Chapter 452: Fight!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Are we all allowed to impose our will on others because our power is greater than theirs?" Su Ming's voice was bone chilling. In his memories, this had always happened. It was like this when he was in Dark Mountain. Bi Tu's strength had made him think that he could disregard everything.
When he was in Han Mountain, the guest that had chased down He Feng was the same. The depth of his level of cultivation was a form of oppression towards the weak. It was an oppression that felt as if there was no way anyone would be able to go against him for all their lives!
When he went up against Di Tian, Su Ming once again felt that sense of powerlessness. Everything about him had been controlled. His fate was not in his own hands, and that was all because Di Tian's strength had forced all those who were not on par with him to follow his will!
'Is this the law of the jungle..? If this is the law of the world, then I absolutely refuse to be a weakling. I want to become powerful, because only then will I have the right to crush this detestable law!'
The colossal Spirit of Nine Yin before Su Ming lifted his battle axe with a roar and swung it against the Grand Elder of the God of Shamans Temple. As the battle axe fell down, the sky and earth roared, and the air was torn, revealing a gigantic crack. The old man's face changed, and as he retreated, he lifted his right index finger and pointed swiftly at the incoming battle axe.
With that one point, the Grand Elder's right index finger instantly turned black. Black mist gushed out from his finger and turned into a vengeful soul right before him. There were eight different heads on that soul, and they had the faces of men and women, the old and the young. Each of these faces were filled with heinous murderous aura. They screamed shrilly, and like a shooting star with a very long tail, that soul charged towards the battle axe.
"Malevolent Soul! As expected of a Spirit Medium who is already halfway through to becoming an End Shaman! He actually managed to create a Malevolent Soul!"
Someone from the crowd on the ground immediately recognized what it was when they saw it.
Once the eight-headed Malevolent Soul flew out, its body grew once it came into contact with the wind. In an instant, it grew to be around one hundred feet, and it crashed into the battle axe swinging downwards. The impact turned into a wave of shocking booms, and as they reverberated in the air, Su Ming's voice traveled forth indifferently.
"Are we all allowed to take away what belongs to others because our power is greater than theirs?"
The instant the battle axe belonging to the Spirit of Nine Yin crashed into the Malevolent Soul, Su Ming's clone rushed out swiftly. Before he even closed in on the old man, the black beetles swept out. Buzzing sounds reverberated in the air, and they turned into a huge black hand in midair to seize the Grand Elder.
At the same time, Su Ming's Nascent Soul clone let out a low roar.
"Nine Transformations, Ten Transfigurations, One Voice!"
As he spoke, Su Ming's clone pointed at the old man with his right hand. With that one point, a ray of black light flashed on his index finger, and it instantly turned black. At the same time, wisps of black mist flew out from his finger to turn into the exact same eight-headed Malevolent Soul the old man had summoned from his Spell just now!
The instant that Malevolent Soul appeared, all the faces of the people who were watching instantly changed. The old man from the God of Shamans Temple, too, experienced a change in expression.
"Nine Transformations, change again!"
Dark light shone in the clone's eyes. Immediately, a single black horn appeared on all eight of the heads on the soul before him. As they roared, the soul charged out and rushed towards the Grand Elder with the huge hand formed by the black beetles.
At the same time, as Su Ming's main battle force, the Spirit of Nine Yin laughed savagely even though his battle axe was bounced off by the impact just now. As it was sent reeling back, he rushed forward. With his body as his strength and his arms as the bridge, he endured the power of the rebound, and at the same time, an even greater power burst out from his body. It allowed him to endure the power of the rebound through raw power, and he swung the battle axe in his right hand down once again.
Immediately after, a string of ancient chants fell off the lips of the Spirit of Nine Yin. As those words tumbled off his mouth, rings that looked like those on a tree appeared on his body. Those rings covered the man's body densely, causing a humongous illusionary shadow to appear in the sky as he roared and swung his axe.
That illusion was a big tree that covered the entire sky. At that moment, the tree was sinking swiftly, like a seal aiming to suppress something, as it charged towards the Grand Elder of the God of Shamans Temple.
