The Duke of Crimson Flame was momentarily stunned. When he looked around, he did not find any traces of the bald crane, and when he saw the solemn look on Su Ming’s face, a guess instantly formed in his heart.

　　After a moment of hesitation, he said hesitantly, “I don’t know where it truly comes from, either, but I did find a hint of familiarity on its body. It’s… very similar to a certain existence during my era.”

　　“I wish to hear more about it,” Su Ming said as he looked at the Duke of Crimson Flame.

　　“I told you before that there are five Great True Worlds in this universe, and within each True World is a Kalpa Lord. They are the Sovereigns of a True World, just like Dao Chen from True Morning Dao World, Yin Sheng from True Sacred Yin World, and the Abyss Builders’ Sovereign from the fifth True World.

　　“They are Kalpa Lords, and they are at the Realm where they can control fate, lives, and death.

　　“After them are the five True Progenitors of the five True Great Words. These five people’s level of cultivation is even more shocking. They seem to have surpassed the level of Kalpa Lords. In fact, their existences can interfere with some of the operations of the five Great True Worlds.

　　“It’s as if they are the rules of the five Great True Worlds itself, and they can turn into all sorts of existences. Very few people can know who they truly are.

　　“They are a part of legends,” the Duke of Crimson Flame mumbled as he spoke of the secrets ages ago.

　　“Only our Sovereign of the five True Worlds within the five Great True World had his level of cultivation surpass that of the True Progenitor. The other Kalpa Lords from the four Great True Worlds cannot do this.

　　“I don’t know who the other True Progenitors from the other True Worlds are, but the True Progenitor from the fifth True World had only ever adopted one single appearance over the years. His name… was Lu Ya.

　　“He called himself a Daoist, and his origins were a mystery.

　　“But… the universe is huge, and there are millions of races within it. It’s impossible for there to only be ten Kalpa Lords and True Progenitors who are the strongest in the universe. Within each True World, there were other old monsters whose levels of cultivation were close to theirs, and there were some who were even stronger than them. These people… are also part of legends.

　　“Some of them moved about alone, and some of them ha huge races behind them acting as their support. Some… were rumored to be from the vast galaxy beyond the five Great True Worlds.

　　“Among the legends of the fifth True World, there is one about a huge crane. This crane always introduced itself as Hei Mo, and it was incredibly sly as well as ruthless. It loved killing and plundering, and wherever it went, all the sects would be destroyed and all medicinal cores taken away.

　　“It seemed to only be interested in medicinal cores. If one didn’t resist, they would be fine, but if they resisted, they would bring upon themselves a disaster.

　　“This crane was skilled in Transformation Arts. In this aspect, it was incredibly similar to our True Progenitor. No one knew where it came from, but it was a famous character in the fifth True World.

　　“It had done practically every despicable thing in the book. It poked fun of all sorts of old monsters, snatched people’s medicinal cores, changed its appearance so that no one could fend against it, causing all the cranes in the fifth True World to almost be massacred for a time being.

　　“Nothing seemed to be of much use against this crane. It seemed to have been born with a talent that could break all Runes, and Sealing Arts were also of no effect against it.

　　“Its bad name could even make a huge sect migrate and turn a galaxy into dust… It had only failed twice in its life. The first was when it went to the Abyss Builders’ homeland and was defeated by the Sovereign. However, it was only injured at that time, and since the Sovereign didn’t chase after it, it successfully escaped.

　　“The second time was when… it stole the True Progenitor Lu Ya’s medicinal cores. Daoist Lu Ya chased after it for a thousand years, but no one knows how this ended. Anyway, this is just what people said, very few know precisely what had happened back then.” When the Duke of Crimson Flame spoke up to that point, he cast Su Ming a strange look.

　　There was also a rather strange expression on Su Ming’s face. He did not even need to verify to be almost certain that the bald crane was indeed that crane which committed all sorts of heinous crimes and snatched medicinal cores as spoken in the legends within the fifth True World.

