Chapter 108: Xing!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Bi Tu was terrified. He had never even dreamt about someone possessing two Berserker Marks among those in the Berserker Tribe. Not only was it something unbelievable, it also covered the former prodigy, Mo Sang, with a thick layer of mystery.
When Mo Sang's second Berserker Mark appeared, the sight of the tooth killing the dark python, which was formed by his first Berserker Mark, before materializing into the malicious looking head of a single-horned beast with the similar presence to Transcendence also made Bi Tu take in a sharp breath. His skin crawled, and he immediately lifted both his arms, pointing a finger towards the black bolt of lightning that was originally aimed at Su Ming.
The black bolt of lightning immediately changed direction and dashed towards the beast head that was surrounded by black fog.
The elder stood in midair with his eyes closed, unmoving. The giant head of the beast behind him howled. The black fog spread around them, casting the sky and earth in a ghastly light. This was the elder's final resort, and also a secret he had kept hidden deep within himself.
The head of the beast that was surrounded by the black fog spreading outwards charged towards Bi Tu, howling in its rush towards the black bolt of lightning that went forward to protect Bi Tu. The bolt of lightning let out loud thunderous cracks and closed in on the head of the beast.
They crashed into each other.
Thunderous roars echoed through the sky. The head of the beast let loose horrendous howls as a large amount of the black fog that surrounded it dispersed. The black bolt of lightning stopped before the center of the beast's brows, unable to pierce through.
As the head of the beast continued roaring, it continued moving forward, forcing that bolt of lightning to move backwards as if it was met with strong resistance.
Bi Tu's face was pale. His eyes were bloodshot. As of then, he felt like he was faced with the greatest danger in his life. The black bolt of lightning continued retreating, allowing the head of the beast to arrive at a distance less than 1,000 feet away from him.
Bi Tu brought both his hands up, pointing at the center of his brows with one finger, and towards his chest on his already withered body with the other, offering his blood and life once again. His hair, which was originally black, turned instantly white. Dried cracks spread through his face, and his body swayed.
"That is only a presence similar to Transcendence, it's not true Transcendence!"
Bi Tu let out a low growl. As his body started changing, that black bolt of lightning seemed to have replenished its power. A black ray of light that shot into the sky erupted forth from the bolt of lightning, and in an instant, it grew several times in size and pierced the center of the beast's brows.
In the distance, the elder trembled and blood flowed out of his mouth. A similar injury appeared at the center of his brows. It looked almost identical to the injury at the center of the beast's brows.
That head of the beast roared, and a strange light appeared in its eyes. It did not care about the black bolt of lightning piercing through it, but instead charged forward even as booming noises came from its head. As the black fog quickly dispersed, the black bolt of lightning entered further into its head. Yet the head of the beast did not seem to know any pain and continued moving forward until it was only 300 feet from Bi Tu from the initial 1,000.
At that moment, half of the black bolt of lightning had entered the center of the beast's brows, causing arcs of black lightning to travel through the entire head of the creature, as if it was going to be destroyed at any moment.
However, that light from the bolt of lightning also dimmed, like the life that provided its power was no longer enough.
Black blood flowed out from Bi Tu's mouth. He raised his right hand in one swift motion and pressed one finger on his right eye, and the light from his right eye immediately faded away, as if it lost its life, turning white.
The moment his right eye turned white, the black bolt of lightning immediately let out a strong black light again, and with a roar, most of the bolt of lightning entered the center of the beast's brows. Yet at that moment, there was only 100 feet between the head of the beast and Bi Tu.
In the distance, Su Ming had his eyes closed. His entire body was surrounded by the blood from the Wings of the Moon. The blood gradually gathered around him and turned into a strange blood statue.
As it gradually formed, a mysterious pressure spread out from the blood statue.
Anxiety appeared on Bi Tu's face at that moment. He raised his right hand and pointed at his right leg. It let out a bang, and his entire right leg exploded. After he offering up his right eye, he was once again offering up a sacrifice - his right leg. The moment his right leg shattered, the head of the beast was fifty feet away from him. Yet that black bolt of lightning also pierced through the center of the beast's brows with a boom and went out from the back of its head.
The destructive force from the bolt of lightning caused its eyes to instantly become duller, and its focus to scatter, but it did not stop its charge. It continued rushing towards Bi Tu. 50 feet, 40 feet, 30 feet… As Bi Tu let out a terrified scream, he disappeared in the blink of an eye.
The only thing visible was the head of the beast that had concealed Bi Tu. It turned into faint wisps of black fog and dissipated into the air.
The elder's face was pale. He opened his eyes, and there was an expectant look in his dull eyes. Yet that anticipation turned into despair in a moment. He coughed out blood, and the moment the head of the beast dissipated, it was as if something huge crashed into him. He staggered back and fell on one of the five summits on Dark Mountain, struggling to stand.
A defiant and excited laughter traveled from where the black fog was dissipating from the head of the beast. It was Bi Tu's voice. He had not died! At that moment, he had also thought that he would be killed, but when that beast was not even five feet away from him, a black light suddenly appeared from Bi Tu's body. The moment the head of the beast touched the light, it dissipated.
"No one can kill me! Mo Sang, you may be strong, you may have two Berserker Marks, but you can't kill me!"
Bi Tu panted harshly. He was still terrified by what had happened. He knew that if the mysterious man in black had not left behind some power within him, then Bi Tu would surely have been unable to survive the beast's charge just now.
At that moment, he looked pathetic. He had lost an eye, a leg, and his entire body was withered and dried up like a branch. His face was pale, but he still lifted his head and laughed at the sky.
"I'll kill him first. I'll let you see him die before your eyes, and then I'll kill you!"
Bi Tu panted harshly, lifting his right hand to point at the bolt of lightning that suddenly became larger in the air. The bolt of lightning jolted and slowly turned around. By the looks of it, it was as if it needed to lock onto its target before attacking—that was why it needed to readjust its position each time.
Yet the moment the black bolt of lightning readjusted its position and locked onto Su Ming, Su Ming opened his eyes, and the moment he did so, the blood of the Wings of the Moon circling around him surged forth, and a broken blood statue appeared in between heaven and earth.
The blood statue was not big. It was only 40 to 50 feet tall. Su Ming's body was like a mosaic on the blood statue's chest, but it did not materialize because of him. His body only acted as a small conduit, allowing the Wings of the Moon to gather all their power together through his body, which was how they had become the same level as Bi Tu during their previous fight.
The blood statue exuded an ancient presence. A blood-red light flashed all over its body, but the statue did not have a head. It was broken, and looked as if there was not enough strength for it to appear in its complete form in the sky.
Still, even without a head, a terrifying presence surrounded the blood statue. The man portrayed wore armor, and it was also blood-red. It made the man look like was an old battle spirit hanging midair.
Besides the terrifying presence coming from his body, there was also a devastating air around him, as if he was shouting because he was unwilling to die, and his cries reverberated through the air.
In his hands was a giant axe. That axe was also broken, but a killing intent that shook the sky surrounded it. Vague cries from the souls of those who were wronged traveled out from the axe.
This was one of the nine great statues of the God of Berserkers from the Fire Berserker Tribe taken from the memories of the Wings of the Moon. A long time ago, he was once worshipped by an uncountable number of people from the Fire Berserker Tribe. He even once fought against the God of Berserkers together with the other eight statues of the God of Berserkers after they had been granted intelligence by the Elder of the Fire Berserker Tribe.
His head was torn off by the God of Berserkers; he had already died a long time ago. His broken appearance now was an illusion created from the memories of the Wings of the Moon using their Blood of the Fire Berserkers.
His name was Xing!
Bi Tu's mouth hung open. There were simply far too many things that caught him off guard today. However, he was not numbed towards it yet, because these things were only growing increasingly more shocking.
Su Ming's eyes flashed as he stood on the shoulders of the headless and broken statue of the God of Berserkers. The broken God's body took one step forward. The moment its foot landed, it was as if the sky and earth shook.
However, Su Ming knew that the shaking was fake. The materialization of the broken God was due to the culmination of the memories of the Wings of the Moon. Perhaps he truly had had incredible strength, but he was dead. He was just an illusion, and that was why the power he could use was incredibly small.
More importantly, the moment the broken God appeared, Su Ming also felt that the broken God was quickly disappearing. He could only remain for the span of a few breaths.
After a few breaths, the broken God would disappear, and all the Wings of the Moon would also die as a price. At that moment, Su Ming would no longer have the power of the Wings of the Moon, and because he could no longer suppress his injuries, he would also experience backlash. Not only would he be unable to fight against Bi Tu, he would also face serious danger from overexertion.
