Chapter 1311 - 243 - 249

Chapter 243: The Strange Rod Insect

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Su Ming looked at the drawing board he had created, then lifted his right hand and gently stroked its surface. The drawing board was smooth, and he could not feel even a hint of roughness on it.

"You'll be helping me understand the laws of Creation in the world from now on…" Su Ming mumbled and slowly closed his eyes.

The world outside was already dark. As the chilling wind moaned in the air, it landed on the ninth summit and swept past the platform outside Su Ming's cave. Some of the wind even entered his cave and lifted his long hair.

Su Ming had his eyes closed. He was not trying to reach any sort of epiphany, neither was he immersing himself in his training. His mind was blank. However, a girl gradually appeared in his empty mind.

The girl had a beautiful laughter and her eyes twinkled, causing the others to be attracted by her charm when they saw her. As the girl's body gradually grew clearer, a wild beauty could be seen on her.

She was like a flower refusing to be restrained and obstinately growing in a forest while giving out a natural and incredibly attractive fragrance.

She was dressed in white robes, and she was looking at Su Ming with a smile.

"Bai Ling… Bai Su…" he mumbled. With his eyes closed, he lifted his right hand and started drawing on the recently formed white drawing board with his finger as his brush.

With each stroke, an illusionary line would appear on the drawing board. That illusionary line would seem formless to others and they would not be able to see it, as if there was no line to begin with. Since there was no brush and his fingers were only sweeping by the board, it seemed as if there were no signs left behind.

Yet because Su Ming was using his heart to draw, he could see exactly what he was drawing every time his finger passed by the board. Perhaps more accurately speaking, he was drawing out what he saw in his mind. He was drawing out a feeling, an aura, and it was something that the naked eye could not see.

Time passed by gradually. The whistling sounds from the chilling wind became stronger during the night, but the cave remained silent. The only sound inside was of Su Ming sweeping his finger repeatedly on the drawing board. However, that sound was too weak in the face of the wind and could not be heard.

A night passed by. When the sun peaked out from the horizon, Su Ming's right hand stopped moving on the drawing board and he opened his eyes.

He looked at the drawing board. To others, this drawing board would be no different from how it was before the previous night. It was still empty. Yet in Su Ming's eyes, there was a girl on the drawing board.

The girl was dressed in white and she had a beautiful smile on her face. She looked alive, but she had no eyes.

Su Ming remained silent for a moment before he lifted his right hand and drew a few strokes where the girl's eyes should be. Immediately, the girl on the drawing board had eyes. There was an attractive sparkle in those eyes, yet within that sparkle was disgust, causing her entire demeanor to change, making it seem as if she was questioning Su Ming.

"She… is Bai Su," Su Ming whispered to himself softly.

There was a serenity within his eyes that remained still and did not seem like it could be disturbed. He looked at the girl on the drawing board for a long time before he tapped the drawing board with his right hand.

The drawing board immediately started trembling, and a thin layer of wood powder broke off from the surface of the board and jumped up. It looked like a veil that was lifted up, and that veil was the white figure he had drawn on the board.

As the powder sprung up like a veil that was lifted, the cold wind from outside came into the cave and raised the powder. It blew past Su Ming's body and scattered away.

When the powder disappeared, the drawing board returned to a blank slate once again in Su Ming's eyes. There were no longer any hints of the girl.

It was just like Su Ming's heart. After a night of drawing with a calm mind, the slight shock brought by the similar face was gone like the wind. The shock would never be able to affect his heart.

It was bright outside by then. Sunlight shone into the cave through the entrance like it was trying to consume darkness. The light stopped three feet before Su Ming. He could see sunlight shining down and illuminating the outlines of the cave, making it seem like a ring in the area three feet away from him. Yet the spot where he sat was still in darkness.

In his silence, Su Ming placed the drawing board on the ground. A glint appeared in his eyes and he brought out Han Mountain Bell. Once the Bell appeared, banging sounds immediately came from within. It was clear that the rod like insect was still struggling inside and trying to break free.

Su Ming looked at the Bell and a chilling glare appeared in his eyes. When he fought against Si Ma Xin, besides understanding the power of the world from that one sword strike, he also obtained another thing – the insect within Han Mountain Bell.

To him, this creature looked like a strange type of insect, but Si Ma Xin had said that this was a snake. Su Ming did not have time to think about it at that time, but now that he was in a relaxed and calm state, he lifted his right hand and flicked the shrunken Han Mountain Bell before him.

The moment he flicked it, bell chimes echoed in the air, but these bell chimes did not spread out. They simply echoed within the bell and lasted for a long period of time. Faint, shrill shrieks could be heard from within the Bell, but as the bell continued ringing and shaking, the insect's struggles quickly grew weaker, though it still continued crashing against the Bell.

Su Ming waited for the time it takes to burn another incense stick. When the insect inside the Bell could no longer struggle and only let out incredibly weak and faint cries, Su Ming pointed at Han Mountain Bell with a finger. The Bell instantly started growing. Once it was about the size of ten feet, a glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes and he made a strange sign with his right hand, albeit with jerky movements.

This was one of the few methods to control the Bell which appeared in his head after he took the Bell as his own. Once he made that strange sign, Su Ming swiftly pushed his right hand forward.

Han Mountain Bell immediately jolted. Gradually, ripples appeared on its surface, and the Bell became transparent, allowing Su Ming to clearly see the small rod like insect sealed inside. Its body was bent like a drawn out bow, as if it could explode with a shocking force at any moment it wanted.

There were no signs of it being injured on its body. There was also a ghastly, chilling glint in its eyes, as if it was waiting for a chance.

It would have been fine if that was all, but Su Ming saw with his own eyes the insect letting out weak cries from its mouth even though it was full of vigor and just waiting for a chance to attack while looking forth with a fierce glare in its eyes.

'What a smart insect!'

Su Ming's eyes sparkled. The intelligence possessed by the strange insect made him sneer coldly. He immediately flicked the Bell a few times with his right hand, causing the rumbling sounds to reverberate inside the Bell, forming a large amount of sound waves to spread.

The insect's face immediately twisted, but it endured all the attacks. The rhythmic cries eventually turned silent. If someone used sounds to determine whether the insect was still alive or dead, then he or she would most probably think that the insect was almost a goner.

Yet Su Ming clearly saw that the insect was still bending its body in a stance, ready to attack at anytime, even though it was trembling lightly. The glare that showed its cruelty and bloodlust had not diminished one bit, but instead became even stronger in the midst of its pain.

This sight moved Su Ming.

"How in the world did Si Ma Xin make this creature submit to him?!" he mumbled. The ferociousness within the creature was a clear sign that it was a gargantuan task to try and subjugate it.

"I'd like to see just what are the limits of this insect!"

Su Ming's eyes turned cold. He lifted his right hand, but he did not flick the Bell this time. Instead, he slammed his palm against Han Mountain Bell.

The moment his palm struck, the rumbling sounds inside reached their maximum volume. The loud sounds may have sounded weak outside the Bell, but they were powerful and fierce inside, and those sounds turned into an insane force.

The insect immediately trembled viciously. Its bent body seemed to be unable to withstand the force and it gradually grew lax until it eventually completely unfurled, though it was still letting out shrill shrieks.

As it continued shrieking, cracks seemed to appear on its body, and a milky white liquid flowed out of its body like blood. Its expression immediately grew dejected and its wings too fell to its sides, but the vicious look in its eyes did not diminish even the slightest. The viciousness had grown even stronger until it even looked like madness.

The cruelty in its eyes became even stronger, and it looked like if it found a chance and escaped, it would rain down maddening vengeance on the person who made it suffer so much.

Su Ming's expression remained passive as he lifted his right hand and slammed it against Han Mountain Bell once again. The volume of the rumbling sounds inside increased to a new height. Under these bell tolls, the insect's wings were instantly torn apart and broke into two pieces. The insect trembled and looked as if it was about to break down. Lots of blood flowed out and the creature lay within the Bell like a lump of mud. It did not have a hint of strength left, as if its life was about to end.

Yet Su Ming did not see a hint of surrender in its eyes, neither did he see despair. He only saw that burning ferociousness that almost swore that as long as life had not ended, it would never fade away!

Su Ming lifted his right hand for the third time. He knew that if he struck the Bell this time, the insect would immediately die! After all, the insect excelled in speed and that piercing ability that shocked Su Ming, not in this type of endurance.

After remaining silent for a moment, Su Ming slowly lowered his right hand. He looked at the small insect in Han Mountain Bell. Not only did he see ferociousness and tenaciousness within the insect's eyes, but he also saw its loyalty towards its master, Si Ma Xin.

