Pursuit of the Truth

1

Once the thin man said these words, he fell unconscious. There was no longer just one black line on his face, but several of them. As they connected with each other, they formed the outline of a malicious spirit’s face, which looked like it was smiling. It was branded on the thin man’s face, and it was a dreadful sight.

With the person in hand, Su Ming had the Duke of Crimson Flame shift as he charged forward. With the roars of the creature hidden in space behind him, they quickly left into the distance.

…..

Several days later, the thin and frail man opened his eyes. When he woke up, he found himself lying on a piece of land, which was actually a gigantic stone slab floating in the galaxy. On it were some purplish black plants with presences of rot.

Almost at the instant he opened his eyes, his gaze focused. When he shot up, he lifted his right hand, and a chilling light shone on his palm. Immediately, a new bone blade appeared. With a vigilant look on his face, he looked around him and saw Su Ming sitting on a large stone not too far away. He was looking at the sky with his head lifted.

He was dressed in a sackcloth, and his hair was a mess. His skin was slightly dark, and a primitive, ancient presence surrounded him, refusing to dissipate.

He seemed very young, but hints of an ancient air could always be seen in his expression and gaze.

A complicated look flashed briefly in the thin man’s eyes. He looked at Su Ming but did not say a single word.

“You’re awake,” Su Ming said calmly. He did not look at the man, but continued watching the heavens, the sky without stars, and the unfamiliar scene in the distance.

The thin man hesitated for a moment before he asked in a whisper, “Just who are you?”

“I’ve gotten rid of the poison in your body, but I cannot heal the injuries you sustained over the years,” Su Ming said calmly, not answering the person’s question.

The moment the thin man woke up, he had already noticed that the poison in him was gone. When he heard the other’s words, he fell silent.

“What is your name?” Su Ming asked faintly.

The thin man remained silent for a moment, but in the end told his name. “Dijiu [1] Mo Sha.”

“Dijiu…” Su Ming mumbled and averted his gaze from the sky, turning his head around to look at Dijiu Mo Sha.

“Is your tribe called Ninth Summit?” Su Ming appeared calm, but only he knew that when he mentioned the ninth summit, the memories of happiness buried in time were awakened in his heart.

Dijiu Mo Sha was stunned for a moment. He stared intently at Su Ming and did not say a single word.

Even if he did not answer, Su Ming had already found his answer.

“Is your Patriarch… named Tian Xie Zi?” Su Ming asked once again. His voice was calm, but there was a tone within it that allowed no challenge to his authority. It also contained a might that said the thin man must answer his question.

Dijiu Mo Sha lowered his head and said, “No.”

“No, huh..?” Su Ming looked at the thin man in front of him. This person came from the tribe his Master had formed in Divine Essence Star Ocean. He was already certain of this.

“If he isn’t, then you can leave.” Su Ming shook his head and returned to look at the sky. As he watched the unfamiliar scenes in the distance, an air of desolation surrounded him.

Dijiu Mo Sha was momentarily stunned. He did not expect that this particular existence before him, who looked incredibly powerful and could even fight against that Void Beast, would cure him of the poison in his body once he saved him, and after just asking a few questions, would let him leave.

A glint appeared in his eyes. He stood up slowly, and after a moment of hesitation, he wrapped his fist in his palm to bow to Su Ming. He moved swiftly backwards and left into the distance within an instant, but after moving back about several thousands of feet, he came to a halt and looked at Su Ming again.

“I know that you must have placed some sort of seal on me that will allow you to know my location so that you can follow me from the distance, and from there, know the direction in which I’m headed.

“I can take you to my tribe… but you must promise me to the deity of your race that once I bring you back to my tribe, you will break the seal on me.”

“Very well.” Su Ming turned around and looked at the thin man, nodding.

…..

The galaxy was boundless and vast. As they headed farther into Divine Essence Star Ocean, more drifting objects could be found. Some of them were shattered stones and some dust. All of them would pass by them by in large clusters, bringing a feeling to all those who saw it that this place had once been a very magnificent galaxy.

Su Ming felt it was especially so when he saw a strange looking rock, which left into the distance like a shooting star. That rock… looked like a crack-covered head of a statue. It was hundreds of thousands of feet big, which could tremble the hearts of many

“That was God Luo Mo’s head. It floats in Divine Essence Star Ocean as a symbol of good luck. All those who see it and worship it can receive God Luo Mo’s blessing,” Dijiu Mo Sha said in a low voice. He stopped in the galaxy, then bent his back and worshiped the head leaving into the distance.

“There are nine of God Luo Mo’s heads in the periphery of Divine Essence Star Ocean. They were enshrined and worshiped in the legendary Luo Mo Temple a long time ago. It’s a pity that during the Great Destruction, they shattered when Luo Mo Temple was destroyed.”

Su Ming looked at the head leaving into the distance. When he could no longer see it, he asked calmly, “How far are we from your tribe?”

