Martial World

Chapter 1492 – I Will Follow You

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Lin Ming suddenly saying that he could break through the array formation in three months to a year left not just Empyrean Divine Mist shocked, but even Xiao Moxian felt her jaw drop down. “Lin Ming, are you saying you want to break through the array formation? Are you joking with me?”

“Mm… I believe I have a 60-70% chance of doing it.” Lin Ming couldn’t confirm this with absolute confidence because there were many things he had yet to understand.

“Are you playing with me? I already prepared myself to spend several hundred years or even a thousand years here, but you’re saying you can leave so soon?”

Even though Xiao Moxian had confidence in Lin Ming, she always felt that it would be a bit ridiculous for him to see through the array formation that the Asura Road Master had laid down.

If this were the past Xiao Moxian, then her mind would have long collapsed upon discovering that she would have to stay in this pitch black and unchanging hell for several hundred years. But now with Lin Ming accompanying her, Xiao Moxian didn’t feel that the days were too boring.

“Do you even know what you are saying? This God Beast Tomb is likely an ancient great array left behind by the Asura Road Master. The Asura Road Master is a character that existed 10 billion years ago, and even now no one knows whether he is alive or dead. There are several hundred God Beast corpses laid down in the God Beast Tomb, and yet this impossibly grand method is only a single piece in the Asura Road Master’s chess game. As for what his final goal is, not even I can guess. But, just from what I’ve gleaned in these years, it is nearly impossible to break through that array formation. Moreover, in the past I also tried thoroughly researching the array formation, and didn’t discover any clues in 10,000 years…”

Empyrean Divine Mist immediately said all these words in one breath, his voice hoarse as if he had consumed a great deal of strength to do so.

“Senior, are you afraid that I comprehended something incorrectly?” Lin Ming asked Empyrean Divine Mist, seeing the caution behind his words.

“Yes… I have consumed too much soul force today so it is difficult for me to continue using sound transmissions… I want you to know that the Asura Road Master should have possessed at the very least an extreme True Divinity cultivation, and perhaps he likely even stepped beyond that to an unknown boundary. For you to use just seven years to break through his array formation is simply too… unbelievable. I worry that you made some mistake at the very start and continued along this error as you perceived the array formation. If you enter the God Beast Tomb because you incorrectly comprehended something due to a mistake, then you’ll have wasted your life in vain…”

As Empyrean Divine Mist finished speaking, he fell silent. The purple crystal surrounding him was already dyed a dazzling silver by his blood, streaks of it flowing around like rivers of mercury.

As Lin Ming saw this silver blood, he sighed. He held his fists together and said, “Senior, please rest well and don’t use sound transmissions any longer. This junior understands to handle affairs cautiously.”

Empyrean Divine Mist faintly shook his head as he heard Lin Ming’s reply. He knew that Lin Ming didn’t take heed of his warning.

No matter how talented a martial artist was, they could still find themselves taking grueling detours in their cultivation. No matter how smart a student was, even they could make mistakes on a test.

Similarly speaking, a talented array master could also make mistakes when breaking through an array formation.

If they comprehended something wrong from the start, the results they would deduce at the end would also be wrong.

After all, the mind was not the Heavenly Dao rules; no one could guarantee they would be correct 100% of the time.

Looking at Lin Ming’s fading back, Empyrean Divine Mist let out a bitter sigh. He didn’t hope that Lin Ming would die like this, causing all of his previous efforts to be for naught.

As Lin Ming returned to his stone atop the cliff, he didn’t waste a single second and immediately began meditating as he sat down, perceiving the lines within the emperor jade. During these years, Lin Ming’s soul force became increasingly powerful and his deductions became increasingly sharp. He wasn’t too far away from thoroughly comprehending the God Beast Tomb.

One month… two months… three months…

During this time, Lin Ming didn’t return to Empyrean Divine Mist to study the soul forging Laws. Instead, he sat motionlessly atop the rock in a completely entranced state.

“The 33 Heavens, the boundless Great Dao. My resolve is to seek the peak of all martial arts. I spent 3.3 billion years to travel through the 33 Heavens, cultivating 33 lives. One life one Empyrean, one life one Divinity. What I seek is the highest truth of the Heavenly Dao…”

The words of the Asura Sutra’s general outline repeated themselves within Lin Ming’s mind.

The general outline only had a mere several hundred words, but they actually contained the Asura Road Master’s understanding of the Great Dao as well as the path he chose to cultivate. Moreover, it hinted towards the highest truths of the God beast Tomb.

With the Asura Sutra general outline and the emperor jade pendant added together, Lin Ming used a total of seven years to fully understand the essence of the God Beast Tomb.