The Grand Elder's expression changed, and he was forced to retreat once again. To him, this was humiliation. As the Grand Elder of the God of Shamans Temple and a powerful Shaman who was already halfway through to becoming an End Shaman, he was forced to retreat twice, and even though the Spirit of Nine Yin before him was indeed powerful, this to him was a humiliation. Especially when he was forced to do so before several tens of thousands of people.
"If you have the Spirit of Nine Yin fighting for you, then it is fine for me to kill you!"
Killing intent flashed in the Grand Elder's eyes and he spread his palms wide open before flicking them forward. Immediately, all ten of his fingers turned black, and as if they were melting, they turned into a large amount of black mist.
The black mist gathered together to form a black ripple before the old man that swiftly spread forward to crash into all the divine abilities that were charging towards him.
"Touch the emptiness, Spirit Medium!" the old man growled, and with an indescribable speed, the black ripple shot out, and its very first touch landed on the huge hand formed by the black beetles. The instant that hand touched the black ripple, it immediately collapsed with a bang, and the black beetles inside were immediately sent tumbling back.
At the same time, the eight-headed Malevolent Soul formed through the clone's Nine Transformations Art crashed into the ripple with a piercing roar. Instantly, seven of its head crumbled into dust, but there was one head remaining. Perhaps it was because this was a Malevolent Soul formed through Su Ming's Nine Transformations Art, which made it similar to the old man's Malevolent Soul, hence it was able to pass through that ripple and charge towards the old man ferociously.
As for the Spirit of Nine Yin, when his battle axe came into contact with the ripple, a violent bang shook the sky furiously, and the spirit roared. His body was pushed backwards, and madness appeared in his eyes. A singular incantation tumbled out of his mouth, and the instant that sound appeared, he rammed his head on the battle axe before him, causing the battle axe to tremble and shatter!
As the battle axe shattered, an immense wave of power erupted it, and it crashed into that black ripple violently. The booming sounds reverberated in the air, and the man once again took a few steps back coughing out a mouthful of blood.
However, his eyes under his helmet burned with an even stronger battle spirit.
With the price of the spirit shattering his battle axe, the black ripple became distorted. It flashed a few times, then abruptly collapsed, turning into a large amount of black mist that rolled backwards.
Yet the fight was not over. The huge illusionary tree in the sky had closed in with the intention to crash into the old man. The Grand Elder swung his arm forward and rammed into the tree in the air. Booming sounds rang out once again, and as they reverberated in the air, the huge illusionary tree shattered, inch by inch, and completely crumbled before the old man.
However, the old man was clearly not in good shape as well, because his face turned a little pale. Once he dispersed that giant illusionary tree, he bit his tongue and coughed out a mouthful of blood. As that blood gushed out of his mouth, it closed in on the one-headed Malevolent Soul that was already less than ten feet away from him!
"Are we all allowed to treat others like ants as if it is something natural because our power is greater than theirs?"
Su Ming's voice traveled through the air. By his side, gray light shone in the Poison Corpse's eyes, and the corpse took a swift step forward, towards where the Grand Elder was.
As the Poison Corpse walked forward, the presence of his power in the Berserker Soul Realm spread out without any reservation. Poisonous fog surrounded him, and with a roar akin to that of a wild beast, he charged forth.
Su Ming's clone also started forming seals with both his hands. The small virescent sword grew several times in size, and once it turned into a huge sword, Su Ming's clone breathed out a breath of his Nascent Soul's Qi, and at the same time, an endless amount of cyclones stirred up around the big virescent sword. With a light that shone in an area of ten thousand feet, the sword slashed down on the Grand Elder.
Right behind the Poison Corpse and clone, the Spirit of Nine Yin took off his helmet and revealed his face. His skin was brown and filled with cracks, which made him look like a tree. At that moment, as he let out a low growl, the spirit threw away his helmet, then he roared towards the sky.
The growth rings on his body increased, and his body grew several times in size instantly. In the blink of an eye, he had already grown up to be one thousand feet tall, and from the distance, he looked as if he had turned into a big tree!
His hair swiftly grew longer and it looked like the branches of a drooping willow. Once his body grew larger, the spirit took a huge step forward and rammed a fist against the Grand Elder!
