Chapter 381: Black Crane Tribe
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The tribe leader of Black Crane was supported by his other two tribesmen. Blood flowed down the corner of his lips, and his right leg was wrecked. It was a bloody mess, and shattered bone could also be seen among it.
The man's blood dripped down to the ground, and the intense pain made his face turn white. Huge beads of sweat trickled down his forehead.
"Let's go!" He gritted his teeth and spoke as if he was hissing through his teeth. The two old men beside him said nothing and quickly brought him to retreat hastily. When they were several thousands of feet away, they turned into long arcs and left the place hastily.
Right up till the end, Su Ming only spoke once. He stared at the man leaving coldly and did not stop them. After all, this was the first time they'd come to the place, and there were still some problems to Su Ming's identity. He only wanted to be here to train in peace and quiet and to understand the ways of wind and lightning so that he could become stronger. He did not want to cause trouble.
He was also an outsider. If he went into too much conflict against those Shamans who had deep roots in this place, even if it was a small tribe, it would still pose a problem.
As for that Shaman Crystal vein, while Su Ming had high hopes for the place, he did not think that it was necessary for him to make it his own. He had tried mining those Shaman Crystals before. If he did not have a special method to do so, they would shatter when he touched them. He had used the small virescent sword to test it before and brought out eight pieces, but in the process, he also broke a similar amount of Shaman Crystals.
Unless he used his hands to dig them out and did not mind wasting a large amount of time digging them out bit by bit, then he would he be unable to reap the biggest reward.
That was why Su Ming chose only to stun White Bull Tribe and did not kill them. As for Black Crane Tribe, as long as they did not do anything out of hand, then he would also choose not to kill them. His attacks might be vicious, but they were also used to shock them. Only when the two tribes were wary of him would he have the opportunity of knowing whether they were weak or strong, and then only would the possibility of a peaceful negotiation appear.
As he watched the three people from Black Crane Tribe leave, Su Ming turned around, towards the direction of his cave abode, then turned into an illusion and went back. The Fire Ape looked displeased. It believed that if Su Ming had not appeared, it would still have been able to fight against the man.
With the rod in hand, it swung it in the direction of Su Ming's back several times before it turned into a fiery red blur that started loitering around the area, trying to find other trespassers that were still ignorant enough to come.
Another few days passed by. Su Ming never exited his cave abode during that time, and no one came to bother him. These sort of days might be boring, but Su Ming was not bothered by it. He was used to clearing his mind. He might be in a foreign land now, but in truth, to him, besides Dark Mountain and the ninth summit, almost every other place was a foreign land.
He, who had long since accustomed himself to this sort of lifestyle, continued researching the Wind Crystal of Inheritance. That thing was about the size of a fist and was translucent. There seemed to be wind contained inside, making it seem as if there was wind and clouds tumbling about in the crystal. There was a strangely attractive charm to it.
'Wind Separation Slash… Provenance of Wind…' Su Ming frowned and stared at the Wind Crystal of Inheritance in his hand as he mulled over his thoughts.
'If I can't fuse this Wind Crystal of Inheritance with myself, then I won't be able to gain any epiphany concerning the three styles of Wind Separation. I can also only use the very basic functions for Provenance of Wind. I can only circulate it in my body to make my speed slightly faster.
'But the Wind Berserker is definitely not just about speed, but… just how can I make the Wind Crystal of Inheritance accept me?'
Su Ming had thought of everything he could during these few days, but even with the help of the black stone fragment, he could not achieve his wish. It did not even give him even the slightest hint of response no matter how much he called out to it.
'Could it be that no one has the possibility of obtaining the legacy unless the real True Divinity Wind Berserker appears..?' Su Ming clutched his hand around the Wind Crystal of Inheritance and his face darkened as his eyes flickered.
He knew of all his weaknesses. It did not matter whether it was the power of the God of Berserkers or whether it was Han Mountain Bell, all of these things were external power and were not actually a part of his own power. This external power might belong to him now, but there was also a possibility that it won't belong to him in the future.
The basis for becoming a powerful warrior was his own level of cultivation and his divine abilities. These were the main things. Yet now, Su Ming was incredibly lacking in divine abilities. Besides Berserker Obliteration, which he created on his own, he only had his speed and the Execution of Three Evils left.
This was fatal if he ever engaged anyone in a battle of Arts, and Su Ming had experienced this firsthand when he traveled into the land of the Shamans. The reason why he was spending so much time in examining the Wind Crystal of Inheritance was so that he could increase the variety of divine abilities and Arts he had at hand.
Yet the results made Su Ming feel rather resigned. However, no matter what, he did not give up and simply continued trying to fuse together with the Wind Crystal of Inheritance. This item was like a key that would open the door to the main parts of the Wind Berserker's legacy.
To the east of Su Ming's cave abode in the mountain range was a low mountain range 10,000 lis away. There was a mountain over there that was not very tall.
It was very strange, and all those who saw it would not be able to forget it after seeing it once, because the shape of the mountain looked like a crane that had its wings spread and was about to fly!
The crane was a nonexistent creature in the land of the Shamans, and it was the same for the land of the Berserkers. This creature belonged to the Immortals, and was a living being that possessed high intelligence.
However, this mountain that was formed in its shape had appeared in the land of the Shamans, and there was even a tribe in there that was named after a crane. That alone was enough to cause people to think.
However, this place was situated in a remote area, and Black Crane was just a small tribe. Most of its tribe members seldom ventured out either, hence the people who took notice of them were few. It was also the reason why the mysteriousness of Black Crane Tribe did not spread far.
There was a house that was built using mountain rocks in the mountain, and in it was the man whose right leg was shattered. At that moment, his eyes were shut tightly and his body was trembling slightly. He did not cover up his upper body, and sweat poured down his skin like a river.
There was an old woman sitting before him. Her hair was white and there were numerous brown age spots on her face. She placed her dried up hands on the man's right leg.
Strange words that sounded like chants tumbled out of the old woman's lips.
Behind her were five Black Crane tribe members sitting just outside the door to the room where the man was in the house. Their expressions were filled with anxiety, along with anger and hatred.
Their hatred was not aimed towards the man, but would only appear when they occasionally lifted their heads to look into the distance, right in the direction where Su Ming's cave abode was.
"The person who attacked doesn't have any will to kill. I can heal your leg, but it'll take a long time, around half a year or so. During this time, it'll be best if you don't get injured anymore, or else your leg might really be completely useless." After a long while, the old woman stopped murmuring those strange sounds. She opened her eyes and revealed a pair of murky eyes as she spoke slowly.
Once she finished speaking, the old woman stood up and walked towards the door with a hunched back. Her footsteps were not light as a cultivator's, but they were not heavy. Nonetheless, it was clear that she was a normal person.
"Send the Shaman Healer off." The half-naked man opened his eyes and spoke with a tired look on his face.
A member of Black Crane Tribe immediately stepped forward and supported the old woman as she left.
Once the old woman left, an old man with a full head of white hair instantly stood up among the remaining people in the house. He took a few steps forward and spoke loudly. "Tribe leader, I've already gathered all the warriors in the tribe. We're only waiting for your orders!"
"Tribe leader, we can't just take this lying down. Why should we let this person take over our Shaman Crystal vein? He's just one person, no matter how high his level of cultivation is. We can offer our blood and summon our Crane Ancestor if we really need to!" a ghastly voice stated from another person's mouth. It was a skinny man whose age could not be determined. He sat on the chair like a skeleton.
The rest of the people spoke in succession, and their words were filled with a strong murderous intent.
"Quiet!" The man whose right leg was shattered slapped his right hand on the wooden chair he was sitting on.
"That person is not alone. He has a Fire Ape with him, and I can feel a terrifying presence in that mountain range. It's clear that he still has other tricks up his sleeve.
"Even if we discount that, all of you saw the nine-headed beast that appeared when that strange phenomenon came to be on that day. That beast alone is not something our tribe can handle. I went so that I could do a final test and make a confirmation so that we can provide an explanation to the Patriarch when he comes back. Why are you raring to go? Do you want to die that much?!" The man's eyes were freezing cold as he swept his gaze across the people in the room.
"We'll talk about this once the Patriarch comes back…" Before the man finished speaking, his voice suddenly died away and he lifted his head swiftly.
At the same time, a piercing cry traveled through the sky above the tribe's mountain. It reverberated in the area, and a huge gust of wind also appeared out of nowhere to surround the mountain before making its way through.
The man was not the only one who lifted his head. Looks of anxiety immediately appeared on the faces of all the other tribe members in the house. They stood up, and two among them went up to carry the man as they swiftly went out.
Almost at he moment they walked out, a large amount of tribe members in the other stone houses in the mountain walked out and knelt down with their heads turned towards the sky.
"Welcome back, Patriarch!"
Their voices were like waves that seemed to have fused together with the wind. As their voices and the wind circled around the area, a black long arc charged towards them from the sky. Within the long arc was a huge crane whose eyes were burning with raging flames. It was about 500 feet in size and was covered head to toe in black. It was flapping its wings while getting closer to them.