　　“The one… beside you fulfills certain characteristics of that crane. It’s greedy, can disregard Runes, is skilled in transformation, and is also a crane. However, what left me uncertain and unable to say for sure was that the crane in the legends of the fifth True World was only interested in medicinal cores. It would not even glance at crystals…

　　“But… the obsession and desire of the one beside you towards crystals has already reached a state that cannot be described with words, that’s why I can’t be certain whether it is the same crane as the one in the past!” the Duke of Crimson Flame said with a wry laugh.

　　“If you hadn’t asked me, I wouldn’t have told you what I’ve just said, because while I would be safe if the crane is not the same one as the one in the past, if it was, then I remember that the crane was the type that would seek revenge even for the smallest grievance, and it was a creature that held onto grudges.

　　“Even if it’s just a small matter, it would remember it for life.” The Duke of Crimson Flame continued laughing wryly, looking as if he had no way out of this situation.

　　At that moment, Su Ming was not just almost certain, he was almost absolutely certain that the bald crane was the one from the legend the Duke of Crimson Flame had just told. That personality which held onto grudges was one of which Su Ming had a deep impression.

　　Once he remembered how the purple Ecang had mentioned that the bald crane had been injured heavily thrice, it became clear to him that during the era the Duke of Crimson Flame had spoken of, it had needed to recover because of its grave injuries, that was why it had robbed medicinal cores in such a frenzy.

　　However, Su Ming still had a question in mind. Just what thing could make the bald crane shift its obsession from medicinal cores to crystals? This was something Su Ming could not figure out no matter how hard he tried. Perhaps only when the bald crane itself would be able to understand such a drastic shift in obsession once its memories returned.

　　‘What the Duke of Crimson Flame knows is just a part of the bald crane’s life. After all, it’s a life form that is as ancient as Ecang itself.’ After a moment of pensive silence, Su Ming lifted his head and looked at the Duke of Crimson Flame.

　　“Er… it even…” The Duke of Crimson Flame hesitated for a moment, and once he thought about how much he had said, he decided that he would tell Su Ming everything, which was why he gritted his teeth and continued.

　　“I’ve also heard of a rumor, but I don’t know whether it’s true or false. It said… that it was also very perverted. There were quite a number of female cultivators in the fifth True World in the past who were associated with it… Every single time they mentioned it, they would grind their teeth in anger, and they would look as if they badly wanted to kill it with their own hands… and I also met a female cultivator who clearly looked very embarrassed and enraged when she mentioned it, as if it did something that would make someone boil in anger.”

　　Once he Duke of Crimson Flame finished speaking, Su Ming was momentarily stunned. This was something he had never seen on the bald crane before.

　　“Then do you know any place where I can find some clues in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence? Perhaps I should reword this… if it’s injured badly and is near death, is there any way for me to heal it?”

　　A determined look appeared on Su Ming’s face. It did not matter to him what sort of background the bald crane had or how many people held grudges against it. Since it had fallen unconscious and was in a state of near death because of him, then he would do everything he could to save it.

　　“About that…” The Duke of Crimson Flame had some speculations a moment ago, and when he heard Su Ming’s words, he became even more certain that an accident had fallen upon the bald crane. A contemplative look appeared on his face, but after a long while, he shook his head.

　　“My level of cultivation was not the same in the past, I really don’t know what sort of method could save it… It’s a soul right now, and normal medicinal cores won’t be able to heal it. If we can find True Progenitor Lu Yan, then perhaps with his skills with medicinal cores, he could help it… but this is the same as finding a needle in a haystack, and we don’t even know whether True Progenitor Lu Ya is still alive.”

　　The Duke of Crimson Flame sighed. Just as he was shaking his head, a glint suddenly appeared in his eyes, as if he had thought of something.

　　“It introduces itself as Hei Mo… I remember now. I heard some people mention a theory in the fifth True World in the past. They said that there is a high possibility that it’s not a creature from the fifth True World, but something that came from Divine Essence Star Ocean.” The Duke of Crimson Flame immediately looked towards Su Ming.

