphany. If he lost himself within it, then on the day he woke up, he would only believe that he was awake, but in truth, he would still be lost.

If he did not get lost and kept true to his heart, he would never, ever… be lost again!

During that moment, his Dao Divinity, which was sitting and meditating in his third eye, opened its eyes. They also had the light of understanding. The rain… had come coincidentally, at the perfect timing, and also… too suddenly!

What Su Ming saw was not rain, but a figure moving further and further away in the rain at that moment. That figure was ancient and had a straw cape over his shoulders as well as a straw hat on his head… like a ferryman… and like the Master in Su Ming’s memories.

During that instant, lightning flashed. When it illuminated the ground, the figure before Su Ming’s eyes seemed to have come to a stop. It slowly turned its head around. Its gaze seemed to land on Su Ming, but when Su Ming saw the face clearly, the figure disappeared with another flash of lightning.

Su Ming closed his eyes, but his third eye remained open. The Dao Divinity in it did not close its eyes either. The light of epiphany grew stronger, and then, the Dao Divinity in his third eye curled its lips into a smile.

He… understood!

In the world that may be real or fake, he lit up with the light of enlightenment for the first time. The enlightenment caused Su Ming to be even more determined, and it also made his resolve firmer. His heart calmed down, and in that very first battle that could be said to be a battle of Arts against Xuan Zang… overlapping figures gradually appeared on Su Ming’s Dao Divinity.

As his Dao Divinity overlapped, the rain in the world outside became heavier. The curtain of water covered everything. It seemed like even the fifth layer of the Sky Beyond the Sky had been covered by a curtain of rain, but it was still the same. Su Ming could see it, but he could not sense it. There were multiple worlds separating Seven Moons Sect into parts.

The feeling of his Dao Divinity overlapping with each other became stronger in Su Ming’s third eye, then, the sky roared, and thunder shook the world. At the instant lightning illuminated everything… the feeling of his Dao Divinity overlapping in Su Ming’s third eye became stronger.

But it seemed as if something was lacking. Even if the overlapping made it seem as if he had gained two Dao Divinities, it was difficult for him to separate them. They could not truly turn… into two Dao Divinities.

‘Through all of my life, I pursued the truth and sought Dao. When I walk down this path, longevity is no longer important. Divine abilities are just decorations, and the essence of pursuing the truth is the Dao I seek…

‘I seek to answer my questions. I search for an understanding, for… a Dao belonging to me, Su Ming!

‘This Dao is my pursuit. This Dao is my way to understand the changes in the world, the changes in the cycles of life and death. When I walk down this path, I will persist in my beliefs. This… is the path of searching for my heart!

‘It is like this rain. I look at it from Sky Beyond the Sky, but if I want it…’

A glint appeared in Su Ming’s eyes. He lifted his right hand and seized the air in the direction of the foot of the mountain. When thunder rumbled and Su Ming pulled his right hand back, there was rain on his palm!

The rain slipped through the cracks between his fingers, and Su Ming’s lips curled into a smile. His smile grew brighter. When he threw his head back and laughed, the Dao Divinity in his third eye… swiftly split into two!

When the overlapping reached its limit, the second Dao Divinity appeared!

At the instant it happened, Su Ming reached a breakthrough in his level of cultivation. From the first level of Dao Divinity Realm, he stepped into the second level of Dao Divinity Realm. His hair flew, and his robes fluttered. The rain in the world outside became stronger, The thunder roared even louder, and the lightning became even brighter!

This rain came at an opportune moment, at the perfect moment!

Its arrival made Su Ming’s epiphany instantly reach a higher level, allowing him to understand his Dao even better.

Su Ming’s cultivation instantly erupted from his body. It immediately reached a breakthrough from the first level of Dao Divinity Realm and reached the second level of Dao Divinity Realm. If he took another step, he would reach a complete transformation. He would become… part of the few powerful warriors in all of Ancient Zang. He would step into Dao Spirit Realm!

‘Xuan Zang, I believe that my world is real. I believe that I am Su Ming, not the third prince, much less… you!

‘Xuan Zang, this is a battle of Arts involving Possession. You attack me, and I will counter… but there will come a time when I, Su Ming, will be the one who attacks, and you… will sink into this world. Let’s see… who among us will be the first to wake up!

‘Every single time the two of us engage in a battle of Arts… I will become stronger!’

A ferocious look appeared on Su Ming’s face. When he swung his arm, his hair instantly turned purple. The purple hair did not belong to Wang Tao, but belonged to Su Ming.

He stood up at that moment. The rain around him turned red at that instant, having been dyed by the darkness of night and Su Ming’s will. It was as if it had become a vast ocean of blood.

As it rumbled and roared, Su Ming stood on the cliff. Beneath him was a canyon and Seven Moons Sect. His long hair became messy due to the wind blowing against it, but it could not throw his heart into chaos.

He lifted his left hand, and immediately, a ball of fire that seemed like it would never be extinguished floated up from his palm. The fire burned, having been formed by Su Ming’s will. That fire was like Su Ming’s resolve—inextinguishable!

