Chapter 367: Autumn Sea
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
When Su Ming spoke, a Shaman Crystal appeared in his left hand. With one squeeze, the crystal instantly shone with a brilliant light. With a flash in the sky, that light turned into a gigantic lizard above Su Ming!
That lizard was naturally the sacred beast of Lizard Shaman Tribe!
There were many uses for Shaman Crystals. Su Ming had learned from Wu Duo that one of their many uses was a way for Shamans to show their tribe's sacred beast as a form of courtesy if they ran into other Shamans in an unfamiliar place.
In the end, he had chosen not to probe into Wu Duo's origins, but had instead chosen to ask about the Shamans' customs and characteristics… Wu Duo had told him everything. He had also somewhat guessed Su Ming's intentions, but he did not expose him because they were people walking down the same path, albeit they were from different races.
They perhaps have not had a deep friendship, but after fighting through numerous battles together, they had slowly come to form a unique rapport, and this way they had come to form a friendship between two people of different races.
Perhaps it was a brittle friendship, but it might also not be that brittle.
At the very least, right now Su Ming was using the method Wu Duo told him to activate the power of the Shaman Crystal. Once he brought out the illusion of the sacred beast of Lizard Shaman Tribe based on what he saw in the past and what he remembered, the Shaman Tribe that had stirred up the dust on the land and blotted the sky and earth manifested their own in the form of an illusion in the sky.
From a Shaman Crystal, a gigantic and ferocious beast was called out.
It was a gigantic mackerel pike, one that Su Ming was familiar with and had seen before!
The illusion of the mackerel pike appeared in the sky. Compared to it, the lizard was really insignificant…
However, if the tribe revealed the image of the sacred beast, then it meant that they had acknowledged Su Ming's words and had also accepted his exercise of Shaman etiquette, which was why they had returned the greeting.
The sudden scene caused the fleeing Berserker to widen his eyes in disbelief. He had no knowledge of this sort of Shaman etiquette.
In truth, there were not many people who knew of this sort of etiquette in the land of the Shamans, because it was really insignificant. Even if a people could call out sacred beasts, it usually only took one glance for them to recognize whether other people were Shamans as well.
The most distinct characteristic would be the strength of that person's mental prowess!
At that moment, Su Ming had already spread his divine sense so that it covered his entire body. Then, along with the mysterious air spreading from Spirit Plunder that was hidden from sight in his hand, he gave all those around him a feeling that he was a Soul Catcher, even though he was wearing a bamboo hat.
The old Berserker who was running away might not know about this rule of conduct, but he knew that Su Ming was definitely not part of the Shaman Tribe.
When the group of Shamans appeared behind him, his skin crawled, but as he continued charging forward, with a sinister intention, he said, "Interesting, since when has the True Divinity Wind Berserker of the Berserker Tribe and the scion of the first God of Berserkers become a Shaman? Why didn't I know about this?"
Almost the moment the old man said those words, Su Ming let out a cold harrumph. He did not explain himself but loosened the grip of his right hand, causing Spirit Plunder in his hand to float above his head. It shone with a brilliant dark light as if it wanted to absorb everything in the world into it.
Su Ming distinctly remembered that when the young Soul Catcher he killed in the land of the Berserkers saw this pearl, he had said that this was the Soul Catcher Pearl that only End Shamans could create!
This pearl seemed to be rather famous in the Shaman Tribe… Besides, Su Ming also remembered that when he brought out his Spirit Plunder in Lizard Shaman Tribe that the Patriarch of that tribe had also recognized this as an item that belonged to the Shamans, and had been baffled as to why Su Ming could possess and use it.
"Soul Catcher Pearl!"
It was just as Su Ming had predicted, the moment the pearl was brought out, someone from the migrating Shaman Tribe behind them immediately cried out in surprise.
The old Berserker was stunned, and at that moment, an old woman walked out abruptly from the thousands of mackerel pikes in the sky behind Su Ming. The old woman's hair was white and her skin filled with wrinkles. There was a tattoo of a mackerel pike on her face. She held a cane made of fish bone in her hand, and with one step, she appeared right before Su Ming, several tens of thousands of feet behind the old Berserker.
She was a Latter Shaman!
Su Ming's pupils shrank under the straw hat covering his head. The instant the old woman walked past him, he could feel a power that was similar to that of a divine sense from the old woman's body, scanning him.
There was also a man whose hair was so long it was about ten feet in length sitting on the head of a turtle located at the center of the nine turtles on the ground.
The man looked to be in his forties, but there were age spots that only belonged to the elderly covering his skin. He originally had his eyes closed, but at the same time the old woman appeared, he opened his eyes slowly. Within them was a light that could make someone feel shaken to the core.
It was just a gaze, but it was enough to make Su Ming's entire body tremble. It also made the old Berserker, who was fleeing in front, feel as if his soul was about to scatter. His body suddenly came to a stop, as if he was tied up and could not move forward!
"End… Soul Catcher!"
The old Berserker's expression turned incredibly sour. He could not move his body at all, as if his soul had been captured. That was not all, he had also lost control of his body and was slowly turning around. Then, like a puppet, he started walking towards the old woman.
Terror and shock could be seen clearly in his eyes.
"Take off your straw hat."
Just as the old Berserker started walking over without any form of resistance, as if his body was controlled, the man sitting cross-legged on the turtle on the ground trained his eyes on Su Ming. His gaze was profound and his words were spoken in a strange rhythm.
Su Ming instantly felt a mighty willpower coming forth from the man's eyes. In an instant, it touched his outspread divine sense, turning into a force that caused him to stagger. However, the man immediately pulled back his divine sense, so Su Ming was not harmed.
A thought appeared in Su Ming's head and he slowly took the straw hat down, revealing… a face covered by a black mask!
That mask belonged to Han Mountain's ancestor!
Although he was wearing a mask, Su Ming's eyes also shone with profundity. The unique presence he gained after he reached the Bone Sacrifice Realm was also clearly reflected on his body, even though he did not show his real face.
That profound gaze, the floating Spirit Plunder, and the divine sense that was spread around his body caused the Su Ming now to look as if he was truly a Medial Soul Catcher!
At that moment, his presence became rather similar to the man''s on the turtle.
This was a similarity that was only possible between Soul Catchers!
Even if the old Berserker now had his body controlled, he could still see how Su Ming looked like at that moment. Even if his heart was filled with terror, he still could not help but have this thought appear in his head…
'Could it be… he's really a Soul Catcher..?'
"Interesting, I can sense the presence of a Berserker, a Shaman, and an Immortal on you…" The man whose hair was ten feet long was actually an incredibly handsome man. Even if he had those age spots which belonged to the elderly, they did not destroy his good looks. Instead, they gave him a charm brought by age.
"You're the first person whom I can't figure out on sight, tell just which race you belong to. You're like a Soul Catcher, and if other Shamans looked at you, they would think you were a Soul Catcher as well, but… you're not a Soul Catcher!
"Take off your mask." The man shook his head slightly and commanded leisurely.
Su Ming's heart pounded against his chest. When the man's words echoed by his ears, a glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes and he did something bold. Han Mountain Bell was inside him, and within Han Mountain Bell was that strange rod snake.
Su Ming had once released that rod snake during battle in the war, and it had also pierced through the old Berserker's palm. He could still remember clearly that the snake had swallowed the illusionary Candle Dragon that appeared once the young Soul Catcher opened his eyes!
Su Ming had clearly sensed the rod snake's excitement and desire the instant it devoured the Candle Dragon.
Su Ming did not take down the mask, but instead poured all his thoughts into the black stone fragment hanging below his throat. This was his last resort - entering the strange dimension to escape all dangers.
However, there were drawbacks in doing this. This was Su Ming's greatest secret, and unless he absolutely needed to, he did not want to use it.
At the same time he began making preparations to activate the stone, Su Ming opened up a small crack on the Han Mountain Bell contained in his body and released the strange rod snake's presence!
That presence instantly surrounded Su Ming's entire body. However, that presence was clearly very weak, so there were not many who managed to notice it. Only the natural instincts of the ferocious beasts allowed them to notice it, and only some people with unique senses could sense it.
Almost the instant that presence spread from Su Ming's body, all the mackerel pikes in the sky let out piercing shrieks and retreated simultaneously. Terror appeared on their faces, as if they had just sensed something terrifying.
They were not the only ones reacting that way. All the creatures on the ground were acting in the same manner. Even the nine turtle beasts that were one hundred thousand feet in size also started trembling furiously. Eight among the nine started roaring, and those roars did not sound as if they were fighting against something, but were instead roars of terror.
The turtle underneath the long haired man did not roar, but it was shivering incessantly. The long haired man sitting on it was stunned and his eyes became as wide as saucers. Dark light shone within his eyes and he stared fixedly at Su Ming. Gradually, his expression changed.
"Candle Dragon!"