Standing on the black crane was an old man wearing a long robe made of feathers. There were several black lines on the old man's face. He had wrinkles on his face, but his eyes shone brightly.
There was a person sitting beside him. That person wore a red robe and there were a large number of snakes and insects sewn on it. Those snakes and insects came in all sorts of colors, and they were terrifying to look at. There was a bamboo hat covering the person's head so that their appearance could not be seen clearly, but from the stranger's figure, it could be seen that the person was a woman.
"Madam Ji, this is my tribe. Madam Ji, this way, please." The old man swept his gaze past the ground on the black crane, and a smile appeared on his face. When he looked towards the woman by his side, that smile turned into respect, and he wrapped his fist in his palm before bowing towards the woman.
The woman whose age and appearance could not be seen clearly due to the bamboo hat gave a nod, and the black crane under the old man's body instantly charged towards the peak of the mountain. They got closer in an instant, and as they charged forward, a large amount of black mist spread out from the mount's body.
As the crane dived down, more black mist spread out, and right the instant it seemed as if the crane was about to crash into the mountain, it turned into black mist and disappeared. The old man and Madam Ji, who was the woman wearing the bamboo hat, landed on the mountain, right before the man, who was being carried by his tribesmen, and the other people who were in the house.
"Greetings, Madam Ji." The man whose right leg was broken immediately knelt down when he saw the old man and Madam Ji. Yet a sharp pain shot up his right leg due to his action, causing his face to instantly turn pale.
"Hmm? What happened to your leg?" The Patriarch of Black Crane Tribe immediately trained his gaze on his leg.
Chapter 382: Soul Catcher's Voice!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Patriarch, this is…" The man hesitated for a while, then cast a glance at Madam Ji. The woman might not have revealed her face and had not even said a word, but when she stood there, there was a chilling presence spreading from within her, causing all the people around to feel slightly uncomfortable.
Most of the leaders and powerful Shamans in the tribe standing nearby had heard of Madam Ji and the rumors surrounding that name. Now, when they saw her, all of them were filled with respect towards her.
"It's fine. You can just speak." A cold and dark look appeared in the eyes of the Patriarch of Black Crane Tribe.
The tribe leader of Black Crane struggled up his feet. Enduring the intense pain, he spoke of everything that had happened from start to finish, but he did not mention the change in the sky a few days prior.
"I'm not his opponent. Madam Ji, please help us." Once the man finished speaking, he struggled to move and bow to that woman.
A barely noticeable glint appeared in the eyes of the old man dressed in the robe made of black feathers. He was, after all, familiar with the man and could see that something was off, but he did not expose him.
Instead, he narrowed his eyes. He knew that the man could be considered quite careful and would not speak without thinking. If he was almost pleading Madam Ji to act right before his face, then it was clear that the tribe leader believed that even if the old man went himself, he was not the outsider's opponent.
"Madam Ji, about this… could you please attack him?" The old man gritted his teeth. If it had been any other of his tribesmen saying this, he might not have believed them, but this man was Black Crane Tribe's current tribe leader. It was impossible for the old man to not believe him.
"Is that person a Latter Shaman?" Madam Ji suddenly asked.
"He's not a Latter Shaman. Of this, I am certain!" The man quickly asserted.
"If you're wrong, then I will make the entire Black Crane Tribe die with you! A person's life is two thousand Shaman Crystals. If it's two people, four thousand! There's also what we promised before. All White Bull Tribe's Shaman Crystals and their sacred items will belong to me once you break the seals on those items!" The woman in the bamboo hat spoke with a shrill voice, and when she spoke, all those who heard her words felt their hearts and minds tremble.
The Patriarch of Black Crane Tribe felt his heart ache tremendously at the thought. He hesitated for a moment, but when he saw the man's firm gaze, he knew that there was definitely something off in this matter, which was why he gritted his teeth and nodded.
"Thank you, Madam Ji, once this is finished, I will give you the remaining 2,000 Shaman Crystals."
"I don't mind if you don't give it to me." Madam Ji chuckled, and her chuckles were equally sharp and piercing to the ears.
"I wouldn't dare to." The old man quickly wrapped his fist in his palm to her.
"I'll heal your leg. It's free."
Madam Ji lifted her right hand and pointed it at the man's right leg. Immediately, the whiskers of one of the multicolored scorpions on her robe moved and started swimming about before crawling up her arm to charge straight towards the man's right leg. The man shuddered, and the multicolored scorpion bit through his flesh and crawled into his body.
This pain made the man tremble from head to toe. He wanted to endure through it, but in the end, he could not; he let out a shrill scream of pain before falling to his side. Right when the faces of all the Black Crane tribe members drastically changed, rumbling sounds came from the tribe leader's right leg, and his torn flesh started healing rapidly. After some time, his entire right leg was healed, and not a single wound could be seen.
However, there was a picture of a scorpion shining on his right leg.
With a pale face, the man stood up, and his gaze when he looked at Madam Ji was filled with terror as he wrapped his fist in his palm to bow towards her.
"Thank… Thank you, Madam Ji."
"You don't have to thank me. Your flesh and blood can provide my baby seven days of food. If you can't bring out the Shaman Crystals after seven days…" Madam Ji started laughing shrilly.
The entire area was silent, only her laughter could be heard echoing in the air.
"Your leg has healed now, please lead the way." Once Madam Ji finished speaking, she demanded with that sharp voice of hers.
"Madam Ji, do you want to rest for a while? We can still go tomorrow morning…" The Patriarch of Black Crane Tribe quickly spoke. He still had some things he wanted to talk about in detail with the tribe leader.
"I don't need to rest. I'll just be killing two people. It's not too late if I rest after I come back."
Madam Ji waved her arm and instantly flew up. She pointed at the tribe leader of Black Crane with her right hand, and without his control, the man's right leg leapt into the air, bringing along his entire body. He only managed to turn his head back and cast a deep look at the Patriarch before he turned into a long arc and followed behind Madam Ji. In the blink of an eye, the two of them disappeared into the horizon.
Only when Madam Ji left did the Patriarch of Black Crane Tribe's face turn completely dark. He turned around and swept his gaze past his tribesmen gathered around him.
"Tell me what happened over the past month!"
As his tribesmen spoke to him in low murmurs and their words fell into the Patriarch's ears, the old man's expression gradually started changing, and when he heard of the strange sight that appeared in the sky many days prior, along with the nine-headed beast, he sucked in a sharp breath.
"This… This is…" He took a step forward, wanting to chase after the tribe leader, but subsequently froze in his footsteps and fell silent where he stood on the mountain.
In his head, the memory of the tribe leader of Black Crane casting him that deep look appeared in his head.
Madam Ji traveled quickly in the sky. As she moved, a five colored layer of fog appeared under her feet, and it stood out like a sore thumb in the sky. The five colored fog let out a dim fragrance, causing the man from Black Crane Tribe to fall into a slight daze when he sniffed it. He bit his tongue, and only by doing so did his mind remain somewhat clear. In his head, he recalled all the rumors circulating about this Madam Ji and could not help but grow even more respectful towards her.
"We might be in the sky and the wind is blowing harshly against us, which is why the aura from my Five Colored Fog isn't that strong, but to be able to regain your consciousness so soon after taking a breath of it means that your willpower is actually pretty strong."
Madam Ji's sharp voice came through the Five Colored Fog. Her voice might be sharp, but there was a power in it that would make people's minds drift. When it fell into the man's ears, the dazed look appeared in his eyes again.
Almost the moment the dazed look in his eyes appeared, the man was swept up by a huge power and brought into the Five Colored Fog.
"Madam Ji… Please… Please spare me…" The man trembled and gritted his teeth as he forced out those words. Everything within sight was the Five Colored Fog, nothing else, but he could clearly feel a gentle hand touching his back, as if that hand was using its fingers to draw circle. A numbness immediately surged through his entire body, causing the man's face to turn red in an instant and his breathing to quicken.
"Your willpower is very strong. I like your type, so I'll give you a treat…"
The man shuddered. He could feel a puff of hot air in his right ear, and then a soft tongue licked the contour of his ear gently.
A bang went off in the man's head, and he looked as if he had forgotten everything. There was only a primal urge left in his body. His eyes were bloodshot and his breathing grew heavy. A large amount of Five Colored Fog entered his body as he breathed.
Cackling sounds echoed in the fog. That Five Colored Fog charged through the sky and tumbled like waves inside. As wind blew through, a large amount of dim fragrance spread out, and wherever the wind brought that fragrance to, some of the birds and beasts in the area would immediately become so agitated they looked as if they had gone mad.
"Ma… Madam… We're… We're here!" The man trembled. The instant almost all of his will scattered away, he bit his tongue, and the pain of almost biting through his tongue finally allowed him to regain a hint of consciousness. With unparalleled terror, he said these words with great difficulty.
"How disappointing. Oh well, once I finish taking care of the outsider, I'll give you that treat." Madam Ji's voice was no longer sharp but lackadaisical. As her words traveled through the fog, she walked out from within.