That one punch made his fist look like the branch of a tree. It exuded an ancient presence, and there was even an abundance of life force contained within his arm.
Su Ming stood in the distance and watched the scene coldly. The old man's face had now turned sullen. As the Grand Elder of the God of Shamans Temple, if he still needed someone to help him when he was attacking another person, then this would be the greatest form of humiliation among all other humiliations he had to suffer this day!
This was the reason why he did not even consider having the Guards of the God of Shamans attack. Instead, the instant Su Ming's clone, his Poison Corpse, and the Spirit of Nine Yin closed in on him, killing intent flashed in his eyes. He seized at the air with his right hand, and immediately, a black leaf appeared in his hand.
Right at the instant he placed it in his mouth and crushed it, his body immediately started distorting, causing the sword in the clone's hands to miss its strike, and the old man instantaneously walked out right behind Su Ming, who was standing in the distance.
Almost the moment he walked out, Su Ming took a step forward, and with a speed incredibly quick, he was already several hundreds of feet away in the blink of an eye. At the same time, he waved his right arm towards the sky.
With that one wave, a gust of wind was stirred up.
"Wind comes when I wave my arms…" Su Ming muttered softly. The Provenance of Wind in his body circulated rapidly, and because of it, suddenly, a moaning sound came from the sky, and that sound was the voice of wind!
With Su Ming as its center, a large amount of wind suddenly rushed from a circular area of several hundreds of lis. That wind charged forth from all directions, and as it spun around, it turned into a whirlwind that blew against the sky and world, and this… was the rise of a tempest!
"Once the tempest arrives, the sea of clouds will appear, and wind will descend!" Speaking in a low voice, Su Ming clenched his right fist in the direction of the sky!
At that moment, the sky in an area of several hundreds of lis turned into a large sea of clouds in that whirlwind. The sea of clouds spun along with the wind, and when the crowd looked over, it was as if the sky had turned into a gigantic vortex made of a sea of clouds.
The instant Su Ming clenched his fist, that vortex charged towards him with a shocking speed!
'There's not enough wind…'
A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes.
Chapter 453: Peerless!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
There was indeed not enough wind!
Su Ming might have mastered one of the three styles of Wind Separation - Sun Genesis, but that did not mean that he could bring out a power equivalent to the Divine General Wind Berserker's shocking power. After all, his level of cultivation was still too low.
This level of rising and descending of wind could not bring about any form of shock when used to fight against an ordinary Latter Shaman. However, when used to fight against divine abilities, it would still be able to perform normally.
Right then, as he fought against the Grand Elder of the God of Shamans Temple who was already halfway through to becoming an End Shaman, who even the Spirit of Nine Yin could not injure, Su Ming knew that this amount of wind… was not enough!
The main principle behind Sun Genesis lay within how much wind was sent out, and the amount of wind delivered would be returned several fold. The more wind was delivered, the more wind would be returned, and its might would also be stronger!
That was why as a glint shone in Su Ming's eyes. He activated that extreme speed of his, but not to fall back or to move forward. He flew up instead like a shooting star, charging forth to the sky.
Since he could not generate enough wind by waving his arm, then Su Ming would use his own body to execute his fastest speed and stir up the strongest wind he could muster!
As Su Ming charged into the sky at a speed that could barely be detected with the naked eye, gusts of violent wind blew around him. As he became faster, and the instant he charged into the sky, that violent gust of wind that he had stirred up blew into the sky with a crash.
With this, Su Ming finished the Wind Propelling stage for Sun Genesis!
The instant the wind swept from all directions and rushed to the sky, the sea of clouds roared and spread violently through the area. In the blink of an eye, it had already expanded to an area of one thousand lis compared to its previous several hundreds of lis!
The sea of clouds turned into a huge vortex that was spinning with booming noises. All of this happened within an instant. When Su Ming arrived in the sky, he clenched his fist once again.
A sight that was difficult to forget for all who saw it formed in such an astonishing manner it would shock the sky!
The gigantic sea of clouds charged towards Su Ming's fist from all directions as if time was turning back. Right at the instant Su Ming completed the act of clenching his fist, it gathered in his fist, making it seem as if he was holding onto the vortex of clouds and wind in the sky just now!
