Chapter 426 – What Exactly Are You?

Underground Ruins, Sacrificial Ground.

The closer Su Ming got to this place, the more he could feel the restlessness of the Demon Emperor Sword dwelling in his right hand.

It was anxious.

It was raging.

From this reaction alone, Su Ming could roughly guess that the Seal existing here might already be in name only.

The Seal had entered the stage of formal breaking and was in its final phase. Even if one wanted to stop it, it would be impossible.

Understanding this, Su Ming instead grew calm, stepping forward with steady strides as he walked into the Sacrificial Ground step by step.

However, the moment he entered, Su Ming encountered a huge surprise.

“Boom!”

A dull roar, like thunder from a clear sky, suddenly erupted, causing hurricane-like shockwaves to sweep through the Sacrificial Ground.

Amid the shockwaves, figures were sent flying out one after another, like kites with broken strings, landing around Su Ming and causing the ground to tremble violently.

Judging by the force of the impact, the ground should have shattered long ago.

Yet this Sacrificial Ground seemed to be constructed from special Materials, indestructible. Despite being repeatedly struck with such force, not a single crack appeared, which made Su Ming glance sideways in surprise.

What made Su Ming’s eyes flicker even more was that these figures, who had been sent flying and landed around him, were not entirely unfamiliar.

They were the Seven-Star Professionals who had come with Su Ming from Tianfeng City to rescue Longyao City and prevent the reappearance of the terror species.

Moreover, the Seven-Star Professionals who had entered the Underground Ruins were not from the first tier.

All first-tier Seven-Star Professionals had been dispatched to the surface to fight, while only the second-tier Seven-Star Professionals had followed Old Ling into the Underground Ruins.

Now, these second-tier Seven-Star Professionals had all been knocked to the ground, and it seemed they had suffered significant injuries.

Especially Wang Yi of the Wang Family, whose chest was stained with blood as he lay on the ground, unmoving for a long time, as if he had fallen unconscious.

“Ugh…”

“Ah…”

These pinnacle figures of humanity, who usually held supreme status and power, now lay in the dust, groaning softly, unable to get up for the moment.

As their leader, Old Ling was still fighting fiercely in mid-air.

The Guardian Deity, hailed as humanity’s Ultimate Weapon and reputed to be unparalleled in the world, seemed to have met his match.

“Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!…”

Amidst a series of deafening roars powerful enough to pierce the clouds above, Old Ling battled a ghost-like figure, causing shockwaves to erupt like massive explosions, shaking the entire Sacrificial Ground.

If not for the special material of this Sacrificial Ground, such intense combat and residual waves would have surely reduced this vast, cavernous space, along with the entire Underground Ruins, to rubble.

Su Ming focused his gaze and, with his extraordinary vision, clearly captured the two figures locked in fierce combat.

At this moment, Old Ling had already entered a state of Demonization and even activated his Vision Mark, transforming into a Fiend with a sinister tattoo on his forehead, causing overwhelming demonic and spiritual energy to surge within him.The fiend with a sinister tattoo on its forehead also held a wooden staff in its hand.

It appeared ordinary and unremarkable at first glance, yet it was crystalline and shimmering with flowing light—clearly no common object.

With the aid of his Golden Finger, Su Ming instantly discerned the true origins of that staff.

Heaven’s Pillar: An alchemical weapon, Divine Grade, ranked third on the Weapon Leaderboard. Forged primarily from the spine of a Nightmare Species Dragon Fiend on the verge of evolution, combined with eleven rare metals and demonic minerals, it was tempered by natural lightning strikes and immersed in volcanic magma for forty-nine days until it became a seamless whole. Possessing unparalleled power, it enables the wielder to maintain peak combat condition, even performing beyond their limits until exhaustion.

Indeed.

The staff Old Ling wielded was none other than the weapon ranked third on the Weapon Leaderboard—one of the ten strongest Sub-Divine Artifacts, second only to Divine Artifacts.

In the hands of Old Ling, a peerless Guardian Deity, this Sub-Divine Artifact seemed to transform into the legendary Golden Cudgel. With each swing, the staff’s shadows grew to an unimaginable size, as if capable of piercing through the very Sacrificial Ground itself. A mere sweep could stir up a tempest, making the very atmosphere wail in agony.

For an ordinary person, even a glancing blow would be enough to crush them entirely, shattering every bone in their body, leaving no chance of survival.