The reason why he could see the loyalty hidden underneath that cruelty in the insect's eyes was because Su Ming had once seen the same look in his fire ape's, Xiao Hong's, eyes.

'Xiao Hong…'

Su Ming could not help but remember the little monkey.

He closed his eyes and only opened them after a long while. Calmness returned once again to his eyes, and as he looked at Han Mountain Bell, he suddenly said something in the Bell's direction, "You're intelligent, so you must surely understand my words… Since you're so loyal to Si Ma Xin, why don't we conduct an experiment?

"Let's see just how important you are to Si Ma Xin!"

When the insect heard Su Ming's words, it lifted its head in one swift motion, but it could not see Su Ming. It could only see the endless haziness that surrounded it.

"I'm curious what Si Ma Xin would do for you and what he would choose…" Su Ming stated in a dull tone. He lifted his right hand suddenly and tapped the center of his brows with a finger.

At the same time, a large amount of stone coins flew up on their own from Su Ming's storage bag and floated to midair. Once they surrounded Su Ming, the Branding Power erupted from within him!

Chapter 244: Using Love as the Seed!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The insect's unyielding spirit, cruelty, loyalty, and willingness to die made Su Ming understand that he could not turn that insect into his own pet unless he wasted a long amount of time, perhaps years or even longer. He would not be able to use Han Mountain Bell in that time, only keeping the creature trapped within it to break down its divine sense until he could eventually turn it into his own pet.

However, Su Ming did not have the time for this, neither could he waste so much effort for it.

Yet if he killed it just like that, Su Ming found it to be quite a waste. The insect's speed and piercing power left a deep impression on him. If he could make it his own, then without a doubt, it would become an incredibly powerful weapon in his hands.

Since he found it a waste and did not have time to slowly bring it to his side, there was only one last method for Su Ming to use. He would have to forcefully leave his Brand on its mind. He might end up destroying the insect's intelligence, but once it had his Brand, it could be used immediately.

Even if there was a possibility of the insect betraying him, it was still far better than killing it or not being able to use it.

However, Su Ming had only left a Brand on someone else's mind once, and that was on He Feng. Besides, He Feng was the one who had taught him how to use this Art. In theory, he could use the Brand on the insect.

Nonetheless, in truth, Su Ming did not have much confidence in this. However, he had been practicing this Branding Art for quite some time. From what he understood, if the other party did not resist, then it would be easy for him to leave the Brand, but if the other party started resisting, then the chances of failure would increase exponentially. If he wanted to search for the chances to increase his success whilst the other party was resisting, then he would have to find its weakness, just like how he would if he was fighting against it!

Once he found its weakness, then Su Ming could use his Branding Art and enter its mind as it was weakened and leave his Brand deep within it.

It would be easier to find this weakness if the other party was a human, but with this strange insect that was about the size a finger's segment, things would not be so easy.

Fortunately, Su Ming had noticed the insect's loyalty to Si Ma Xin. That was why he said what he said—he wanted to create a weakness in the insect.

Once this weakness appeared, then Su Ming would immediately break in with his divine sense. If he was successful, then he could turn the insect into his own. If he failed, then even if he would feel that it was a waste, he would not show mercy.

During the very instant Su Ming's divine sense spread out, he gathered it on Han Mountain Bell and entered it before turning into a typhoon within that descended upon the strange, weakened insect.

Once Su Ming completely surrounded it within his divine sense, he immediately sensed the insect's divine sense resisting and struggling viciously. That was a spirit that screamed that it would rather die than be controlled, and it turned into an impact that made Su Ming's divine sense falter for a moment.

A thought struck Su Ming's mind. As the insect struggled, he gained a new understanding of divine senses and this Art.

'By the looks of it, if my divine sense is strong enough, then I won't even need to find any weaknesses. I can just forcefully leave my Brand behind…'

Under his divine sense, a crack opened up quietly in Han Mountain Bell. The moment the crack appeared, a bit of the insect's presence instantly darted out through the crack.

'Si Ma Xin, I'm waiting for you to create this weakness for me…'

A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes and he gathered his divine sense around the struggling insect.

At that moment, on the first summit of the Great Frozen Plains of Freezing Sky Clan was an incredibly extravagant cave abode that was located near the top of the mountain. From the outside, that cave abode looked like a towering hall, and Si Ma Xin was sitting cross-legged within with a sullen face as he meditated with his eyes closed.

He was forbidden to leave, and for the next few months, he could not escape the mountain. At that moment, he was remembering the battle with Su Ming in his head. That battle made him truly understand his opponent's power. To him, Su Ming was like a thorn stuck in his throat, and it was unbearable for him.

Ever since Si Ma Xin was born, everything had been easy for him. It had continued even after he entered Freezing Sky Clan. He was regarded highly by the older generation of the school and worshipped by those of the same generation. Besides, he was good at forming good relationships with other people. It could be said that he had an innumerable amount of friends within Freezing Sky Clan.

Many of the girls and women among them had been planted with the Berserker Seed of Love. The older generation of the school knew about this, but did not stop him. Their actions relieved him. When he was out traveling to practice the Great Art of Heartless Berserker Seed, those who caught his eye would find it hard to escape from his grasp.

In truth, his next target was Bai Su. That girl had a huge background that many of the disciples did not know. They only knew that she was a common disciple in the seventh summit, but Si Ma Xin once accidentally learned that her father was one of the people in the seventh layer within the nine layers of Heaven Gate.

Si Ma Xin did not know the details. After all, Heaven Gate was also a sacred and mysterious place to him. That place was the true core and the gathering place of the most powerful forces within Freezing Sky Clan.

The disciples in Heaven Gate rarely came down and appeared before the disciples of the summits in the Great Frozen Plains. One of them was in the sky, and the other on earth. They lived separately as if they were in two completely different worlds.

Becoming a disciple of Heaven Gate was practically the dream of every single person staying in the summits of the Great Frozen Plains.

Yet only the Lords of the summits could enter Heaven Gate. If they were not these people, the disciples would need to go through Freezing Sky Cave and retrieve 1,000 Shaman heads before they could enter.

'I must enter Heaven Gate!'

Si Ma Xin clenched his fists. He did not harbor any sort of feelings for Bai Su, but as he got in touch with her, he found that Bai Su loved him.

Of course, this sort of love was fostered slowly using various methods while he was traveling outside. His goal was not to plant the Berserker Seed of Love within her. After all, Si Ma Xin was still wary of Bai Su's father in Heaven Gate.

Yet this did not prevent him from approaching her, even if he had no thought of planting the Berserker Seed of Love within her. He wanted to use her to help him obtain the right to enter Freezing Sky Cave. After all, Freezing Sky Cave could only be opened with 1,000 Shaman heads, and he was far from having enough heads.

After all, unless the Shamans invaded their land in a large force, he would need to venture out deep into the world outside Sky Mist Barrier to obtain 1,000 Shaman heads. This was a little difficult for him.

His plan was to enter Freezing Sky Cave first and increase his power in there. Once he was done, he would go out and retrieve the Shaman heads. He had more confidence with this plan.

This method, which was akin to cheating, was not allowed within Freezing Sky Clan. The others would not be able to understand why this was not allowed, but they could not do anything about it.

But Si Ma Xin did not want to go along with the rules. That was why he set his sights on Bai Su. As long as there was someone within Heaven Gate who opened Freezing Sky Cave for a disciple of the summits in the Great Frozen Plains, then he would be able to achieve his dreams.

Besides, he had the confidence of succeeding with his Great Art of Heartless Berserker Seed, even if it was at the cost of sacrificing all the people. Once he succeeded, then his power would increase exponentially. When that time came, he would not have to worry about not being able to find Berserker Children. It might require a lot of time, but he believed that it was worth it!

That was right until he met Su Ming! More accurately speaking, it was right until he fought against Su Ming. An avaricious thought appeared in his mind. He wanted to plant a Berserker Seed in Su Ming's body and turn him into his Berserker Son.

By doing so, his chances of success in clearing Freezing Sky Cave would not only increase by several fold, the power he would gain would also increase, and it would also be largely different from what he would gain with his previous plans.

There were a lot of benefits in this. There was even a high possibility that he would not need all of his Berserker Children to die. These benefits made Si Ma Xin's heart pound in excitement.

'Bai Su already promised me that she would speak to her father about this and that she would do everything that she can to make her father agree… She even told me that her father has never refused any of her requests before. This matter is practically in the bag, I just don't know how long it'll take… But now, I won't have to hurry either…

'Right now, the most important thing for me is to make Su Ming into my Berserker Son!'