"I am a Medial Soul Catcher from Lizard Shaman Tribe traveling through the land of the Shamans. Ever since I was born, I already possessed the presence of the Candle Dragon. Senior, you are a Soul Catcher, you should be able to tell whether this presence is real or fake!
"I'm not taking off my mask for personal reasons. Please don't make this hard for me." Su Ming spoke slowly and calmly. In the time he spoke and spread out the rod snake's presence, he completed activating the path to the dimension in the stone. He could enter it any time he wanted now.
Uproars rose all around them. As the creatures roared, the Shamans standing on them started looking at Su Ming differently. To them, besides the mask, he was identical from his head to toe, including his eyes, to the terrifying Soul Catchers they'd met before.
Even the Soul Catchers standing in the crowd underneath had the same feeling.
The long-haired man stared at Su Ming for a few moments before he said languidly, "Our fellow tribesman from Lizard Shaman Tribe, we are now in a time of war. Don't leave now. Join Autumn Sea Tribe and become our tribe's Soul Catcher."
Su Ming frowned.
"I can join you, but you must give that person to me. I want to turn him into a puppet and grant him the status of an Undying."
Chapter 368: Blood of the Shamans
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Autumn Sea Tribe was one of the larger tribes in the land of the Shamans. This migrating group was just a part of it. The team was so long that from afar they looked as if they were connected together. They traveled close to each other, and there were also a large amount of gigantic ferocious beasts dragging with them some unique looking buildings with the members of Autumn Sea Tribe sitting on them as they slowly moved forward.
There were thousands of mackerel pikes swimming in the sky, and they looked as if they had blotted out the sky. Whistling sounds reverberated in the air, and there were also quite a large number of these mackerel pikes who spread out around the perimeter as if patrolling the area.
Su Ming sat on top of a turtle that was 100,000 feet in size. There were nine members of Autumn Sea Tribe sitting around him. The levels of cultivation of these nine people were anything but ordinary. All of them were Medial Shamans.
They had Su Ming surrounded in the middle as if they were flanking him. It was an order from the male End Shaman.
There was a person lying beside Su Ming - the old Berserker. He could not move his body, but his mind remained clear. His heart was filled with shock from what he had seen previously.
He had originally not believed that Su Ming was a Soul Catcher, but the progression of events had made him hesitant. By that point, he was already completely uncertain as to who Su Ming was!
Su Ming remained silent as he sat on the turtle. His expression was calm and not a hint of what he truly felt in his heart could be seen. He was sitting on the second of the nine turtles. The first turtle right before was the male End Shaman's ride.
From where Su Ming was, he could see the long-haired man whose back was turned towards him as he sat on the first turtle in the distance. That length of hair was something Su Ming had never seen before. He was also the first ever End Shaman Su Ming had ever seen before.
When he remembered that an End Shaman had the power equivalent to those who had attained great completion in the Berserker Soul Realm, Su Ming's pupils shrank.
'How many End Shamans are there among the Shamans..? There can't be a lot of them. It's just like how there are very few Berserkers who have attained great completion in the Berserker Soul Realm.'
Su Ming's understanding towards End Shamans and Berserkers who had attained great completion in the Berserker Soul Realm was very limited. This was simply too far away to him.
'It was just one gaze, and he already made a Berserker in the initial stage of the Berserker Soul Stage almost break down… and then he captured him just like that. The strength of an End Shaman should be considered as the peak in the Land of South Morning.
'End Shaman… I wonder what his name is; he must be a famous person in the Shaman and Berserker Tribes.' Without bringing any attention to himself, Su Ming started examining his surroundings.
The tribe was not moving quickly. When dusk arrived, the migrating tribe started slowing down. The members of Autumn Sea Tribe started setting up beast skin tents and building up bonfires skilfully on the desolate land. Everything was done in an orderly manner and there was not a hint of them scrambling about in their actions. It was as if everyone knew exactly what they had to do.
When dusk went by and the sky turned completely dark, the bonfires lit up the area. Even if they were a migrating tribe that was resting at that moment, the area which they occupied was still very large. At the very least, when Su Ming stood up and looked into the distance, he could only vaguely see the end of the line and was unable to determine just how big was this temporary tribal village.
The moon gradually peeked out from the clouds, and firelight flickered on the ground. Even though it was dark in the distance, the tribe was rather well illuminated. There were some children playing around, occasionally, playful laughter would ring in the air. Gradually, as the members of Autumn Sea Tribe brought out food and some of them started roasting meat over the bonfires, the aromatic scent of food filled the air, and bustling sounds permeated the air.
Su Ming sat beside a bonfire and took in everything. If he did not look at the Tattoos, he could even have a false impression that he was not sitting among Shamans, but among Berserkers.
It did not matter whether it was their food or their manner of living, everything between the two races were too similar. The only differences between them were their divine abilities and their Arts.
As Su Ming fell into a daze, he saw three children about seven or eight years of age on the other side of the bonfire. They wore beast skins and their hair was a little messy. They were playing tag. One of the children had big eyes and rosy cheeks; he looked very adorable.
The boy was running in front with cheerful laughter. His two friends chased after him.
"The two of you are too slow. I'll count to three. If you still can't catch up to me, then I won't let you two play with this rattle drum."
The boy running in front held a round-shaped rattle drum with a handle connecting to the drum in his hand. However, the ground was not flat, and as he turned his head around to talk, he tripped over something and instantly fell to the ground.
When he fell, his two friends behind him immediately caught up to him, and the three of them instantly started playing together.
However, as the three of them played around, squabbling sounds started, causing Su Ming to look over.
"It's your fault! You broke the rattle drum! It's your fault!"
"My papa made this for me! You have to give it back!"
The boy who had fallen down previously had his head lowered at that moment and looked as if he was about to cry. The rattle drum he held in his hands now had a tear on it.
The two other children standing before him looked hurt and angry. The three of them started yelling at each other.
Things like this occasionally happened among children. Most of the Shamans around chose to ignore this when such arguments happened. Compared to the innocence of the children, the adult Shamans were feeling heavy-hearted, because before long, they would also have to join the battle, and perhaps in the end, very few of them would survive.
Su Ming looked at the three children and stared at the toy rattle in that boy's hand before he stood up slowly. The instant he got up, the nine Medial Shamans surrounding him instantly trained their gazes on him, and guarded looks appeared in their eyes.
Su Ming ignored those nine gazes trained on him and started walking towards the three squabbling children.
The nine Medial Shamans frowned at Su Ming's actions. One of them that was in between Su Ming and the three children stood up when he started walking over. He stared at Su Ming and was just about to open his mouth when his vision blurred. When the world before him became clear once again, he had already lost sight of Su Ming.
That person was momentarily stunned, before he turned his head around swiftly and saw Su Ming with his back towards him as he walked towards the three children.
As that person's expression changed, the other eight reacted in the same manner. Just as all of them wanted to close in on Su Ming, they saw him arriving beside the three children. He stopped and crouched down.
"Let me see. Maybe I can repair it." Su Ming may have been wearing a mask, but the gentle look in his eyes and the soft tone in his voice was still as clear as day.
The three children were stunned, then looked at Su Ming with wide eyes.
"Uncle, can you repair the rattle drum?"
"My papa made it for me. It's his fault that it's broken."
"Uncle, please repair it. It's my fault that it's broken."
Behind Su Ming, the nine Medial Shamans who wanted to get closer came to an abrupt halt. They had heard Su Ming's words and seen his actions.
Su Ming took the small rattle drum from the boy's hands and examined it. At that instant, nostalgia appeared in his eyes. The similarities between the Shaman and Berserker Tribes had caused even the children's toys to almost be the same.
For example, this rattle drum. Su Ming remembered that his elder had made one for him when he was young. It was a small rattle drum made using beast skins, and there was a small stone tied to both sides of the drum with strings made of straw. If he held it in his hand and turned his wrist a little, the small stones wrapped up in string would hit the surface of the drum and let out rattling sounds.
This was one of Su Ming's favorite toys when he was young. He looked at the rattle drum in his hand and a smile appeared on his face under the mask. One side of the drum was torn, which was why no sound could be produced.
Su Ming lifted his hand and ripped off the torn beast skin, then ripped off a corner of the boy's shirt, then placed it on the drum once again. Once he fixed it in place, he turned his wrist with the drum in hand, and instantly, rattling sounds appeared in the air.
The three children immediately started cheering, and excited looks appeared on their faces. Once they took the repaired rattle drum from Su Ming, two of them looked at each other, then ran into the distance excitedly.
"Uncle, thank you. I'm Abu." The boy who had previously broken the rattle drum when he fell waved at Su Ming and happily ran off to join his friends.
At that moment, Su Ming was not paying any mind to the blood feud between the Shamans and the Berserkers in the Land of South Morning, neither was he paying any attention to the war between both sides that would last for an unknown period of time next to Sky Mist City.
He looked at the innocent children and sighed.
"Brother Mo, I didn't expect that you would help the children repair the rattle drum. You must have seen your past self in them." A cheerful voice came from behind Su Ming.