She still wore that long red robe covered by multicolored snakes and insects and still wore that bamboo hat. Her face was hidden underneath, causing others to be unable to see her clearly. Once she walked out, Madam Ji lifted her right hand and waved it at the Five Colored Fog behind her.
Immediately, the man within flew out. His entire body was flushed red and his eyes looked as if they were about ready to spit fire. He had already lost his senses and was growling in a low voice.
Once Madam Ji tapped at the center of the man's brows, the tribe leader of Black Crane Tribe immediately shuddered and fell unconscious. His body pummeled to the ground. However, as he plunged down, a wisp of Five Colored Fog surrounded him and his speed as he fell slowed down.
Once it surrounded the man, that wisp of fog turned into the illusionary figure of woman and crawled into the man's eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. The unconscious man immediately shut his eyes and started growling like a wild animal.
Madam Ji's breathing also quickened slightly in the sky. It was as if she was reacting to the growls coming from the man from Black Crane Tribe. With her face still hidden under the bamboo hat, she licked her lips as she panted, then with a leap, she charged towards the mountain range in the distance.
That mountain range was where Su Ming's cave abode was.
As Madam Ji charged forward, the Five Colored Fog appeared once again under her feet and tumbled about in the area, covering half the sky.
The Fire Ape lay on a big rock at the top of the mountain range with its eyes closed for a nap. Sometimes, it would lift its claws to scratch itself. Suddenly, it opened its eyes and looked at the incoming Five Colored Fog. It twitched its nose slightly, as if it smelled something, then immediately bared its teeth.
In the cave abode, the rod snake, which Su Ming had never called back once he let it out, was lying in one of the many holes on the cave abode's ceiling. At that moment, it immediately shot up and a freezing glint appeared in its eyes.
Right underneath the rod snake was Su Ming, sitting cross-legged in the big hall in that gigantic cave abode of his. He held the Wind Crystal of Inheritance in his right hand, and he pressed his palm against the air above it. With a frown, he lifted his head.
He had discovered the incoming Five Colored Fog in the sky before the Fire Ape and rod snake did.
Almost the moment he lifted his head and spread his divine sense, the instant that chilling glint appeared in the strange rod snake's eyes, and the second the Fire Ape bared its teeth and snarled, suddenly, from within the Five Colored Fog approaching from the sky, Madam Ji let out… a moan, one that would cause minds to drift.
That voice came too suddenly, and sounded as if it was trying to capture souls. It also spread around incredibly clearly and entered the mountain range, charging right into the cave abode where Su Ming was.
Chapter 383: Virgin Brother
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
That was a strange sound. In Su Ming's memories, he seemed to have never heard anyone making it before. It sounded like someone crying, but not, like someone moaning, but at the same time not either.
Once he heard it, it felt as if there was someone breathing into his ear gently, and his heart turned into something soft once that sound reached it, causing it to start racing uncontrollably. In fact, the speed of his Qi had also started circulated much quicker.
'What's with this divine ability?'
Su Ming frowned. That voice made him agitated, and his head had even started becoming a mess. A glint appeared in his eyes and he let out a cold harrumph.
Once he let out that harrumph, the powerful might of the four Berserker Bones in his body burst forth and filled his entire body, then went through his throat to turn into a voice that killed, swiftly shooting out of the numerous holes from the cave abode like an airstream.
That voice was like a thunderbolt, filled with the power of lightning contained within Su Ming's Origin Vessel. It was also an epiphany he had gained over the past few days from the Origin of Lightning to turn his voice into that akin to thunder.
Almost the instant his voice shot out of the cave abode, Su Ming stood up and walked out with his hands behind his back. When he left, he was already standing in the sky. He wore a black mask and there was light flashing in the depths of his eyes, one that could not be caught. He stared at the Five Colored Fog that was located not too far away from him coldly.
A sweet scent filled the air in the area around him. That scent made all those who sucked it in feel very comfortable, but if anyone breathed it for a long time, then they would have a feeling as if all their internal organs wanted to escape from their mouths.
"Who are you?" Su Ming asked languidly, his pupils having shrunk down.
The moan from Madam Ji that came from the Five Colored Fog tumbling about in the sky above the mountain range was cut off by that thunderous harrumph. A glint appeared in her eyes that were hidden underneath the bamboo hat.
"What a man who doesn't know the mood. I originally wanted to let you die in pleasure, but since you're so ungrateful to my kindness, then I'll let you die completely depleted of your spirit."
Madam Ji chuckled. Once she saw Su Ming appearing, the final hint of worry in her heart disappeared. In her eyes, as long as she did not run into any Latter Shamans, she could stand above all Medial Shamans due to the cultivation method she'd chosen.
This was also the main reason why she still came to the place even though she had seen through the intention of the tribe leader of Black Crane wanting them to fight against each other. It was also the reason why she made that man from Black Crane Tribe sink into such pleasure on her way to the place.
Madam Ji's voice was gentle and there was not a hint of the previous shrillness in her voice. It was as if there was an endless amount of charm contained within her speech.
As she spoke, she lifted her hand, and the beauty coming from her finger when the sun shone on it seemed as if all women hands would pale in comparison to her fingers' beauty at that moment.
Her fingers were very long, and as she lifted them up, a string of bell like chuckles sounded. Then with a very gentle gesture, she tapped at Su Ming through the air with her right hand.
That one tap immediately caused a wave of ripples to appear at her fingertip. It was as if the entire world had turned into water, and because of the touch of her finger, ripples spread through that layer of water. At the same time, the sweet scent all around the area instantly thickened.
She was very confident. That tap might seem like an ordinary tap, but it was a move in her divine ability, one that she had practiced for a very long time. In the past, most of all those who came up against her would find their minds crumbling under that single tap. They would turn into wild animals controlled by their lust, losing all their reasoning along with all their ability to fight against her. Usually, with just a gesture from her, they would pounce on her, and she would toy with them until they eventually died, completely depleted of their spirit.
She loved that scene a lot. Right then, a smile appeared on her face hidden under the bamboo hat. However, it was also at that instant that her smile froze.
"Hmm?" Madam Ji was momentarily taken aback. She had already executed that tap, but there was absolutely no reaction from Su Ming. It was as if she had lost her power and that had been just an ordinary tap.
Su Ming frowned, finding himself a little puzzled by what exactly that woman wanted to do. The strange cry just now had made him slightly scared, and when he saw the woman tapping on air, a glint had immediately appeared in his eyes. Green light shone at the center of his brows, and the patterns all around him had also started changing with his thoughts.
However, the reason Su Ming frowned was because while that tap had stirred up ripples in the air, he had not felt a single hint of danger. It was just that the instant that woman tapped at the air, some strange pictures had appeared in his head. Nonetheless, those pictures were mostly blurred out and he could not see them clearly.
"I see, so you're a virgin without any experience. No wonder." A glint appeared in Madam Ji's eyes. She licked her lips and started chuckling as if she was very happy.
"Crazy woman." Su Ming let out a cold harrumph. After a swing of his arm, green light instantly shone, and the small virescent sword shot out before him with a sword whistle. Su Ming lifted his right hand and pointed at it.
Immediately, the Provenance of Wind within him formed a whirlwind in his body. That wind shot out of Su Ming's hand and fell on the small virescent sword, instantly making it shudder, and an illusionary shadow appeared around the sword, covering it fully.
That illusion was a giant sword that was about ten feet long. Once it appeared, a whirlwind started howling around it. This was the new epiphany Su Ming had gained over these days through the Provenance of Wind. If he fused wind with his sword, he could make the small virescent sword's power increase.
Almost the moment the Provenance of Wind formed those whirlwinds turning in his body, lightning began swimming all over Su Ming's skin. Thunder roared within him, and a ray of light formed from lightning shot out from his finger, charging straight into the giant ten feet sword.
Immediately, thunderous rumbles rang from within the sword and it swelled up once again, turning into a gigantic sword that was thirty feet in length. With a single thought, Su Ming sent the sword charging towards Madam Ji.
All of this happened in an instant. As Madam Ji continued chuckling, the gigantic sword of thirty feet sliced down at her with shocking speed.
The sword sliced through the air with a boom, and the sharp roar stirred up a large amount of ripples to spread out and explode with a bang. In fact, as that sword swung down, the lightning sparks swimming all over it caused thunderous explosions to reverberate through the air.
"Virgin brother, that's such a stroooong stroke."
Madam Ji's chuckles carried a sickeningly sweet tone. She took a step backward and lifted her right hand to draw a circle before her. The instant she drew that circle, black light shone in it, then as if the circle could separate space, a chilling presence spread from it, making it seem as if the world within was different from the world outside.
As that light shone, a hand shot out from inside the circle. That hand was covered in black hair and filled with a powerful presence. The nails on that hand were sharp, and once it stretched out, it crashed into the big sword that was slashing down towards it.
Muffled sounds echoed in the air, causing airwaves to appear and spread in all directions. Su Ming's strike was parried by that hand that came out of the circle. The sword stayed in midair, as if it was unable to cut through that hand and injure Madam Ji, who was standing behind the circle.