Si Ma Xin closed his eyes and a myriad of thoughts swam through his head.

'It's a pity that I can't leave the mountain. Even when the time is up and I can move about freely, it'll be difficult for me to get in touch with Su Ming… Ha… If I knew this was the case, I should have given up on Han Mountain Bell and made friends with him, then planted the Berserker Seed within him!'

Si Ma Xin frowned with his eyes closed. As he was immersed in his thoughts, a thought suddenly struck his head.

'Bai Su!' Si Ma Xin opened his eyes and a sparkle appeared within them. 'When Su Ming saw Bai Su, there was clearly something different about him, and he didn't seem like he was faking it…'

A glint appeared within Si Ma Xin's eyes and his lips gradually curled up in a smile.

"Use love as a hook, turn it into the Berserker Seed, and when it blooms, the love felt will turn into nothingness. During that instant, the Seed will absorb all the life from that person! If I can create the method of using love to train the Heartless Art, then I can make changes to it. I'll use Bai Su as the hook and plant a Berserker Seed in Su Ming!" Si Ma Xin mumbled, and a heartless form of maliciousness was clear in his smile.

"Su Ming, once I've set my eyes on you, you… won't be able to run!"

A glint appeared in Si Ma Xin's eyes, yet at that moment, his expression suddenly changed and he lifted his head swiftly. He also rushed out of his cave abode and looked at the ninth summit, which was located far in the distance!

"My snake!"

Si Ma Xin's pupils shrank and his expression instantly grew dark.

He could sense his treasured snake's presence. Ever since Su Ming captured his snake, its presence had vanished. With its sudden appearance now, it jerked at the faint connection tying Si Ma Xin's heart with it.

In truth, he had only managed to make the snake acknowledge him as its master because he accidentally obtained a blood picture sometime ago. That picture had existed for a long time, and he only discovered the use of the picture after a long amount of time spent on researching through many ancient scrolls. Its use was to allow him to form a connection with certain strange creatures and control them by making them acknowledge him as their master.

That blood picture belonged to the Shamans living outside Sky Mist Barrier. However, the picture Si Ma Xin obtained was already torn, and he could not use it for stronger creatures. That was why when he met the snake and witnessed its might along with realizing that the snake was still a baby, he used the blood picture without any hesitation.

Right now, he could clearly feel the connection formed by the blood picture being attacked. Although there was little sign of it being whittled down, after a moment, when the snake's presence started fading away slowly, Si Ma Xin grew hesitant.

Chapter 245: He Does Not Want You, but I Do!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Si Ma Xin knew that the disappearance of the snake's presence was not due to it being subjugated by Su Ming. It got sealed within Han Mountain Bell, just like how it had been previously sealed. Yet even though he knew about it, he became hesitant, and soon,that hesitance turned into cold detachment.

'Planting the Berserker Seed is the most important thing at the moment!

'The snake is in Su Ming's hands now. I might not have had much contact with him, but I can tell that he's a decisive person. He won't drag things out and hesitate to take action. If he can't subjugate the snake, then he'll definitely think of ways to kill it!

'If that's the case, since you're going to die either way… you might as well help me before you die. At least your death will be worthwhile then.'

Si Ma Xin suppressed the pain of losing the snake and a determined look appeared in his eyes.

'It's a pity the snake still hasn't grown up… Forget it!'

Si Ma Xin lifted his right hand abruptly and slammed it against his chest.

The cloth covering his chest instantly turned into shreds and disappeared, revealing a round blood-red picture on his chest. That blood-red picture looked like the sun, but if anyone took a closer look, they would see that there was a faint shadow of the rod insect within.

'It's a pity about that snake, but there's only a thin Barren Thread within it, it won't be able to return to its roots and become a Barren. It's just a strange creature created by many Barren Threads from another Barren Treasure. This is just my guess, but perhaps the Barren Threads don't even exist.

'If I give up on this creature, the chances of me planting a Berserker Seed within Su Ming will be higher. This… is worth it!'

Si Ma Xin's eyes sparkled, and once his right hand patted his chest, he quickly trailed his finger in the outlines of the round blood-red picture.

As his finger trailed through the picture, cold air seeped out of his skin from the spots his finger passed by. Si Ma Xin's expression remained passive and detached. Soon, once his finger reached the end and arrived at where he started, the blood red picture on his chest instantly started moving and eventually broke off from his skin.

That blood-red circle was like a layer of skin. As it was slowly falling off his chest, many sticky threads could be seen connecting Si Ma Xin's skin to the picture. The sticky threads looked so repulsive that people would hurl just by looking at them, but Si Ma Xin's expression still remained passive and did not change.

As the blood-red circle separated from his body, the threads were gradually cut off. When the circle eventually floated up before Si Ma Xin, all the threads had been cut off.

A strange light appeared within Si Ma Xin's eyes and he bit his tongue to cough out blood. It fell on the blood-red circle that looked like skin and was quickly absorbed into it.

'Before Bai Su does what I want her to do, I must first create an emptiness within Su Ming's heart. Only by doing so will she have a higher chance of success!

'That snake will become the emptiness in his heart that will form the connection between me and Su Ming!

'The more you want to control the snake, the stronger that connection will be! Once he tries to control the snake and it dies, then he'll sink in deeper. The more he feels disappointed and regretful, the higher my chances will be to plant the hook!'

Si Ma Xin's lips twisted into a dark smile and he lifted his right hand once again to tap the center of his brows.

"Great Art of Heartless Berserker Seed!"

There was an indescribably ghastly tone in his voice as his words left his lips. The skin-like red circle before him instantly started burning.

As it burned, the vague shadow of the rod insect in the red circle started trembling furiously and sounded as if it was letting out silent screams of pain.

At the same time, in Su Ming's cave abode located on the ninth summit, the dispirited rod insect's body suddenly twisted within Han Mountain Bell. The insect, which was lying at death's gate, let out shrill, pained cries. As it cried out, the cruelty and viciousness in its eyes wavered, and the loyalty hidden within the depths of that cruelty became a look of one who's lost.

White mist left the insect's body. There was no heat coming from that white mist, yet as it spread out, the rod insect's body started burning!

"So this is your Master..? Because he did not want you to be subjugated by me, he would rather kill you cruelly…"

Su Ming's voice echoed within Han Mountain Bell and seeped into the rod insect's soul.

That insect possessed a high amount of intelligence and could understand Su Ming's words. The cruel light in its eyes grew dim and the hidden loyalty also became tainted by a thick veil of bewilderment.

It was as if no matter how much intelligence it possessed, it just did not understand why its own Master would want it dead…

"He wants you dead because you were captured by me. I don't know how long you've been with Si Ma Xin, but this must be the first time you were captured by someone. Even if I release you and you're captured the second or the third time, and even if the person who captured you isn't me, there is only one ending for you!

"And here you are, so loyal to a Master like this. It's hilarious, but at the same time, I pity you!"

Every single one of Su Ming's words echoed within Han Mountain Bell like thunder and struck the rod insect's heart, making the cruelty in its eyes shatter completely, revealing the loyalty hidden underneath it. However, that loyalty was now tainted by bewilderment and also grief.

Su Ming was watching all of it with his expression of cool detachment. However, his heart was shaken. He did not think the insect's intelligence would be so high. By the looks of it, it could even be said that its intelligence did not lose to Xiao Hong.

However, since Xiao Hong was a fire ape, it was born with human-like intelligence. Yet the insect already possessed such a high amount of intelligence even though it was so tiny. It just went to show just how extraordinary this creature was.

Su Ming's eyes sparkled. When the rod insect was clearly feeling shaken as its body was being burnt and its life force was quickly diminishing, Su Ming suddenly asked in a low growl, "Your former Master wants to kill you. Are you still going to remain loyal to him?!"

His voice was like rumbling thunder. As it echoed in Han Mountain Bell, Su Ming's divine sense, which had surrounded the insect, immediately spotted a crack in the insect's mental defenses.

The moment the crack appeared, the stone coins gathered outside Su Ming's body all jolted simultaneously and shattered into dust. They scattered out, and a large amount of spiritual aura surged out from the shattered stones. It rushed into the opened path in Su Ming's body like a wave and once they circulated through the path once, they gathered in his head, allowing him to muster up an even stronger divine sense.

When his divine sense rushed into Han Mountain Bell and fell upon the insect, it charged into the crack in its soul with a force strong enough to split apart bamboo and stormed straight into its soul.