Along with those words came a young man dressed in a black robe with long hair that went down to his waist. The young man's skin was fair, and there was a Tattoo of a mackerel pike at the center of his brows.
He looked slightly different compared to the other Shamans. Most of the time, the Shamans' Tattoos covered their entire face, but this person's Tattoo only covered the center of his brows. There was not a single hint of a Tattoo anywhere else on his face.
He walked from afar, and as he got closer, respect appeared on the faces of the nine Medial Shamans who were keeping close watch on Su Ming. The young man lifted his hand and waved at them, and the nine people quickly backed away.
"The past is no longer here." Su Ming turned around and cast the young man a flat look.
"The past may be gone, but we have to keep a tight grip of the present, because what you do know will decide your future." The young man also looked at Su Ming, but with a faint smile on his lips.
At that moment, their gazes met.
"I am Ya Mu, a Medial Soul Catcher from Autumn Sea Tribe." The young man spoke with a smile, then turned his gaze away from Su Ming, sitting down at a bonfire.
"Brother Mo, care to have a drink?" As the young man spoke, someone behind him immediately took a few brisk steps forward and placed two pots of wine by his side before backing down respectfully.
Su Ming sat down nearby and shook his head.
The young man brought up a wine pot and took a large swig from it once he opened it. Then he let out a long breath.
The young man placed the wine pot down, then said, seemingly casually, "Brother Mo, you came from the battlefield, right?"
"Why do you say that?" Su Ming asked calmly.
"I can smell the blood of Shamans on you. There must have been plenty of Shamans who died in your hands, you, who also happen to be the True Divinity Wind Berserker." The young man spoke slowly, but the moment he said those words, it was as if a chill hand closed in on Su Ming from within the bustling tribe.
Chapter 369: Nine Li Shaman Tribe
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Su Ming remained calm. His expression did not change at all due to the young man's words. It was as if he did not hear him at all.
"Perhaps I should be calling you brother Su, and not… brother Mo." When the young man saw Su Ming reacting this way, he spoke once again, still with a slow tone.
Su Ming smiled faintly and lifted his head to look at the mackerel pikes swimming about in the dark sky. With a glint in his eyes, he took off the mask on his face, placed it by his side and took a big swig from the wine pot at his side.
The instant he took off the mask, all the nine previously retreating Medial Shamans immediately took a few steps forward and stood around them. Their expressions changed and murderous intent shone in their eyes, but they did not attack.
The young man's eyes were instantly trained on Su Ming, like lightning when he saw his sudden movements. He stared at Su Ming's pale face and the scar under his eyes, and after a long while, he let out a cold harrumph.
"You killed many of my tribesmen, and the thickness of the smell of Shaman blood on you can be detected lis away. How dare you sit so brazenly among us?!
"Do you not believe that with just one command from me, your head will immediately fall to the ground and your soul will instantly scatter?!"
"Do you believe that before my head falls to the ground, I won't drag you to hell with me..? Do you believe that once my head falls to the ground, your Autumn Sea Tribe won't find it incredibly hard to even walk down the land of the Shamans?" Su Ming brought up the wine pot and drank another mouthful before he cast the young man a flat look.
"Do you not believe that perhaps my head will not even fall to the ground?"
The young man stared at Su Ming, then suddenly started chuckling after a long while. His chuckles were not loud, but as he started chuckling, the cold look in his eyes disappeared.
"Su Ming, o Su Ming, this is the first time we met, but you already gave me a lot of surprises. I didn't expect that you, a member of the Berserker Tribe, would repair a rattle drum for the children of my race. I also didn't expect that once I exposed your real identity, you would turn the tables and threaten me when we are in my tribe.
"Do you know that your name has already spread to all the Berserkers? Even if Sky Mist City has issued a gag order, the things that happened that day cannot be hidden away.
"True Divinity Wind Berserker, True Divinity Lightning Berserker, and you even obtained a part of the legacy belonging to the first God of Berserkers. You, who possesses the power of the God of Berserkers, have already caught the attention of all the powerful Berserkers in the land of the Berserkers.
"At the same time, you have also caught the attention of many powerful Shamans."
Su Ming did not speak. He simply continued drinking. The instant he was exposed, his heart had indeed been in turmoil, but he soon calmed down. There were many mysteries that could not be explained clearly about this matter, such as why he was allowed to stay in the tribe and why the young man said all these things even though he had no obligation to tell him about them.
However, once the young man said his piece, Su Ming began to have a vague understanding about the situation.
"I've always been curious about why there were only one Shaman and one Berserker who chased after me when I left Sky Mist City that day and why I didn't run into any other Shamans on the way, but at the very last moment, I encountered all of you.
"Now, I understand it somewhat." Su Ming put the wine pot down and looked at the young man sitting before him, then he said, "Thank you for this."
The young man's pupils shrank, but he shook his head after a long while and sighed.
"It's so boring. I originally thought your expression would change slightly or you would react in an extreme fashion, but I didn't expect that you would remain so calm.
"That's right. My people are fighting on the battlefield now. Our Sacred Lady is also there. She was the one who created the chance for you to escape in secret. She warded off the other powerful Shamans from other tribes chasing you down. There's also someone helping you in secret from Sky Mist City, that's why there were only two people who came after you in the end.
"You ran into us because the Thought Soothsayers from my tribe have predicted your arrival. You can say that you didn't find us, but we were waiting for you." The young man spoke slowly as he looked at Su Ming.
Su Ming fell silent.
After a long while, the young man frowned and asked, "Do you know the reason?"
"The reason is because you're our Shaman Lord's junior brother!" The person who said those words was not the young man, but an old woman who was walking slowly towards them and was speaking in a raspy voice.
That old woman was the End Shaman from Autumn Sea Tribe Su Ming had seen during the day!
When the old woman showed up, the nine Medial Shamans around them immediately knelt down on one knee. Their expressions were filled with intense respect and zeal. Even Ya Mu, who was by Su Ming's side, immediately stood up and bowed towards her respectfully.
"A very long time ago, before the land of the Berserkers was divided into five portions, there was a powerful tribe to the south. The leader of the tribe was so strong that his power was at an equal level to the second God of Berserkers.
"That tribe was called Nine Li!
"Something happened between the leader of Nine Li and the second God of Berserkers during that time. We can no longer look into it, but as their descendants, we only know that when the second God of Berserkers was killed by the Immortals in the other worlds, he was cut into pieces, and once the land of the Berserkers was divided, Nine Li Tribe was also divided and scattered… When the leader of Nine Li died, he left behind a will declaring that the tribe's Berserkers would be hence known as Shamans!
"A large amount of these people gradually increased in number and developed into small tribes in the Land of South Morning. They called themselves Shamans, and they are the members of the Shaman Tribe you see today.
"We Shamans are the descendants of the Nine Li Tribe, and we keep the blood of Nine Li pure in wait for the blood descendant of our Shaman Lord to awaken the power that belongs to the Nine Li.
"However, during the long span of time we waited for the descendant of our Shaman Lord to awaken, a part of the Shamans have changed… They gave up on the glory of the Nine Li and contacted the Immortals who came from the other worlds. They are no longer Shamans. They're not fit to be called Shamans who will not bow to any authority in the world...
"They are the lapdogs of Immortals of the other worlds!
"We saved you because your eldest senior brother is the Shaman Lord of Nine Li in this generation! He has arranged for one of Nine Li's three hundred Shaman Souls to be by your side. You are an honored guest of Nine Li Shaman Tribe."
The old woman's voice was ancient and it fell into Su Ming's ears. As he listened to her words, he was shaken. He lowered his head and looked at the bracelet on his wrist. With a single thought, the bracelet immediately turned into black smoke. That black smoke instantly spread and merged together to form a woman's body before him.
The woman gradually gained form. Once her body was completely revealed, she swept her gaze across the old woman and the surroundings with her back turned towards Su Ming.
"Which faction of Nine Li Tribe do you belong to?" For the first time, the woman spoke. Her voice was aloof, and there was a chilling quality to it.
"Autumn Sea Tribe." The instant the old woman saw the woman, excitement appeared on her face. She wrapped her fist in her palm and bowed to her. She was not the only who did so. All the Shamans around the area immediately prostrated themselves before her.
"By the orders of our Young Lord, we are to provide the greatest amount of help we can provide to a certain amount of people in all the tribes that belong to Nine Li Shaman Tribe before the Catastrophe of the Eastern Wastelands comes to us.
"In the previous battle, we've already sent the news to the Shamans, but almost all of them no longer have the blood of Nine Li flowing through their veins…
"The Immortals from the other worlds have descended upon us three times within the past hundred years. Each time they come to us, there would be traitors who would ally themselves to them to obtain the skill to reach immortality by offering their blood right to them.