"Virgin brother, how could you be so merciless? If you leave a scar on my body, then I wouldn't be pretty anymore when we have fun together later." Madam Ji's flirtatious voice had a quality that made people agitated, but when she saw that Su Ming did not show even a hint of change when his strike was parried, her heart suddenly lurched and a bad feeling rose within her.
Right then, countless bolts of lightning suddenly exploded forth from the parried sword and spread out swiftly. There were also seven balls of lightning that shot out from the tip of the sword, surrounding the area in an instant.
"Explode!" A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes.
When that word left his mouth, the sky and earth roared. The balls of lightning that came from the sword exploded at the same time, causing a large amount of lightning to shoot out in all directions.
Madam Ji retreated quickly, but the force that came from the explosions charged straight towards her, and when the balls of lightning exploded, lightning appeared all over the place, covering the area so densely that the area of one thousand feet around them seemed to have turned into a lightning hell. The light from the bolts was piercing to the eyes, showing off the might of lightning.
Madam Ji's expression under the bamboo hat changed. She retreated, and the Five Colored Fog enveloped her. Once it completely covered her up, she no longer retreated, and it brought her up into the sky.
Yet the instant the Five Colored Fog rose into the air, the gigantic sword started shattering inch by inch, breaking into a large amount of fragments. Those fragments let out a sharp screech that sliced through the air, and they were sucked into the violent gust of wind to turn into part of the whirlwind, then like a sharp blade, they charged towards the Five Colored Fog.
Booming sounds rumbled in the air nonstop. The series of killing moves Su Ming executed were all created through the epiphany he had gained from wind and lightning during these past few days, and could only be used after he fused both elements on his sword. This was the first time he used it, and once he saw its outstanding power, Su Ming's desire to absorb the Wind and Lightning Crystals of Inheritance grew stronger.
At the same time the sword fragment whirlwind was sucked into the Five Colored Fog, Su Ming moved forward without a sound and turned into a long arc, closing in on the vortex in the span of a breath. He closed his right hand into a fist and hurled it straight at the Five Colored Fog through the air.
That punch stirred up a strong gust of wind, but Su Ming did not stop and delivered another five punches in succession. All his punches stirred up wind, and each of them caused ripples to spread through the air. The wind and ripples seemed to have overlapped with each other, and in an instant, a large gust formed, charging straight towards the Five Colored Fog.
Right when the sword fragment whirlwind crashed into the Five Colored Fog, booming sounds mixed with a shrill screech of anger shot out of the Five Colored Fog. As it reverberated in the air, a powerful force charged out from within the fog and spread swiftly through the area.
That force came straight into Su Ming's face like a mountain range crashing into him. He immediately retreated, and at the same time, the sword fragment whirlwind fell apart and scattered away. At the same time, the huge gust of wind that Su Ming had stirred up with his five punches seemed to have fallen on a barrier and, with a bang, dissipated into nothing.
Yet even so, once the Five Colored Fog suffered through Su Ming's consecutive attacks, it also could not stay in shape any longer. With a bang, it split into several pieces, revealing the back of a monster that was entirely black and covered in hair from head to toe inside. That monster's back was turned towards Su Ming and its arms were closed around something, as if he was hugging it. Once the fog dissipated completely, Su Ming saw that the monster seemed to protecting a middle-aged woman in his embrace.
The bamboo hat on the woman's head had already shattered, revealing her beautiful locks, her eyes that looked like the springs in autumn, and also her face… which was originally one that would cause hearts to pound once they looked at it.
It was a pity. There was a scar that had been left behind, marring her face for many years now, spreading through the entirety of her petite face. The scar was dark reddish in color, and some of the woman's flesh from under her skin had even been exposed outside. It looked… terrifying.
Chapter 384: Madam Ji's Husband
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
As the monster covered entirely in black hair slowly opened his arms, Madam Ji lifted her right hand while standing in his embrace and touched the scar on her face. Her eyes, which were like the springs of autumn, turned towards Su Ming, and her gaze was filled with hate.
"You are the first person to see this scar on my face ever since I got it… I will have you scream and wail for seven days and seven nights. I will drain all your flesh and blood, and once I turn all your spirit and essence into my nourishment. I will let you die a painful death… I will let you suffer a pain worse than death!" Madam Ji opened her mouth and let out a piercing screech.
"Madam, you talk too much," Su Ming mocked her and took a few steps back. This woman was the first powerful enemy he had run into ever since he left Autumn Sea Tribe. Judging by her divine abilities, she seemed like a Soul Catcher, but there was something slightly different about her as well. The series of killing moves Su Ming had executed previously had also not caused much damage to her.
That monster that was covered entirely in black hair and standing beside the woman seemed like a puppet. There was a thick amount of life force emanating from it, but its strength was strikingly different from the other Soul Catchers' puppets that Su Ming had encountered in the land of the Berserkers. Once Soul Catchers fused those puppets together with their bodies using that strange method of theirs, those puppets would give off a feeling as if they were alive yet dead at the same time.
Su Ming felt a strong threat from that monster's body, and it made him grow cautious. Besides the power of the God of Berserkers, he now had two killing moves. However, one of them required him to use the pattern existing in this place, while the other would need him to open the mouth of the dragon's head completely, causing the power of the world to surge in. The pattern in this place would then cause the power of the Execution of Three Evils to reach a terrifying state.
However, unless he absolutely needed to, Su Ming did not want to use this method, because once he did, then there would be no way he could hide this place anymore. Anyone would be able to see that this was a great place to train.
Besides, the woman alone was already a problem enough, and the appearance of the puppet gave Su Ming a sense of danger as if he was facing off a Latter Shaman. Su Ming could only estimate the power of the Execution of Three Evils, he did not have confidence that he could kill them both in succession.
There was also one more killing move - the power of materialization he gained after awakening the fifth head on Han Mountain Bell. However, after examining that move during the past few days, he noticed that casting that Art could be described as a double edged sword.
It would be great if he killed the enemy, because Su Ming had to sacrifice about a ninth of his power to cast the Art allowing the Nine-Headed Dragon to materialize. If he did it, it would practically mean that both sides had to suffer great losses, and if his opponent was not dead and still had some divine abilities left, then Su Ming himself would surely be the one to die.
That was why once he turned over those two killing moves in his head rapidly, Su Ming made a decision. It was not as if he could not use them, but he had to wait for the crucial moment, and once he cast those Arts, he had to make sure he could kill the opponent.
'It's a pity that I still haven't refined that Berserker into my puppet and still can't fuse with the Wind and Lightning Crystals of Inheritance, or else this battle would definitely be much easier and I would have more chances of winning.'
Su Ming sighed. As he retreated, he stared at Madam Ji and the monster beside her with burning eyes.
"I'll definitely make your life a living hell!"
Madam Ji touched the scar on her face. As she screamed, the multicolored scorpions and poisonous snakes that seemed to be embroidered on her red robes started moving together.
The scorpions leaped into the air, and their colors let out a strangely captivating light in the dusk. The poisonous snakes hissed with their forked tongues out of their mouths, and once they appeared beside Madam Ji, they rushed towards Su Ming.
These poisonous creatures were not ordinary beings. As they traveled in midair, their numbers rapidly grew from several dozens to several hundreds, then to thousands, and until they covered the sky and earth, causing a sight that would make anyone's skin crawl.
As Su Ming moved back, he swept his gaze past those poisonous creatures, then fixed his eyes on the black-haired monster and Madam Ji with a frown between his brows. Those poisonous creatures looked very ferocious, but in truth, at their level, killing these creatures was very easy. It was clear that Madam Ji knew about this, but she still let those poisonous creatures out, and this was something that made Su Ming hesitate.
Right then, a buzzing roar suddenly came from his side. There was a chilling tone to that sound, along with an extreme and imposing, domineering presence that seemed to be able to make all ferocious creatures submit to it.
Su Ming was not unfamiliar with that roar. It came from his rod snake, after all. At that moment, with a flash, the snake appeared right before Su Ming, and as it hissed, all the poisonous creatures pouncing on him shuddered as if they were stunned. Su Ming also saw the black-haired monster shuddering as well, and his life force started showing signs of disorderliness.
However, before Su Ming even had time to think about the things that caused his hesitation, a violent gust of wind charged towards him from his back. With bloodshot eyes and a brutal, murderous air, the Fire Ape stormed out with the rod held high above its head, straight towards those poisonous creatures. With one swing of the rod, it swept up a huge gust of wind in its wake.
"Xiao Hong, move back!" Su Ming's eyes were immediately fixed on it and he instantly commanded. He lifted his right hand and was just ready to chase away those poisonous creatures, not to kill them, but the moment his voice shot out, the Fire Ape only paused for a moment and then completely ignored him.
Its eyes were completely red and it was panting harshly. It looked completely the same as the man from Black Crane Tribe who was previously in the Five Colored Fog.
It swung that rod, and banging sounds reverberated in the air. A large amount of scorpions and poisonous snakes exploded while hissing. Red and green liquid shot out from their bodies, and when the liquid spread out, it immediately let out hissing sounds as if having crashed into something in the air, turning into the Five Colored Fog in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, with Su Ming at the center, a large amount of Five Colored Fog shot up everywhere the liquid from those poisonous creatures had touched. At the same time, the sweet scent Su Ming had smelled before in midair suddenly became much stronger.