The instant he entered the insect's soul, Su Ming's divine sense noticed a gigantic, floating red picture of a circle inside the insect's clouded mental world.

That thing was like human skin, or perhaps more accurately, it was human skin with the picture of a circle drawn on it.

At that moment, it was floating in midair, burning. Su Ming could see the shadow of the rod snake within the red circle. It trembled, but did not resist. It stayed inside instead and simply allowed the skin to burn and render it weaker.

In the span of a few breaths, most of the human skin turned into ashes and there was only a small segment left. By the looks of it, with just another few more breaths, it would completely disappear.

Once the human skin completely disappeared, the rod snake's shadow inside would also disappear, and the strange insect would die.

"Si Ma Xin, you truly are wicked…"

Su Ming might have predicted this, but when he saw it happening with his own eyes, he still found himself gaining new knowledge of Si Ma Xin's ruthlessness.

If he was Si Ma Xin and the rod insect was exchanged with Xiao Hong, he knew that he would not be able to do this.

Su Ming did not hesitate. He gathered up that powerful divine sense within the insect's soul and crashed it into the burning human skin. The moment it touched the human skin, Su Ming's heart suddenly trembled, and he felt that something was off.

At that moment, a dim light started blinking on his physical body's chest, which remained sitting in his cave abode. The source of the flickering dim light came from the mysterious black stone hanging on his neck.

As the light flickered, Su Ming's divine sense trembled within the insect's soul.

'Even if he has to kill his own pet, that Si Ma Xin is still plotting against me… Even though I don't know what he's planning, it's definitely nothing good.'

When Su Ming's divine sense faltered, another portion of the small segment left of the human skin burned away. By then, there was only a small part left.

The rod snake had become incredibly weak and looked like its soul was about to shatter and scatter at any moment. Yet it seemed like it had lost all will to fight. It simply lay within the skin and waited for its death.

There were only two paths lying before Su Ming right now. Either he would choose to save the rod insect and get caught in Si Ma Xin's trap, or he would give up on the insect.

He was plotting against Si Ma Xin, and Si Ma Xin was also plotting against him. The two of them did not know of the other person's goals and all the remaining moves they had. Yet they were using this rod insect as a medium and were fighting against each other in a form that was different from a true, physical brawl!

Su Ming only hesitated for a moment before he made his decision.

He did not bother about Si Ma Xin's unknown plot against him and covered what little remained of the human skin with his divine sense before breaking through the fire and into the shadow of the rod insect that seemed to have lost all will to fight and had given into despair.

"Even if Si Ma Xin wants to use your death and force me into a trap, this is my experiment. Even if you have to die, you cannot die in his hands!"

The moment Su Ming's divine sense rushed in, the rod insect shuddered.

"He doesn't want you, but I do!"

A mighty voice travelled out from within Su Ming's divine sense and rushed into the rod insect's soul. Its soul immediately started trembling, and the shadow in the human skin lifted its head. The dark light within its eyes seemed to have become different.

"He doesn't want you, but I do…"

That sentence echoed within the highly intelligent rod insect's soul and made that something within its eyes gradually replace the dull look.

With barely any form of resistance from the rod insect, Su Ming's divine sense left a deep Brand on its soul.

When he left the Brand on its soul, the human skin had already burned to ashes. Yet the very moment before it was completely burnt to ashes, the shadow within the skin vanished.

Right then, the human skin before the sitting Si Ma Xin on the first summit was also completely burnt to ashes. Yet his expression drastically changed and he stood up, as if he wanted to rush out of the first summit, but he stopped himself and clenched his fists. His expression turned incredibly dark, as if there was an anger within him strong enough to burn the heavens.

'How could it not be dead?!'

He suddenly understood Su Ming's plans. He wanted to use Si Ma Xin and subjugate the strange snake through him!

Chapter 246: Do You Understand?

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Su Ming opened his eyes slowly on the ninth summit and fatigue could be seen in his eyes. The act of leaving a Brand in the insect's soul in itself was already tiring for his divine senses. Even with the help of the spiritual aura provided by the stone coins, due to that burning human skin blood picture of Si Ma Xin's, placing the Brand on the insect made Su Ming feel drained and tired.

Nonetheless, even though he was exhausted, there was still joy on his face. When he stretched out his right hand, there was a black little rod the size of a finger's segment lying on his palm silently.

If he took a closer look, he would find that it was the strange rod shaped insect snake hybrid.

The snake had its head lowered. If Su Ming did not look carefully, it would be difficult for him to see that the creature's eyes were also closed. There was an exhausted air coming from it that was similar to Su Ming's own exhaustion, and along with it was also a strong sense of feebleness.

It was clear that the things that had happened just now not only injured this highly intelligent snake physically, but mentally as well.

Yet Su Ming could clearly feel that the snake was different after it went through the process of changing owners. Its soul had just gone through a change, and there was an intense, malicious killing intent that Su Ming felt as if he could touch spreading out faintly from its body.

"When you wake up from your sleep… then I will have another trump card by my side!" Su Ming mumbled and stroked the rod insect with his left hand.

The insect did not move. The struggles and resistance it once showed could no longer be found.

After being silent for a moment, Su Ming placed the insect into Han Mountain Bell once again. He might still be sealing up the creature, but the meaning behind his action was different this time. Previously, he had sealed it up to capture it, now, he was protecting it.

He would use Han Mountain Bell's might to protect the incredibly weakened snake and allow it ample time to recover until the moment it fully awakened!

Once he put away Han Mountain Bell, Su Ming took a deep breath. The world outside was darkening once again. Before long, darkness would completely fall upon the land. Su Ming stood up and walked out of his cave abode.

The moment he got out, a cold blast of wind blew against his face and lifted his hair and clothes. It made Su Ming feel some of his fatigue leave his body. He breathed in the chilling air and a cold sensation spread into his body until it filled him from head to toe.

Yet this chill only affected his body. Su Ming's heart remained warm because he was standing on the ninth summit, his home.

When Zi Che saw Su Ming walking closer to where he sat not too far away, he immediately stood up and bowed respectfully towards him.

"Greetings, uncle master Su."

Su Ming did not speak. He looked at the world in the distance and at the dim light in the horizon that seemed like a bonfire that was about to be extinguished. He looked at the light as it was gradually swallowed up by the darkness, and he continued watching until the world turned completely dark.

There was not a hint of impatience on Zi Che's face. Instead, he simply stood by the side respectfully and waited for Su Ming's command. He had already thought things through thoroughly. In these three years, he would make a place for himself in the ninth summit, because he had already understood how the ninth summit worked!

Time trickled by, and after a long while of Su Ming staring at the darkness in the distance, his voice came forth slowly from within the darkness, "Who is Bai Su?"

Su Ming hadn't asked about Bai Su previously even though that question had been lingering in his heart. Yet now, when he was fighting against Si Ma Xin with the rod insect acting as the medium, he sensed Si Ma Xin's plans and a vague speculation formed in his mind.

Zi Che was silent for a moment before he spoke respectfully, "Uncle master Su, Bai Su is a disciple of Freezing Sky Clan's seventh summit. She rarely speaks and I don't know much about her. But from what I understand about Si Ma Xin, he wouldn't have gotten into contact with an ordinary disciple without reason. The girl only has mediocre potential. If Si Ma Xin got into contact with her, then there must be something unusual about her, perhaps it's her status,"

Su Ming thought for a few moments before he turned around and walked off the platform he was standing on. Zi Che quickly followed behind him, and the two of them walked through the ninth summit at midnight.

Besides the moaning sounds of the wind, there were no other sounds at this time. It was quiet all around them. Su Ming's footsteps were unhurried, but there seemed to be a rhythm every single time his foot landed. Zi Che followed behind him, and the more he looked, the more shocked he became.

'As I thought, all the people in the ninth summit are monsters. Su Ming's walk alone is strange. If I look at it for a long period of time, I'll start feeling as if my mind is being stepped on.'

Zi Che licked his lips and eagerness appeared in his eyes.

As the two of them continued walking, an attentive look suddenly appeared on Zi Che's face and he turned his head swiftly towards a dark place not too far in the distance. Just now, he seemed to have seen a person floating by in the corner of his eye.

"That's my second senior brother."

Before Zi Che could make any sort of warning, Su Ming's calm voice had already traveled into his ears.

Zi Che was stunned, but before he could wrap his mind around it, he immediately narrowed his eyes. He just saw a strange figure floating by from that dark spot not too far away.

That figure suddenly stopped. Whoever it was, he or she lowered their body and looked around before lowering their head and grabbing a few plants. Then that person floated to another spot.