"It is especially so now, with the arrival of the Catastrophe of the Eastern Wastelands, the ancient legends are beginning to show exactly what they meant, and many more of those from Nine Li Shaman Tribe have surrendered their blood right to become affiliates of the Immortals of the other realms...
"The battle this time was started by the tribes who have affiliated themselves to the Immortals. The few tribes who still have the blood of Nine Li coursing in our veins will face the danger of extermination if we don't follow their orders and send our warriors to war.
"Young Lord, please come back and bring us back to the path of Nine Li…" With an agitated face, the old woman knelt down.
Su Ming's breathing quickened. He suddenly realized that the originally rowdy Autumn Sea Tribe in the area where he stood had become silent. Those from further away might not be looking towards them, but Su Ming had a faint feeling that this area had turned into the center of the attention for tens of thousands of members of the Autumn Sea Tribe.
"Right now, there are less than three years left before the Immortal's fourth descent within this century. This time, there will be more factions of Nine Li Shaman Tribes choosing to join them. After all… the temptation of breaking through the End is one that all End Shamans cannot resist...
"It is especially so after the people have seen just how strong a Hollow Shaman is after the Great Patriarch made his choice in the past…
"From what we could tell, the Immortals have also descended three times within this century among the Berserkers. It is only logical to assume that there is quite a large number of Berserkers who have come into contact with them as well. In fact, we have our suspicions that Sky Mist City no longer belongs to the Berserkers!"
The old woman spoke quickly, as if she wanted to use this chance to tell everything that she knew to their Shaman Lord through this Shaman Soul of Nine Li!
Su Ming sucked in a sharp breath. The old woman's words had delivered a great shock to him.
"We believe that Sky Mist City is fighting against the Shaman Tribes that have affiliated themselves to the Immortals from the other worlds because they belong to two or three different factions of power among those Immortals!
"Shaman Lord, what should we do?!" the old woman asked hastily.
The woman formed by the black smoke continued to stay silent.
Su Ming was also silent. He had a sudden feeling that Autumn Sea Tribe saved him in secret and allowed him to stay in their tribe so that they could have a chance to speak to his eldest senior brother. It was not because of Su Ming himself that they did so.
When he remembered his eldest senior brother, Su Ming could not help but be reminded of his Master.
The Nine Li Shaman Soul formed by the black smoke still remained silent.
Suddenly, a calm voice floated towards them from afar. Those words were uttered in an indescribable rhythm. That voice was very pleasant to the ears, but at the same time, it also contained a feeling as if it was trying to stun souls. As that voice echoed around, it made all those who heard it feel buzzing sounds going off in their heads.
Even the Nine Li Shaman Soul Su Ming's eldest senior brother had given him looked as if it was about to scatter under the power of that voice.
"Tell the Shaman Lord that if he still hasn't made a choice, that I, Zong Ze, whose life has almost ended, will chose to surrender my blood right in exchange for a chance to break through the End… If I succeed… If I am no longer myself…" When that voice reached this point, it paused for a moment before it turned into a sigh.
Su Ming knew who exactly that voice belonged to - that End Soul Catcher!
Chapter 370: That Woman Standing on the Mackerel Pike
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
As that End Soul Catcher sighed, the entire Autumn Sea Tribe in that temporary tribal village fell into dead silence.
Time trickled by slowly. That dead silence turned into a depressive feeling that pressed on all of their hearts, including Su Ming's.
Su Ming had more than once made assumptions regarding his eldest senior brother's origins, but it was only now that he truly understood his eldest senior brother's identity.
'The Lord of Nine Li Shaman Tribe…'
Right when that depressing feeling became stronger, ripples spread out from the black smoke coming from the female Nine Li Shaman Soul. Soon after, a voice Su Ming was familiar with came from within, as if it had traveled a long distance through those ripples.
"Before the Immortals of the other worlds descend upon us for the fourth time, I will come…"
The instant that voice spoke, almost all the people in Autumn Sea Tribe heard it clearly, and all of them prostrated themselves on the ground. Even the mackerel pikes in the sky howled because of that one sentence, causing the dark sky to look as if it had turned into a black sea that was raging with furious waves.
"Please accept our greetings, Lord of Nine Li!" The waves of sound merged together and turned into one voice.
That voice only started disappearing slowly after a long while.
"Youngest junior brother, don't come back to the land of the Berserkers for the time being…" Su Ming's eldest senior brother's voice spoke from within the female Nine Li Shaman Soul, and once he finished saying those words, his voice gradually disappeared.
The female Nine Li Shaman Soul's body also started scattering away to return to Su Ming's wrist. It returned to the form of a bracelet, but the color of the bracelet had become much duller. It was clear that this sort of conversation, even though only two sentences had been delivered, was not an easy task.
At that moment, all the Shamans around Su Ming gradually started rising up from the ground. The old woman cast him a look and no longer paid any attention to him. Instead, she turned around and left. It was as if she had come here just to prove Su Ming right - she was only there to gain a chance to speak to the Shaman Lord of Nine Li.
As for the nine Medial Shamans that had stayed beside Su Ming all this while, they seemed to have received a new order and left the area, no longer paying any attention to him.
Only Ya Mu remained in the area while giving Su Ming a smile. He picked up the wine jar and took a big swig from it.
"Great, now the old folks are all gone. There's no else here who will restrict your movements anymore. Brother Su, you can leave at anytime you want. If you don't want to leave, you can also stay here. It'll be better for you, too."
"Just… what exactly is the descent of the Immortals from the other worlds?" Su Ming remained silent for a moment before he too, picked up the wine jar. Once he took a big swig from it, he looked at Ya Mu.
"They're naturally the Immortals who come from a foreign world. They use a unique method to come to our world. The Immortals' Spells are different from ours, but all those who can descend among us have incredible power.
"In fact, they even have a method for our powerful End Shamans to breakthrough their current level of cultivation and arrive at Hollow… It can even be said that they have a power for those old monsters who have already attained great completion in the Berserker Soul Realm to reach another Realm.
"This is an irresistible temptation for those old monsters, especially for those whose life is reaching an end. The power of the world that will be activated when they break through to that new Realm is a life changer, and it's almost like attaining immortality. It's not just them, even I am tempted by this sort of thing," Ya Mu said with a deep sigh, shrugging.
"Have you met the Immortals before?" Su Ming suddenly asked.
A glint appeared in Ya Mu's eyes and he replied softly, "I have."
"I've seen two Immortals before. They were a man and woman. The man was an old man. He came to Autumn Sea Tribe ten years ago and fought against Sir Zong Ze…"
Su Ming immediately shot up to attention and listened closely to what Ya Mu said.
"I can' tell the details of what happened in that battle, but their battle lasted less than the time taken for an incense stick to burn. I couldn't see how they attacked in the sky, I only saw a gigantic hand up above. That hand repeatedly clenched its fist nine times.
"After those nine times, that Immortal's battle against Sir Zong Ze ended. I saw the old man wearing an incredibly gorgeous robe and walking out of the sky without a word.
"By the way, there were some pictures sewn on the old man's robes. It was a purple dragon, but the dragon held four different items in its claws. One of them was a bottle, the other a pearl, and there was also a small sword. There was another item that was hidden in the clouds, but I couldn't see it.
"Once the old man left, Sir Zong Ze returned to the tribe from the sky… I remember that he had an incredibly sour face at that time. We were all guessing that perhaps… Ah… you know what it is." Ya Ma sighed and drank a mouthful from the wine pot in his hand.
Su Ming remained silent for a moment before he continued asking. "What about the other one?"
"The other one was a woman…" A nostalgic look appeared in Ya Mu's eyes.
"What can I say about her? She didn't look particularly pretty, but anyone who saw her would be unable to forget that her eyes seemed to contain an entire world on their own...
"She was flying in the sky alone. When I saw her, I could tell at first glance that she was neither a Shaman nor a Berserker, because that presence was… completely different from ours.
"If you somehow manage to see an Immortal, you'll definitely be able to recognize them at first glance. They give off a completely different feeling. Up till now, I can still remember that her expression looked pretty odd when she saw me.
"It was a look of conflict, pity, and there was even a hint of fear… She seemed to be very afraid of me, but she had gave me a feeling as if I was facing an End Shaman based on what I could sense from her power. I still can't understand why there would be terror on her face."
Ya Mu drank. As he spoke, he shook his head, as if he still could not understand even now.
Su Ming sat nearby and slowly lifted his head to look at the stars flickering in the dark sky. A profound look gradually appeared in his eyes, and once it fused with the unique presence on his currently unmasked face, an indescribable charm slowly manifested about him.
Ya Mu put down the wine pot and no longer thought about the woman in his memories. He instinctively cast a glance at Su Ming, but the moment he looked at him, he suddenly shuddered, and his expression changed drastically.
"You… you…" Ya Mu was momentarily stunned, then sucked in a deep breath. When Su Ming eventually lowered his head and looked towards him, the profound look in his eyes had disappeared and had turned into calmness. Only then was Ya Mu shocked by what he saw and he rubbed his eyes.