The blue sky within one thousand lis no longer had a shred of wind or clouds. This was the vital part in the second level of Sun Genesis - Wind Borrowing!
Freezing light shone in Su Ming's eyes. He clenched his right fist and hurled it forward, at the old man from the God of Shamans Temple beneath him!
That one punch did not seem to contain much strength, but the movement stirred an indescribable gust of wind, and it erupted forth from Su Ming's punch!
That wind let out a piercing cry and moan that sounded like the wails of ghosts and howls of wolves, making all those who heard it to be unable to help themselves but be afraid! It was as if a shocking clap of thunder had boomed in the quiet dawn, as if a storm had erupted forth on a tranquil sea, as if a gigantic bang had resounded on a flat land!
As Su Ming hurled his fist towards the old man, a wind dragon manifested. That wind dragon was several thousands of feet long. It looked incredibly ferocious and its body was semi-transparent. The moaning sound of the wind was its howl, and the piercing whistle as the wind traveled forth was its roar!
"Sun Genesis," Su Ming mumbled.
The wind dragon instantly closed in on the old man, whose face had turned incredibly serious. His white hair danced madly in the air, and at that moment, a bump appeared on his throat. It swelled rapidly like a tumor, and eventually, the instant that wind dragon closed in on him, that tumor cracked open to reveal a head inside.
At that moment, the old man looked incredibly terrifying. He had two heads, and the newborn head was that of a teenager. However, he looked savage. The moment the head appeared, the old man seized at the air with his right hand, and immediately, two gigantic conch shell horns appeared in his hand.
He held a shell in each hand and placed them in his mouth. Moaning sounds rose into the air in a shocking manner. As those sounds echoed in the air, his body distorted, and shrill howls rose into the air. During that time, the distortions shattered, and an endless amount of vengeful souls rushed out from the torn air. From the distance, they looked like a long black arc filled with vengeful souls, and that arc was rushing towards the wind dragon.
Rumbling sounds reverberated in all directions. The wind dragon shattered, but a large half of the grudge filled long arc from the old man also dissipated. Only a small amount of it was left, and it charged towards Su Ming.
Though it was as it looked, in truth, when the wind dragon crumbled, the old man's face also turned a little paler in an instant. However, he soon recovered, and it would be difficult for anyone to be able to see anything off about him.
At that moment, his heart was in incredible shock. After all, the difference between his level of cultivation and Su Ming's was incredibly great, but even with that disparity between them, the wind dragon had managed to make his Qi freeze for a moment and it had even showed signs of flowing backwards and scattering away. From that alone, it was enough to tell that this Spell was so strong that it was definitely not some common Spell.
Su Ming coughed out a mouthful of blood and fell a few steps backwards. Han Mountain Bell manifested with a boom, and as those bell chimes echoed in the air, he began forming seals with both his hands before pointing at the bell with a finger. Instantly, that bell began shining, and the illusionary shadow of the Nine-Headed Dragon swiftly formed in the sky. A glint appeared in the eyes of the sixth head among the nine, and it sucked in a deep breath in the direction of the long river made of vengeful souls.
With that one inhale, the long arc of vengeful souls that was charging towards Su Ming instantly changed direction, and a large number of them were devoured by the sixth head of the Han Mountain Bell.
"I originally wanted to spare you out of respect for someone else, but since you're such an ungrateful wretch, I will send you to hell!" The old man's expression was already incredibly dark.
At that moment, almost no one, not the two people fighting, and almost none of the people in the area noticed that the mark of the dragon on Wan Qiu's arm was flashing as she stood outside the hall in the distance.
When the old man from the God of Shamans Temple said those words, five tumors appeared on his throat, and once those they emerged, they burst at the same moment, and five different heads crawled out from within!
By doing so, the old man from the God of Shamans Temple now looked like a monster, but as the five heads appeared, a presence that could shake the sky manifested swiftly on his body.
There were seven heads on his body at that moment, and they came in all forms, man and woman, old and young. All of their faces were filled with forlornness, and they all cried out at Su Ming ferociously, causing the old man to look just like the Malevolent Soul he had summoned in the beginning.