That figure was like a ghost, and all those who saw it would feel primal fear blossoming in their hearts.

Zi Che watched the figure's actions. It silently floated around, making Zi Che's skin crawl. It was night at the moment, and it was quiet all around them. The sudden appearance of such a strange person, and especially after learning about his identity, made Zi Che feel shaken.

Zi Che took a deep breath. His gaze fell on Su Ming, who was still walking forward slowly, not turning his head around. Zi Che quickly caught up to him, and after a moment of hesitation, he asked in a whisper, "He… Er… What is second uncle master doing?"

"He's stealing his own plants," Su Ming stated calmly.

Very soon, he arrived at Hu Zi's cave abode. Su Ming had already promised Chen Xiang to help her persuade Hu Zi. Since he had received Chen Xiang's gifts, then there was no way he would forget about this task.

"Stealing his own plants…"

There was a strange look on Zi Che's face as he walked over to the cave, along with bafflement. The ninth summit was becoming even more difficult to figure out to him.

Su Ming did not hear his third senior brother's snores as he stood outside Hu Zi's cave. He went in and saw that the cave was empty. His third senior brother had gone somewhere.

Su Ming felt the beginnings of a headache blooming in his head. He could already imagine it. Whenever nighttime came and Hu Zi did not have anything else to do, he would definitely go out and 'explore' with that mysterious smile on his face.

Right now, he would have gone to some other summit and would be crouched in a corner with a grin as he peaked on other people.

Zi Che was standing behind Su Ming. When he saw that the cave abode was empty, he did not think too much into it, but when he saw Su Ming frown, a thought suddenly struck his head and he remembered the rumors regarding Hu Zi circulating within Freezing Sky Clan.

When he remembered these rumors, a shudder ran through Zi Che's body and his expression became weirder.

Su Ming walked out of the cave with a frown, then lifted his head to look at the night sky. After a moment of silence, he walked into the distance. He did not speak throughout the way, and Zi Che too remained silent behind him. The two of them walked silently for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before Su Ming suddenly stopped.

At the same time, a soft giggle that made Zi Che's hair stand on end came from a place not too far away.

That giggle was like the shrieks of nocturnal birds, and in the quiet midnight, that sound was incredibly distinct.

That bone-chilling giggle was followed by a voice that seemed to be moved by something.

"As expected, I'm just the smartest person around. Second senior brother, o second senior brother, I won't tell you just who's stealing your flowers. Ah… it's not a good thing being too smart. Look at me, I'm too smart, that's why I'm lonely… too lonely…"

Zi Che's mind was blank. Naturally, he had recognized the voice to be Hu Zi's, but he just could not tell how Hu Zi was smart…

In the midst of his confusion, Zi Che stole an instinctive look towards Su Ming.

Right before his eyes, he saw Su Ming's frown disappear, and he bent his tall and straight back, then with his back lowered, he moved softly forward.

Zi Che's mind was already in a mess. The Su Ming right before his eyes seemed to have changed from what he usually saw. That posture of his with his back bent made Zi Che gulp a few times, but he then imitated the actions and moved forward quietly with a crouched back.

Before long, a large stone appeared before them. Zi Che saw a man crouching behind the stone like a tiger with his head stretched out as he looked out from the edge of the stone.

Su Ming was already used to Hu Zi's actions. With his back arched, he approached the stone and crouched down beside Hu Zi. His senior brother turned around and cast a glance at Su Ming. He was just about to speak when he saw Su Ming lifting his right index finger and making a shushing sound with a bitter smile.

Hu Zi's eyes sparkled and an approving look appeared on his face before he whispered, "Not bad, youngest junior brother. Looks like you've adopted my good habit, and now I won't be lonely anymore. I'll take you around and let you see every corner of Freezing Sky Clan."

Zi Che was also crouching by the side. Curiosity was burning within him, and he could not help himself from lifting his head and looking out the edge of the stone. The moment he saw what was there, he blinked and found himself speechless.

There was a frozen river lying between the mountains behind the stone, and there was a sunken area in the middle of the ice. It was about 100 feet in breadth, and there was an ice block that was about a few dozen feet tall standing in it.

There was a dim light shining in the ice, and he could vaguely see a woman's figure on it. She seemed to be… bathing there.

As the woman bathed, she kept looking around her carefully.

Since only the woman's back was in sight, they could only see her long hair, not her face, and since the view was a little muddled, it would have been difficult for anyone to see her face anyway.

"What… What is this..?"

A baffled look appeared in Zi Che's eyes. He simply couldn't wrap his head around why this illusion would appear on the 100 feet tall ice.

He also instinctively looked around him and found the area to be in silence. It was clear that no one was around bathing.

"Heh heh, this is your Grandpa Hu's greatest invention. So what if the seventh summit has a tight defence? I don't even have to go there and I can still see what I want from here."

There was a proud look on Hu Zi's face, and he seemed delighted with himself.

Zi Che was stunned and the question slipped off his tongue before he even knew it.

"… Uncle master Hu, since you can see it here, then why don't you just go out and watch by the ice instead of crouching down here..?"

When Hu Zi heard his question, he immediately glared at him condescendingly.

"This is the only way you'll feel as if you're peeking, do you understand?!"

Zi Che laughed bitterly. For some reason, that woman's blurred out back was somewhat familiar, but he just could not place a finger on it. When he looked at it once again, the reflection of the woman on the ice turned around and the side view of her face, though still blurred out, was revealed.

The moment her face came into view, Zi Che's jaw fell slack and veins began popping on his face.

Chapter 247: Big Sister…

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Big sister…"

Veins popped out on Zi Che's face and he stood up swiftly. Then with one step, he instantly arrived beside the ice and threw a punch at it. A loud bang rang through the air, and the ice instantly shattered into pieces.

The shadow on the ice also disappeared as the ice shattered. Yet the moment it disappeared, the woman in it seemed to have noticed something and she turned her head as if she was looking at something.

Hu Zi was furious. He widened his eyes and glared at Zi Che, then rushed out like a tiger, roaring, "How dare you break the treasure your Grandpa Hu created after all the blood, sweat, and tears he poured out?! I'm going to teach you a lesson!"

Su Ming had a strange expression on his face. He respected Hu Zi's weird quirk. He was not entirely sure whether this was just his imagination, but when Zi Che broke the ice, he seemed to have heard two sighs traveling softly from around him.

"That's my sister! My sister!"

Zi Che was also furious and he shouted at Hu Zi, who was rushing towards him.

Hu Zi was originally livid, but when he heard Zi Che's words, he was momentarily stunned, then his anger faded away instantly. He also came to an abrupt halt even though he was charging forth at high speed previously. He scratched his head and an embarrassed look appeared on his face, but it quickly turned into nonchalance.

"Oh well, your Grandpa Hu has a big heart. So what if it's broken, I can just make another one."

Zi Che's breathing quickened and he glared at Hu Zi. More veins popped out on his face.

Hu Zi was feeling slightly guilty, which prompted him to quickly speak, "Ah… Alright, alright. I won't look at your sister anymore."

"Do you really mean it?!" Zi Che immediately asked.

"Of course, there're plenty of other people in Freezing Sky Clan. If I say I won't peek at her anymore, then I won't," Hu Zi hastily promised. "But don't tell your sister."

Zi Che's face was dark as he looked at Hu Zi's guilty expression, and he could not help but start laughing bitterly. However, cold sweat had already broken out on his body and he instinctively looked at Su Ming.

Su Ming had a strange look on his face. He did not bother about Zi Che and Hu Zi. Instead, once he got closer, he walked around the place as if he was looking for something.

His strange actions immediately attracted Hu Zi and Zi Che's attention. The two of them also started looking around the place.

An excited look appeared on Hu Zi's face and with light footsteps he quickly got closer to Su Ming, then whispered softly, "Youngest junior brother, what are you looking for?"

While asking, he started looking around the place.

Su Ming's footsteps faltered and his gaze fell on the frozen river before him. After a long while, he shook his head and looked at Hu Zi.

"Third senior brother, could you also… not look at Chen Xiang anymore?"

Once Hu Zi heard it, he immediately nodded, but soon, realization dawned on his face and he grinned mysteriously at Su Ming.

Su Ming was just about to speak when he saw that grin on Hu Zi's face.

"I know, I know… Hehe, youngest junior brother, you don't have to explain anything. There's nothing your third senior brother doesn't understand. Your third senior brother is the smartest person in the ninth summit."

Su Ming could only laugh bitterly. He knew that he could not explain himself out of this, and decided not to even try. Instead, he simply wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed towards Hu Zi.

