Martial World (Web Novel)

Chapter 2164 – The Soul Emperor and Deep

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In this world, all sorts of strange and bizarrely inexplicable matters were forever possible. Sheng Mei had believed that Lin Ming had already died, but she never imagined she would meet him here once more in the 18th layer of the Dark Abyss – the Demon God’s Tomb.

Moreover… it was in this type of situation.

She had just experienced the dreamland of her heart demons. That sojourn through her dreamland had caused a nearly complete transformation of her mind and thoughts. In that dream, she had lost the thing she was most afraid of losing. But after awakening from that dream, she discovered that all those things she feared losing the most had actually returned…

This feeling of loss and recovery caused an unspeakable happiness to rise in Sheng Mei’s heart. At this moment, Sheng Mei felt that if she could keep these things she lost then even if she never managed to chase after that ephemeral and illusionary peak of martial arts in her lifetime, she still wouldn’t regret it.

She knew that one day she must give her child a home to return to.

She would do her best, finding a turning point so that her child could be born.

Or she would fail, and her child would be discovered and killed, and perhaps even refined…

These worries had becomes a dire curse of Sheng Mei’s heart. She didn’t dare to think about it because the mere thought left her so sad that she couldn’t breathe.

But today, as she bordered on despair, she actually saw the child’s father once more – Lin Ming.

After a quarter hour of time, the storm in the surrounding area began to gradually subside…

Lin Ming already sensed that the storm was weakening. When he felt it had weakened to a point where Sheng Mei could deal with it on her own, he left her and arrived beside the Great Flood Crown Prince.

In the final strike, the Great Flood Crown Prince had been severely wounded by Lin Ming, and with his boundary having fallen, he was simply incapable of resisting such a terrifying energy storm.

At this point he was already at death’s door.

The Great Flood Crown Prince looked at Lin Ming, the corners of his lips tugging up as if he wished to smile. But at this time, Lin Ming coldly and indifferently raised the Black Dragon Spear and pierced through the Great Flood Crown Prince’s throat!

Puff!

The Great Flood Crown Prince’s throat was torn open. His body violently shook and blood gushed out from his neck, dyeing the surrounding ground bright red.

Lin Ming raised the Black Dragon, pulling up the Great Flood Crown Prince’s body like a dead fish.

The Great Flood Crown Prince’s neck was crooked and his limbs shook. His breath grew weaker and weaker, and eventually, he died.

Like this, a Crown Prince of the Great Flood Demon Kingdom had died in the Demon God’s Tomb!

Lin Ming grabbed the arm of the Great Flood Crown Prince and revolved the Swallowing Laws. With a deep hum, the power of demon gods accumulated within the Great Flood Crown Prince was continuously extracted by Lin Ming, sucked into his body.

The Great Flood Crown Prince had a considerable amount of the power of demon gods within him. After swallowing up this strength, Lin Ming felt his own strength rise once more, approaching the limits of an Empyrean more and more.

Now, Lin Ming believed he had accumulated enough strength in his body. As long as he went into seclusion for a period of time, he could break through to the Empyrean limit!

After putting away the Great Flood Crown Prince’s corpse, Lin Ming also took off his spatial ring. Upon sweeping through it, besides discovering some valuable pills and magic tools, there was also a dark blue ancient book.

Lin Ming took up this dark blue ancient book. This was one of the six ceremonial rites books – the Book of Nether!

This Book of Nether was originally the destiny-stabilizing treasure of the Deep Alliance’s Nine Nether Palace. But in this trip into the Demon God’s Tomb, the Book of Nether was taken by the Great Flood Demon Kingdom. This was naturally because Nine Nether Palace lacked strength and weren’t able to control their own ceremonial rites book.

And at the same time, Deep King Road also possessed the Demon Association’s Book of Evil.

After killing the Great Flood Crown Prince, all three ceremonial rites books in the Demon God’s Tomb were gathered here. Now, Lin Ming possessed two and Sheng Mei had one.

If there were more ceremonial rites books, would there be some sort of unique or special function? This thought crossed Lin Ming’s mind as he turned to look at Sheng Mei.

There was only 30 feet separating the two of them. But, this short distance seemed as if it crossed through the vast span of space and time.

After seven thousand years, and with the time they passed through within time enchantments added on, it had been nearly 10,000 years since they last saw each other…

In such a place and such a time, the two of them met again. All sorts of tastes and emotions rose up in their hearts, all sorts of words and questions they wanted to say and ask, and yet neither knew where to begin.