The flames shone with Su Ming’s memories. In the wind and rain, on the cliff, and when everything in the area seemed to have turned into a raging ocean of blood… Su Ming lowered his head and looked at the fire on his palm. His gaze was no longer fierce, but had become gentle.

In the fire, he could see Arid Triad, the four Great True Worlds, his three senior brothers, his elder, Cang Lan, Yu Xuan, Xu Hui, plenty of smiling faces… and the bald crane!

In the flames were Dark Mountain, ninth summit, and all that Su Ming treasured and for which he was willing to give up on everything. It was… the source of the strength that allowed him to be firm and to keep walking down his path!

It was also… his taboo!

After a long while, Su Ming clenched his left hand gently, putting out the flames that were the manifestation of his memories and his divine sense. When he lifted his head, he looked at the curtain of rain in the sky and watched the lightning and the rumbling thunder.

Clarity appeared in his eyes.

“I am Su Ming.”

The moment he spoke calmly, numerous runic symbols showed up in the fourth layer of Sky Beyond the Sky amid the thunder and lightning. Their appearance immediately stirred up howls and rumbles that drowned out the lightning and thunder. At the moment it attracted the attention of those in Seven Moons Sect, the runic symbols formed… a huge Feng Shui compass in the sky of the fourth layer of Sky Beyond the Sky. It could be seen on every single layer of Sky Beyond the Sky.

As the Feng Shui compass rotated with loud bangs, a figure moved towards it from a mountain far away. Once that figure stepped into the Feng Shui compass, it could be seen clearly. It belonged to a young man.

He was dressed in a white robe, and his eyes were like stars. His black hair fluttered in the wind, making him look incredibly handsome, and needless to say… he was Ye Long!

“I, Ye Long, will challenge the seventh formation of the Dao Divinity Shadow Descension Rune. Master, please grant me permission!”

Ye Long wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed deeply towards the mountain from whence he came. His words were clear and echoed in the rainy night. They made the fifth layer of Sky Beyond the Sky tremble and many of the Seven Moons Sect disciples who were meditating in the rainy night to immediately open their eyes.

As their gazes gathered on Ye Long and a crowd formed up, a flash of lightning sliced through the air with a loud, thunderous boom. It illuminated the area and the huge Feng Shui compass as well as Ye Long standing on it to all those who looked over.

“Permission granted!”

At the instant the deep voice spoke, the lightning in the sky shuddered. It no longer dared to appear. Thunder became fearful and did not dare make a sound either. Even the rain seemed to ripple. Each droplet seemed to contain the figure of a red-robed man.

Su Ming lifted his head and looked at the sixth layer of Sky Beyond the Sky. It was… the world which belonged to the red-robed man, the supreme treasure of Seven Moons Sect only the great sect elder in charge of managing the sect could control.

Only once the red-robed man’s voice faded away did the lightning dared to shine again, the thunder dared to roar, and the rain dared to pour down.

Ye Long, while sitting on the Feng Shui compass floating in midair, stood up at that moment and threw his head back to roar.

“Seventh formation!”

His voice echoed, and the Feng Shui compass beneath his feet began rotating with loud bangs. The runic symbols spun and shone nonstop, while above him, the second Feng Shui compass appeared. At the same time, the third Feng Shui compass manifested as well!

The three Feng Shui compasses were each larger than the last. When Ye Long moved, he appeared above the third Feng Shui compass. He brought up his arms and pushed down on the Feng Shui compass. Immediately, the three Feng Shui compasses roared at the same time. Huge waves of power spread out, then gathered on Ye Long, which made his face contort. Veins popped up on his face, and he growled.

There was a total of thirty formations in the Dao Divinity Shadow Descension Rune. Only one Feng Shui compass would appear during the first formation, and during the third formation, the second Feng Shui compass would appear. When someone challenged the seventh formation, the fourth Feng Shui compass would appear. The general rule was that one additional Feng Shui compass would appear with every two formations, and right then, there were four Feng Shui compasses above Ye Long as he was growling.

The topmost was a talisman formed by rain. It floated above the three Feng Shui compasses as if it had fused with lightning and shone with endless light.

What Ye Long needed to do was to stand above the fourth Feng Shui compass. It would mean… that he had successfully cleared the seventh formation!

Under the people’s gazes and amid the thunderous roars of thunder, Ye Long’s roars became the most prominent sound in Seven Moons Sect. As he trembled, he slowly stood up and phased through the Feng Shui compasses above him. At the moment he stood on the fourth Feng Shui compass… he successfully cleared the seventh formation!

The thunder was like his might, and the lightning was like light shining on him. The rain and the world looked like they were a background for him.

Ye Long’s black hair danced in the air. Once he stood up straight, he threw his head back and let out a long cry.

“Wang Tao, it’s been eight years. During them, you’ve never answered my challenge! Today… I will still ask you this question: Do you dare challenge the Dao Divinity Shadow Descension Rune?!”

His voice resounded through Seven Moons Sect, and the eyes of all people who heard it sparkled.

While seated on the cliff, Su Ming slowly lifted his head!

His eyes sparkled with a brilliant light!