"Why are you being so courteous? We're under the same Master! By the way, youngest junior brother, my Entering Dream was great, right? I chased Si Ma Xin away, didn't I? Heh heh, don't you worry, youngest junior brother. I haven't mastered Entering Dream yet. Once I master it, it'll be even more powerful."

As Hu Zi spoke, a proud look appeared on his face and he patted his chest.

He suddenly lifted his head and looked at the weather.

"Youngest junior brother, I won't be talking with you anymore. It's almost time now, so I have to hurry to the eighth summit. Do you want to come with me?"

Hu Zi looked towards Su Ming, and once he saw Su Ming shake his head, he flew up quickly and turned into a long arc that charged into the darkness in the distance. He soon disappeared, but no matter what, his departing figure still gave Su Ming the impression that he was running away.

When he saw Zi Che's controlled anger, he understood that his third senior brother was feeling embarrassed and guilty after being caught red-handed, which was why he chose to leave so hurriedly.

"Do not do this again. It doesn't matter whether he is right or wrong, if you do this again, remember that I still lack an ingredient to make my medicine."

Su Ming turned around and cast Zi Che a cold glance.

Zi Che trembled and felt a little upset, but when he saw the cold look in Su Ming's eyes, he lowered his head and obeyed.

"That ice was blurred out and you couldn't see anything. Besides, my senior brother has already said that he won't peek at your sister anymore, so let it be."

Su Ming walked away as he spoke.

Zi Che breathed out a sigh of relief. He was not an unreasonable person. Su Ming may have said those words, but he did not do anything to him due to his actions just now. He only gave him a warning to not do it again. This in itself was a form of respect towards Zi Che.

When Su Ming and Zi Che left, a person suddenly charged towards the place that was now filled with shattered ice. That person came to the place and looked at it carefully and sneakily before quickly crouching down and taking away all the ice shards.

With his back arched, the person quickly left the place. That tall and built figure was, of course, Hu Zi.

"I'm so unlucky. This is the first time I made this, and I was having fun watching, but who knew I'd meet up with her little brother? How could I forget about this..? Oh well, I'll just have to be more careful next time," Hu Zi mumbled and quickly left.

A short moment after Hu Zi left, the space above the frozen river where Su Ming was staring at previously suddenly distorted and a handsome man gradually walked out of the distortion.

There was also a hint of embarrassment on his face, but even so, he still looked as gentle as spring wind. This person was naturally Su Ming's second senior brother.

Once he appeared, he let out a few fake coughs.

"I was almost found out by youngest junior brother. It's all the third's fault. Why did he have to make something so nice.?" second senior brother mumbled under his breath and left the place hastily.

A moment after Su Ming's second senior brother left, distorted ripples appeared once again in the space in this area that was about a few hundred feet wide. An old man wearing a flowery robe walked out from within the distortion.

The old man walked out with one brisk step, then patted his robes in a relaxed manner before placing his hands behind his back and walking towards the top of the mountain calmly. While his expression might be passive, pride could be seen within his eyes.

"The third did a good job. He made something interesting… It's a pity it was broken… But with my third disciple's personality, he'll make another one in a few days, and it'll be even sturdier than the previous one so that no one can break it with just one punch.

"It's a pity… but the fourth has really sharp senses, he almost found out where the second was hiding… Heh heh, but they're still not good enough to find me," the old man mumbled under his breath as he walked away proudly. That old man… was Tian Xie Zi.

Tian Xie Zi, who was wearing a flowery long robe!

Time passed by gradually in this peace and quiet. Hu Zi continued creating things and peeking at other people and Su Ming's second senior brother continued planting flowers in the day and stealing them at night as well as occasionally running into Hu Zi looking at the ice he created. Of course, sometimes Tian Xie Zi would also appear during the night, dressed in a flowery robe.

Very soon, two months passed by.

During these two months, Su Ming and Si Ma Xin's battle had been spread throughout Freezing Sky Clan by those who had witnessed it that day. Gradually, almost all the disciples from the other eight summits knew that there was a person in the ninth summit that was strong enough to fight against Si Ma Xin.

They also learned that this person was a Divine General of Awakening.

His name quickly spread through Freezing Sky Clan, and slowly, due to his battle with Si Ma Xin, Su Ming's name appeared on Freezing Sky Clan's Great Frozen Plains' ranking boards.

He was ranked ninth on Great Frozen Plains' ranking boards, replacing Zi Che.

The reason why he was ranked ninth was because there was no outcome to Su Ming and Si Ma Xin's battle. The people might have some understanding towards Su Ming's power, but they did not know the details. When he fought against Si Ma Xin, they could also tell that Si Ma Xin was clearly stronger than Su Ming.

A lot of them felt that it was a pity that the two of them did not manage to execute their final attacks in the battle.

During these two months, besides Su Ming's name spreading through Freezing Sky Clan, the school was also preparing for something big hurriedly and in secret.

That event was the Sky Mist Shaman Hunt that only occurred once every decade. There was only less than ten months left until the start of the hunt. Sky Mist Shaman Hunt was a big event within Freezing Sky Clan that was already considered a common practice among the disciples.

The event occurred once every decade, and the disciples that took part in the event would differ in number from thousands to tens of thousands every single time. Similarly, Western Sea Clan, which belonged to the other big tribe in the Land of South Morning, Western Sea, would also send out disciples and fight against the Shamans in the battle that occurred once every decade.

At that time, once Sky Mist Shaman Hunt began, the disciples of the two clans would frighten off the Shamans in Sky Mist Barrier and also gather a set number of people to venture out of Sky Mist Barrier and invade certain territories of the Shaman Tribe.

Each Sky Mist Shaman Hunt would last for a year.

That year would be a bloody and gruelling test as well as an ordeal for most of those who joined the battle. During that year, the people would know whether these swords, which were the disciples, would break or shine with a brilliant glint.

However, big scale battles did not happen for all Sky Mist Shaman Hunts. Since a long time ago till now, there were only a dozen Shaman Hunts which were incredibly devastating. The rest were actually rather mild battles.

However, the battle this year would be significantly different from all the previous battles. The Sky Mist Shaman Hunt ten months later would be a giant battle that only happened once every century!

The Sky Mist Shaman Hunts that only occurred once every decade were small battles, yet after ten of such battles came the battle that would only occur once every century, and the scale of that battle would be much greater than of a regular Shaman Hunt.

This was a rule set by the two big tribes in the Land of South Morning a long time ago. The reason as to why the battles were held so regularly with a large scale battle occurring once every century was because they wanted to know at all times just how quickly the Shaman Tribes outside Sky Mist were increasing their power.

They wanted to know whether there were any shockingly powerful people there, wanted to know whether they had any new Spells, wanted to know whether there were any new Shamans over there. All this information was the main purpose for the battles that occurred once every decade.

There were plenty of disciples who had joined the Sky Mist Shaman Hunt multiple times within Freezing Sky Clan, but there were also those who had never joined the battle. However, most of the disciples were familiar with this event. During the ten months, those who wanted to enter the battle would isolate themselves to train and make preparations.

In the two months of peace and quiet in the ninth summit, there were also certain things that happened, and these things were not considered peaceful. Zi Che's older sister had come to the mountain multiple times with her anger directed straight at Hu Zi.

At that moment, Su Ming was sitting on the platform outside his cave abode, under the clear sky. As he sat there, his right hand was drawing on the drawing board placed before him.

His actions were very slow, but there was also a feeling of age gradually seeping out from his fingers and appearing on the drawing board as he drew each stroke.

He was copying Si Ma Xin's sword slash. During these two months, he had kept copying Si Ma Xin's sword slash so that he could find that feeling he had in the beginning.

Zi Che was by his side and totally absorbed in watching Su Ming's actions. It was as if he was trying to search for his own epiphany in those strokes.

Yet at that very moment!

"Sun Da Hu, get your *ss down here!"

A woman's chilling voice sliced through the air from beyond the ninth summit.

"You witch! Why are you just targeting me?! Your little brother also saw you at that time, even my youngest junior brother Su Ming saw you!" Hu Zi's voice traveled forth, muffled, and with a hitch that suggested he was almost in tears. He sounded really upset.

Zi Che instantly looked as if he was caught in an awkward situation, and Su Ming lifted his head with a bitter smile on his lips.

Chapter 248: I'll Draw for You

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Zi Che, you little rascal, it's a complete waste for me to have fought for you when you were bullied last time! If you're still a man, then get Sun Da Hu here now!"