"Spirit Medium Ultimate Move: Mark of Heaven Seal!"
Numerous bumps rose on the old man's body, and they were all twisting about, causing him to look incredibly horrifying. At the same time, he lifted his right hand and pointed at the Spirit of Nine Yin.
Not a single ripple that came from the execution of divine abilities could be seen from that one point. The onlookers could only hear the six heads on the old man's body roaring together, and those roars seemed to contain some sort of chant within!
"The Spirit Medium Tribe's Eternal Seal!"
The expression of the Spirit of Nine Yin changed drastically. He lifted his hands swiftly and rapidly tapped a few spots on his body. With each tap, a large amount of growth rings would appear on his body, and numerous growth rings also appeared in the form of illusions around him, as if he was fighting against something. At the same time, he took a huge step forward to charge towards the old man.
"Seal!"
The old man's lips curled up in a cold sneer. With a low growl, three of his heads instantly shrank and withered away. At the instant they disappeared without a trace, a screen of light immediately appeared around the Spirit of Nine Yin's body. That screen of light glowed and turned into a gigantic seal.
Pain immediately appeared on the spirit's face when he was sealed within.
At the same time, the old man pointed at Su Ming's clone. He disappeared swiftly into the air, but the instant he disappeared, he was forced out from the space. Pain also appeared on his face. The light screen had appeared near his body and had turned into a seal!
Su Ming's Poison Corpse could not escape from this fate as well. The instant the old man pointed towards him, the seal flashed next to his body and he was sealed in midair.
This was an incredibly overbearing divine ability that allowed absolutely no form of resistance or struggle. Once the old man finished doing all this, the six heads on his body disappeared without a trace. He stared at Su Ming, and with a gaze filled with killing intent, as well as a look that stated he was looking at an ant, he moved towards him.
"You no longer have the Protector Spirit of Nine Yin and the two puppets. You are alone. Now… I will make you suffer a slow death…"
Su Ming remained calm as he watched the old man from the God of Shamans Temple walking towards him. He had completely lost this battle. Even the Spirit of Nine Yin had been sealed by that mysterious divine ability of the old man who was already halfway to becoming an End Shaman.
Su Ming let out a soft sigh.
"If you are powerful, then you can prey on the weak…
"If you are powerful, then you can replace everything with your will…
"If you are powerful, then you can snatch away other people's things on a whim…
"If you are powerful, then you can decide whether a person lives or dies…
"If that is the case, then if the power I reveal is stronger than yours, then I can turn you into my prey, I can have my will replace your soul, I can also decide whether you live or die…" Su Ming looked at the old man walking towards him.
"That's right. If you have the power of an End Shaman, then forget taking away the Crimson Stone, you can do things that are even worse than this, and you can perform these acts as you please."
The old man from the God of Shamans Temple walked towards him, and as he spoke in a dark voice, he was already less than several hundreds of feet away from Su Ming. With a cold harrumph, he swung his arm forward, and an illusionary hand rushed through the air to seize Su Ming!
"This farce has ended!"
"It has indeed ended… Ze Long Shen…" Su Ming's gaze fell on the mark on his left hand. That mark did not seem like the mark of a Spirit of Nine Yin. It was incredibly indistinct, but Su Ming could sense its presence.
The instant the words 'Ze Long Shen' tumbled out of his mouth, the old man's gigantic illusionary hand that was rushing to catch Su Ming was already less than thirty feet away from him. However, right at that moment, suddenly, the space before Su Ming distorted, and a finger extended out from that space. The finger's appearance was incredibly sudden, and it tapped at the old man's palm.
With that one tap, the old man from the God of Shamans Temple let out a shrill scream of pain. His entire right arm was abruptly torn to bloody pieces, and as he fell back, his face was filled with shock and disbelief.
At the same time, a furious dragon roar spread forth abruptly from Wan Qiu's body, who was standing in the distance. The appearance of that dragon roar left even Wan Qiu stunned, and soon after, the mark of the dragon on her arm shot forth with a red light that surged to the skies before it swiftly turned into a gigantic crimson dragon. It roared once it came into sight, and right after it manifested, with one single move, it appeared… right under Su Ming's feet!