The mystic realm was dark and quiet. The energy shockwaves from the battle between Lin Ming and the Great Flood Crown Prince continued to reverberate around them, blooming in the void like ripples in space.

Lin Ming silently arrived in front of Sheng Mei, and then reached out a hand to gently wipe the blood off her lips.

“You… why are you in the Dark Abyss? Why would you have become an abyssal?”

After a quarter hour of silence between the two, Lin Ming finally spoke up.

Sheng Mei’s gaze pierced through Lin Ming. She said, “This question is also what I want to ask you.”

“Answer me first.” Lin Ming said.

“Mm…” Sheng Mei nodded. “By this time, there is nothing I need to conceal from you. I will tell you everything I know because the soul mark that the Soul Emperor planted in my spiritual sea has been somehow removed by me, after I overdrew my spiritual sea to flush it out…”

“Soul mark?”

Lin Ming’s thoughts stirred. Sheng Mei’s description of the soul mark left him frowning. “Do you mean… slave seal?”

A slave seal could completely control and sublimate a person’s thoughts, making them into a truly loyal servant. Many martial artists would rather die than have a slave seal willingly implanted within them.

Sheng Mei shook her head, “It’s not a slave seal. Although a slave seal can completely control a person, their independent personality will basically be erased afterwards. Such a person is no different from a puppet, and although a puppet is loyal and easy to use, they will have a flaw in their soul due to their lost personality. Like this, that person will lose a great deal of potential and their possibilities for growth will dramatically fall. It is impossible to make such a person into a peerless powerhouse.

“What the Soul Emperor needs is not a puppet but a powerful assistant, a genius that could carry out missions alone…

“Thus, what he implanted within me was only his spirit mark. Out of all living beings in the universe, whether they are races of the 33 Heavens or abyssal demons, the Soul Emperor is the one who understands the soul the most. After he placed his spirit mark within me, he could retain my complete personality, my wishes and desires, and even my hatred towards him. But I… just had no way to disobey him… because, as long as he wished to, he could use a mere thought to activate the spirit mark as well as the energy he placed inside me to control my movements.”

Sheng Mei sighed as she spoke to here, her eyelashes quietly trembling as if she were pained. For these tens of thousands of years, the Soul Emperor’s spirit mark had lurked in the recesses of her mind, following her growth and reinforcing itself all the while. From start to finish, the spirit mark was like a cage that was impossible for her to break free from.

This sort of sorrow had followed Sheng Mei her entire life.

But now, after breaking through the spirit mark, Sheng Mei felt like a bird flying in the skies, a fish freed into the seas. The comfort and freedom nearly caused Sheng Mei to burst into tears.

“So that’s what happened…” Lin Ming nodded. From the time he first met Sheng Mei he felt that she was being controlled by the Soul Emperor. And, it seemed that his speculations were correct.

“Then why would you appear in the Dark Abyss? Is this also the intentions of the Soul Emperor?”

Lin Ming asked. In truth, he had already guessed the answer in this heart.

“Yes.” Sheng Mei nodded.

“Is there some strange relationship between the Soul Emperor and Deep? Or… is the Soul Emperor actually Deep?” Lin Ming asked.

This thought had always been in the back of Lin Ming’s mind.

Sheng Mei’s status was unquestioned in the entire Dark Abyss. Within the Deep Alliance, she possessed supreme status and no one dared to question her.

If Sheng Mei were really a high level spy sent in to infiltrate by the spiritas, then there was no need for her to be in such a high-profile position. Moreover, this sort of viewpoint was shaky to begin with.

Then, the most likely possibility was that there was a certain relation of benefits between the Soul Emperor and Deep. Or, they could even be the same person. If so, then everything could be explained.

In other words, Sheng Mei had different dual identities within the Dark Abyss and 33 Heavens!

Sheng Mei shook her head. “Your guess is only slightly off. In truth… it shouldn’t be said that the Soul Emperor is Deep, but that… Deep is the Soul Emperor!”

“Mm?” Lin Ming was startled by Sheng Mei’s hidden undertone.

Deep was the Soul Emperor. In other words, the current ruler of the spiritas was an abyssal demon!

The spiritas could be considered the largest and most powerful race in the current 33 Heavens. Yet, such a race was controlled by an abyssal!

Thinking of this, Lin Ming felt a chill crawl down his spine!