　　“Are you saying… Black Ink Planet [1]?” Su Ming’s eyes sparkled.

　　“Hei Mo, Black Ink Planet, perhaps there is some connection between the two, but I can’t be certain. You’ll have to think about it yourself.” The Duke of Crimson Flame nodded.

　　Su Ming closed his eyes. After a long while, he opened them, and resolve appeared within them. The bald crane knew Ecang, and this alone was enough to tell him many things. The possibility of it coming from Divine Essence Star Ocean was incredibly high, and because of it, there was a high possibility that Black Ink Planet had some form of connection with the bald crane.

　　‘Black Ink Planet has existed for a long time, and unless someone changed the planet’s name during the time before history was even recorded to turn this into a trap against the bald crane, then there is definitely some form of clue lying about it in this sort of coincidence.’

　　Su Ming lowered his head to look at the green feather on his palm. As he looked at the blood on it and felt the familiar presence that belonged to the bald crane from that feather, the scenes of how he met it up to the moment it burned its soul for him flashed through his mind.

　　He could even seem to hear the faint voice of the bald crane smugly referring to itself as Grandpa Crane.

　　‘There are some things that cannot be viewed with rationale. Even if I know it’s dangerous, I still… have to do it.

　　‘Since you burned your soul to help me, then… what harm is there if I step into danger for you?!

　　‘I originally wouldn’t have been able to obtain this feather. If it weren’t for the Divine Essence Runic Symbols around me, even if I managed to kill Kong Huan, I would have only been able to obtain one of the green wisps. It would have been difficult for me to get both and turn them into this feather.

　　‘I’ll… take this risk. Bald crane, even if the feather turns out to be a problem, let’s take this risk!

　　‘If you can recover slightly after you absorb this feather, then even if it’s the dragon’s lair, I will go there for you.

　　‘If… we lose this bet, then I promise you that once the cultivation of my Divine Essence reaches completion, I will destroy the four Great True Worlds and have them… be buried with you!’

　　Su Ming gritted his teeth and sent the green feather in his hand into the storage bag. At the instant his hand touched the storage bag… his hand shook lightly, and that light shiver was a symbol of how nervous Su Ming was in his heart.

　　At the instant the green feather went into the storage bag, an endless amount of green light immediately shone from within. At the same time, the sleeping bald crane’s soul started shining with a brilliant black light, as if it was fighting against that green light.

　　It was also during this moment that the green feather in the light turned into a green peacock. With ferociousness and madness, as well as a hint of intelligence that appeared in its eyes, it charged towards the bald crane. As the black light spread out from the bald crane, it turned into a crane that had its eyes shut, and as if it was out of pure instinct, it charged towards the incoming green peacock.

　　At the instant both sides closed in on each other, a sparkle appeared in Su Ming’s right eye, and the Divine Essence Runic Symbols swiftly took form. They surged into the storage bag and enveloped the green peacock.

　　“I knew it, there was trouble in it!”

　　Su Ming let out a cold harrumph, and the Divine Essence Runic Symbols exploded on the green peacock with loud boom. Within an instant, they wiped off the intelligence within the green peacock’s eyes, causing a shrill screech to reverberate in space.

　　“Divine Essence… That’s impossible!”

　　As screeches of pain rang out, the green peacock’s eyes became unfocused, and its body looked as if it was about to scatter away. The bald crane, which had its eyes shut, pounced on it abruptly, and the two fused together instantly. The bald crane still had its eyes shut and continued to be in deep sleep, but the dissemination of its body immediately became much slower.

　　Though faint, the bald crane also seemed slightly different from before, as if its soul had recovered slightly.

　　“It’s effective!” Su Ming’s eyes shone with a brilliant light.

　　Translator’s Notes:

　　1. Hei Mo and Black Ink Planet: Hei Mo is what the past bald crane in the age of the fifth True World introduced itself as, and it is the pinyin and transliterated version of 黑墨 (hei1 mo4), while Black Ink is the translated version of those two characters.