As light flashed in Su Ming's eyes, the ripples caused by the broken God spread out. With just one step, he appeared before the stunned Bi Tu. He lifted the axe in his hands and swung it downwards.
At that moment, the black bolt of lightning sped towards the broken God.
Bi Tu trembled. The danger he felt right now surpassed that of when he had faced the head of the beast formed by Mo Sang's second Berserker Mark. It made him feel terror that stemmed from the very root of his soul. He did not hesitate. He knew clearly that if he hesitated for even a moment, he would die completely and utterly, his body and spirit exterminated.
So he pointed at his left leg without hesitation, gritting his teeth. Many blood veins appeared on his body to form the picture of a complete Wings of the Moon, yet the picture spread out with a bang, causing his blood veins to be unable to gather together. Faced with life and death, Bi Tu had chosen to give up on the Transcendence Realm. Even if his level of cultivation would fall due to this, it was still better than dying here.
The moment his Berserker Mark that signified Transcendence scattered away, the black bolt of lightning let out its strongest black light and closed in on the broken God!
Chapter 109: One Flag Pole!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The bolt of lightning closed in on the broken God, charging at its upper back. The moment it touched, thunderclaps reverberated in the sky, but that broken God did not stop. He was not at all bothered by the black bolt of lightning, even if there were numerous black electrical arcs traveling all over his body.
Nevertheless, the Blood of the Wings of the Moon that created the broken God were rapidly disappearing after it was attacked by the bolt of lightning that had gathered all the power Bi Tu had sacrificed from the Transcendence Realm. It made the amount of time that the broken God could exist become even shorter. According to Su Ming's calculations, before the axe could even fall down, the statue would disappear.
Yet even if that axe only contained a tiny fragment of the power of the former Xing, killing a mere Berserker in the Transcendence Realm was nothing!
Xing raised the giant battle axe, and countless moaning voices rose from within, as if a large number of angry spirits that had died under this axe ages ago also came into existence. They surrounded the axe as it swung down.
"No!"
Despair appeared in Bi Tu's eyes. As the battle-axe sunk down, he felt as if the pressure of tens of thousands of mountains fell upon him. He could not fight back. He trembled and raised his hands instinctively, trying to block death falling on his head.
A black light flashed in his body at that moment. The black ray of light that had helped him to avoid death last time appeared again. It surrounded his entire body and turned into a spherical ball of light.
This was his last resort. Nonetheless, the giant battle-axe surrounded by the numerous wailing angry spirits continued slashing downwards. The moment the axe touched the black light, it shattered. It didn't even manage to stop the axe for a fraction of a second. The light might as well have never existed, allowing the battle-axe to slice through and head towards Bi Tu, who sank into despair.
Bi Tu was about to die. Su Ming's hatred for this person filled his entire body. Yet the moment the axe was about to fall on him, the space before Bi Tu twisted, and a person in black robes walked out.
He raised his right hand and a brilliant light flashed around it. A purple shield appeared and clashed against the approaching battle-axe.
Booming sounds shook the sky and earth. The shield in the newcomer's hand shattered. He retreated and grabbed Bi Tu, who was at that moment filled with despair and excitement. They quickly withdrew until they were 1,000 feet away before stopping. The person's face was hidden under his black robes, and there was no way of telling whether he was injured.
Su Ming smiled wanly. The moment the battle-axe was blocked, the broken statue of the God of Berserkers formed by the Blood of the Wings of Moon reached its limit. It disappeared into the air like a large cloud of red dust scattered into the wind.
He felt a force charging towards him, and his body tumbled backwards, turning into an arc before he crashed on Dark Dragon Mountain. He coughed out blood and trembled. Since he was no longer capable of suppressing his injuries, they all appeared like a tidal wave crashing into his body, including the ones he had sustained when he forcefully increased his level of cultivation.
His vision became blurry. That was the feeling of death. Su Ming bit his tongue with his remaining strength and forced himself to stay awake. He struggled to sit up and looked at the person in black robes standing before Bi Tu in the distance.
"My Lord!"
There was lingering fear on Bi Tu's face. He knew that if the person in black robes had not arrived when he did, he would have certainly died.
"Looks like I've underestimated the tribes located at the borders of the Alliance of the Western Region. First, the two people in the Transcendence Realm from the weak branch of Miao Man could combine their Qi and use three attacks with the power of the later stages of the Transcendence Realm. Now, I see a young lad like you training the pure Fire Berserker Art. You even managed to summon Xing's broken statue! That attack just now… if it were not because your power is too weak and could not provide enough strength, I would not have been able to withstand it."
The person in black robes spoke with a hoarse voice. His body trembled slightly, and there was lingering fear on his face. If it were not because Bi Tu was still useful to him and because the power of the axe from the broken God was not enough, he would not have come forward to save Bi Tu. Blood trickled down from his lips, which went unnoticed because of the black robes covering him.
"Bone Sacrifice Realm… You killed Jing Nan?"
The elder stood on another summit. He no longer had any strength left to fight. He spoke unhurriedly as he looked at the person in black robes.
"They are, after all, from the Great Tribe of Miao Man. With how protective Miao Man is of their own, killing them would just be troublesome."
The person in black robes cast a glance at the elder, and he laughed suddenly. His laughter was hoarse and ghastly. He looked at the elder and brought out a black plate from his bosom with his right hand. There was a complete spine carved on the plate, and it was exuding wisps of cold air. He threw it, and the plate charged towards the elder before it floated before him.
When the elder saw the plate, his expression changed, and he looked incredibly sour.
"Besides looking for the ruins of Fire Berserker here, I also came to find you! Mo, you did not let us down. If you died in Bi Tu's hands, then you wouldn't be one of us. But you must pay the price for the mistake you committed in the past."
As the person in black robes spoke, he retrieved the black plate and no longer paid any attention to Mo Sang. Instead, he walked towards Su Ming.
"I didn't think I'd be able to find an heir of the Fire Berserker's here…"
Su Ming let out a light sigh. His expression was calm. Even without the presence of the person in black robes, he would not have any chance to recover. There was only death waiting for him.
He did not even look at the person in black robes, but turned his eyes towards the elder standing on another summit. His gaze was gentle. He had already done everything he could.
'This is the end… I'm sorry. I couldn't take care of him properly.'
The elder fell silent. He think that what had happened was entirely due to him accidentally joining that frightening group of people in the past. He closed his eyes bitterly.
Yet at the moment the elder closed his eyes, his body suddenly jolted. A yellow light suddenly appeared on his body, and in an instant, it grew so bright it blinded everyone's eyes. A presence that did not belong to the world appeared, erupting forth from the elder's body with a lofty and mighty air.
The moment the presence appeared, the person in black robes who was walking towards Su Ming stopped and turned his head back abruptly. There was a hint of amazement and shock on his face, which was hidden underneath the black robes.
He saw the piercing yellow light erupting forth from Mo Sang's body.
As the light glowed, it gathered on Mo Sang's clavicle. A muffled boom echoed in the sky, and a small yellow flag the size of a palm flew out from Mo Sang's clavicle before coming to float seven inches above his head.
Mo Sang trembled. He opened his eyes abruptly and lifted his head. When he saw the small yellow flag, he was stunned.
"You… Why are you here?!"
The appearance of the small flag threw the elder into disbelief. He had thought that this thing would never appear in his life, because the person who had given it to him had fused the flag into his blood. The elder had tried countless times in the past, but he could not sense it. He could only vaguely feel its presence.
The elder was stunned. He took in a sharp breath and abruptly looked at Su Ming. There was an absentminded look in his eyes, as if he had just understood something.
He struggled up and grabbed the small flag. The moment the elder held the flag in his hands, it shot up to at least 30 feet tall. It was no longer a flag, but a giant flag pole!
Its color also instantly turned to black from yellow, but the flag banner was not completely black. There were stars shining within, a brilliant sky shining with stars!
That sky was unfamiliar. It was not the night sky seen by all the members of the Berserker Tribe when they raised their heads. It belonged instead to a place far away. Perhaps the people there would find this sight familiar when they raised their heads.
The heart of the person in black robes trembled furiously. A feeling that something bad was about to happen turned into a strong sense of danger within him. It made his expression change, and he quickly moved forward, wanting to stop Mo Sang's actions.
Yet he could not stop Mo Sang from lifting up the giant flag pole and standing on the summit. He stood on the peak of the mountain and stretched out his right hand, causing the flag pole to lie horizontally. When the elder swung it to his left, it stirred up wind, making the entire banner spread open like a wave. When the person in black robes got closer, Mo Sang had already drawn a circle around his body with the flag pole in his right hand.