Right then, the black-haired monster beside Madam Ji lifted his head. A dark light shining with greed appeared in his eyes, and with a buzz coming from his body, he lifted his foot and turned into a black shadow that charged straight towards Su Ming.
Madam Ji kept her gaze fixed on Su Ming, the hatred in her eyes growing stronger, and moaning sounds started slowly spilling out of her mouth. As those moans echoed in the air, they reverberated at a much stronger frequency compared to before.
The sun was setting, and the evening looked as if it was about to be over. The moon showed its silhouette right across the sun, and on that day, the moon was full!
Madam Ji's moans continued nonstop, and they sounded like those of a man and a woman copulating. When they spilled out from her mouth, pleasure appeared on her face, and she looked as if she was enjoying it, but the hate in her eyes did not decrease. It instead became stronger.
She was fondling herself, and as she moved her hands all over her body, she started unbuttoning her red robe, revealing her pearly white skin.
As those seductive, coquettish moans filled the air, the man from Black Crane Tribe started foaming at his mouth and his body started convulsing unconsciously. His eyes were shut tight, but his face was flushed red. Heavy breathing and muffled groans could be heard coming from his mouth.
The dark light in the eyes of the black-haired puppet charging towards Su Ming became stronger and his speed became faster.
Su Ming frowned. The Fire Ape was becoming more agitated as it continued moaning and attacking those poisonous creatures, creating even more Five Colored Fog as it did so. Clearly, its thoughts had been affected by those moans.
That black-haired puppet closed in within an instant and opened his mouth, while also lifting its arms. Judging by its actions, it looked as if it wanted to hug Su Ming.
Su Ming's eyes sparkled, and blue light shone on his body. A faint blue armor materialized and covered him. That armor was different from the Armor of Bone Sacrifice, and unless in the know, it would be nigh impossible to recognize it at first glance.
Right then, Su Ming took a few swift steps backwards before charging out. The Provenance of Wind started stirring within him, causing his speed to instantly increase exponentially. With a string of afterimages left behind, he arrived before the black-haired monster and hurled his fist forward.
A loud bang echoed in the air, and from the distance, the black-haired monster looked as if half of its body was blown apart by Su Ming, and he exploded into a large amount of black fog.
What was left behind before Su Ming was a dried up body. That body fell backwards with his arms still spread outwards. That scattered black fog looked as if it was the man's flesh, blown away from the body.
Su Ming's pupils shrank at the sight. He had clearly seen that his fist had not touched that black-haired monster. Instead, when his fist was about seven inches away, the body dissolved on its own.
As if the fog was disintegrating, it turned into a large amount of black beetles. All of them were about the size of a fingernail, and they started spreading out instead of staying closely packed to each other. In the distance, those beetles looked like black fog.
The only thing that did not disintegrate was the dried up and thin body. That person's eyes were closed and there was a rotting smell coming from him. It was clear that the body was a corpse, and one that had died since who knows how many years ago.
Right when Su Ming's pupils shrank, that dried up corpse suddenly opened his eyes. They were a pair of gray eyes, and even the pupils were gray. The corpse stared at Su Ming and opened his mouth, revealing sharp teeth. Then he lunged at Su Ming.
The moment he pounced, all the black beetles that had scattered around them instantly charged towards Su Ming with a buzz. It was a terrifying sight to behold from the distance. The black fog before Su Ming was going in to devour him, and that corpse with the gray eyes was lunging towards him at such an extreme speed that it was already less than five feet away from him!
In the distance, Madam Ji's moans became louder. She had already taken off half of her clothes, and her exposed, pearly white skin gave off a lustful air. As she stripped off her clothing, a scar could be vaguely seen below her right breast. That scar was not long, but it looked as if someone had left it behind after penetrating through her skin with their hand!
"Don't let him die so easily, my husband. Ji Yun Hai… tear his skin down, plant the insects' eggs in him, and let him scream in pain as you did all those years ago. As he screams, I will suck away all his essence… You have to watch by the side…" Madam Ji said as she continued moaning. The meaning of her words was enough to make anyone who might have heard them shiver!
The rotten stench came crashing towards Su Ming. The armor gained its complete form and covered him entirely in an instant. With a stern face, he lifted his right hand up, and the moment the dried up corpse lunged at him, he started forming hand seals with his right hand.
He bent his index finger so that it would touch his thumb, and immediately, the illusionary shadow of the minimized Han Mountain Bell appeared on his palm. Then, as Su Ming lifted three of his fingers and turned his palm downward, Han Mountain Bell started gaining physical form.
Finally, he clenched his fist together before opening his hand and pushed his palm towards that corpse.
Chapter 385: Ji Yun Hai
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Ji Yun Hai is the best Soul Catcher beneath Hollow Shaman among all the Shamans in the Land of South Morning. He is known as the person who is most likely to become a Hollow Soul Catcher among all the Latter Soul Catchers.
"It's a pity… he has gone missing for many years, or else if he joined in this battle, then he would definitely be able to cast that wide area Spell of his that would allow him to kill a large amount of people, a spell that he's very proficient with and is his unique Soul Capturing ability."
The number of Shaman tents seemed endless and covered seventy thousand lis of the land of the Shamans outside Sky Mist City. Those tents were spread around the place to the extent that their end could not be seen. There were more than one hundred thousand Shamans over there, and there were also a large number of warriors from other Shaman Tribes joining their numbers everyday, so they continued growing stronger.
There was a tall mountain by the endless sea of tents. If anyone with a certain level of cultivation went to stand atop the mountain, they would be able to see the faint contour of Sky Mist City from there.
At that moment, there was a woman standing at the top of the mountain. She had long, flowing locks, and appeared elegant. Her gaze was profound, and she contained a different temperament compared to the other Shamans. That bearing gave her an ethereal air, and that serene demeanor of hers seemed to be able to affect the others around her, causing all those who stood beside her to feel their hearts calming down.
"There haven't been many powerful End Shamans who appeared in the entire Shaman Tribe over the years, and as time went by, now, there are only eight left among us… and there are three among them who still haven't submitted themselves to the Immortals."
There were about a dozen Shamans standing beside the woman, and there were both men and women in that group. Only three of them were in their middle ages, while the rest were all elderly folk. The person who was speaking at that moment was an old man with a head full of white hair. He held a cane with a crocodile's head in his hand, and he was speaking as he stared at Sky Mist City.
"Speaking of Ji Yun Hai, that person was originally a member of Heaven Follower Tribe. When Heaven Follower Tribe was destroyed, this person survived, then he obtained some sort of chance, and his Soul Catcher's path became different from others.
"He's skilled in using poisonous insects and came up with the Nine Colored Poison Fog. That Origin of his, the Heaven Follower Insect, had also reached an Undying state after he refined it. Once that sea of bugs appears, even powerful Hollow Shamans would have a problem dealing with them.
"If he was here by your side, my Immortal friend, not only could we kill the Berserkers, we could also use the Heaven Follower Insect to send your orders to the entire Shaman Army so that we could gather as one and the Berserkers wouldn't be able to intervene.
"This unique Soul Catcher is very rare, but it's a pity. The last time I heard of him was around a dozen years ago. I heard that he had taken a woman his wife, and then all news about him disappeared." The old man shook his head and continued talking about the next person, introducing all the elites of the Shamans to the long haired woman.
It was difficult for all the people there, including the woman, to know that the Ji Yun Hai they were speaking of was now in a remote spot far away from them in the land of the Shamans, and was currently pouncing on Su Ming with gray eyes and with the aura of death completely surrounding him.
The endless black beetles surrounding him were the Heaven Follower Insects, and all of them were refined by Ji Yun Hai personally to become Undying insects!
However, even if the old man was talking about Ji Yun Hai with a regretful tone on the mountain beyond Sky Mist City, if he was standing where Su Ming was now and saw the man with his own eyes, he would also have a difficult time recognizing that the dried up monster with gray eyes was Ji Yun Hai.
Not only had his appearance changed drastically, his level of cultivation had also fallen. He did not look as if he was a Latter Shaman, but had sank to the level of a Medial Shaman.
The only thing that did not change about him was the slight presence of a powerful Shaman, the one he had when he was still powerful. It was as if that presence would not die and would not be destroyed, remaining like an Undying - the essence of what a Soul Catcher practiced, or perhaps it was… unwillingness, something that did not want to go away, bringing with it an endless storm of enmity and hatred.
As Ji Yun Hai closed in, a chilling glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. He lifted his right hand, and as he formed those three different seals, Han Mountain Bell seemed to have gained physical form and appeared outside his palm. Then he pushed it swiftly at the lunging Ji Yun Hai, straight towards his chest.
With that one push, Su Ming immediately felt a large amount of power surging up his hand and traveling through his entire body in an instant, causing a sickeningly sweet taste to fill his mouth, and a mouthful of blood spilled out of his mouth. He staggered and fell back a few steps, and with each step, a strong wave of ripples would form in the air.