"What's wrong?" Su Ming asked.
Ya Mu remained silent for a moment before he looked at Su Ming and said slowly, "The feeling you gave me just now was the exact same as the old Immortal and the female Immortal I saw in the past! That's a completely different presence compared to us…
"Sir Zong Ze is right, there's a fog around you that can't be seen through. If it wasn't because we knew for sure that you are a Berserker, then I would definitely think you were a Medial Soul Catcher…
"If I didn't know about your origins, I would have thought you were an Immortal who descended upon us just now."
Ya Mu shook his head and chased away the sudden thought that had appeared in his head. He was certain it was impossible. There was no way a True Divinity Wind Berserker would be an Immortal, neither was it possible for an Immortal to obtain the legacy of the first God of Berserkers. It was the same for the Shamans, they wouldn't be able to get those legacies either.
"An Immortal, huh..?" Su Ming mumbled, and bitterness appeared in his heart.
Compared to Ya Mu's misconception, Su Ming's confusion stemmed from the source of his bitterness. It would have been better if he was completely confused by it, but he… already had several theories as to why he would feel bitter about it.
Those were theories that he did not want to accept, and in fact… could not accept.
"Where is the location of the spot where the Immortals will descend? Approximately when would that be? I also saw a woman with that sort of presence when I was in the battlefield beyond Sky Mist City. Do you know who she is? Where can I find these Immortals?" Su Ming immediately asked.
"You're speaking too quickly. The Immortals won't descend in another three years. I don't know the precise date, but when you see that the sky is still bright even though it should be dark, or when the sky should be bright, but it's dark, then it means that it's time for them to descend.
"I do know the precise location. They'll be descending on the highest mountain in the land of the Shamans - Cloud Shaman Summit. They've been landing there the previous few times.
"As for the Immortal you mentioned that appeared in the battlefield, I don't know who she is, since I've never seen her before, but I do know of a place where you'll definitely be able to see the Immortals. That would be where the Great Patriarch is now… God of Shamans Temple!
"It's also on top of Cloud Shaman Summit."
As Ya Mu spoke, he stood up. He cast Su Ming a glance, then hesitated for a moment before he brought out a wooden slip from his bosom and handed it to him.
"By the looks of it, you've chosen to leave. This is a map that covers most of the areas in the land of the Shamans. It's an item that only those within Autumn Sea Tribe can have. Take it. It'll be useful to you.
"Even though we're in a time of war, but there are still dangers lurking around if you travel alone. With your current level of cultivation… well, do your best." Ya Mu shook his head and picked up his wine pot before he left Su Ming.
Su Ming took the wooden slip and stood up once he put it away in his bosom. He had indeed chosen to leave. The purpose for him to come to the land of the Shamans was not just to find a breakthrough for his level of cultivation through countless life and death battles, but he also wanted to find out… exactly what was Destiny from those Immortals who came to this world!
The Immortals from the other worlds were going to descend three years later. He had to go, but before that, he had many other things to do, be it him creating medicinal pills and refining the old Berserker in the Berserker Soul Realm, or even training the Arts of the Wind Berserker and the Lightning Berserker, and also fusing the Crystals of Inheritance with himself.
He needed time to prepare all of these things. There was also the possibility of the rod snake going through a metamorphosis, and also the unknown medicinal pill in the medicinal cauldron he kept in his body, and he also had to refine Han Mountain Bell now, since his level of cultivation had just increased so that he could master the true power of this priceless treasure. All of these things were pending in wait, and Su Ming had to finish doing all of them.
'Three years… Three years later, I have to become stronger!' Determination appeared in Su Ming's eyes. He was just about to leave when his expression suddenly changed and he lifted his head swiftly.
At that moment, Ya Mu was still not too far away. Roaring sounds suddenly came from the dark sky, and as the clouds tumbled about in the air, the mackerel pikes in the sky started howling together. Those howls did not seem to be like those that were directed towards enemies, but instead, they sounded like they were welcoming someone, and they simultaneously moved back.
A gigantic mackerel pike pushed through the sea of clouds, and it was so huge that its precise size could not be seen, the people below could only see a part of its body that was revealed out of the sea of clouds!!
That mackerel pike seemed to be treating the sky as its ocean and was drifting towards them. There was a woman holding a bamboo flute standing on its back. That woman's black locks swayed in the air and she wore a white robe. As she got closer, a breathtakingly beautiful face that could make hearts pound came into view!
Chapter 371: Persecution!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
This was the third time Su Ming saw that mackerel pike and that woman.
The first time he saw them, he had just Awakened and was on the way to Freezing Sky Clan. He saw this woman coming towards Sky Mist Barrier and heard the booming clashes of her fight against Bai Chang Zai.
From that moment onwards, the image of that mackerel pike and the woman was forever engraved in Su Ming's memories.
The second time he saw them was during the battle of Sky Mist City. He saw the woman joining the battle and also saw the mackerel pike's strange power.
It was also during that time that the woman extended a hand to him in secret and helped Su Ming escape the battlefield.
However, it was only during the third time that Su Ming could see them at such close proximity - the woman and the sacred beast that would leave behind an unforgettable image once a person saw it… the mackerel pike.
Su Ming stood in the tribe and watched the clouds tumbling in the sky, looked at the numerous mackerel pikes who were much more smaller compared to it letting out howls of respect, and stared at the beautiful woman whose hair danced in the air as she held a flute in her hands and swept her gaze across the land.
At that moment, the woman's eyes landed on Su Ming, who was standing within the temporary tribal village built by Autumn Sea Tribe in the land.
But her gaze did not stay. It was as if Su Ming did not exist in her eyes. When the gigantic mackerel pike eventually stopped and floated in the sky above the tribe, the woman walked down with light steps. Her robes fluttered in the air gracefully. When she landed in the tribe, she turned into a white arc and flew towards the center of it.
The time from her appearance to subsequent disappearance into the tribe was not long, but it made all the members of Autumn Sea Tribe fired up. They might not be crying out and causing a commotion, but Su Ming could still see the excitement and fanaticism in all their eyes..
"The Sacred Lady, Wan Qiu…"
Ya Mu, who was standing 100 feet away from Su Ming, was staring at the spot where the woman disappeared with a fanatic but complicated look in his eyes. After a long while, he shook his head and walked into the distance with the wine pot in his hand.
As he left, the area around the bonfire where Su Ming was sitting gradually became silent. Besides the crackling sounds coming from the bonfire as it burned, not many other sounds could be heard. Su Ming remained silent for a moment, then went to the old Berserker whose name he still did not know.
With just one glance from Zong Ze, this old man was sealed within his own body. As time went by, not only did the seal not become weaker, his soul also seemed to have frozen up and his eyes became blank.
Su Ming waved his arm beside the old Berserker, and immediately, he was placed in the storage bag where the Fire Ape was kept. Once he straightened out his robes, Su Ming turned his head around and cast a glance at the temporary tribal village built by Autumn Sea Tribe, then turned back and started walking out.
He was going to leave and search for his own path.
Before he left, he did not visit the End Shamans in Autumn Sea Tribe or the Sacred Lady Wan Qiu. They saved him because they wanted to speak to his eldest senior brother.
This was a trade.
Besides, all the others beside Ya Mu were aloof to him. Once they finished speaking to his eldest senior brother, they had completely ignored him. Su Ming might not be bothered by it, but he would not go asking for trouble on his own.
If they wanted to ignore him, then he would also ignore them. As he turned around, Su Ming gradually walked away. His back seemed to look a little bleak and lonely, making him not fit in with the rest of the people around him.
There was always a veil of confusion surrounding him. However, Su Ming usually hid that confusion deep within him. Only when he was alone would that confusion show itself.
As he continued moving forward, Su Ming walked past several bonfires. Some guards from Autumn Sea Tribe who were on night duty saw him when he walked past, but they also seemed to have received an order. When they saw that Su Ming was leaving and not moving towards some important parts within Autumn Sea Tribe, they did not stop him. They only looked at him coldly.
Right the moment Su Ming was about to walk out of Autumn Sea Tribe, his footsteps suddenly froze, because there was a raspy voice traveling slowly towards him from the deeper parts of the tribe behind him.
"Are you leaving just like that?"
Su Ming was not unfamiliar with this voice. It belonged to the old female End Shaman.
"My tribe saved you twice. Are you not going to repay us?" The old woman's voice was cold and contained no emotion as it echoed around Su Ming.
Su Ming remained silent.
"Leave your bracelet behind. It is the Shaman Soul of our Nine Li Tribe, it doesn't belong to you." The old woman's voice came from behind Su Ming, causing ripples to form around Su Ming.
"This is a gift from your Shaman Lord of Nine Li to me." Su Ming turned around and looked around, but he could not see the old woman.
"Or you can choose to stay until the Shaman Lord comes back." Almost the instant Su Ming finished speaking, the old woman spoke once again. As her words were said, the originally empty space before Su Ming suddenly distorted and the old woman walked out from within.