The banner danced in the air, and once it gently touched Mo Sang's face, he swung it in the air, and it changed once again. It became larger, and in the blink of an eye, the stars on the banner suddenly started glowing incredibly bright. The banner even flew from the elder's hands and started rotating on its own in the air.
It became larger, wider, and in the span of a breath, the banner became as large as a patch of sky filled with stars. As it danced in the air, the colors of the sky and earth changed, the wind and clouds tumbled backwards, and with a cry that reverberated through the air, the banner flew into the sky, and their sky was replaced by the gigantic banner!
The night sky was suddenly replaced by the starry sky on the banner, causing the night sky to change in a heartbeat!
This was an Art that changed the sky. This was an Art that made the night sky disappear by replacing it with the starry sky in the banner. Right then, Su Ming was stunned. He lifted his head and looked at the sky. That starry sky above was completely unfamiliar to him.
Bi Tu was also dumbfounded as he trembled. He could not see any familiar stars. The night sky in his eyes was foreign. This was a patch of sky he had never seen before.
None of the stars in the sky were familiar!
The starry sky at night was a sight that everyone saw every day since they were young. Each and every one of the stars would bring about familiarity to those who saw them. The distance between the stars and the pictures they form would slowly be engraved inside people's memories.
If, someday, that were to suddenly change, then everyone would immediately notice it. That sort of unfamiliarity would make panic rise in their hearts!
The person in black robes trembled furiously as he looked at the unfamiliar starry sky. Even if he was a powerful Berserker at the Bone Sacrifice Realm, the terror did not diminish, because he knew certain things…
"The sky of another world! This is the sky of another world!"
The moment the starry sky appeared, the elder coughed out blood and staggered backwards. Nonetheless, he quickly shouted to Su Ming, who was staring at the sky with a dumbfounded expression.
"Su Ming, remember this sky!" When he finished shouting out his words, the elder fell, completely drained of his strength.
Su Ming jolted, then looked at the unfamiliar stars in the sky.
The sky suddenly lit up with a strong burst of starlight. The stars flashed brilliantly and started moving. Right before everyone's eyes, the light from the stars joined together and formed a faint outline of a person.
The person was so huge that he seemed to cover the entire sky. As the light from the stars grew brighter, the person's face also became clearer.
It was a middle aged man!
The moment the light from the stars created the face on the person, Su Ming shuddered and disbelief appeared on his face. He stood there, completely stunned.
The face of the gigantic person formed by the light was greatly similar to Su Ming's own!
Chapter 110: The Wind Blew Away All Traces
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
When the starlight drew out the outline of the face, everyone present saw that the person had his eyes closed. In the air, the person in black robes let out a low growl and withdrew in one swift move. He charged towards Bi Tu and grabbed him, as if he was about to leave the place with him.
He could feel a presence that made him horrified, coming from the unfamiliar sky. The presence made all the hairs on his body rise. That feeling was one he had not experienced for many years.
At that moment, he no longer had any desire to catch Su Ming. There was only one thought in his head—he had to quickly get out of this place!
Yet the moment he grabbed Bi Tu and was about to leave, the person formed by the light coming from the replaced stars in the sky opened his eyes. His gaze held an oppressive might and aloofness. It was just one glance, and a boom sounded in Bi Tu's head. That look that came from the person in the sky gave him a feeling that the person had already surpassed the northern Fallen God of Berserkers he had summoned by sacrificing his life!
"Who is he?!"
The person in black robes was petrified. The fear in him made him not care about anything else. A large amount of black mist appeared from underneath his feet. He grabbed Bi Tu and they hastily disappeared into the air.
The moment the person in black robes tried to disappear with Bi Tu, the person that looked rather similar to Su Ming in the sky raised his right hand. He did not clench his fist, but closed his fingers together and pushed down towards the earth.
The moment he pressed his palm, a wind that blew downwards stirred up. That wind blew past the place where the person in black robes disappeared with Bi Tu. Immediately, that space in the air started twisting, and the person in black robes and Bi Tu were forcefully dragged back from their escape. The very instant they were dragged out, Bi Tu let out a scream, and his arms were torn into pieces of flesh and blood.
The person in black robes stood in front of Bi Tu and coughed out blood. His face, which was hidden under the black robe, was filled with terror and panic.
'What is with his power?! This has far surpassed the Bone Sacrifice Realm… This person from another world… could he be at the Berserker Soul Realm?'
The palm strike coming from the sky may have seemed slow, but in reality, it traveled down really quickly in the direction where the person in black robes and Bi Tu were. Booming sounds reverberated in the air. The moment the palm pressed down, the person in black robes let out a shrill cry. He grabbed Bi Tu, who was standing behind him, and once he infused some power into him, threw him towards the incoming palm.
Bi Tu could not even resist. The moment his body touched the palm, the power that was infused into him by the person in black robes exploded, causing his entire body to burst apart with a bang. A strong force came forth and shook the entire area, but…
The palm did not stop for even a moment. It was as if that force was nothing. It went through the force caused by Bi Tu's explosion and rushed toward the person in black robes.
The eyes of the person in black robes were bloodshot. He could not escape. As he lifted his arms quickly, the 13th piece of his spine let out a great power that fused into his arms. He pushed at the palm coming towards him.
A booming sound echoed once again in the sky. The person in black robes let out a sharp and pained cry. His arms, hidden under those black sleeves, were immediately ripped into pieces. Even his black robe was torn apart, revealing the face he had kept hidden.
It was an old man with a black picture on his body. That picture looked like an eye, and on his back, an old and aged presence came from the 13th piece of his spine.
'I can tell… that is a will that has been left on that instrument for many years… It is just a thought, and yet it is already this strong… That person… He must be an incredibly powerful Berserker in the other world!'
The old man coughed out blood. As his arms trembled, they were torn into bloody ribbons. He knew that death was hanging right over his head. As his body tumbled backwards, he struggled to lift up his right hand and grab at the air. A beast skin appeared out of nowhere in his hand.
There was silver fur on that beast skin; it looked incredibly valuable. At that moment, the old man took the beast skin and wore it. At the same time, he also started making signs with his hands, drawing out a blood-red picture on his body with his ten bloodied fingers. That picture was the same as the Berserker Mark on his body. It was an eye!
"Beast Form Transformation!"
As the old man growled, silver light shone brilliantly on his body. In an instant, an incredibly strange change happened to his body.
After the beast skin was placed on his body, it started spreading to cover its entirety under that silver light. Right before Su Ming's eyes, he turned into a ferocious silver beast!
That ferocious beast was like a bull, but it only had one eye. Its entire body was covered in silver fur. There was lightning flashing on the two horns on its head. At the moment, all the power from the Bone Sacrifice Realm was fused into the 13th piece of the beast's spine under the silver beast skin.
The beast let out a roar and crashed into the incoming palm.
The palm's incoming assault caused the beast to tremble when it touched the silver bull beast. The two horns on its head immediately shattered, and the silver fur on its body fell away from its body as if it was shaved away. When all of its fur was scraped off, a layer of the beast's skin was torn away from its body. A light flashed, and the bull disappeared. The old man's body materialized once again. His face was pale, and his eyes showed despair. As he coughed out blood, the palm pressed on his body.
His arms burst apart, and his legs too, disappeared. His torso was the only thing left, but on his back, the 13th piece of his spine jolted, and with a boom, it shattered. When the bone shattered, the old man let out an ear-shattering cry of pain. There was also despair in his voice. He knew that that his Berserker Bone was crushed by this hand. From now on, even if he survived, he would no longer be a powerful Berserker in the Bone Sacrifice Realm.
'It's just a thought, but it's so strong…'
He smiled brokenly and closed his eyes. Yet the moment he did so, their world, which had experienced the string of battles, started to become unstable. Now, as the palm pushed down, the space around the old man started cracking. These cracks started spreading outwards quickly, and in an instant, they shattered like a mirror that fell to the ground!
This was the shattering of space!
There was space between the sky and earth, but it was invisible and no one could see it. Yet if it was to suffer an incredibly strong attack, then the shattering of space would appear for an instance, though it would rapidly recover on its own afterwards.
However, the moment it shattered, a void that swallowed everything would be formed. That void had incredibly powerful absorbing powers that could suck in everything around it.
At that moment, as the space shattered above Dark Mountain, a void appeared!
It was a black vortex. The moment it appeared, the person in black robes was the first to be forcefully taken in, causing him to avoid that palm strike that made him fall into despair.
At the same moment, a large amount of gravel fell from all the mountains nearby. Dried up plants, black snow, and all the other things flew up and were sucked into the void.