“33 Heavens, 33 lives…” Lin Ming murmured this number again and again. A thought suddenly flashed in his mind as the entire array diagram of the God Beast Tomb appeared in his mind, overlapping with the emperor jade’s lines as they verified each other.

“The God Beast Tomb’s great array formation is divided into 33 parts, each part containing profound and mystical principles consistent with the Dao of the 33 Layered Heavens. And in the center of the tomb, there are three blank spots. Could the Asura Road Master have laid down this array formation so that the future generations could fill in these three gaps?

All sorts of thoughts flashed through Lin Ming’s mind. He felt as if he had seized upon new insights yet again. Even though he thought comprehending 80-90% of the God Beast Tomb’s array formation was his limit, he was actually able to go another step further!

“Three months might not be enough…”

Lin Ming thought to himself. Unwittingly and unknowingly, he had already entered an ethereal state. His mind was completely focused on the God Beast Tomb’s array formation. Besides that, everything else in this world seemed to fade away.

This was similar to a state of enlightenment. For most martial artists, this was a state that could only be discovered and not sought, but with Lin Ming’s unusual perception and powerful soul force, in addition to his ethereal martial intent having fused with his other martial intents, he actually regularly entered this enlightened state. This was the state of comprehending without a thought that Buddhist martial artists often spoke about.

Fourth month…

Fifth month…

Lin Ming was as still as a statue above the cliff rock, not moving at all. There was even a thin layer of bone dust that had gathered over his body.

Thus, half a year passed. It was already three months past the shortest deadline that Lin Ming had thought of. For this last half year, Empyrean Divine Mist hadn’t sent out a single word, but had remained in a deep slumber within the purple crystal.

Empyrean Divine Mist could only sigh inwardly. Lin Ming was simply too stubborn. A martial artist needed a heart of persistence, but it was rare to see someone as persistent as Lin Ming.

Six months and 10 days later, Lin Ming finally opened his eyes from meditation. In the pitch black darkness of the God Beast Tomb, his eyes shined like stars in the sky, brilliant and dazzling.

“Lin Ming!” Xiao Moxian was startled from beside Lin Ming. As she turned and saw that he had opened his eyes, she happily said, “It took you long enough to wake up! You’ve been meditating for such a long time that I thought you went crazy!”

Xiao Moxian could see that Lin Ming’s eyes were filled with a glorious light. Besides being a bit exhausted, he didn’t seem to have overdone anything at all. She finally relaxed herself.

“I’m glad that you’re fine. Don’t push yourself too far. This is an array formation likely left behind by the Asura Road Master. It’s already extremely brave of you to try and perceive it. Even I attempted it but I couldn’t understand anything at all.”

Xiao Moxian had been watching over Lin Ming for the last five months already. As she watched him perceive the God Beast Tomb, she was a little distressed upon thinking that he might have overdrawn his mentality in doing so. Without noticing it, Lin Ming had already managed to occupy a little spot in her heart. She continued to say, “Rest up. We’ll restore ourselves and tomorrow we’ll go back to Senior Divine Mist to continue training.”

Seeing Lin Ming not say a single word in response, Xiao Moxian’s eyes twitched. “Hey, I spoke so much and yet you don’t seem to have heard me.”

Just as Xiao Moxian’s voice fell, Lin Ming suddenly reached out a hand and held Xiao Moxian’s wrist.

“Lin Ming, you…”

Xiao Moxian was stunned. She didn’t know just what Lin Ming was doing. Although they had often held hands in these past seven years, there was always a reason behind it, with no other meaning. In an idle time, the two of them had never touched skin.

“Do you trust me?”

Lin Ming suddenly asked, his voice deep and solemn.

“Of course I trust you.” Xiao Moxian blurted out in response, not sure why Lin Ming would ask such a silly question.

“I am going to go into the God Beast Tomb until I reach the deepest depths! Are you willing to follow me?”

As Lin Ming spoke, he earnestly looked into Xiao Moxian’s eyes. His voice was slow and steady as he spoke one syllable at a time.

Xiao Moxian was bewildered. “Go into the God Beast Tomb!? You… have comprehended it!”

“I am 90% sure of it!” Lin Ming confidently replied. When he said 90%, that was in case an unexpected situation occurred, like another demonic tide.

Xiao Moxian covered her mouth. She knew that with Lin Ming’s personality there was no way he would say something so irresponsible. But, the question now was that even if Lin Ming perceived something, was it right?

She felt that the current Lin Ming was slightly delirious. As she looked into his bright eyes, the sight was a bit blinding.

As she and Lin Ming looked into each other’s eyes, she took a deep breath and nodded. “I will follow you.”