Once he retreated several hundreds of feet back, the cloth covering Su Ming's right arm exploded with a bang, revealing the veins that had popped up on his arm. Some of them had even swelled up and exploded. Blood mist scattered into the air, and Su Ming's face instantly turned pale.
At the same time, the sea of insects charged towards Su Ming. Buzzing sounds filled the air, and it was enough to make all those who heard it feel their skins crawl.
Su Ming might be in a sorry state, but Ji Yun Hai also shuddered, and the mark of Han Mountain Bell immediately appeared on the spot where Su Ming's palm had pressed on his chest. That mark then spread through Ji Yun Hai's entire body like a flood. If anyone looked over at that instant, they would also see Han Mountain Bell's illusion surrounding Ji Yun Hai's body.
"Seal!" Su Ming let out a low shout.
If Ji Yun Hai still had some form of intelligence left and knew how to retreat, then Su Ming knew it would be rather difficult for him to seal that person. But now, Ji Yun Hai was just a puppet that did not know how to think and could only move when told. His reactions, naturally, could not compare to a living person, especially when Su Ming had even risked getting injured to get closer to him to finally seal him up with Han Mountain Bell.
As Su Ming shouted his command, Han Mountain Bell immediately turned from an illusion to a physical entity around Ji Yun Hai's still lunging body. Once Han Mountain Bell completely manifested, it trapped Ji Yun Hai within.
Buzzing sounds hummed in the air and Han Mountain Bell floated in the sky. Crashing sounds continuously came from within; it sounded as if Ji Yun Hai was repeatedly ramming himself against the bell.
The endless amount of Heaven Follower Insects in that black insect fog froze in their pounce towards Su Ming once Ji Yun Hai was sealed by Han Mountain Bell.
"Break!"
Su Ming had already awakened six of the heads in Han Mountain Bell. Besides gaining control over some new power, he had also gained more understanding towards the few divine abilities that belonged to the bell.
This break, which was the move followed after activating the seal, brought a change as to how Su Ming could use Han Mountain Bell, one that he gained through the epiphany he obtained during these past few days. Once that word fell from his lips, bell chimes immediately spread from Han Mountain Bell. As they reverberated in the air, all of Ji Yun Hai's presence disappeared without a trace in an instant.
If that was just the case, then this seal was not that much different from a normal seal. However, Ji Yun Hai's presence was not the only thing that disappeared, the connection between him and the Heaven Follower Insects, one that was akin to that of a blood connection and not to that of a control he held over them through his aura, also disappeared.
Almost the instant the word 'break' fell off Su Ming's mouth and Han Mountain Bell started chiming, the black sea of insects that was lunging forward froze once again, and soon after, as if they had lost their dictator and their will, they fell to the ground right before Su Ming.
Cold sweat broke out on Su Ming's forehead. The battle between the puppet Ji Yun Hai might have been short, but it had been incredibly perilous. The sea of insects had been an incredibly great threat towards, along with Ji Yun Hai himself. If he had not been dead and was alive, then Su Ming would definitely have not been his opponent.
Yet now, even if this person had been long dead and had turned into a puppet, if Su Ming wanted to kill him, he would have to do so by using an incredibly powerful killing move. If he could not, then he would have to seal him.
Su Ming's face was dark. The instant the sea of insects fell to the ground, he cast his gaze towards that Madam Ji, but when he did so, Madam Ji had already shed the last piece of her clothing, revealing her curvy body.
If no one looked at the scar that was about the size of a fist under her right breast and did not pay attention to another one, red in color, on her face, then they would see a body that seemed to contain all the blessings of the world.
She looked at Su Ming and lifted her hands to clasp them above her head. Once she did so, she started moving, dancing in a primal way right before his eyes. That dance was not pleasant, but if anyone looked at it for any period of time they would feel their throats drying up and their hearts pounding. Their blood flow would increase, and all sorts of thoughts would start clogging up their minds.
Because while that dance was primal, every single time that body moved, it would seem to bring out the most primal urges within a person, and as Madam Ji continued moving, the illusionary forms of other women started appearing in the air. They wore revealing satin dresses, and once they appeared, they started dancing as well.
In the blink of an eye, the number of illusionary women increased and surrounded Su Ming. In fact, some of them were so close to Su Ming there seemed to be virtually no distance between them, and once they started moving, a dim fragrance filled the air…
Su Ming would perhaps not have been affected too much if that was all, but… the bodies of the women that appeared in those illusions were filled with seduction, bringing out his most primal urge, and as they moved, their appearances started changing.
Tian Lan Meng, wearing a white satin dress, passing by before Su Ming with a gentle smile…
Bai Su, Bai Ling, these two girls with almost the exact same appearance, dancing in that way that would make hearts race… All of it fell into Su Ming's eyes.
Han Cang Zi, Han Fei Zi… and the rest appeared as well. Their seductive bodies that were only partially hidden, their different figures tempted Su Ming, causing his breathing to become distinctly labored.
Even the Sacred Lady of Autumn Sea Tribe, Wan Qiu, also wore a purple satin dress and walked towards Su Ming with a beautiful posture and pace from the distance.
A look of struggle appeared on Su Ming's face as he looked at those familiar faces. Murkiness clouded his eyes, and they were no longer clear. Right then, he saw Wan Qiu turning into Madam Ji, and she was walking over with a flirtatious look.
Su Ming's eyes seemed to be burning with fire, but there was a dullness to them. At the same time, his breathing grew more labored and he started growling instinctively.
At that moment, Su Ming looked almost the same as how Xiao Hong did previously. Lust seemed to be burning in his dull eyes, turning them red.
His breathing was hot and labored. Sweat dripped down from under his mask, and he pounced on Madam Ji, who was walking towards him.
Cackling laughter spilled out of Madam Ji's lips and a pleased expression appeared on her face. The hatred in her eyes turned into a cruel intent to kill. That one Style of hers would bring out the lust within a person's heart, and even Ji Yun Hai's desires had been drawn out in a moment of carelessness, that was why Madam Ji was not at all dubious of Su Ming's actions at that moment.
Chapter 386: Curse!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"I will definitely make you scream and wail for seven days and seven nights before you die, and once I suck all your blood and essence, I will turn you into a dried corpse!"
With a leap, Madam Ji charged towards Su Ming. The instant she got closer, all the expressions on the familiar figures around Su Ming twisted, and all of them swiftly charged towards him from all directions.
At the same time, that Five Colored Fog in the air started churning and swept towards Su Ming from all directions. Madam Ji was the quickest of all to arrive. When she was less than five feet away from him, she lifted her right hand and a black fork appeared on her palm. Then, right when she was about to stab that fork into the center of Su Ming's brows—
The murky look in Su Ming's eyes was replaced by a hint of mockery, and along with it, a pair of clear eyes. At that moment, there was not a hint of lust on his face. All of that which happened before was an intentional act, and there was only one purpose for it—he wanted to draw Madam Ji closer, then kill her in one move!
Madam Ji had a lot of tricks up her sleeve, and Su Ming was worried that she might still have other moves left. That was why he used himself as bait to lure her in!
The moment she saw the mocking look in Su Ming's eyes, Madam Ji's expression drastically changed. Her heart let out a loud thump. She wanted to retreat, but it was already too late. Su Ming took a swift step forward, and he was so quick that he arrived before her in the blink of an eye. He lifted his left hand and grabbed Madam Ji's right hand which held the fork, and at the same time, he rammed his body straight into her chest.
Madam Ji shuddered and cracking sounds came from her body. She fell back and blood flowed out of her lips. Dismay and shock appeared on her face, along with a hint of terror. However, before she could retreat a little further away, Su Ming had already activated that terrifying speed of his and caught up to her once again. With one sweep of his leg, he kicked Madam Ji's head.
Bang!
Madam Ji coughed out a huge mouthful of blood. Her head had snapped to the side and her body was flung out. However, Su Ming frowned. He did not notice any aura of death from the woman's body. Instead, her life force had become even more exuberant. He let out a cold harrumph.
Su Ming did not stop. He took a step forward and caught up to her once again, then lifted his right hand and curled it into a fist in midair. Immediately, bolts of lightning started swimming in the sky. The instant he unfurled his right hand, bolts of lightning swiftly gathered together to turn into balls of lightning.
Thunder rumbled, and the balls of lightning let out a piercing lightning in Su Ming's hand, then he pushed them all into the center of Madam Ji's brows.
A loud bang rang in the sky, and Madam Ji let out a shrill scream of pain. However, Su Ming's attack had not ended. With one move, he once again closed in on her and lifted his left hand. Immediately, a whirlwind swiftly formed in the air, and once it closed in on Madam Ji, it started spinning rapidly, causing blood and flesh to fly all over in the air.
Madam Ji was repeatedly injured during her retreat. She wanted to resist, but when Su Ming closed in on her, he made a hand seal with his right hand and pointed at the sky. Immediately, the distant Han Mountain Bell suddenly let out a bell chime that stunned the heart and soul.
The bell chime came too suddenly. When it fell into Madam Ji's ears, it made the woman's movements as she tried to resist slow down. The instant her mind and soul shuddered, green light shone before Su Ming, and the small virescent sword shot out with a flash. Under the control of Su Ming's divine sense, it charged towards Madam Ji's head.