Su Ming could no longer move. When that strong absorbing power appeared, his body was pulled towards the void. He was sucked into the void along with the gravel and plants. The moment he was sucked in, he saw the elder lying on the other summit. He had his eyes closed, and there was no way of knowing whether he was alive. He was also sucked into the void.
That was the last scene Su Ming saw. After that, darkness fell upon his eyes. He lost consciousness…
The void only appeared for the span of a few breaths before it closed up and disappeared. The world returned to normal. The starry sky from the other world in the sky also gradually disappeared. The gigantic person, too, slowly faded away. Cracking sounds reverberated through the air, and the black flag pole turned rapidly back to yellow before turning into ashes that were blown away by the wind.
A thunderous boom reverberated through the land, and cracks appeared on the ground. All of the remaining black snow disappeared.
A gigantic outline of a palm appeared on the land. As the thunderous booms echoed in the air, one of the five summits on Dark Mountain crumbled, and its dust scattered into the air.
Everything gradually returned to silence.
In a patch of forest that was not affected, a small monkey dashed forward with anxiety. It climbed up Dark Dragon Mountain, where Su Ming was taken in by the void. On the summit, it looked at the sky and let out screeches that sounded as if they were calling out to him.
The screeches lasted for a long time until the little monkey looked at the land in the distance with a bitter face. It could see the other side of the mountain. In its memories, Su Ming had once mentioned that he wanted to see what the other side looked like.
Gradually, the little monkey climbed down the mountain. From then onwards, no one saw a flash of red running around the forest ever again.
The night of the blood-red moon that appeared once every few years also never appeared again, and neither did the Wings of the Moon.
After the battle, Dark Mountain, which had five summits, now looked as if someone had sliced off one of its five fingers cleanly, turning it into a mountain with only four summits. Black Flame Mountain was also missing its peak.
It ended…
Wind Stream Tribe was in a state of disarray. When Jing Nan and Wen Yan returned, these two powerful Berserkers of the Transcendence Realm chose to isolate themselves to train. They kept their lips sealed tight about the things that had happened in Wind Stream Mountain.
All the matters within the tribe, no matter great or small, were handed over to Shi Hai and the others. Even the training of Ye Wang and the others were set aside. Their injuries were too grave. If it were not because their enemy had seemed to be holding back due to fear of something, the two of them would not have been able to return.
Dark Mountain Tribe became an affiliated tribe of Wind Stream, and the seventh tribe located outside the mudstone city. It was also the weakest tribe. The only Berserkers within the tribe were the tribe leader, Bei Ling, and the handicapped Head of the Guards.
The elder did not come back. Lei Chen did not come back. Su Ming too, did not come back…
Amid their sadness, Dark Mountain Tribe sent some people back to Dark Mountain after a few days had passed. They found the corpses of their people, Nan Song, and Shan Hen, and relayed what they saw regarding the four summits of Dark Mountain to their tribe members waiting back home. Surrounded by grief, they held a funeral for their deceased tribe members, which coincidentally fell on the same day as the promise made between Su Ming and Bai Ling.
They did not know about Shan Hen's betrayal. He was buried together with his other tribe members.
On the day of the funeral, rain fell together with snow from the sky. It was very cold.
Standing outside Dark Mountain Tribe in the freezing snow and rain was a girl in white. She stood there quietly, and touched the bone earrings hanging off her ears. It was unknown whether there were tears falling as snow and rain trickled down her face.
End of Arc One.
Chapter 111: Waking Up to Unfamiliar Sights
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Arc Two: The World of Wind and Cold
Rain tumbled down from the sky and hit on the big tree leaves, creating lashing sounds. A large amount of raindrops accumulated on the leaves and slid down along the veins on the leaves, forming a tiny stream that fell from the tip of the leaves.
This was a rainforest. The ground was filled with mud, and as rain fell on it, swamps were formed. The sky was dark. Only the occasional lightning lit up everything in the world for an instant.
The thunder roared and tumbled forward, echoing in the night before disappearing quietly.
In the deeper part of the forest was a mountain range that was hidden in the night. The mountains there were not tall, and could not compare with Dark Mountain. They were not tall, but they were many.
At that moment, lightning sliced through the sky and brightened up the earth. On one of the middle mountains, a person was lying on the ground.
This person had been in this deserted place for a few days. There was no clue to how he had appeared there, wearing a torn beast skin shirt and looking incredibly pathetic.
The person lying there unmoving was a young man that looked to be in his twenties. He had a clean and handsome face, but there was a scar marring it.
His eyes were closed, and there were many wounds on his body. These injuries had already turned white, and no blood was flowing out.
The rain continued falling for a few days before letting up. The sky became clear and the dark clouds dispersed. The land welcomed the sun.
It was now summer. Once the rain passed, mist gradually rose up on the land. There was also an incredible heat that seemed to want to burn everything alive.
That young man that lay on the mountain did not move. He seemed as if he was dead.
A few days more passed again. There were some bald vultures circling in the sky. The eyes of these bald vultures were cold. As they flew in the sky, they had their eyes fixed on the person lying on the mountain. They circled above as if hesitating.
Finally, one of the bald vultures lost its patience. It dove down towards the young man's body, flapping its wings as it circled above the young man before landing on his chest. The vulture used its sharp beak to poke at the prey it had been eyeing for the past few days.
It watched its prey's face as it continued poking and eating his flesh. Gradually, it relaxed. In its eyes, this was definitely a dead person.
Soon, the remaining bald vultures in the sky dove down and landed on the young man's body without a sound and with cold eyes. Yet the moment they landed, the young man suddenly opened his eyes and grabbed the first bald vulture that had landed on his chest with his right hand. Shocked, the other bald vultures wanted to fly up, but their bodies seemed stuck on the young man's body; they could not fly.
The young man brought the bald vulture to his mouth and bit into its neck, drinking its blood. The blood, which tasted foul, flowed down his throat and into his body, making a sharp stab of pain develop in his body, which had gone numb due to hunger.
Yet that pain allowed a hint of warmth to finally appear in his entire body.
Very soon, the bald vulture stopped struggling, having lost all of its blood. The young man took a deep breath and placed the bald vulture in his hands by the side. He grabbed another one that could not fly away from his body and leisurely drank its blood. It was not until all the seven bald vultures stuck to his body had died that a hint of red finally appeared on the young man's face.
He lay there and looked at the sky. It was very blue. The sun was blazing hot. His eyes were filled with uncertainty. He was Su Ming.
He had already woken up a few days ago in the rain. Upon waking up, he could still hear the fragile voice calling out to him in his dreams. The voice that called him "brother" accompanied him even as he woke up.
When his mind clear from sleep, he felt sharp pain bursting out from his entire body. He had no strength left, not even to lift his hands.
He could only lie on the ground and feel the raindrops falling on his body. The rain fell on the wounds all over his body, and he soon grew numb amid the pain. It was not just his body that became numb, his heart too, grew numb.
Over the past few days, he laid on the ground as his mind was thrown into extreme confusion and bewilderment. He remembered a vortex appearing in the air above Dark Mountain due to that one palm strike from the person in the starry sky. When he was sucked into the void, he saw the elder getting sucked in as well with his eyes closed. He had no idea whether the elder was dead or alive.
He didn't know what that vortex was, nor why it had appeared, just as he didn't know where he was. Yet as he looked at the blazing sun in the sky and the unfamiliar mountains by his side, he had a vague feeling that he was no longer at Dark Mountain.
He didn't want to believe that the elder had passed away, but he also knew that the elder's injuries were much worse than his. The final sight where the elder had lain unmoving with his eyes closed made Su Ming not want to think. There was pain in his heart, one of losing the closest person to him.
'The elder won't die…'
Su Ming closed his eyes. The grief on his face was gradually hidden away.
Ever since he was young, he had lived under the protection of the elder. He had never left the tribe for a long period of time alone. So now, surrounded by unfamiliar sights, Su Ming felt lonely, but he knew that he had to become stronger.
When he opened his eyes once again, there was no longer any sadness in them. It was hidden deep within his heart. No one could find any hint of sadness on him. His eyes were calm, so calm that they were cold.
He struggled to sit up. Under the blazing sun, he sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes, silently circulating his Qi around his body. Yet the moment his Qi started moving, sharp pain stabbed him, making him lurch forward, but he gritted his teeth and did not make a sound.
Su Ming knew that his body had sustained incredibly deep internal injuries after forcefully breaking through and increasing his power, going through that long chain of battles, and being heavily wounded in the last battle. These internal injuries had now all surfaced.