The woman's voice as she hissed out through her teeth clenched quickly came from beyond the ninth summit.

Two long arcs whistled through the air in the sky. One of them wore a yellow robe and had an oval shaped face. Although her face was twisted in anger, it simply gave her a different vibe of beauty.

There was a woman behind her. That woman was also beautiful, but there was a look on her face that suggested she was holding back her words. There was also a strange look in her eyes. That woman was Han Cang Zi.

Zi Che scratched his head and quickly got up, but he had no idea what he should be saying in this situation, so he really was just standing there awkwardly.

"Sis…"

"Don't call me sis, I don't have a brother like you!"

The woman glared at Zi Che and her gaze fell upon Su Ming.

"Oh, if it isn't uncle master Su," the woman said with a chilling laugh.

Su Ming could feel the beginnings of a headache blooming. The woman's name was Zi Yan, and she was Zi Che's sister. During these two months, she had been coming here often to search for Hu Zi.

He managed to dodge her a few times, but once she found him, something happened between them, and after that, Hu Zi started hiding himself deep in the mountain. They only knew that he was in the mountain, but it was difficult for them to know where he was hiding.

Only when he was forced into a corner would he start shouting, but his words floated in the air, making it hard for anyone to determine the source of his voice.

There was even one time where Hu Zi thought it was unfair that the woman only came looking for him to teach him a lesson when everyone else had also seen her, that was why he shouted out those words. After a few times, the woman's attention slowly spread out.

Su Ming could only feel resigned, laugh bitterly, and get a headache out of this.

The woman's personality was also hard to grasp. Once she diverted her attention towards them, she made an absurd request of Su Ming, and if he did not fulfill her request, she would continue pestering him.

Fortunately, Su Ming was not the instigator of this. Once he avoided her a few times, Zi Yan once again focused her attention on searching for the instigator of this entire incident, Sun Da Hu.

"Um… disciple niece Zi Yan…"

Su Ming looked at the raging Zi Yan and also saw Han Cang Zi standing behind her. He blinked instinctively.

Han Cang Zi pretended not to see him and turned her head in another direction.

"What is it that you want of me, uncle master Su? Are you still not satisfied by what you saw?"

Zi Yan let out a cold harrumph and walked towards the ninth summit elegantly. She stood on the platform outside Su Ming's cave, and as wind blew past her, her black hair was lifted up, which also brought a nice fragrance that wafted into Su Ming's nose.

"Um… About the thing you asked, it's not as if I can't do it, but you see, since your uncle master Hu is the instigator, if he can fulfill your request, then I'll naturally do so as well."

It was not as if Su Ming was not good at talking, it was just that he chose to remain quiet when he came to the Land of South Morning.

Right now, he had already found the warmth that gave him the feeling of home on the ninth summit, and his manner of speaking when he was in Dark Mountain started returning a little.

"You…" Zi Yan glared at him. Just as she was about to speak, Han Cang Zi let out a faint cough beside her. Zi Yan cast a deep look at Su Ming before she snorted and said, "I'll put this aside first for my junior sister Fang. Just you wait until I find that Sun Da Hu!"

When she said it, Zi Yan leapt up and started moving around the ninth summit.

The ninth summit was a strange place. There were no Runes that protected the mountain. Anyone could enter as they pleased, but only if they were allowed to do so. If the people in the ninth summit did not permit their entry, those who entered would end up like Zi Che.

However, it could be said that everyone in the ninth summit had wronged Zi Yan. Tian Xie Zi was sly and had gone into isolation to train a long time ago. Since this thing had nothing to do with Su Ming's eldest senior brother, he also enjoyed his peace and quiet.

His second senior brother had been hanging around the place often during these two months and was busy with tending to his plants. Every single time he saw Zi Yan, he would give a smile as gentle as the spring wind before giving her a nod.

Once Zi Yan left to search for Sun Da Hu, who had gone into hiding in the ninth summit, Han Cang Zi descended from the sky and stood on the platform. Zi Che could tell that these two knew each other since a long time ago, and coupled with the things that were now circulating in Freezing Sky Clan's Great Frozen Plains regarding Su Ming, they made Zi Che lower his head and take a few steps back and leave the place.

White clouds covered the blue sky. The wind brought about a chill as it blew past the two people. As the wind lifted some locks of their hair, it also gave a sense of beauty to the serenity in the place.

"You seem to be avoiding me," Su Ming said, looking at Fang Cang Lan with a smile.

"I'm not."

Fang Cang Lan did not look at Su Ming. Instead, she stood on the platform and looked at the blue sky in the distance.

"You've come to this place with your senior sister Zi Yan many times during these two months, but this is the first time you chose to stay alone."

In Su Ming's eyes, Fang Cang Lan was like a serene snow lotus in the wind.

"I came here before," Fang Cang Lan whispered.

"Thank you."

Su Ming sat down and his gaze fell upon the white clouds in the sky.

"What for?"

The motion when Fang Can Lan turned her head to the side was very beautiful. Sunlight shone on her, and he could see some of the fine hair framing her face.

"Thank you for worrying about me when Zi Che came here, and thank you for warning me when I was fighting against Si Ma Xin."

Su Ming picked up the drawing board next to him and tapped it with his right hand.

A faint banging sound echoed in the air, and a thin layer of powder fell away from the drawing board.

"I know that you should have guessed Si Ma Xin's goal, that's why I didn't come to warn you again."

Fang Can Lan smiled faintly. There was a hint of something Su Ming understood but was still a little uncertain about in her smile.

"A Berserker Son, hmm?"

A chilling glare appeared briefly in Su Ming's eyes. If he could still not figure out Si Ma Xin's goals, then he would not be the Su Ming who arrived alone in the Land of South Morning and made it to this point in life.

Fang Cang Lan hesitated for a moment before she said softly, "I don't know what else Si Ma Xin is planning to do, but from what I understand about him, once he makes up his mind about something, then he won't give up.

"You… have to be more careful."

Once she finished speaking, she lifted her right hand and smoothed down her hair, which had become messy due to the wind. She tucked some locks behind her ear and turned around to no longer look at Su Ming. It was just as Su Ming said, she was indeed avoiding him, because every single time she met his gaze, she would feel her heartbeat suddenly quicken.

"Don't move," Su Ming suddenly said.

Fang Cang Lan was stunned and looked at Su Ming curiously.

"Stay that way, let me draw your picture."

Su Ming picked up his drawing board and looked at Fang Cang Lan, then he drew a stroke on the drawing board with his right hand.

Red colored Fang Cang Lan's cheeks. She bit her bottom lip and looked at Su Ming as she maintained her posture of tucking her hair behind her ear. Her dress fluttered in the wind, and the blue sky and white clouds behind her acted as her background.

Not only did the wind make her dress flutter, it also made her hair float diagonally. It was a beautiful picture.

It was as if time slowed down all of a sudden. A woman's face gradually appeared on the drawing board under Su Ming's fingers.

Fang Cang Lan's fluttering heart slowly calmed down. She kept her gaze on Su Ming and what entered her vision first was the scar underneath his eye.

When she saw the scar, Fang Cang Lan's heart clenched in pain.

The two of them did not speak. In this peace, one of them drew, and the other watched.

Admiration appeared on Zi Che's face as he stood in the distance. He might not have heard what Su Ming and Fang Cang Lan said to each other, but when he saw Su Ming drawing Fang Cang Lan, his admiration towards Su Ming grew to an incredibly high point.

'As expected of uncle master Su, when he fought against Si Ma Xin, his killing intent was suffocating, and he had an intimidating presence… Now, he can draw so tenderly and make a woman so bashful… When will I ever be like that..?'

Zi Che sighed deeply. He shook his head and closed his eyes slightly as if he was thinking about something.

'He has just fought Si Ma two months ago, Now he sits drawing for a woman. If the day comes that I can do this…

'What should my next line be..?'

Zi Che frowned. During these two months, as he continued observing the odd eccentricities of the people in the ninth summit, he gained an epiphany and believed that perhaps these eccentricities were what made them so different from the others.

That was why he also tried looking for a weird quirk for himself, which led to something like this happening, where he would start making poetry when he was deeply moved…

While Zi Che was thinking about what his next line should be, while Su Ming was looking at Fang Cang Lan and drawing her, second senior brother, who had been tending to his flowers on the ninth summit, lifted his head and looked towards the direction of Su Ming's cave. His eyes also sparkled brilliantly.

"Youngest junior brother, thank you," second senior brother suddenly uttered these abstruse words before quickly standing up and letting out a few fake coughs. Then he disappeared without a trace.