"I'll give you the span of ten breaths to make your choice." The old woman stood there and cast Su Ming a cold glance before ignoring him. To her, Su Ming was just a tool for their tribe to contact their Shaman Lord. If the tool wanted to leave, they would only allow him to do so if he left the bracelet behind.
Besides, Su Ming's level of cultivation was absolutely nothing to her. The weak had no right to bring up any conditions before the strong; they could only submit to the strong.
She was not bothered by Su Ming's identity in the Berserker Tribe either. Even if she heard that he possessed a hint of the God of Berserkers' power, she had never seen that power before. In her eyes, with her status in Nine Li Shaman Tribe and her power as an End Shaman, there was no way that so called power of the God of Berserkers could kill her, especially when she was in her own tribe.
Besides, she also came here on orders. Someone asked her to come and test the power of the God of Berserkers which she did not believe in.
Su Ming lowered his head and looked at the bracelet on his wrist. Time trickled by, and when the sixth breath arrived, Su Ming no longer hesitated and took off the bracelet.
He lifted his head and looked at the old woman. He knew that she paid absolutely no mind to him. In fact, her gaze when she looked at him was that of a superior being looking at an ant, and she did not bother hiding it.
Saving him was so that she could speak to his eldest senior brother. Saving him was all for the sake of this bracelet.
In truth, the old woman was not the only one who did it. Even that Zong Ze was the same. Su Ming smiled faintly and looked at the old woman before he threw that bracelet to her.
"From now on, there is no longer any connection between Autumn Sea Tribe and me. You saved me once and obtained a chance to speak to your Shaman Tribe. That is a trade.
"The second time you saved me, you asked for the bracelet. I will count this as a trade. Now, everything has ended. I beg my leave!" Su Ming's eyes were calm as he turned around and walked down the road.
The old woman caught the bracelet, then cast a glance at Su Ming. Her eyes sparkled. She might respect the Shaman Lord, but she was still a powerful Shaman in Autumn Sea Tribe. Besides, the situation in the land of the Shamans was rapidly changing. They could not place all their hopes on the Shaman Lord.
In her eyes, this Su Ming was weak. If he left alone, then he would definitely die in the land of the Shamans. Once this person died, then all his treasures would be taken away by someone else, and that someone else might even be privy to the things on this person that still remained a secret to her.
If that was the case, then it would be better if he stayed!
"The two trades have indeed ended, but since you're a Berserker, why do you have the Soul Catcher Pearl of the Shamans? Leave the Soul Catcher Pearl behind and also explain to us why you have the presence of the Candle Dragon on you. You can leave after that.
"Our tribe won't make things hard for you either. We're just taking your things to keep it for you. When the Shaman Lord comes, I will naturally give them to him.
"Or else…"
Before the old woman even finished speaking, she was interrupted by a long string of laughter from Su Ming.
Su Ming had put up with this for a very long time. If they wanted the bracelet, he could give it to them. This item never belonged to him to begin with. However, Autumn Sea Tribe had deliberately continued to make things difficult after he gave them the bracelet and demanded for his Spirit Plunder, even seeking to examine the secret of him possessing a Soul Catcher's presence.
If Su Ming yielded to their desires in this matter, then what awaited him would be even more instances of him submitting to them!
"Autumn Sea Tribe, do you really think that you have everything about me in your control? You've already taken away the bracelet. This is a warning, do not go overboard!" Su Ming turned around swiftly and a freezing glare appeared in his eyes.
As his words echoed in the air, a large amount of Shamans immediately appeared around him and looked at him coldly, but besides that cold look, there was also scorn.
As for that old woman, a cold sneer formed on her lips and displeasure appeared on her face.
"You ungrateful wretch. The Soul Catcher Pearl will only bring disaster to you. I'm doing this for you own good so that you won't be in so much danger when you're venturing outside. Instead of thanking me, you're acting so arrogantly? I'm curious, on what grounds are you threatening me with your level of cultivation?" A glint appeared in the old woman's eyes, and as she spoke, she took a step forward.
With that one step, the entire ground seemed to tremble. The space between her and Su Ming also seemed to have instantly frozen up. The power of the world around them charged forward at that moment and rushed towards Su Ming.
She did not use any shocking divine abilities, but with just that one step, she could already gather up the power of the world and push it towards Su Ming. That level of strength was not something a person in the Bone Sacrifice Realm could compare to!
She did not want to kill Su Ming. She only wanted to injure him badly so that he would know how exactly a weakling should act before the strong.
Yet the moment she took that one step and the instant the power of the world charged towards Su Ming, he did not do anything else but lifted his right hand and stretch out his index finger. The strand of hair tied on his index finger instantly started burning, and an indescribably mighty power burst forth.
The power was so strong that the instant it burst forth, it created a large amount of booming sounds in the area. The power of the world called upon by the old woman started immediately shattering layer by layer, as if it could not withstand the indescribably great power that had burst forth from Su Ming's body. The shattered power of the world started sweeping past the area.
All the Shamans around him immediately experienced drastic changes to their expressions. They retreated simultaneously, but even so, they were still struck by the force that was spreading in all directions. All of them coughed up blood and fell back like kites in the wind whose strings were snapped.
Chapter 372: A Paper Crane!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Now you know exactly with what I am threatening you with. " Su Ming's words were freezing when he spoke slowly.
The old woman's expression changed rapidly, and she instinctively took a few steps back under that force. Her pupils shrank. As she stared at Su Ming's right index finger, she sucked in a deep breath.
"The power of the God of Berserkers…"
The power only appeared for a brief moment, then disappeared without a trace. It almost felt as if had never even been there. The strand of hair on Su Ming's right index finger stopped burning.
At the same time, the force in the area also disappeared instantly. There was no lingering force in the area. Su Ming's floating hair also fell down. His clothes no longer danced in the air, but he remained standing there like a mountain. His gaze was cold as he stared at the old woman. The strand of hair on his finger might not be spreading any hint of aura just like before, but once she witnessed its presence when it exploded forth just now, the old woman's breathing quickened.
She stared fixedly at Su Ming's right index finger. It was not as if she had not examined that finger previously, but she had sensed nothing. This was also the reason why she had looked down on the power of the God of Berserkers.
She was, after all, a Shaman, not a Berserker. She did not acknowledge that so called God of Berserkers.
She was a firm believer that power could only be obtained through training. No matter how strong external power was, it was still external power. With her power as an End Shaman, she did not believe that a weak Berserker in the Bone Sacrifice Realm could control a great external power and instantly kill her.
Yet that moment, sweat broke out on her forehead. During that instant she witnessed the power of the God of Berserkers, fear rose in her heart. When that presence appeared, she could not even think of fighting back. It was as if her will was completely suppressed. Her mind was blank. She was completely certain that if Su Ming wanted to kill her, then she would not have survived the power of that one finger.
Just as the old woman was seized by terror, Su Ming turned his gaze towards her and stared at her coldly. As his eyes flickered and the area fell into silence, a woman's graceful voice echoed in the midst of the silence.
"Grandma, let him leave."
It was said by a woman who was walking forward from a distance. She wore a white robe and moved to stand beside the old woman. The newcomer was incredibly beautiful. Her hair spilled over her shoulders, and as she stood there, she looked like a deep pool of autumn water.
She was naturally the Sacred Lady of Autumn Sea Tribe, Wan Qiu.
Su Ming's gaze swept past her. He did not speak, merely took a few steps backward, then turned into a long arc that charged into the dark sky. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared.
Even after Su Ming disappeared, the old woman's face was still slightly pale. The brief instant the power of the God of Berserkers had appeared created for the old woman a memory and impact that would be difficult to wipe out.
"I acted too recklessly, grandma." The beautiful woman was frowning as she spoke. She was also shocked. This, too, was the first time she experienced the strength of the power of the God of Berserkers.
The old woman remained silent, then shook her head after a long moment.
"Such strength, that power of the God of Berserkers! I underestimated him. Even if you didn't ask me about it, I would have done the same to experience the power of the God of Berserkers. Perhaps it would be of help for Sir Zong Ze's breakthrough. Did you keep a record of what happened just now?"
There was a complicated look on the old woman's face as she looked in the direction Su Ming had left.
The woman nodded lightly. As she lifted her right hand, an ancient mirror that was about the size of her palm appeared in her hand. There was a layer of fog above the mirror, and when the woman touched it with her left hand, all the fog was instantly absorbed into the mirror. A strong ray of light shot out from the mirror, causing the space around the area to start distorting.
Soon after, as it was distorting, an illusionary scene manifested itself and pictures appeared in the air. Within those pictures was the battle where both Su Ming and the old woman had not really attacked each other, just used the power of the world against the other.
It was vivid, and even the presence and domineering air contained within the power of the God of Berserkers was distinctly preserved.