'All 243 blood veins of the Blood Solidification Realm are still here, but before I recover, I can't use all of them…'
Su Ming panted harshly. He clenched his right fist and lifted it up. A sharp pain rose in his body, but there were no changes whatsoever on his face. He had already learned to bear with the pain.
'I should be able to use the power of 100 blood veins, which is around the peak of the fifth level of the Blood Solidification Realm. But these injuries will only become more serious with time passage. I'll just grow weaker until the day I die.'
Su Ming was silent and continued circulating the Qi in his body amid the sharp pain. Gradually, the sky darkened. When the moon appeared, Su Ming lifted his head and looked at it. Threads of moonlight fell down and surrounded him before they blended into his body, nourishing him.
The night passed by quickly. When the morning sun lit up the earth, it dissipated the slight hint of cold brought by the night and replaced it once again with blazing heat. Su Ming opened his eyes and let out a shaky breath.
The color on his face was much better than the previous day, but he still felt weak. He frowned, and after checking his body, he sighed.
'If I had not mastered fine control and used the moonlight to heal myself, then after going through those events, I wouldn't have even been able to use the power of 100 blood veins. Even so, I can only use the power of 98 blood veins now.
'I have to think of a way to get rid of these internal injuries. I need enough medicinal pills to cure myself.'
Su Ming fell into momentary silence, touching his bosom to look for his items. He had been sucked into the vortex earlier and had no idea whether the few items he kept away in his bosom were still around.
He had a broken bag, the little bone Shan Hen held onto before he died, and the beast bone given to him by the tribe leader before they parted ways so that he could tell whether the tribe was safe.
Besides these, there was also a xun made of bone, a broken shard of Dark Mountain's statue of the God of Berserkers, and a bottle that was slightly cracked but not broken, containing two drops of Berserker Blood.
As he looked at these items, Su Ming held up the shard from Dark Mountain Tribe's statue of the God of Berserkers. This was the shard that had cut his face when the statue exploded, leaving a scar.
Su Ming looked at it and closed his eyes. After a long while, he placed all the items into the broken bag. There might be some problems with the bag, but it was his only choice right now.
Once he finished packing up, Su Ming stood up and rubbed the center of his brows with his right hand. There was a contemplative look on his face. He had to rely on himself for everything now. This meant that he had to be careful and not make even the slightest mistake.
'This place is unfamiliar to me. With my current condition, before my power completely recovers, I can't leave this rainforest. These woods are dense, so I might find some of the herbs I need.'
A flash passed through Su Ming's eyes as he thought. He slowly climbed down the mountain with his weakened body. For a few days, he searched the entire forest and the mountains carefully, staying on constant alert.
'The elder... is not here.'
After those few days, Su Ming sat by a river on one of the mountains, a hand pressing onto his chest. It hurt there, causing him to be unable to hide the grief on his face.
After a while, Su Ming used indifference and calmness to bury his sorrows. He washed himself in the river and looked at his face reflected in the water. That face no longer held the tenderness of a boy at sixteen years of age, but now had faint signs of age.
'Just how many years did I stay in that vortex..?'
Su Ming touched the scar left by Dark Mountain's statue of the God of Berserkers and quietly washed his body clean. He put on his clothes and tied his hair in a bundle before sitting down by the river and looking at the sky without making a sound.
'Why did the elder's face change after the person in black robes brought out the plate? Who are the "we" mentioned by the person in black robes..?
'Bi Tu might be dead, but from the words of the person in black robes, this battle was started due to someone else…
'The big flag that flew out of the elder's body at the final moments of the battle turned into the starry sky. That person in black robes said that it was the sky from another world, what did he mean by "another world"..?
'The elder asked me to remember that sky, could my birthplace be…'
A complicated look appeared on Su Ming's face as he thought. The deepest image left behind by the changed sky was the person formed by the starlight. Who was that middle-aged man that looked somewhat similar to Su Ming?
An answer formed in his heart, but he could not be certain of it.
'Is he... my father..?'
As those questions rose up one after another, Su Ming could feel that a great veil of mystery fell upon what had happened that day, and on his own person. It covered everything in his sights, and he could not see clearly.
'Also, where am I? How far am I from Dark Mountain..?
'Bai Ling… I still remember the promise… but I can't fulfill it now.'
Su Ming closed his eyes.
'Xiao Hong, are you alright..?'
As dusk arrived and the sky gradually darkened, Su Ming left the river and went into the forest. His back seemed lonely and desolate as he staggered onward.
Chapter 112: Fire Appearing When Lightning Struck Wood
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The heat during summer in this unfamiliar place made the air stifling even if it was night. With rain pouring down once every few days, more swamplands were formed from the mud on the ground, making it hard to traverse.
Su Ming was extremely unused to this. There may have been rainstorms where he grew up in Dark Mountain, but they were rarely like in this place, where it seldom stopped raining and this had been going on and off for more than a month.
Su Ming's injuries became worse. The weakness he felt grew as days went by. Even if he used fine control to suppress it and moonlight to nourish his body, as time passed by, the blood veins he could use had decreased to 80.
Within the deeper parts of the rainforest, on the low mountain range that housed a lot of mountains was a small mountain. There was a naturally formed crack on it, and Su Ming sat cross-legged inside.
There was no water in there, but the walls of the mountain were wet. When he placed his hand on the walls, he could feel cold wetness. There was ash left behind on the ground by a fire. During the past few days, Su Ming had stayed here.
The inside of the naturally formed crack was built in the shape of a gourd. It was not big, but neither was it small. It served as a place for Su Ming to avoid the rain and quench herbs. There were a lot of cracks like these in the mountain range. Su Ming hadn't spent much time before finding a cave that was more secluded compared to the rest.
'Even if it rains nonstop, the plants here are still very dense, some of which are strange. There is even plenty of that supposedly rare Thousand Leaf Flower growing here.'
Something flashed in Su Ming's eyes. He lowered his head and looked at the herbs situated close before him on the ground.
These were the herbs he'd found within the month of traveling carefully around the rainforest under the rainstorm.
As he looked at the herbs, Su Ming stood up. He felt that his body was also damp and wet, which made him incredibly uncomfortable.
'It's a pity that while there are a lot of herbs here, there isn't any Cloud Gauze Grass. I can't create Mountain Spirit, but the herbs required to create Scattering Dust and South Asunder are mostly complete, I only need… Night Glitter Branch.'
Su Ming frowned. This was the reason why he could not create any pills this month. Even as he got out of his meditative state, he was still thinking about it.
It was still raining outside. Thunder would boom in the sky occasionally. Su Ming had already gotten used to this sound. He walked out quietly and arrived at the entrance of the cave. The first thing that entered his sights was lightning slicing ferociously through the dark sky, which brought light upon the place. It was soon followed by thunder booming, as if there was someone roaring so loudly in the sky it shook the earth.
Lightning flashed in the sky and lit up the land, but it became dark again in an instant. Rain battered the ground, and some of the raindrops fell on Su Ming.
He took in a deep breath. The stifling air of summer was somewhat gone. It was much more comfortable standing where he was rather than inside the cave. Even if it was much more humid here, there was also a slight refreshing feeling.
Su Ming looked at the dark sky and land. Everything here was unfamiliar to him, even the rain was unusual, but Su Ming no longer let his loneliness show on his face. Instead, he hid it away deeply. His eyes were calm as he looked at the land and fell into deep thought.
'Without Night Glitter Branch, I can't create any pills. Am I really supposed to walk out of the rainforest to search outside in my weakened state..?'
The frown on his face grew deeper.
After a long while, Su Ming let out a light sigh. At that moment, amid the rumbling thunder, a bolt of lightning suddenly cracked as if wanting to split the sky apart. The moment it crackled in the air, it was as if it discovered that it was too close to the rainforest where Su Ming was and changed direction.
Right before Su Ming's eyes, the bolt of lightning fell down in a straight line. With a crash, it plunged into the rainforest a distance away from him. Soon, black smoke rose into the air as lightning continued crackling in the sky. There was also light caused by the fire. Although the light was soon extinguished, when Su Ming saw that sight, he felt his heart jolt.
A thought flashed in his head at that moment.
'This place should not be suitable for Night Glitter Branch to grow. I remember this herb is common in Dark Mountain. Every time I collected it, there'd be sparks of fire flashing. If it fell on my body, I'd feel as if I was scorched. It must be because the power of fire is hidden within Night Glitter Branch. This place is constantly raining, so it's always moist. This herb can't grow here.'
