Pursuit of the Truth

Dark Dawn and Saint Defier were on the second wing occupied by Arid Triad among the four wings of Harmonious Morus Alba. It was a huge Expanse Cosmos, and while it was not like the first Expanse Cosmos belonging to Arid Triad, the overall area was about the size of three True Worlds in Arid Triad.

After all… besides the four Great True Worlds, Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos also had the Barren Lands of Divine Essence as well as other empty spots at its borders. In fact, Arid Triad had nine True Worlds during the previous era.

In the second Expanse Cosmos belonging to Arid Triad, which was a small wing under the two big wings belonging to Harmonious Morus Alba, Dark Dawn and Saint Defier each occupied half of the universe.

It might seem like a lot, but it was not in comparison. However, Dark Dawn and Saint Defier referred to these areas as their camps because they each occupied 180 Expanse Cosmoses in that universe.

There was a total of 360 Expanse Cosmos, and they were all gathered in Arid Triad’s second universe. They were densely packed together and separated by borders…

They had formed such a unique camp built by multiple Expanse Cosmoses because Saint Defier and Dark Dawn had moved there during the second era of the current aeon. They preserved their cultivation systems and methods from the second era and continued training in them. They also continued to use the structure of the ancient countries formed by different tribes during that time.

Each Expanse Cosmos within Dark Dawn and Saint Defier’s 360 Expanse Cosmoses belonged to a tribe who had occupied it and grown in it. Each tribe occupied one Expanse Cosmos, and the two camps had even set up an Expanse Cosmos Conference.

This so-called Expanse Cosmos Conference was built by the Tribe Elders of the different tribes from the 180 Expanse Cosmoses of each camp. The three Sovereigns of Dawn were among the leaders, and they were the highest form of authority in their camp.

There were three Sovereign Expanse Cosmoses and a Central Expanse Cosmos in Dark Dawn’s camp. These four Expanse Cosmoses formed the heart of Dark Dawn. The three Sovereign Expanse Cosmoses formed a triangle that surrounded the Central Expanse Cosmos.

The Central Expanse Cosmos was the core of all of Dark Dawn’s camp. Every Expanse Cosmos Conference held by the Tribe Elders of the 180 Expanse Cosmoses would be held in this place to determine all the important matters regarding Dark Dawn’s camp.

As for the three Sovereigns of Dawn, they were not the same people throughout the ages. They were chosen by the tribes, and they would take up their positions for thirty thousand years. Once they were over, another election would be held, and whether the previous candidates could remain as Sovereigns of Dawn would depend on their strength, luck, and the level of support they had from the tribes.

Of course, the main focus was on their levels of cultivation. All candidates had to be in Avacaniya Realm before they could run for the position of a Sovereign of Dawn. That was why over the course of countless years, Sovereigns of Dawn did not change often… unless at some point in time, a new person reached Avacaniya Realm!

It was the case for Yan Pei in the past. As he fought for the position, he had to give up many things before he could finally take over the previous Sovereign of Dawn and reach the top.

As time passed, the thirty thousand years had almost come to their end. It would have been fine if no other cultivators in Avacaniya Realm appeared… but this time, there were two who had appeared in Dark Dawn’s camp!

One of them was Hong Zhu, who was the person Yan Pei had replaced in the past, and the other was the genius Huang Tai who appeared from Central Hua Tribe.

Those two people clearly intended to compete for the title of the Sovereign of Dawn, setting things in motion in secret in all of Dark Dawn … However, the invasion of Arid Triad had turned the world upside down. At the very least, the tide of change could not stir during war, or else, with how Saint Defier had been lurking around by the side waiting to strike, the cooperation between the tribes in Dark Dawn would instantly crumble.

In a boundless desert in the Expanse Cosmos belonging to Yan Pei among the three Sovereign Expanse Cosmoses was an oasis. At that moment, there was a man and a woman sitting by a table there. Their gazes were on a black jade slip on the table, but their expressions betrayed their uncertainty.

“This is the jade slip Yan Pei sent to us a few months ago. That… terrifying existence is about to arrive.”

The desert breeze came blowing towards them. It was very dry, but when it reached the oasis, the wind became gentle, and it was even refreshing when it landed on the people’s bodies. It lifted the woman’s dark locks to reveal a petite face that could make a person’s heart race.

She was Dark Dawn’s Sovereign of Dawn Zi Ruo from East Extraction Tribe.

She was dressed in a purple long robe, and her black hair spilled over her shoulders. She had an incredibly beautiful face, and there were two purple crystals at the center of her brow, which meant she was the famous Sovereign of Dawn Zi Suo.

When she spoke, she lifted her head and averted her gaze from the jade slip to look towards the white-haired old man sitting on the other side of the table.

The old man’s eyes burned brightly, and he had an awe-inspiring expression. When he opened his eyes, all people could see that there were vertical pupils in his eyes. One of them was yellow, and the other red, causing him to look incredibly bizarre. Even if he was sitting idly, he gave off the feeling that he could change the laws in the entire world.

He was the strongest Sovereign of Dawn in Dark Dawn… Cang San Nu!

“This person has the power to kill those in Avacaniya Realm… He has fused with the will of a True World in Arid Triad and even sealed a powerful warrior from the previous aeon who managed to wake up through some unknown method…

“His presence caused Yan Pei to remember those sleeping old people… The strongest of this aeon, huh?”

When the old man said those words faintly, his pupils shrank, but anyone could see the faint shadow of a fighting spirit that was only a spark away from burning.