At that moment, Su Ming stood in the air as if he was standing on the crimson dragon's body. His long hair danced in the wind, his black robes covered his entire body, and he looked peerless!
Chapter 454: Reckless?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The whiskers on the crimson dragon's gigantic head danced in the wind along with Su Ming's long hair. As it roared, its crimson red body and ferocious eyes caused Su Ming, with his existence alone, to render all the people in all directions dead silent.
A powerful wave of pressure erupted from the crimson dragon's body. The dragon was roaring at the moment, and the pressure from its gigantic body caused all the people's breathing to freeze.
Wan Qiu was stunned. She knew clearly in her heart that she had absolutely not summoned that powerful crimson dragon. That dragon had flown out on its own!
As she looked at the crimson dragon roaring, looked at it submissively floating under Mo Su's feet, looked at the serenity in his eyes through the mask covering his face, the uncertainties and doubts in Wan Qiu's heart instantly became clear in an instant!
Tian Lan Meng stared at Su Ming with a dazed look. As she watched him stand on the crimson dragon that had brought fear to her heart, her mind turned blank. Behind her, Sky Mist's ancestor widened his eyes, and disbelief could be seen within them.
Tie Mu was in the same state. He sucked in a sharp breath and looked at Su Ming, then at the crimson dragon under his body. He also saw the sight of the Grand Elder tumbling backwards with a shrill screech while his right arm was crushed. In fact, with his current level of cultivation, he could not even see how that incident happened clearly.
The shock in his heart was akin to a raging storm. He suddenly felt that he could no longer see through this Mo Su, especially when he remembered they had fought against each other a month ago, and he felt somewhat happy and lucky that he had not insisted on killing him at that time…
Or else…
A hint of wariness and respect rose in Tie Mu's eyes as he looked at Su Ming.
Nan Gong Hen looked at a loss as he stood among the crowd on the ground. Things had changed far too quickly, and he could not find himself able to react to it. At that moment, as he stared at the crimson dragon and Su Ming standing on tit, Nan Gong Hen found himself somewhat unable to differentiate what was reality and what was fantasy.
If it was real, he found it hard to believe what he saw, if it was a fantasy, then why was the sight of the torn and bloodied right arm of the Grand Elder, his pale face, and his shocked expression so real..?
Then, the instant that crimson dragon appeared and roared as it came charging under Su Ming's feet, Nan Gong Hen looked at Su Ming, and the sight right before his eyes overlapped with certain rumors in the past. Su Ming's back began to resemble the back he had once seen.
His breathing quickened. His eyes misted in confusion, but in the midst of that perplexity, excitement rose.
At the edge of the crowd, located far into the distance, was a gaze among all the other pairs of eyes looking at the sky. That gaze was burning with raging hate, and the owner of that gaze was a woman, a woman who was as cold as ice!
'It's really you… but you are now much weaker than before…'
Nan Gong Shan clenched her fist and gritted her teeth. However, she still understood that even if that person was weaker than he was in the past, he was still not someone she could fight against, especially when he had used an unknown divine ability just now to crush that Grand Elder's right arm, the man who was already halfway through to becoming an End Shaman. Only those with the power of an End Shaman would be able to do this.
Su Ming lowered his head in the sky. An ancient voice was echoing in his ears. That voice could not be heard by anyone else, only him alone.
"You still have two more chances before you have to give me a Spirit Plunder… If you want me to kill someone, then you have to give me a Spirit Plunder for each person I kill…"
With a calm expression, Su Ming cast a look at the crimson dragon under his feet. He was familiar with this creature. In Hong Luo's memories, he had used Earthen Aura to create this dragon and gave it life. Later on, because Hong Luo wanted to leave this world and he could not bring it with him, he gave it as a gift to Wan Qiu…
Su Ming was not entirely surprised by its appearance. In truth, when he was fighting against the Grand Elder of the God of Shamans Temple, he had already sensed the crimson dragon's faint but angry roars from Autumn Sea Tribe.
It was created by Hong Luo, and Hong Luo was sealed in Su Ming's body. He might be dead, but due to the Path to Life, he had technically given his entire legacy to Su Ming, that was why the crimson dragon had felt that while Su Ming was not its master, Hong Luo… he was practically the same as master.