When Su Ming was at Dark Mountain, he did not think about it so much. Yet now, since he was alone in this unfamiliar place, he had to rely on himself for everything. A glint appeared in his eyes. He looked at where the bolt of lightning struck deep in the rainforest.
Su Ming took a few steps backward and returned to the mountain cave. He took one of the herbs piled on the ground and stared at it intently.
'This is the Iron Core Flower. This thing…'
Su Ming flicked it gently, and a sound as if metal crashed into metal echoed in the cave immediately.
'This thing should contain the power of metal, that's why this herb is so sturdy, and why it's so hard for normal people to collect it.
'There's also the catalpa. This herb grows densely. I've never paid much attention to them, but now…'
Su Ming took another herb and broke one of its leaves. Liquid flowed out from the broken part of the herb, but it only lasted for the time required for an incense stick to burn. The liquid gathered at the broken part and formed a round protruding shape. Su Ming knew that if he planted this herb on the ground, then before long, young leaves would grow from the broken part. They would look incredibly vigorous, a strange sight that made stunned people.
'I've never thought much about the five herbs needed for Scattering Dust, but now, it's clear that they're herbs belonging to the five different elements.
'The power of metal, the power of life, and then there's the fire from the Night Glitter Branch. As for the other two herbs, they're the commonly sighted ones that contain the power of water and… I don't need the leaves of this herb, but its roots, which are buried underground.'
There was a contemplative look in Su Ming's eyes. He stared at the roots that still contained some dirt lying among the herbs.
'This should be the power of earth!
'I need five different elements to create the enigmatic Scattering Dust, and now I'm lacking one of them… But if the basic principle behind the pill is this, then… I might be able to find something to substitute it!'
Su Ming's eyes flashed. This problem had been bothering him for quite some time. Now that he saw that bolt of lightning, he felt his spirits lift up.
He immediately turned around and created an afterimage as he left the cave, charging into the rainstorm. Rain fell on his body, and soon he was drenched. Water fell down his hair, but he ignored it, moving extremely quickly. He ran along the small mountain and entered the rainforest down below, dashing towards where he saw the place lightning had struck earlier.
Mud filled the ground of the rainforest. There were also a lot of rotting leaves that gave out a humid smell. Lashing sounds echoed in the air as the heavy rain poured down from the sky.
Su Ming sped through the rainforest. Soon, he took a leap and crouched on a wet and slippery branch. Before him, he saw a big tree so tall it reached the sky. That tree was obviously much taller than the other trees around it. Yet it was black. The branches had turned into ashes, causing the tree to look like a wreck.
Black smoke rose from the tree. There may have been rain falling down around it, but Su Ming could still feel remnants of a frightening might coming from around it.
He observed for a while before leaping from the branch and approaching the black dried up tree. He raised a hand and touched the surface. A hint of warmth came from it. The surface may have been drenched by rain, but when Su Ming used a bit of force in his fingers and clawed in, he could feel that the insides of the tree were dry.
'The power of lightning is related to fire. When that bolt of lightning fell upon this tree, it caused all the water vapor on this originally wet tree to evaporate, turning it dry and making it burn after it was struck.
'Over here, there is nothing that contains more power of fire than this burnt tree.'
Su Ming jumped up and the 80 blood veins in his body suddenly lit up with a blood-red light. He hit the tree a few times. As booming sounds echoed in the air, the tree bark crumbled completely, revealing the hot core of the tree.
Su Ming positioned his right hand in the form of a knife and sliced downwards. Immediately, the core of the tree, which was 30 feet tall, was cut down. He quickly cut it into several parts and placed inside the broken bag.
However, the space of the bag was limited. He could not place some of the cut core parts into it. Su Ming hefted them on his body and charged into the rainforest, back towards that mountain cave.
'I should be able to substitute fire since my blood contains it, or I could even burn trees to create the effects of Night Glitter Branch, but nothing can compare to the natural fire created by the bolt of lightning!'
As Su Ming ran, many different thoughts appeared in his head. Before long, he returned to the crack and went into the cave with rain dripping down his body.
Su Ming panted slightly and placed the charred and slightly hot cores down, then he took out the other cores from the broken bag. He looked at these materials and took a deep breath. Once he sat down cross-legged, he started soothing the Qi in his body. After the span of time required for two incense sticks to burn, Su Ming opened his eyes and raised his right hand. With one single thought, a ball of fire suddenly appeared on his right hand with a crackling sound.
The ball emitted warmth and heated up the area, causing the entire cave to be filled with light. Su Ming's face was serious as he carefully used fine control to manipulate the fire in his hand. He observed it for a moment. Once he waited till the fire in his hand had stabilized, he quickly grabbed the herbs necessary to create Scattering Dust from the pile by his side. He used his left hand to move them, then carefully placed into the fire in his right hand.
This was the method he had thought of when he found that there was no place like Black Flame Mountain in this unfamiliar place. His Qi contained fire, and after the battle with Bi Tu, Su Ming felt that some part in his body had changed. This ball of fire was one of the changes. He no longer needed fresh blood to summon it.
That was why he had thought about this method – using his hand as a medicinal cauldron to quench herbs.
Su Ming had already created Scattering Dust multiple times. He was pretty familiar with each of the steps needed for this pill. Nonetheless, this was the first time he used his hand as the cauldron.
After a short period of discomfort, he slowly mastered the technique.
The tree core that was struck by lightning was the final item placed into the fire. As he looked at the five materials melting and blending together within, Su Ming focused all his attention on the fire in his hand and began the process of quenching the herbs calmly.
Chapter 113: Encountering Other People
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
When the morning of the second day arrived, the rainstorm was still pouring heavily outside. The world outside looked blurry due to the rain, but Su Ming's eyes were bright as he sat in the cave in the crack on the mountain, though he looked exhausted.
In his right hand, a ball of black liquid was tumbling about, as if about to gather together. Yet after a few tries, it could still not fuse together.
Su Ming's heart was as calm as the still water in an ancient well. He controlled the fire in his hands, and after a moment, the flames suddenly became greater and turned into a fireball, hiding away all the black liquid inside.
After a while, Su Ming's face turned pale. His body was in a weakened state. Using the fire in his Qi for a long period of time was a little too much for him. He panted harshly, and the fire in his right hand gradually disappeared. There were three black pills in his palm.
A nice medicinal fragrance wafted into his nose, making Su Ming feel refreshed the moment he smelled it. He brought the three pills before his eyes and scrutinized them. The medicinal pills weren't green, but their fragrance was familiar to Su Ming. Without any hesitation, he placed one pill into his mouth. It was still hot, but it didn't hurt Su Ming.
The moment the medicinal pill touched his tongue, it melted. Su Ming closed his eyes and quietly experienced the feeling.
"It's a little different, but it's definitely Scattering Dust," Su Ming mumbled and placed the other two Scattering Dust pills away. He sat down cross-legged and meditated. Once a large amount of the fatigue in his body went away, he looked at the herbs piled before him, and a resolute look appeared on his face.
'If I can use the core of the tree struck by lightning to create Scattering Dust, then I can use the same method to create South Asunder. I… have no idea what the effects of that medicinal pill are, but I'm quite certain that it won't increase the power of my Qi like Mountain Spirit.
'After all, there were three types of medicinal pills provided after I opened the second door. I can ignore the Welcoming of Deities. Now, since Mountain Spirit increases Qi, then it's highly possible that South Asunder won't repeat this effect.'
Su Ming rubbed the center of his brows. Most of his hopes were placed on South Asunder. If his analysis was incorrect, then he would have to leave this place in his weakened state and search for a method to recover outside.
To ensure that he could definitely create South Asunder, Su Ming did not immediately start the quenching process, but rested for a long while until the sky became dark once again. After an entire day's worth of rest, Su Ming began creating South Asunder, the pill that could possibly be very important to him.
Half a month passed by slowly. Su Ming had already been in this unfamiliar place for two months. His body had become even weaker during the past half a month due to him creating medicinal pills.
Nonetheless, because it was Su Ming's first time creating South Asunder, failure was inevitable. Yet due to his continuous hard work, after half a month, he managed to create two South Asunder.
Su Ming's face was pale, but his eyes were calm as he looked at the purple pills that were clearly larger than Scattering Dust, being the size of a fist. There was no medicinal fragrance from it, and it looked incredibly normal.
After a period of silence, Su Ming took one of the pills decisively and placed it in his mouth without hesitation. After going through so many things, he was no longer a child. He could analyse on his own now. Ever since he started creating the medicinal pills, besides Scattering Blood, which he had created on accident, everything else was harmless. More importantly, he did not have the luxury to waste even one pill for experimental purposes.