"It's a pity that with our relationship with that Su Ming, it'll be difficult for us to get in contact with him in the future, and we will have to suffer the wrath of our Shaman Lord as well…" the white-robed woman said softly.
"That Su Ming is not a cause to worry. Once he doesn't have the power of the God of Berserkers, he's just a nobody. There's no need for us to get acquainted with him. Besides, didn't you use your Prediction powers earlier and Predicted his future?
"That person's life is mediocre and there's nothing out of ordinary in his life. He also won't live long. The only thing we have to worry about is the wrath of our Shaman Lord… But if this thing can be of help to raise Sir Zong Ze's level of cultivation, then it's worth it!" A glint appeared in the old woman's eyes as she stated slowly.
Right up to that moment, she still did not pay too much attention to Su Ming. The only thing she cared about was the power of the God of Berserkers that had made her sense death. In her mind, if he did not have the power of the God of Berserkers, then he was no different from an ant.
"But grandma, when that Su Ming used the power of the God of Berserkers just now, my senses fluctuated. That Su Ming might not be as I Predicted, but is…" The white-robed woman frowned.
"Hmm?" The old woman was stunned. Before she blocked Su Ming, she had been with Wan Qiu and had seen her Predicting Su Ming's future.
The entire process had been incredibly smooth, and they had also seen all of Su Ming's future very clearly. That person's life was nothing special. The middle stage of the Bone Sacrifice Realm was his limit, and he would die several years later in the Calamity of the Eastern Wastelands.
Yet now, when she heard Wan Qiu's words that were filled with uncertainty, she could not help but be surprised.
"There's something very strange about him. When I Predicted his future previously, I had been successful. Even now when I Predict his future once again, it's still successful. The answer I get is the same.
"However, when he used the power of the God of Berserkers just now, I suddenly felt uneasy under that mighty power of the world. When I used Prediction again, I only saw a clouded vision. In fact… before I could even see anything, I already felt a life threatening sense of danger." The white-robed woman frowned and closed her eyes as if she was trying to sense something.
"Unless it's a misconception on my part, then there's a strong power that is interfering with any power trying to see into this person's future. That power has covered up his true future, and what is shown to us is a made up future, it's not real!
"If that is the case, then this person… is someone we should perhaps not offend…" Wan Qiu opened her eyes, and a hint of fatigue and puzzlement passed briefly through her eyes.
"It's already over, don't pay it any heed anymore. I don't think that Su Ming is as you say. He's just an ant." The old woman remained silent for a long moment before she spoke slowly.
"Let's go. Come with me to meet Sir Zong Ze." As the old woman spoke, she turned around and left. Wan Qiu stood there and looked in the direction Su Ming had left. She was still frowning, but no longer trying to Predict anymore. Instead, she left with the old woman.
In the area of Sky Mist Barrier, the area that belonged to the Berserkers, was a place covered in ice and snow. At the end of the silvery snow that stretched ten thousand lis and at a spot that was far away from Phantom Dais Tribe was a gigantic tribe that seemed to not have any borders.
The size of the tribe was so big and it covered an area so wide that it was a sight that was rarely seen in the Land of South Morning!
It was one of the two great Berserker Tribes in the Land of South Morning - the Great Tribe of Freezing Sky!
Within the territory of the Great Tribe of Freezing Sky was an incredibly extravagant looking tower. At that moment, there was a person sitting cross-legged in the tower. That person was dressed in a long blue robe, his hair was white, and he was thin. He was currently meditating with his eyes closed.
After a long while, the old man slowly opened his eyes. The instant he did so, distortions and ripples immediately appeared around his body. His entire being soon became indistinct. Gradually, another person seemed to have appeared on his now indistinct body.
It was a person dressed in an Emperor's cloak and who wore an Emperor's crown. Although the features of his face could not be seen clearly, it could still be seen that this was definitely not an old but a middle-aged man.
That person had profound eyes, and his gaze seemed to be able to see through the tower, penetrate through the emptiness in the air, pass through an endless distance to land on the distant land of the Shamans, on Autumn Sea Tribe's temporary tribal village, and on Wan Qiu, who was in the tribe.
"The Thought Soothsayer of the Shaman Tribe… That strange power actually managed to find some clues even through my interference… But since you didn't probe into it, I will spare you!" the man with the Emperor's crown mumbled to himself with a dull tone.
He lifted his right hand, and there was a paper crane folded out of rice paper in his palm. That crane flew out and charged into the sky through the window. Once it disappeared above the nine heavens, the man closed his eyes once again.
The instant he closed his eyes, the cloudiness and distortions on his body abruptly disappeared, turning into the white-haired old man dressed in the long blue robes once again. He still looked as thin as ever and there was nothing extraordinary about him.
There were ripples spreading around the paper crane that had flown out of the Great Tribe of Freezing Sky into the sky above the nine heavens. It disappeared in an instant, and when it reappeared, it was already above the distant Sky Mist City.
Small scale battles between the two sides would occasionally happen in the battlefield outside Sky Mist City. As the army of Shamans assembled together, warriors from the Berserker Tribe would come from all tribes everyday to become a new batch of strength that would protect Sky Mist.
The gigantic stone monument in the city was incredibly eye-catching. All the names listed in the monument were engraved into everyone's minds, and their names would spread through the land to be respected by the people.
There was one name that was now ranked in the 170s. That name was Yue Feng, and he was the sole survivor of a small tribe.
No one seemed to have noticed the paper crane in the sky. With a flap of its wings, it disappeared once again. When it reappeared this time, it was already at the edge of the Land of South Morning where the Dead Sea was spreading.
Waves roared and crashed on the surface of the sea, and there were numerous dark shadows swimming about. The seawater had already flooded the stair shaped mountain ridge and was expanding, bit by bit, towards the land of the Shamans.
In the black seabed in the distance, a gigantic head could be seen faintly. That head was staring coldly at the Land of South Morning.
The paper crane in the sky charged forward once again and disappeared. This time, when it reappeared, it was still above the Dead Sea, but was now incredibly far away from the Land of South Morning.
The seawater underneath seemed to stretch out endlessly and the water on the surface of the sea was sparkling. Occasionally, an Aquatic Dragon that was one hundred thousand feet would leap up from within the sea and rise with a roar… If anyone took a closer look, they would find that there were an endless amount of… Dead Sea creatures, and they were all moving forward in the direction to the Land of South Morning!
There was a gigantic floating object on the seawater. It looked as if it was a corner from a palace that had crumbled. It was floating along the waves of the sea towards the Land of South Morning. Behind it was a countless amount of palace debris such as that one… Among the debris was a piece that looked like it was the spot where plaques were attached to in palaces. There were a few large words on that debris.
"Great Yu Sky Palace."
There was an ancient feeling to those words… Besides the endless amount of Dead Sea Creatures around the debris, there were eight other giant heads, with their eyes wide-open, floating on the surface of the sea. It was as if there were giants walking on the bed of the sea.
With a flash, the paper crane disappeared once again. When it reappeared, it was already in a continent that was far away from the Land of South Morning… On that continent were more than one million people sitting close to each other near the Dead Sea. All of them sat there, covering an area so wide that no one could see the end of the crowd.
Their eyes were all directed to the south, which was the direction of the Land of South Morning!
"There's still ten years…"
The paper crane in the sky shone once again and disappeared. When it reappeared, it was still in the Eastern Wastelands, but it was already in another place of the continent. That was the eastern part of the Eastern Wastelands.
The entire eastern part of the continent was shrouded in black fog. There was not a hint of life within it. The only things that existed there were shrill screams of pain and wails. Suddenly, a gigantic hand shot out of that black fog and caught that paper crane.
"Hidden Dragon Sect, Great Leaf Immortal Sect, I, Tian Lan Dao, am coming!"
Chapter 373: The Strange Mountain Range
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
One crane, and it saw the sky and earth. One crane, and it saw the barren lands of the Berserkers.
That paper crane might not have a beautiful legend like that belonging to the Harmonious Morus Alba flapping her wings, but it contained a power that seemed to allow it to cross through dimensions. It could be said that it was a newborn when it flew out of the Great Tribe of Freezing Sky, and it lived until it died in Eastern Wastelands.
Its life was short, but during its short span of life, the entire world seemed to have shrunk in its eyes and it could see everything within the lands and sea it traveled through clearly.
It was a pity that this clear sight did not belong to Su Ming, did not belong to many people. Only the old man who had allowed the crane to fly into the nine heavens, or perhaps more accurately, the man with the Emperor's robe and the crown could see it, for it belonged to him!
Su Ming left Autumn Sea Tribe.
He walked beneath the sky of the Shamans. There were no pursuers behind him, no obstacles before him. All he could see up ahead was the vast sky and the desolate land. Ever since he joined the battle of Sky Mist City, only now could he be truly considered to have shaken off all the restraints placed on him.
As he looked at the sky and earth before him, Su Ming suddenly had the feeling that he had returned to the past when he had first opened his eyes in a mountain range beyond Han Mountain City.