Dijiu Mo Sha cast Su Ming a look and said softly, “Once we cross the star ocean, move past a mountain of stars, and walk through a shattered desert, we’ll see my tribe.

“Don’t worry, the members of the tribes in Divine Essence Star Ocean are not as fraudulent as the cultivators in the world outside, where they promise on the surface but will lay traps in the dark aimed against you. Since I promised to take you to my tribe, I won’t harbor any schemes. I also believe that you, who is not rejected by Divine Essence Star Ocean, will obey the principles here.

“Also, the path I’ll take you through might seem a little long, but it is the safest one. We must go around a few primitive tribes and skirt around several habitats that belong to packs of ferocious beasts.” Dijiu Mo Sha moved forward, then turned into a long arc and charged into the distance.

Days passed, and half a month later, Su Ming had already stayed in the periphery of Divine Essence Star Ocean for several months. On this day, a mountain appeared in front of them.

This was the first time Su Ming saw a mountain in the galaxy.

This mountain seemed to be immeasurably tall. Its top could not be seen, and neither could its edge. It was like a gigantic wall that stood erect in the galaxy. This was a mountain that was formed by countless broken stars.

When Su Ming cast his gaze on it, he saw that there were tens of thousands of stars in it. Most of them might be broken, but the shock brought to the hearts of all those who saw the mountain they formed by gathering together was still hard to describe.

As Su Ming looked at that mountain made of stars, it was as if everything before his eyes had gone still.

“Just what sort of divine ability could make so many broken cultivation planets group together to form such an astonishing mountain?” he mumbled.

“No one knows what divine ability it was, nor who used it. But we do have a legend in Divine Essence Star Ocean about it…” Dijiu Mo Sha looked at Su Ming, then cast his gaze on the mountain of stars in the distance.

“It is said that this mountain is a grave, buried within which is a man. His wife destroyed nearly half of Divine Essence Star Ocean to build this grave for him.

“In the legend, that man’s wife is a powerful existence that came from outer space during Great Destruction. Once she made this mountain, she turned into a rock to stay beside her lover and keep him company.

“This mountain is also known as Husband Gazing Mountain,” Dijiu Mo Sha said softly, then charged forward. Su Ming looked at the gigantic mountain of stars, and Dijiu Mo Sha’s words echoed in his ears. In silence, he began walking.

The distance might not have seemed great, but in truth, the mountain was very far away. The two of them only truly arrived at the foot of it after three days, then used half a month to reach the mountainside.

They did not try to move to the peak, but went around.

Some time later, Dijiu Mo Sha turned his head around to look at Su Ming and said in a solemn tone, “No one has managed to reach the top before. At least as far as I know. It’s as if there is some sort of power preventing anyone from reaching the summit.

“There are some people who say that the rock that is the woman is at the peak, which is also where her husband’s corpse is buried. As long as we do not destroy the mountain rocks here and force our way to the top, then no danger will come to us from the mountain.

“But if anyone dares to damage even a single part of this mountain or repeatedly try to head to the summit… then no one will be able to leave.”

Su Ming stood on a broken slope, his head raised to look in the direction of the summit. Everything was a blur there, without any end in sight. It might have been just a figment of his imagination, but he thought he could see a woman standing at the summit, holding a bone xun in her hand. She was playing a song filled with grief, whose notes were mournful whimpers.

“What did you hear?” Su Ming suddenly asked.

Dijiu Mo Sha was momentarily stunned. He listened attentively for some time before looking over with a puzzled expression.

“It’s a song.” Su Ming closed his eyes. The mournful notes from the xun echoed in his ears, causing ripples in his heart, and dragging out a memory that brought about a similar sense of grief.

“I didn’t hear anything. Let’s go.” Djiu Mo Sha shook his head and started moving again.

Su Ming opened his eyes and looked at the blurry view at the top of the mountain before following Dijiu Mo Sha into the distance.

The Abyss Dragon and bald crane followed behind him, as usual. The Abyss Dragon’s expression remained the same, but the bald crane looked dazed. It had its head lifted up, looking at the top of the mountain. From its eyes…

… tears were falling, and they were rolled down its cheeks.

“Darn it, what’s wrong with me..? Why am I crying? Why do I feel so horrid? Why do I want to cry so much..? Damn it all, this feels terrible. I want to cry. I feel unhappy. I feel like I want to die…” the bald crane mumbled, and more tears fell from its eyes.

It followed behind the Abyss Dragon and Su Ming in a daze, with tears continuing to fall, but since it was just a soul, when its tears fell down, they would disappear. They did not fall on the ground nor landed on the mountain. They only fell in its heart and tore multiple holes within it, but no one could see that.

The bald crane’s consciousness was a little clouded at that moment. It heard the sorrowful song, and a picture formed in its mind. Within that picture, it saw itself as a crane as great as the universe, with a woman sitting on its back. She was patting its head and speaking softly.

Translator’s Note:

1. Dijiu Mo Sha: Case of lost in translation. Dijiu means ninth, which is why Su Ming immediately knew that Mo Sha was talking about the ninth summit.

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