When the purple pill entered Su Ming's mouth, it did not melt immediately. Instead, it slowly broke apart and slid down his throat with a bitter taste. After that, Su Ming took one Scattering Dust and swallowed it.
Once he was done, he sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes, circulating the Qi in his body to feel the effects of South Asunder .
Time trickled by. After an hour, Su Ming's suddenly shuddered and the 243 blood veins surfaced on his body. However, only about 80 of these blood veins glowed in a brilliant red color. The rest of them were dull.
The trembles shaking Su Ming's body became more intense, and a pained look appeared on his face. After a moment, he opened his eyes and coughed out a mouthful of black blood. The black blood fell on the ground, letting out a rotten stench.
The moment Su Ming spat the blood out, a hint of red appeared on his cheeks. Around ten of the dull blood veins on his body became revitalized. They no longer emitted a dull light, but slowly glowed with a brilliant red light.
After a long while, Su Ming's breathing calmed down. He looked at the final South Asunder in his hand.
'South Asunder has curative effects! If only I had managed to create this pill before the tribe went into battle…'
Su Ming closed his eyes and let out a light sigh.
He stayed in the mountain range located deep in the rainforest, seldom going out. Every time he did so, it was because he had used up all of the herbs, or ran out of the replacements for Night Glitter Branch, having to go out to seek more of them.
Fortunately, the rainforest was huge, and it was not uncommon for lightning to strike trees. Usually, when a bolt of lightning struck a tree, it would provide Su Ming with a large amount of materials.
In the blink of an eye, a year passed by.
During that year, there was a period of half a year where there was no rain, yet there was no sight of snow that would have made Su Ming feel at home. It was as if there was no winter in this place.
His injuries were too deep. During that year, he had taken in a large amount of South Asunder, but it only made his Qi recover to around 190 blood veins. He was still slightly away from his peak condition.
In the course of that year, there were many times that Su Ming found tracks left by people when he went out searching for herbs. Once he even saw a team made of a dozen people hunting a giant snake in the rainforest.
These Berserkers were around the fifth and sixth level of the Blood Solidification Realm. Only one man was at the seventh level of the Blood Solidification Realm. By the looks of the others around him, the man was someone who was rather renowned.
They did not wear beast skins, but sackcloths. Most of them used spears as their weapons, and they seldom used bows. Almost everyone in the team wore a black bell that did not emit any sound on their wrists.
Most of them only had one bell on their wrists, but that man had two. Su Ming also noticed that there was a teenager at the fifth level of the Blood Solidification Realm among these people. His face was pale, as if he was sick.
He was surrounded and protected by the team, and Su Ming saw four bells on his wrist.
This was a completely different tribe compared to Dark Mountain and Wind Stream. When Su Ming was observing, he did not stand too close to them. Even so, he still attracted the attention of the man at the seventh level of the Blood Solidification Realm. The man did not make any sound immediately, but he did get closer to where Su Ming stood during the battle all while acting as if he did it unintentionally.
However, his actions were a little foolish in Su Ming's eyes. He left. With Su Ming's speed, if he wanted to leave, that man would not be able to stop him.
Su Ming did not bother himself with these people, but continued searching for herbs. Once the sky started to darken, he ran into the group of people once again when he was returning to his cave.
At that moment, they were setting up a simple beast skin tent in the rainforest while protecting the teenager with four bells. It looked like they were about to spend the night there.
The man at the seventh level of the Blood Solidification Realm held a spear and leaned against a big tree while keeping watch of his surroundings with bright eyes.
Su Ming crouched on a tree in the distance and watched these people. His eyes slowly brightened up. His power might not have completely recovered, but at least he could fight now. He wanted to know where this place was and what tribes were around here.
These people were obviously very averse to outsiders. If he approached them carelessly, they would likely not listen to his words and instead just engage him in battle.
As his eyes flashed, Su Ming lowered his head. He retreated without a sound and vanished into the rainforest. Time passed by. Two hours later, when the bonfire these people had made lessened the humidity in the air, the expression of the man leaning against the tree suddenly changed, and he clutched onto the spear in his hand tightly.
The other people noticed his actions, and their demeanor changed as well. Soon, the roar of a beast came from the deeper parts of the rainforest. A creature that looked like a tiger, but with spikes about half a foot long protruding from its spine, swiftly charged out towards these people.
"Black Sting!"
These people immediately let out shocked cries, and chaos ensued.
"This creature likes fire. Extinguish the fire, quickly," the man at the seventh level of the Blood Solidification Realm said immediately.
He held the spear in his right hand and ran towards the wild beast. This beast may be strong, but it was just about the level of a Berserker at the seventh level of the Blood Solidification Realm. The man could fight against it.
Yet the moment he left the team to fight against that Black Sting, and his people extinguished the fire, the area became shrouded in darkness. While the people spent the next few short moments getting used to the darkness, a person charged out with a speed like lightning towards the teenager that was protected by the team.
The stranger was too fast. When these people finally reacted to his presence, he had already closed in on the teenager. Without waiting for the pale-faced youth to resist, the person slammed the heel of his palm at the back of his neck, knocking him out, and grabbed him under his arm before escaping.
These people were momentarily stunned, then their expressions changed drastically. Even the man's face immediately turned sullen. He wanted to pursue the stranger, but he was unable to chase away that Black Sting. With that slight delay, the person who caught the teenager disappeared deep into the forest.
Su Ming sped through the rainforest with the teenager locked under his arm. He held no grudges against these people, so that's why he would not kill them without a reason. Even if he chose to lure a wild beast towards them, he still made sure the creature was one that these people could chase away without anyone dying.
His target was only this teenager. This boy was definitely not of common birth. He must know quite a lot of things. If Su Ming wanted to know about this place, this was the only thing he could do.
'Once I get my answers, I'll let him go.'
Su Ming dashed through the forest into the distance. He circled the forest once and came to a more secluded corner before placing the boy down. He crouched down and scrutinized the teenager before understanding a few things.
When he first saw the teenager, he could already tell that there were some problems. Once he got closer and confirmed it, Su Ming fell into momentary silence before bringing out one South Asunder and Scattering Dust from his bosom and placing both in the teenager's mouth.
Only then did he leisurely take a few steps back. He brought out a beast skin from the broken bag in his bosom; it was from a beast he'd hunted down for food during the past year. He placed it around himself, covering his body and face, and sat down against a tree not too far away from the teenager.
He grabbed a small piece of wood with his right hand from his side. With a tiny flick of his wrist, the wood charged towards the teenager's brows. Su Ming did not use too much strength, but it was still enough to wake him up.
The teenager opened his eyes in pain. There was confusion in his eyes, but it soon turned into a calm look. His face may have been sickly pale, but there was no panic on it. He looked at Su Ming, who was sitting before him with a beast skin covering his entire body.
"Who are you?"
Chapter 114: The Land of South Morning!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The teenager's calmness did not seem fake, as if there truly was no hint of panic in him. That sort of attitude was not rare on an old person, but if a teenager could show such calmness, then it showed just how extraordinary his status was.
He looked at Su Ming, and his eyes did not shine, nor did they waver. Yet when he looked at Su Ming, he cast a discreet glance over his entire body, as if trying find where Su Ming came from through the miniscule clues on his body.
Su Ming sat there with his entire body covered by the beast skin robe. The teenager's actions once he woke up made him look at the teenager with a hint of praise. Yet even so, it was impossible for the boy to find clues on his person.
"You've had those wounds on your body for many years." Su Ming did not answer the teenager's question, but instead spoke slowly with a slightly hoarse voice.
The teenager maintained a stoic demeanor and looked at Su Ming. He did not speak because he knew that the more he spoke the more likely he was to make mistakes. It was better for him to know what was the motive of this person who had captured and brought him here.
"It should have been left behind on purpose by a powerful Berserker not long after you were born…" Su Ming continued speaking unhurriedly.
The teenager was shocked, but his face remained unchanging and blank.
"Go on and sense the injuries in your body. See whether there are any changes."
Su Ming spoke calmly, the tone of his voice not once rising. Once he finished speaking, he closed his eyes.
The teenager was momentarily stunned. He cast a glance at Su Ming warily, then hesitantly closed his eyes and circulated his Qi. He did not notice it once he woke up, but once he started circulating his Qi, he opened his eyes abruptly. During that instant, he could clearly feel that the injuries in his body had healed slightly.
He might be shocked, but he forced himself to be calm. He knew that he was wounded when he was five, and someone cast a Berserker Art on him, but that person had made sure he would not die, just be gravely wounded. With this, the caster could detain his father's training, causing his father to need to waste a large amount of Qi once in a while so that the teenager could continue living.