In that instant, a large amount of blood sprayed into the air. As the small sword swept by, a head flew up. It was night, and the full moon hung high in the sky. At that moment, that head flew up with blood scattering all around it.
However, Su Ming did not relax even when Madam Ji's head flew into the sky. Instead, when her head shot up, the life-threatening sensation became much stronger. The instant his pupils shrank, he saw Madam Ji, who had already lost her head, lift up her right hand to grab the head that had been separated from her body. Madness and hatred appeared in her eyes, and as she stared at Su Ming, she let out a piercing screech.
That screech turned into a wave of sound that stirred up ripples in the air. The strength of that wave of sound was like a needle that stabbed into Su Ming's ears, making his ears ring. He immediately moved back, and at the same time, he drew several circles before him with his right hand.
With each circle he drew, the power of the wave of sound would be reduced. Each of those circles was a whirlwind, and after drawing several of those circles and having retreated about three hundred feet, blood flowed out of his ears.
'Could it be that all Soul Catchers have refined their bodies until they're all Undying?!' Su Ming's mood went sour. Madam Ji not being dead was not surprising to him. Her current state was the same as the young Soul Catcher he had met in the past.
Spirit Plunder had amazing effects when used against these Undyings, but the power of this Madam Ji was different from that young Soul Catcher.
It was as if she did not just practice the cultivation method of a Soul Catcher alone.
As Su Ming moved back, he lifted his right hand and seized the air in the direction of the mountain range behind him. Immediately, from his cave abode in the mountain range, the three Spirit Plunders floating above the old Berserker's head to freeze him in place turned into three long arcs that shone with a dark light and shot out of the cave abode to charge towards Su Ming's right hand.
Yet the moment he summoned them, Madam Ji had already grabbed her head and placed it back on her neck. Her blood and flesh quickly grew back in place, and in the blink of an eye, her head had fused back with her neck. At the same time, she lifted her right hand, and in her palm was a drop of fresh blood.
That blood did not belong to her, but to Su Ming. This was a drop of blood she had obtained secretly when he coughed out his blood previously!
She was holding that drop of blood with a dead grip in her fist at that moment and did not bother with the three pearls that were rapidly charging towards Su Ming, giving her a sense of pressure. She narrowed her eyes into slits.
"The Shamans' Lord of Nine Li, after the ninth morning since the day you were born… the power of your companion that which you have abandoned has turned into the desolate shadows in the world and fused into the path of life for all the living, and hence, all those with souls must live and die. If they exist, there will come a day when they will disappear, and if they are blessed… there will come a day when they are cursed!
"I offer my blood and life to the desolate shadows of the world, and with this person's blood as the lure, rob him of his blood and life! Curse!"
Madam Ji's body started rapidly withering away, and in the blink of an eye, she looked as if she had turned into a dried up corpse. She also aged. Her beautiful face became ashen, and her lascivious body turned ugly.
A bang came from her right hand, and that drop of Su Ming's blood exploded, turning into blood mist that entered Madam Ji's eyes, nose, ears, and mouth as she inhaled.
Killing intent appeared in Madam Ji's eyes. Curse was the strongest spell for Soul Catchers. In fact, this Spell did not come from the Candle Dragon. Instead, through the research of generations of Soul Catchers, they had come up with this powerful killing move along with those walking down the path of Spirit Mediums and Thought Soothsayers using some unique methods.
There were even rumors that said that this Spell was not created by Shamans but was left behind on some items from ages back in the form of pictures. It only gradually turned into this spell after some people started examining them.
This Spell could be casted by Spirit Mediums and Thought Soothsayers, but the Spell's power when casted by Soul Catchers was the strangest and most unpredictable! However, it was not something that everyone could cast either. The Spell's chants were the most classified secret among the Shamans and the records of that chant were only kept in big tribes, and most of them were incomplete. The complete chant only existed in the God of Shamans Temple.
Not even Ji Yun Hai could obtain the complete chant with his status. He could only get the incomplete chant. However, he had come across an ancient artifact that had been left behind since ages past by chance, and with his genius, he had discovered how to cast the Curse through much trial and error. Yet by doing so, he had also brought disaster upon himself.
Madam Ji's Curse came from her husband, Ji Yun Hai. However, with her potential, she could only master the basics, and she could only make offerings to the ancestor of the Shaman Tribe - The Soul of Nine Li. If it had been Ji Yun Han, then he would have been able to make an offering to a powerful existence that existed before the Shaman and Berserker Tribes in exchange for a terrifying power.
The instant Madam Ji sucked in the blood mist, Su Ming started trembling. A gigantic vortex of blood suddenly appeared in the air above his head. That vortex appeared too suddenly, and the instant it manifested, it started rapidly turning.
As it turned, Su Ming instantly discovered that his body had been frozen in place and he could only move in an area of ten feet. He could not leave it. White mist started spreading from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, and that mist was rapidly sucked away by that vortex.
His body started withering away slowly and a grayish hue appeared at the roots of his hair. His blood, his life force, his everything were being sucked away incessantly by that vortex.
That was not all. Su Ming also discovered that his organs were beginning to fail him, as if they were rotting away. Even his breath had the smell of decay.
Madam Ji's face was dark where she stood outside the vortex. Casting that Spell had also put a huge burden on her. But she had already made up her mind. Once she killed Su Ming, she would definitely go back to Black Crane Tribe and eradicate it.
"Enjoy the feeling of death as it comes to you. Look at your flesh withering away. Watch your life seeping out of your body. See yourself turning into a corpse. This is the result of you offending me!" Madam Ji's face was filled with malice. Her voice was shrill, her face was ugly, and she was so dried up and thin, she looked like a skeleton.
"Noisy."
A chilling glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. Even if his actions were restricted and he could only move in an area of ten feet, he was not afraid. He had a move that could allow him to leave. In truth, he only needed to use the power of the God of Berserkers once and he could walk out of that place.
However, he did not do that. The power of Curse had incited a great deal of interest for Su Ming. He lifted his head and stared at the vortex with sparkling eyes as his life force and blood were drained from his body. He completely ignored Madam Ji and sat down in that area to examine that vortex.
When she saw Su Ming's conceited actions, Madam Ji's lips curled up into a cold sneer, and her heart burned with an even stronger anger.
Time passed by, and seven breaths later, Su Ming's body had already dried up, but his eyes were still sparkling. He seemed to have discovered something from the vortex, but there were many things that remained unclear to him.
The moon was hanging high in the sky at that moment. With a glint in his eyes, Su Ming lifted his right index finger, placed it by his mouth, bit through it, and swiped his finger across his left eye, then smeared his blood on his right eye as well.
Burning of blood!
With the power of burning of blood, he could obtain life force and use it to gain more time to allow himself to examine this vortex. Su Ming had formed a very great interest towards this strange Spell.
This was not the first time he had heard of Curse. In truth, he'd heard of this mysterious Spell among the Shaman Tribe from Wu Duo. Very few people had control over this Spell, so now, this was the first time he saw it, and there was no way he would give up on a chance like this.
There was a graceful-looking, long-haired man dressed in a white robe that looked somewhat similar to Su Ming in the daily small scale battle between the Shamans and Berserkers outside Sky Mist City. Almost the instant Su Ming began the burning of his blood, that man took a Shaman's life with a cruel smile on his lips.
"Big brother Yue Feng, your rank should reach the top sixty this time once we return to the city after the battle." There were some Berserkers beside the man, and these were the words spoken by one of them with a smile as they continued fighting.
"I'm not thinking about that. The ranking is not important to me. What I care about is this war for us, Berserkers." Yue Feng shook his head, and there was a hint of worry on his face. His words and his expression immediately caused the people around him to grow respectful of him.
Yet at that moment, Yue Feng suddenly shuddered, and for a moment, a hint that something bad was going to happen, along with a sense of danger, appeared in his heart. He was just about to examine his surroundings when his expression drastically changed. He coughed out a large mouthful of blood and his face aged by ten years in an instant.
'Su Ming! It's Su Ming!! He's casting an Art!' Disbelief appeared in Yue Feng's eyes as he screamed madly in his heart.
Chapter 387: Assumptions Towards the Curse
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
This Yue Feng was naturally He Feng, who had hidden away when Su Ming left the battlefield outside Sky Mist City. This person had swallowed a Berserker and turned into him, and his days in Sky Mist City had been rather fruitful over these days. His ambitions had also become increasingly savage.
In fact, he had even made the decision that once his power had grown stronger, he would devour Su Ming and turn into him to travel through the land. The reason for his ambitions was because he had obtained a sliver of memory regarding a particular inheritance when he was fusing with the Wings of the Moon. He did not tell Su Ming about this and had been training in secret.
These days, besides gaining battle achievements in the battlefield, he had used up all his other time to seal away the Wings of the Moon in his body. It caused Su Ming to be unable to use these creatures anymore because He Feng had turned them into one with him.