Back then, he had looked at the unfamiliar sky at a loss. His weak power had caused him to be in a state of confusion for a long period of time.
Right now, he was still looking at the unfamiliar sky while walking in the world. The wind moved his hair and revealed the profound eyes underneath.
But right now, while he still might be a little confused, he had a direction. Even though his level of cultivation did not allow him to stand at the peak, he was still like two different sides of a ravine compared to the him in the past.
'Before the Immortals of the other worlds come once again, I have to make myself stronger…' Su Ming brought out the mask from his bosom and placed it on his face. He had no intention of taking it down anymore.
This was his way of hiding his identity in the land of the Shamans. Unless he could find a better method, then he would continue wearing the mask.
With the existence of Spirit Plunder and his divine sense, as long as he did not run into any powerful End Shamans, then even if he met Latter Shamans, the possibility of them finding out that he was not a Shaman was not great.
Besides, even if he did run into powerful Shamans who could tell that he was not a Shaman, Su Ming still had a way to explain his identity.
'If my face… is very alike to the Immortals from the other worlds..? If that is the case…' Su Ming closed his eyes, and when he opened them once again, there was an inquisitive look in his eyes.
���But I'm curious, why were the two people who called me Destiny so certain that I… am Destiny?!'
As Su Ming charged through the land, he ran into some Shamans. Most of the time, when they saw him, their outspread perception would touch his divine sense, and then, they would pull it back.
Unless they already knew beforehand, most of them would not be suspicious of Su Ming.
'Han Mountain's ancestor was waiting for Destiny to take him away, that's why I can still reason that he thought I was Destiny when he saw me, seeing that I was the first person he met after waiting for so many years.
'However, that long-haired woman in the battlefield said that I was Destiny after only seeing me once. That's where it gets strange.
'The only reason as to why she called me Destiny in such a time can only be that… she's seen me before!' Su Ming was lost in his thoughts. However, these were just his guesses. He did not have real and conclusive information.
He flew for seven days straight, occasionally observing the map on the wooden slip given to him by Ya Mu. He knew that he was getting closer to the center of the land of the Shamans. However, he was just close to it. If he looked at the entire territory of the land of the Shamans, he would find that he was still in a rather remote area. There was an abundance of greenery in this place, but the wind here was also much stronger compared to the area outside.
He could also smell blood in the air, because most of the wind came from the Dead Sea, sweeping through the land of the Shamans.
Su Ming swept his gaze across the land, as he stood in a range of mountains that was formed through a network of mountains. It was something he'd been doing occasionally while traveling. He would observe the area around him carefully to see whether there were any dangers around him.
However, this time, the instant he swept his gaze past the mountain range on the land, his body came to an abrupt halt. With a light gasp of surprise, he immediately focused his attention over there, while also spreading out his divine sense so that it covered the entirety of the mountain range.
After a moment, Su Ming's eyes sparkled. With his current level of power, while he might not be able to use the power of the world, he still had four Berserker Bones. He, who had arrived at the middle stage of the Berserker Soul Realm, could see just how much power of the world was contained in one place.
At first glance, that mountain range looked incredibly normal. Even if anyone took a closer look, they would find that it was still very ordinary looking and there was nothing special about it. Even if they spread their divine sense, even if a Shaman filled the entire area with their perception, it would still appear the same to them.
It was like a perilous mountain. The power of the world there was also very thin, the stench of blood thick in the air, though it wasn't as strong as years back. That was why most of the Shamans who passed through this place, even if they were Latter Shamans, would not pay too much attention to it.
However, in Su Ming's eyes, this place gradually changed. A thick veil seemed to have been lifted from the mountain range before his eyes, and its true form was revealed!
The mountain range began in the east and winded to the north before disappearing in the land in the distance. It looked like a small part of a dragon's back that was revealed as it swam through the land. The mountains towered in the air, and there were plenty of strange looking rocks scattered everywhere. There were also plants growing on them.
However, most of the plants looked incredibly strange. They swayed in the wind and gave off a sense of danger. It was as if these plants were aggressive by nature.
Su Ming stared at the mountain range and lifted his right hand to slashed to his left lightly. He did not activate the power of Bone Sacrifice within him. It looked as if it was a casual slash, but layers of ripples instantly spread through the air. He narrowed his eyes slightly and reached with his right hand into the ripples, as if he was trying to feel something.
'The mountain range comes from the east… and goes to the north. The direction where the mountain range moves is the reason it is in the shape of a corner in a square. It looks like a dragon, but in truth, this is a pattern of the Three Evils, naturally formed, but a little incomplete!' After a long while, a curious glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. He descended and circled the entire mountain range once.
It was a crooked mountain range.
'Separation, Beginning, Nurture, and also, theft, disaster, and time… The area northeast is the pulse of this place. The area southwest is empty. The empty area to the west is Beginning, and the empty area to the south is Nurture. Now, it lacks the spot for Separation. This should originally be an incomplete pattern.'
Su Ming observed the mountain range for a long while, and with what he understood about the Execution of Three Evils Art, he slowly started analyzing the strangeness of this mountain range.
'However, while the wind coming from the east might not be strong initially, but now, it's clearly stronger due to the Catastrophe of the Eastern Wastelands. There's also a bloody stench in the wind… If I look at this mountain range as a dragon, then it was originally something dead, but if the wind coming from the east can flow out once it blows past the dragon's head, then it will seem like the dragon head is alive and it is breathing!
"This is Separation and evil of theft is something I've never seen before… the Execution of Three Evils. I gained an epiphany previously in Sky Mist City's battlefield that this Art can not only be used to cut things down, but can also be used to set things up.
'By the looks of it, that idea of mine is still a little incomplete. Besides cutting down and setting up patterns, I can also change it. I can change the patterns of the land and turn them into killing intent!
'What an amazing natural pattern. Not only does it cause the power of the world to gather here, it also created a power of the Three Evils, causing this place to not need too much change to turn into a place to rest the mind and to kill!' As Su Ming continued observing the place, his expression gradually changed.
The Separation pattern was originally absent from the place, which meant that the evil of theft from the Three Evils was not there. Based from what Su Ming understood, most of the places in the world contained all Three Evils. However, the Three Evils were mostly an invisible existence. Nonetheless, in this place, as times changed, it had naturally turned into this pattern, a pattern that could be seen with the naked eye.
That was a huge difference.
That difference was like comparing something illusionary to something with physical form.
Su Ming fell into pensive silence for a moment. He originally didn't have a clear direction he wanted to go to, but now that he saw the attractive points of the mountain range, a glint appeared in his eyes and he made his decision.
'This isn't a bad place. I can open up a cave abode here and turn it into a place to stay. However, even though this place is rather secluded, there should still be a lot of Shamans around me. If that is the case, I should still be careful.'
With one move, Su Ming flew towards the mountain range. Before long, he was standing at the corner connecting the eastern mountain range to the northern mountain range. That was the spot which looked like that of dragon head's to Su Ming when he was in the sky.
The mountain range in that place was very tall. Hence, most of the wind blowing from the east was blocked off. It gathered there and did not scatter away, causing Su Ming to see a thick layer of fog when he looked down from the peak of the mountain. The stench of blood was also very thick there.
The mountain rocks around were also wet, and there was even dew oozing out of certain places.
'Should I touch it, or should I not..?'
Su Ming hesitated for a moment. He just needed to open up the spot underneath his feet, which was the corner of the mountain range and form a gigantic gap there. Once he did so, then the wind from the east would blow through, and by doing so, it would form the sight of the dragon breathing.
Once he did that, then the power of the world gathering in this place would increase by several fold. Meditating and training in this place would bring about great benefits to Su Ming when he wanted to refine his power. In fact, it would also be incredibly beneficial for him when he created his medicinal pills.
Similarly, if the gap was there and caused the dragon head in this pattern to seem to have been revived, then if he casted the Execution of Three Evils here, the power of that Art would be much greater than when he casted it in the battlefield.
In fact, Su Ming even had a feeling that if he went along with that idea of his, then if he casted the Execution of Three Evils in this place, then it would be as if he was one with this place. The power of the Art that would appear at that time would be enough to send his heart pounding in excitement.
That was only part of the reason. Su Ming had been to quite a lot places, but this was the first time he had seen this sort of pattern in a mountain range. If he could examine this Three Evils that seemed to have gained physical form over a prolonged period of time, explore its secrets, and feel through its structure, then he would gain a much deeper understanding of his Execution of Three Evils.
'The other Arts left behind by Dark Mountain aren't suitable for me to use anymore. Only the Execution of Three Evils can be used… and besides it, there's only the burning of blood left.'
Su Ming lifted his head to look at the sky. This mountain range was very tall, and if it was night time, the place would look incredibly clear when moonlight spilled down.
However, while there were many benefits if he opened up the gap, there were also a lot of drawbacks. First of all, this place would then turn incredibly conspicuous. Not only would it bring about attention, it might also cause disputes.