These injuries were incredibly sinister. Over the years, he had consumed many herbs, yet it only allowed him to continue living, but did not heal him. Even the tribe leader, the Elder, and the others could not do anything to help him. They had once said that if he wanted to recover, then the only way was to find the person who had cast that Berserker Art and kill him so that the Berserker Art would become unstable. Only then could it be dispelled.
Now, however, the injuries in his body had healed a little. This was something he had not expected. His breathing quickened slightly. He lowered his head hastily, and as he checked the injuries in his body once again, he hid away the light in his eyes.
He had begged the heavens to make him recover countless times in the past. He did not want to hold his father back, yet over the years, as he looked at his father's face becoming older, he started wanting to die. If it were not because he still had some worries left, he would have left the world behind a long time ago.
This time, the people in the tribe had come to this rainforest to gather herbs for the tribe. He came with them, not to heal his injuries, but to prove that he was also a member of the tribe.
Yet the protection provided by the tribe on the way made him sigh internally.
He lowered his head, and a thought appeared in his mind. He lifted his head, no longer hiding his emotions. Instead, he looked at Su Ming dumbly, and on his face was excitement and a desire to live.
"You…" The teenager took a deep breath, and his voice trembled slightly.
"The injuries in your body are too great. I can't heal you completely, but I should have at least made you slightly better."
Su Ming opened his eyes. He looked at the teenager as if he could see through his thoughts, with eyes hidden under the robe. His voice was bland.
The boy felt as if he had been seen through by Su Ming's one glance. He had always been intelligent since he was young. He had revealed his excitement and desire to continue living on purpose earlier. When he heard Su Ming's words, he let out a breath of relief in his heart. If Su Ming had been certain, he would not have believed him.
He was well versed in his own condition.
"What do you want?" The teenager fell momentarily silent before his expression returned to a blank look. He hid his nervousness away and looked at Su Ming as he spoke softly.
"Where is this place?"
Su Ming did not bother with any ploys and schemes. He simply stated his question. The information he wanted would let others get an inkling about him right from the get go, so he might as well not hide.
"This is Wide Han," the teenager said softly, but then a thought appeared in his head and he continued speaking. "Wide Han Forest is very big. This place is just a part of the forest. If you continue deeper and go over the mountains in the province, then you'll find yourself in a much bigger rainforest. As for how far away it goes, I'm not sure.
"I only know that if you go from where I came from, then in half a month, you'll reach Han Mountain City. This city is built using mountains. You'll definitely pass through this place if you want to go to the Great Tribe of Freezing Sky. It's a very prosperous city."
The teenager spoke in detail. There were questions in his heart, but he did not show it.
"The Great Tribe of Freezing Sky…"
Su Ming frowned and let out a sigh internally. The farthest place he had ever gone to since he was young was Wind Stream Tribe. He had never even heard of other tribes before.
"The Great Tribe of Freezing Sky is one of the two big tribes in the Land of South Morning."
The teenager cast a glance at Su Ming and started explaining. His questions regarding this person became greater. He could somewhat tell that Su Ming was not from this place. This guess made his animosity towards Su Ming lessen by a great deal.
What he was worried about the most were the people who held ill-will towards his tribe. Through the clues he obtained from this person, he gradually began to let his guard down.
"Which tribe does Han Mountain City belong to?" Su Ming's tone was casual. If he hadn't wanted to let this boy feel at easy so that he could obtain more information, he would not have revealed so many hints and clues about himself.
Su Ming's question made the teenager even more at ease. A smile appeared on his face.
"Han Mountain City does not belong to a tribe, but three tribes – Puqiang Tribe, Lake of Colors Tribe, and Tranquil East Tribe. The city is controlled by these three tribes.
"I'm from Puqiang Tribe. Senior, if you have a Berserker Art that could heal my injuries, why don't you join Puqiang Tribe? You can become a guest there. We from Puqiang Tribe are courteous towards our guests. If you agree to it, you can find a place to rest there as well as understand the land better. If you have the chance, you could even obtain the chance to get into Freezing Sky Clan!"
When the teenager spoke about this, he seemed to cast a casual glance at Su Ming, scrutinizing him.
"Getting into that clan is too hard."
Su Ming's expression was calm. He could understand all the boy's actions and see through his thoughts. Compared to Su Ming, this person was just a young La Su.
The teenager touched his nose and smiled sheepishly as he spoke. "You're right. Getting into Freezing Sky Clan may be difficult, but it's not impossible. Ten years ago, a person from Han Mountain Tribe managed to pass the test and become a Berserker of Freezing Sky Clan."
Su Ming was momentarily silent before he stood up. He could tell that everything the boy said was mostly true besides his own status. This information was not some sort of secret to begin with, so there was no need for him to lie to him.
Once he sorted out the information in his head, Su Ming obtained a vague outline of the place. This place was indeed a completely different region from where he came from.
In truth, when he looked at the stars in the sky at night, he could already tell that there was a sense of something wrong with them, though they were still somewhat familiar to him.
Once Su Ming got up, he did not look at the boy. He did not even bother to ask for his name. Even if the boy had not told him that he belonged to Puqiang Tribe, Su Ming would not have asked. Not that Su Ming believed that the boy belonged to whatever tribe he spoke of.
While the teenager was smart, he was still naïve like a chick that had not experienced storms in life compared to Su Ming. Su Ming felt that he was looking at himself when he looked at the boy.
The teenager was completely stunned when Su Ming walked into the rainforest. He had already pictured multiple scenarios and what he would say for each one of them in his head. All of them were for the sake of ensuring his own safety. Yet all these preparations were for nought when Su Ming leisurely went into the distance.
'He only asked about the information about this area… This person is really strange, but he has no ill-will…'
The teenager touched his nose. In truth, he had already noticed that there was an astringent feeling in his mouth when he woke up, as if he had been fed something.
Once he combined the facts that his injuries became better and that Su Ming left without a word, the teenager became certain that the person before him truly had no ill intentions towards him.
'If he wanted to harm me, then there would've been no need for him to heal my wounds. I would still have told him everything that did not involve the secrets of the tribe…
'But he didn't. He chose to heal my wounds first instead… He must have also lured in that Black Sting because that beast was around the seventh level of the Blood Solidification Realm. Big brother Ah Meng could handle it, and none of my people would die because of it.'
Thoughts flew quickly through the teenager's head. When he saw that Su Ming was about to vanish into the forest, he quickly got up and ran towards him.
"Senior, please hold on!"
His voice traveled in the rainforest, but Su Ming did not stop. With one move, he disappeared from the teenager's eyes, vanishing into the distance.
The teenager ran down the path for some time, but he found nothing. Regret appeared on his face.
'Ah, how could he walk so fast? I was too careful, and now I missed my chance to be healed.'
The more the teenager thought about it, the more regretful he became. Hesitation appeared on his face, as if he had a tough time making a particular decision.
At that moment, rustling sounds came from within the rainforest. The teenager did not move. He could tell that his people were approaching him. Before long, the man at the seventh level of the Blood Solidification Realm charged out, and behind him were all his other tribe members. None of them had died.
When they saw that the teenager was safe, these people let out sighs of relief. The man called Ah Meng moved towards him and asked a few questions in a whisper, but the teenager simply shook his head. He did not speak, neither did he talk about his conversation with Su Ming. He had his own thoughts in his heart. There was no longer any hesitation in him. He had made his decision.
Su Ming walked quietly through the rainforest. He had taken down his robes and was walking towards the mountain range located before him with an uncertain expression on his face.
'The Land of South Morning.
'Han Mountain City.
'The Great Tribe of Freezing Sky… Freezing Sky Clan!'
Su Ming did not know what Freezing Sky Clan was, but from the boy's words and expressions, he had a vague understanding regarding the tribe.
'This Freezing Sky Clan should be a different existence compared to a tribe...
'This is the Land of South Morning. How far is it... from my home..?'
Su Ming let out a light sigh. He remembered that the person in black robes had mentioned that Dark Mountain was part of the Alliance of the Western Region, and Wind Stream Tribe was a weaker branch of Miao Man.
Translator's Note:
Regarding Lake of Colors Tribe and Tranquil East Tribe.
The very first occurrence here is actually not Lake of Colors (顏池) or Tranquil East (安東), but 顏戈 and安方, which is, roughly translated, Shade Halberd and Peace Square respectively. However, from the next chapter onwards, the names for these two tribes change to 顏池 and 安東. Since the names 顏戈 and 安方were only used once in this chapter and were changed to 顏�� and 安東 next, I decided to keep to 顏池 and 安東 instead.