On another spot on the ninth summit, Su Ming's second senior brother suddenly appeared. He first smoothed out his robes and took a few deep breaths before placing his hands behind his back and lifting his head to look at the sky.

Yet he soon moved his body to the side and let the sunlight fall on his face as he looked up

Soon, he frowned again and waved his left hand by his side. Immediately, a light breeze blew past him and made his robes and long hair flutter in the air. With the wind constantly around him, the second senior brother looked at the sky and remained still.

Before long, Zi Yan appeared on the stairs not too far into the distance. She had already gone to a few places, but she simply could not find Sun Da Hu. She might be furious, but she could not do anything to vent her anger.

As she continued walking forward, a gentle voice suddenly reached her ears.

"Miss Zi Yan."

Zi Yan's footsteps faltered. When she turned around, she saw Su Ming's second senior brother standing nearby. The very instant she saw him, shock appeared on her face.

She saw Su Ming's second senior brother's hair dancing in the wind.

She also saw his long robes fluttering in the wind…

She even saw him positioning the side of his face towards her and with his hands behind his back look at the white clouds in the sky. When sunlight fell on his face, it made him seem different from how he usually was.

Zi Che felt her skin crawl. She did not know what had happened to this person, so she quickly took a few steps back and spoke softly.

"Er… Greetings, second uncle master of the ninth summit…"

Chapter 249: Purple Robe?

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Miss Zi Yan, I'm not that much older than you are. Let's talk as equals. You may call me senior brother Hua."

Zi Hua was momentarily taken aback, but then opened her mouth as if to speak.

"Miss Zi Yan!" Su Ming's second senior brother's face grew more stern. "I said that I would bear the responsibility for his wrongs. How about this, I'll follow you to the seventh summit and punish myself to protect you for three years. I'll use these three years to compensate for Hu Zi's mistake."

Once the second senior brother finished speaking, he sighed. If Hu Zi was by his side and saw the gentleness on his face along with the persistence in his words, perhaps… just perhaps, he would be very touched?

"Senior brother Hua… There's… no need for that."

Zi Yan felt that she could not handle him and took a few steps back.

"Are three years not enough? Alright then, ten years. I'll punish myself to go to the seventh summit and protect you for ten years."

Second senior brother was just about to take a step forward, but after a short moment of hesitation, he did not move, because the sunlight in the spot one step away from where he was right then was not as bright as the spot where he stood right now.

"Ah… You really don't have to do that," Zi Yan said nervously. Su Ming's second senior brother's enthusiasm was beginning to scare her.

"Miss Zi Yan, in truth…" Second senior brother looked at Zi Yan and a grave expression appeared on his face. "In truth, I was also among the people who watched you. That's why, you must accept my apology."

When Zi Yan heard his words, she was stunned before a bitter smile appeared on her lips.

"Senior brother Hua, please don't joke around. I know that you weren't there. Ah… let's leave it as it is, I'll be leaving now."

While speaking, Zi Yan quickly moved back towards the stairs in an attempt to leave as quickly as possible.

This place was making her uncomfortable all over her body.

"Miss Zi Yan, I was really there!"

When he saw that Zi Yan was about to leave, second senior brother took a few steps forward quickly.

"Let's leave it at that. I'll be leaving now…"

Zi Yan did not even turn back and quickly ran down the mountain through the stairs feeling incredibly flustered. By the looks of it, if second senior brother chased after her, she would immediately jump into the air and fly away.

"No!" Ssecond senior brother took a leap and instantly appeared before the fleeing Zi Yan. "Miss Zi Yan, you have a heart of gold, but I am a person who repents with my actions. If you will not accept my apology, then you can request three things from me. You can come to me at anytime and ask me to fulfill your requests," second senior brother stated sternly.

"Alright, alright, I'll remember it. Senior brother Hua, I'm leaving first. You don't have to send me off, in fact, please don't send me off…"

Zi Yan quickly nodded her head and flew up just as hastily. She avoided Su Ming's second senior brother and charged out into the distance. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared without a trace.

Just as Zi Yan was scared off by Su Ming's second senior brother's enthusiasm and fled quickly in a flustered state without even bothering about Han Cang Zi, Su Ming's right hand made the last stroke on his drawing board where he sat outside his cave abode.

When he finished drawing, Su Ming held out the drawing board to Han Cang Zi. A baffled look appeared momentarily on her face when she looked at it. After a long while, she placed the drawing board down, cast a glance at Su Ming, then spun around with a calm look on her face and turned into a long arc and left.

The drawing board was empty.

Those who could see it would certainly see it, but those who couldn't, no matter how they forced themselves to see it, they would still not be able to see anything.

Su Ming did not know whether Han Cang Zi saw the drawing. He looked at her leaving figure, then closed his eyes after a long while. When he opened them once again, they were as calm as water.

He picked up the drawing board silently and once again immersed himself in copying Si Ma Xin's sword slash. With every single copy, he would gain a slightly better understanding of it. These experiences gradually built up and slowly allowed him to sense the might of that one stroke he had made previously.

Three days later, Hu Zi came out of his hiding place silently. When he saw that Zi Yan seemed to no longer bother him, he became pleased with himself once again and spent his days in his cave abode drinking, and as he did so, he would also mumble under his breath and fiddle with some ice shards, grouping them together. He would even occasionally let out some weird giggles as he did so.

Second senior brother tended to his plants as he usually did, but he also gained a new hobby for himself. He would go to the spots where the sun was the brightest and position himself so that sunlight would fall on the side of his face. It was as if he was extremely fond of this particular action.

Their Master, Tian Xie Zi, also walked out when Zi Yan no longer appeared on the ninth summit. Every morning, the people in the ninth summit would hear long lasting howls from the top of the mountain.

Those roars were like thunder and rumbled in the air. Tian Xie Zi would always rise up to roar and fly in different directions to do something, though no one knew exactly what he wanted to do, and he would usually only return by noon.

As time passed by, Su Ming learned that this was his Master's hobby.

At the same time, as another month went by, Su Ming noticed that his Master, Tian Xie Zi, had another unique quirk!

He only learned about this quirk through his second senior brother's words and his own observations.

"Look, Master is wearing white again today. He should be flying north."

Second senior brother sat beside Su Ming on his platform outside his cave abode. At that moment, second senior brother had his head lifted towards the sky, looking at the top of mountain. He spoke as if he was deeply moved by his Master's actions.

A rumbling roar came from the top of the mountain, and Tian Xie Zi, who was dressed in white, flew towards the north.

"If Master is in a good mood in the morning, he'll do this. Youngest junior brother, you must get used to it."

"Master is wearing red today, he'll fly to the west."

Hu Zi was also sitting beside his second senior brother this time. There was a pot of wine in his hand. He mumbled under his breath, "Master is wearing black today, so he'll definitely fly to the south…" and did not even bother looking at the sky.

Then just as he said, Tian Xie Zi flew towards the south from the summit, dressed in black.

"Master is dressed in green today and is also wearing a green hat. Just you wait, his mood is bad today, so he'll fly east…" Second senior brother did not even bother lifting his head when he stated that softly, holding a green plant in his hands.

When Su Ming heard it as he was still drawing Si Ma Xin's sword slash, he instinctively lifted his head to look, and a stunned look appeared on his face.

Rumbling sounds came from the mountaintop, and then Tian Xie Zi appeared in the air dressed in green and a green hat, and… flew north.

This scene immediately made Hu Zi, who was drinking, stunned, and he quickly rubbed his eyes.

"That's not right, why did Master fly north?"

Second senior brother also lifted his head and his expression suddenly became grave.

"Something happened to Master!"

When Zi Che heard this and saw the changes in expressions of second and third senior brothers while meditating not too far away, having gained a deeper understanding if the weirdness in the ninth summit over the past few days, his heart immediately started racing against his chest. He had a feeling that he was about to discover some sort of secret.

At that moment, the green robed Tian Xie Zi suddenly faltered in the sky, in the act of flying towards the north. He stopped for a moment in midair as if he was mumbling something under his breath before he turned around and flew east…

Hu Zi rolled his eyes and lifted his wine pot to continue drinking with a look as if he was displeased with Tian Xie Zi's actions.

Su Ming frowned and cast a glance at his second senior brother. He saw a hint of seriousness that was rarely seen in his second senior brother's eyes.

"I remember that the last time Master made a mistake like this was fifteen years ago… Could it be… that his purple robed self is about to appear once again..?"

Second senior brother took a deep breath and looked at Su Ming and Hu Zi.

"Purple robe?" Su Ming also looked at his second senior brother.