Yet, to Su Ming’s astonishment, Old Ling, wielding such a fearsome Divine-Grade weapon, was completely unable to gain the upper hand against his current opponent.

That opponent was an exceedingly bizarre figure.

He, too, seemed to have undergone Demonization, transforming into a ferocious fiend, with a demonic aura surging around him that was no less formidable than Old Ling’s.

Of course, that wasn’t the reason Su Ming labeled him a “bizarre figure.”

The true reason lay in the fact that, aside from the overwhelming demonic aura, the opponent was surrounded by ghostly shadows resembling vengeful spirits.

These Ghost Shadows howled and roared, twisting like black mist, presenting a terrifying sight.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that these Ghost Shadows were actually the forms of humans or Phantom Demons.

They appeared as though imprisoned after death, subjected to endless torment, their faces contorted in agony, their wails unceasing.

Yet their existence seemed to grant an extraordinary enhancement to the one they clung to, amplifying his power to a terrifying degree, allowing him to hold a slight advantage in his fierce battle with Old Ling.

Focusing his gaze, Su Ming eventually noticed a clue.

Aided by the extraordinary vision and heightened Spirit Sense granted by the Seven-Colored Eye Potion, Su Ming discovered that these Ghost Shadows seemed to emanate from the opponent’s neck.

There hung a necklace.

A necklace drenched in blood-red, as if stained with countless layers of blood, glaring and heart-palpitating to behold.Soul Silence: A Divine Grade alchemical weapon, ranked first on the weapon leaderboard. It was naturally formed after the most renowned ancient forging kingdom exhausted its national resources, gathering countless iron essences from across the continent, staining them with the blood of innumerable Phantom Demons, and sealing them for a century in a demonic mystical realm. It devours the blood of Phantom Demons and humans to accumulate power—the more it consumes, the stronger its stored energy becomes. Releasing this energy fully empowers the wielder, drastically boosting their strength until the consumed blood is depleted, at which point the enhancement vanishes.

The information revealed through the Golden Finger told Su Ming why his opponent could suppress the supposedly invincible Old Ling.

It was because his opponent wielded the top-ranked alchemical weapon on the leaderboard, acclaimed as the world’s strongest aside from Divine Artifacts.

Having absorbed endless blood, this alchemical weapon provided its holder with nearly limitless power, enabling such explosive strength.

“Is that Li Feng?”

Though Su Ming couldn’t discern the opponent’s true face due to Demonization and Ghost Shadow Possession, it didn’t hinder him from recognizing the figure.

At the very least, Su Ming didn’t believe anyone else in the world, aside from the Commander of 『Sin』—the mastermind behind all this—could possess such profound resources.

“Two Divine Artifacts and the strongest Sub-Divine Artifact. This 『Sin』 has indeed accumulated remarkable foundations, capable of producing what even Tianfeng City cannot.”

Su Ming clicked his tongue in astonishment.

But soon, his attention was drawn to the anomaly in his right hand.

“Clang!”

A brilliant golden light flickered restlessly from his right hand again, causing Su Ming to furrow his brows.

Unconsciously, he turned his gaze toward the summit of a tall altar ahead.

There, the Great Sin Blade hovered mid-air.

“Rumble…”

The altar was trembling.

Almost immediately, Su Ming sensed something terrifying awakening beneath his feet.

That heart-palpitating feeling made his frown deepen even further.

“Stop it quickly…”

Around him, fallen Seven-Star Professionals groaned in pain and struggle.

Unfortunately, it was already too late to intervene.

While others were unaware, Su Ming, who possessed a part of the Spirit Demon Abyss King, knew clearly that the breaking of the Seal was now unstoppable.

The emergence of the terror was inevitable.

Of course, Su Ming wasn’t entirely helpless.

He stepped forward, heading toward the altar, intending to claim the hovering Great Sin Blade.

However, before he could, someone else took it ahead of him.

“Hehe… Hahaha…”

A chilling, gleeful laughter began to echo from the altar.

A youthful maiden stood atop the altar, holding the Great Sin Blade, looking down at Su Ming with crimson eyes full of delight.

“You’ve finally come! Big Brother!”

The girl shouted with immense joy.

“Qingqing has been waiting for you for so long!”

As Li Qingqing cried out, her eyes grew increasingly red, her aura turning perilously wild and frenzied.

“Buzz, buzz, buzz…!”