“I wonder if I activate all my cultivation base and release my seal, would I be able to kill this person? If I could truly kill him, would I be able to reach another breakthrough in terms of my level of cultivation?!” the old man said hoarsely, and the fighting spirit in his eyes grew stronger.

Zi Ruo frowned while casting a glance at the old man.

“But Yan Pei seems to want us to be polite and respectful towards this person, and we are supposed to cooperate with him in everything that he wants to do in this place, saying that it will only be beneficial for Dark Dawn and that we will suffer no losses. In fact, this may be a chance for us to become the masters of Saint Defier,” Zi Ruo said softly.

“A chance? That Yan Pei’s desire to serve is simply coming to surface again. Is it really that difficult to kill someone in Avacaniya Realm?” The old man lowered his head and cast a cold glance at Zi Ruo.

Zi Ruo fell silent.

“I, too, can kill those in Avacaniya Realm. I have even… killed three powerful warriors from the previous aeon, while he had only managed to seal one. If that person didn’t bother to come to Dark Dawn, I would have ignored him, but since he is here, then he will be my prey. Once I kill him, I will henceforth be known as Si Nu [1]!” The old man swung his arm and stood up.

“This matter is decided.”

Resolution appeared on the old man’s face. As he spoke, he stepped into space, leaving behind the Sovereign of Dawn Zi Ruo. She stared at the jade slip on the table and sighed in her heart.

‘If a person is too confident in themselves, they will not be able to see their real strength clearly. The three powerful warriors from the previous aeon Cang San Nu killed had already given up on eternal life and separated their minds and souls on their own. They were people who had harbored the intent to die since the start.

‘And the powerful warrior from the previous aeon who was sealed mentioned in Yan Pei’s jade slip… was clearly one of the incredibly powerful kind!

‘Cang San Nu may go seek his own death. My tribe and the other tribes who have affiliated themselves to me must not offend that Su Ming!

‘But…’

Zi Ruo gritted her teeth, got up, and moved, disappearing from the oasis in the galaxy. When she was in midair, she stopped moving, and a strange light appeared in her eyes when a sudden thought struck her. Her expression gradually calmed, but the light in her eyes grew brighter.

‘Since this person is so strong and Yan Pei said he is the strongest in this aeon… then if I can have a child with someone as powerful as he is… the child born of our blood will definitely have no limits to his future as well!’

When she thought of this, Zi Ruo’s face turned redder. She never had a partner in her path of cultivation, and she had always believed that she did not need one. However, in the depths of her heart, she had always wanted to have her own children, and it was a regret she always had.

However, when she cast her eyes over the entire universe, she found no man that would fit her, and that included Cang San Nu. Yet now, Su Ming’s name appeared in her mind.

‘But an old monster like him would definitely not agree to this sort of matter… I will need to think of a way to do this.’

Zi Ruo was tempted by her thought. Once the idea was born in her head, she could not dispel it no matter what she did, and it became even more prominent in her mind. The feeling of danger from scheming against a powerful warrior caused Zi Ruo to suck in a deep breath. An indistinct shadow appeared behind her, and it was clearly the image of a lotus flower with a white fox sitting on it. It looked vivid and alive…

Determination swiftly appeared on her face. She moved and disappeared into the sky.

At the same time, within Saint Defier’s camp in Arid Triad’s second Expanse Cosmos was the exact same jade slip placed before three people. One of them was an old man, another a woman, and the last a middle-aged man.

The old man was Lord Saint Defier Xuan Jiu. While Su Ming had never seen the woman personally, he was definitely not unfamiliar with her. She was… Lord Saint Defier Fei Hua, who had sent her ring into Arid Triad. She was also the one who had caused the bald crane to have confusion and a complicated look appear on its face all those years ago.

As for the middle-aged man, he had a calm look on his face, but there was a hint of a darkness in his eyes. As he stared at the jade slip, he let out a cold harrumph.

“The strongest of this aeon… Isn’t that Sovereign of Dawn Yan Pei exaggerating things? If any of the seniors sleeping in the valley woke up, they too could be known as the strongest of this aeon.” The middle-aged man was the third Lord Saint Defier of Saint Defier’s camp. His name was Xiao Song.

“Yan Pei might seem aloof, but in truth, he is a very cautious person. He has always been able to make the correct assessment of any situation… He sent us this jade slip several months ago to tell us that this Su Ming was about to come. He… must surely harbor some malicious intent, but based on this, I can tell that he is incredibly confident in Su Ming. Yan Pei intends to use his strength to pressure us.”

Xuan Jiu sighed softly. When he spoke hoarsely, a hint of determination appeared on his face.

“Oh well, then let me make some calculations to see just how this Su Ming will pose a threat to us!”

Xuan Jiu’s eyes shone. When he lifted his right hand, nine beast bones not uniform in size appeared on his palm. He struck them with his left hand, then swiftly closed his eyes. He executed his inborn divine ability, intending to gain a premonition about Su Ming.

Xiao Song immediately snapped into attention and looked over with a look of concentration. He knew how powerful Xuan Jiu’s Art was, and even those sleeping old monsters could have their preordained fates predicted by him. Xuan Jiu… had never failed in his Art.

Only Fei Hua had a look of confusion on her face. She constantly looked into the distance, and for some reason… her heart trembled slightly, as if something that was the most important thing to her in her life had appeared in the Expanse Cosmos…