He was certain that he had sealed up most of them through the legacy he had gained in his memories, and his confidence had grown even more. However, he would never have expected that such a large amount of his life force would start draining away so suddenly in the battlefield. The loss of his life force shocked He Feng and also horrified him.
He did not even need to think about it too deeply and could instantly guess that this was Su Ming casting his Art!
'Damn it! I've already sealed up the Wings of the Moon in me, so how did Su Ming manage to cast his Art?!'
With a pale face, He Feng stumbled and staggered a few steps back on the battlefield. His companions went to him and protected him with surprise on their faces. At the same time, they also asked about his condition.
"It's nothing. I injured my body yesterday night when I was training. I originally decided to heal myself today, but when I remembered that we have to fight, I forced down the injuries, and what happened just now was my injuries acting up…
"Thank you for your concern. I hope you will all help protect me for a moment, just until I force down my injuries once again!" He Feng said in a low voice and wrapped his fist in his palm to bow towards the crowd. After the people around him nodded their heads, he sat down without a hint of hesitation and tapped a few spots on his body with both his hands.
Yet at that very moment, He Feng's expression changed drastically once again. His face started withering away in that strange manner once more, and sharp pain traveled through his entire body and soul, causing He Feng to be unable to help himself but let out a cry of pain. His cheeks sank and his body started drying up rapidly. In the blink of an eye, he looked as if he had turned into a dried up corpse.
That strange change made all the Berserkers around him terrified.
Horror appeared in He Feng's eyes. He could clearly feel his life force and essence draining away from his body, forcefully absorbed by some power from above, but when he lifted his head to look up, he saw that the sky above him was calm.
In fact, the draining of his blood, his essence, and his life force, had nothing to do with the Wings of the Moon. It was absolutely useless whether he had chosen to seal them or not.
'It must be Su Ming. He… What is he… Just how did he do it?!'
Terror filled He Feng's heart. He had come to a sudden realization that even if Su Ming had left him, and even if he had escaped from his eyes… If Su Ming wanted to punish him, he could do so from wherever he was, and it horrified him.
However, what He Feng did not expect was that Su Ming was not even casting an Art on him. In fact, he could not even be considered to have cast an Art.
At that moment, Su Ming's eyes were shining brightly as he stared at the vortex in the sky above him. As it turned each time, Su Ming's expression would occasionally be filled with astonishment, then with delight, but it would also turn into confusion soon, and eventually, he became subject to ever changing moods.
Madam Ji was only skin and bones, her appearance ugly. She stared at Su Ming not too far in the distance with scorn and malice in her eyes. She had naturally seen his actions, but she did not believe that he would be able to find any clues about her Curse.
Yet even so, Madam Ji had also become doubtful once she saw how long Su Ming persevered under her Curse. While he had become thin in her eyes, he still had a long way to go before he became a dried up corpse.
It was as if ever since he performed the burning of blood and the moon in the sky shone with that strangely alluring red, the great power of the Curse had shifted from him. It was as if there was some other, seriously unfortunate, person who was suffering in his stead.
Su Ming had not even thought about letting He Feng take his place. He had originally cast the burning of blood with the intention of slowing the draining of his life force and blood. However, he did not expect that once he cast that Art, he would sense a power belonging to a Fire Berserker in the direction of the land of the Berserkers.
The instant he sensed that power, the force of the Curse gathered on Su Ming's body was mysteriously shifted away, falling onto He Feng through Su Ming, as if he was a medium.
'I am the Lord of the Fire Berserkers, that is why when I cast the burning of blood, the strange power of the Curse will be sent to my people to bear. Once they are unable to withstand it any longer, only then will I continue suffering through it.
'Now, the only Fire Berserker besides me in this world… is the Fire Berserker I created, He Feng!' A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes, and he gained more understanding towards the power of the Curse.
He looked at the vortex in the sky. His eyes sparkled, and he felt as if he had gained a vague sort of epiphany. However, this epiphany was insignificant for him to master Curse.
'Curse… what if curses fall on those that come from the same source! He Feng is the Fire Berserker I created, that is why he can be said to be from the same source as me. Which is why he is within the area of effect of the Curse… But besides affecting those related through one source, does the Curse also affect those related by blood..?' Uncertainty appeared in Su Ming's eyes.
He remembered that Wu Duo did not mention the power of cursing those who came from the same source when he talked about the mysterious Curse in the land of the Shamans. He mentioned instead that it seemed to affect those related by blood, and had even said that there was once a Shaman who was cursed by a powerful Soul Catcher, and all those related to him by blood in his tribe, even if barely, died.
Eventually, as most of the people in the tribe were connected by blood, more than half of the people died.
'If what Wu Duo said is true and Curse will really affect those connected by blood, then the power of that Spell shouldn't be that great, or else, should there be powerful Shamans in the Shaman Tribe, they could just Curse the entire Berserker Tribe… and let them all die, or they could also let the Berserkers be forever unable to break through a certain Realm… Huh?!'
Su Ming widened his eyes. This was some of the assumptions he had made after he saw the power of the Curse. However, the answers he had obtained through these assumptions stunned him.
'Ever since the third God of Berserkers died, all my tribesmen have only been able to reach the Berserker Soul Realm and it was difficult for them to break through that state… They said that only when the fourth God of Berserkers appears would the entire Berserker Tribe be able to continue forth past the Berserker Soul Realm… This is… Could this be… Perhaps I'm thinking too much.'
Su Ming's breathing quickened, and he only managed to calm it down after a long moment had passed.
Right when Su Ming was stunned by his own thoughts and obtained that epiphany, He Feng's shrill screams of pain echoed through the battlefield outside Sky Mist City. His body had already withered away until he no longer looked like a human, and a large amount of decaying spots also appeared on his body. They let out a rotten stench, causing shock to appear on the faces of the people around him.
He Feng could clearly feel his blood and essence scattering away rapidly, and his life force was also draining away swiftly from his body. His mind had become muddled, and the feeling of death loomed over his heart and soul once again, turning into a strong sense of fear.
"Master… I was wrong! I really did wrong this time!" He Feng's screams were fixed with pleads for mercy. Once his companions heard those words, especially of him calling out to his Master, they were all momentarily stunned.
Right then, He Feng suddenly shook violently and turned into a puddle of blood. Even his blood had also melted away, but since he had obtained that body by devouring it, even if it had disappeared, He Feng's soul was still around and was floating as a ball of black shadow.
With a flash, that black shadow appeared beside a Berserker, then opened its mouth wide to swallow the young man. Before anyone could react to it, the young man let out a pained scream and his entire body was swallowed up by that black shadow.
"Big brother Yue Feng, you…"
"He's not Yue Feng! He's the Shaman who killed Yue Feng! Kill him!"
All the Berserkers gathered around swiftly attacked, but when their divine abilities closed in on the young man enveloped by He Feng, the black shadow disappeared and the young man's face was revealed. It was a face that had withered away…
In the land of the Shamans, the vortex in the sky beyond Su Ming's cave abode in the mountain range had started dissipating, as if it was very difficult for it to maintain its form. Madam Ji was so stunned that her mouth was hanging open in shock. With a blank look, she stared at Su Ming, who had only become slightly thinner, almost unable to believe her own eyes.
She knew well of the strength of the Curse. Even a Latter Shaman who fell under it accidentally would lose a large amount of their life force if he or she did not end up dead. However, Su Ming was practically unharmed right before her eyes. The drainage of his life force could also be considered insignificant.
This strange sight made Madam Ji suck in a sharp breath. Her face instantly turned pale, but she did not retreat. Instead, madness appeared in her eyes. She knew that the Curse would exist for the span of ten more breaths, and after those ten breaths, it would disappear. Then, this Su Ming would be able to get out of that restricted area of ten feet.
"I don't believe that I can't kill you today! Once I kill you, I'll turn you into a puppet, and you will turn into my defender along with Ji Yun Hai. With your divine abilities and your strange skills, you must also be quite well known in the Shaman Tribe. But today, you must die!"
The killing intent in Madam Ji's eyes became stronger. She took a few steps backwards and spread her arms wide open before sucking in a deep breath.
With that one breath, a huge gust of wind charged towards Madam Ji, and when it entered her mouth, a Tattoo suddenly appeared on her ugly face!
That Tattoo was a hideous looking head, and the size of the head was definitely not of an adult's… but an infant's!
The span of ten breaths slowly trickled by. Su Ming eventually stopped examining that Curse. The previous research had allowed a slight epiphany, but if he wanted to gain the true Curse, he would need to figure out a way to get it from Madam Ji.
A stern look appeared on his face. This Madam Ji might not be a Latter Shaman, but she was one of the extremely powerful Medial Shamans Su Ming had ever encountered before. Her methods were also numerous and varied.
Yet the more that was the case, the more Su Ming dispelled the thought of immediately using the power of the God of Berserkers and all his other killing moves.
He did not have a lot of experience in fighting against Shamans. Large scale battles could not be counted in that number. This sort of battle where two people tried to kill each other with Arts and Spells was something Su Ming lacked experience in. Now that he ran into someone who was skilled in this and had a large variety of Spells, he did not want to give up on such an opportunity.