Golden light pulsed incessantly from Su Ming’s right hand, trembling violently within.It was clear that, sensing the power of the Great Sin Blade, the Demon Emperor Sword could no longer restrain itself. Just like last time, it directly entered a frenzied state.

But the current Su Ming was no longer the Su Ming of the past.

The previous Su Ming would have been unable to withstand the mental erosion of the Demon Emperor Sword, losing consciousness and rationality.

Now, however, Su Ming only felt a burning sensation in his right hand, with no other abnormalities.

The massive consumption of Purple Snow Essence had elevated Su Ming’s overall abilities to an unimaginable level.

This included his Mental Energy and the power of his Soul.

Not to mention, Su Ming had even transcended his life state, and his spirituality was now beyond comparison to before, completely immune to mental interference or influence.

Thus, without even glancing at his right hand, Su Ming met Li Qingqing’s ecstatic crimson eyes.

During their last confrontation, due to the Demon Emperor Sword, Su Ming hadn’t had the chance to observe Li Qingqing carefully.

Now, seeing her clearly, Su Ming realized how young this girl truly was—even younger than himself.

Her age was likely similar to An Zijin, Jiang Wanyu, and Yao Beibei, around sixteen or seventeen.

Yet, at such a tender age, she now appeared like a madwoman, completely in a state of mental derangement.

In her eyes, aside from delight, Su Ming saw only madness.

A reckless, all-consuming madness.

A hysterical madness.

That kind of madness was something that should never appear in a girl of her age.

“Divine Artifacts are truly things that bring nothing but harm,” Su Ming cursed inwardly, then continued walking toward the Altar.

However, in the end, Su Ming did not successfully reach the Altar.

His arrival had caught the attention of both sides engaged in the fierce battle.

“Boom!”

Amid a terrifying roar, the two figures locked in combat separated, each leaping back—one landing on the Altar beside Li Qingqing, the other landing on the ground near Su Ming.

“Huff… huff…”

Old Ling, in his Demonization and Vision Mark state, gripped the Heaven-Supporting Staff, panting heavily.

It was evident that the previous battle had taken a significant toll on him.

In contrast, on the Altar, Li Feng, also in a Demonization state, wore a calm expression. Not only did he show no signs of noticeable exhaustion, but he also grabbed the dense Ghost Shadows around him, shoved them into his mouth, and actually swallowed them whole.

The demonic nature and power within Li Feng, which had been somewhat depleted, now showed signs of recovery.

“This is trouble,” Old Ling muttered with a bitter smile as he witnessed this.

Su Ming paid no attention to Old Ling’s repeated bitter smiles, instead fixing his gaze on Li Feng.

Li Feng, in turn, directed his attention toward Su Ming.

Their eyes met, instantly filling the air with the scent of gunpowder.

It couldn’t be helped.

If one were to scrutinize it carefully, there was quite a bit of enmity between the two.

“You are Su Ming?” Li Feng asked coldly.

“Correct,” Su Ming replied indifferently. “I am Su Ming.”

His calm tone and aloof attitude gave off an air of arrogance and haughtiness.

But Li Feng paid it no mind.

What Li Feng cared about was the threat that had appeared here.”I see.” Li Feng seemed to understand something, as if sensing something, and said: “No wonder both operations of 『Sin』 encountered unexpected changes because of you. Even I can sense a threat from you. Your strength appears even more terrifying than the rumors suggest.”

As soon as Li Feng finished speaking, Li Qingqing beside him began clamoring.

“Father! Father!” Li Qingqing cried out: “Leave him to Qingqing! He belongs to Qingqing!”

Li Qingqing sounded like a child afraid of having her toy confiscated by adults, her tone rapid and urgent, almost on the verge of tears.

“Don’t rush.” Li Feng disregarded Li Qingqing’s urgency and spoke indifferently: “I want to see why this young man is such a Prodigy.”

As he spoke, Li Feng’s gaze toward Su Ming sharpened.

“I’ve observed you, investigated you, yet I still cannot understand how someone from an ordinary Mortal family could achieve what you have today.”

“There are too many mysteries surrounding you.”

“Su Ming, Ming Wang, what exactly is your origin?”

This remained the only matter that still concerned Li Feng at present.

－－－－－－Author’s Note－－－－－－

Went for a follow-up examination today.

Since the hospital isn’t local, it took quite some time.

Will continue with three updates tomorrow, striving to complete the book soon.

7017k

(End of Chapter)