The moment it sensed that Su Ming was in danger, it broke through its seal and revealed its true form.
Su Ming averted his gaze from the crimson dragon and looked at the Grand Elder of the God of Shamans Temple, who was then standing one thousand feet away from him with a deathly pale face that still had remnants of shock and fear lingering on it.
Su Ming had summoned the old man from the fifth layer who had the power equivalent to an End Shaman during the shocking blow they exchanged moments ago. This powerful warrior who could fight on equal grounds against End Shamans had just used one finger and forced the Grand Elder back. He had even caused his right arm to be crushed and torn into bloody pieces!
The appearance of that one finger caused distortions to stir up in the area. That was why beside Su Ming and the Grand Elder, no one else saw what had happened clearly. They had only seen Su Ming mumbling one sentence, and then the Grand Elder, who was trying to seize him, screamed shrilly in pain before his right arm exploded and he fell back in terror.
Due to Su Ming being an unknown, due to his mysteriousness, due to the crimson dragon that appeared with a roar, he now gave the people a feeling that he was an abyss that could not be seen through. That was why in almost everyone's eyes, Su Ming was now filled with intimidating might.
"Now, I am stronger." Su Ming lifted his head and looked at the pale Grand Elder of the God of Shamans Temple, speaking in a calm voice.
The old man's expression changed. His heart was still trembling. During the instant just now, he felt a strong threat of death looming over his head. It had been his fortune that the finger had only landed on his palm. If it had landed at the center of his brows, then he believed wholeheartedly that he would have definitely died, and even his soul would have been unable to escape death.
Because that one tap was simply… too terrifying!
"Do you still want to take my Crimson Stone?" Su Ming asked unhurriedly.
The Grand Elder's was green from fear and red from anger. He looked at Su Ming and sucked in a deep breath to quell the terror and shock in his heart. Ignoring his torn and bloodied arm, he demanded in a low voice, "Just who are you?!"
"Mo Su." There was not a hint of change on Su Ming's face. At that moment, the silence from the people around him and the gazes trained on his person made him see how people changed in all sorts of ways as this incident unfolded.
"I was reckless today. Regarding this matter…" The Grand Elder of the God of Shamans Temple spoke with much difficulty. These sort of words sounded incredibly awkward in his mouth, because he could not quite remember just when was the last time he had said such words himself.
"Reckless?" A chilling glare shone in Su Ming's eyes. He stepped lightly on the crimson dragon beneath his feet and sent a thought to it. This was the first time he controlled this crimson dragon, and his actions were rather rusty. All he knew was that in his memories, Hong Luo had sent his thoughts into the dragon this way for it to carry out his commands.
"By just saying that you're reckless, you can come and snatch my stone so brazenly?" The instant Su Ming sent his thoughts beneath him, the gigantic crimson dragon let out an even stronger roar. It curled its tail swiftly and charged towards the ground, sweeping past the Spirit of Nine Yin, Su Ming's clone, and the Poison Corpse.
Its control over its power was ingenious. Once it swept past these three people, it made the seals around their bodies vibrate violently, and then they shattered. The three were absolutely not touched by the blows or injured by them.
"By just saying that you're reckless, you can decide whether I live or die with your power?" Booming sounds echoed in the air as Su Ming asked those two questions. Then, as if the voice and the booming sounds had fused together, Su Ming's voice seemed to have turned into thunder. As it boomed in the air, the Spirit of Nine Yin regained his mobility and walked to Su Ming's side. Once he did so, there was shock in his gaze as he looked at him.
He was not shocked because that old man from his tribe had attacked, but because of the crimson dragon under Su Ming's body. That crimson dragon gave him a feeling that it was incredibly powerful, and that level of strength even surpassed his power in his current Realm.
With a single warp, the clone came to stand behind Su Ming. The Poison Corpse also appeared beside him with a flash.
"Since this is recklessness, then I will be reckless as well today." Su Ming lifted his right hand and pointed towards the Grand Elder of the God of Shamans Temple. With that one point, the crimson dragon roared and charged forth with Su Ming towards the old man at an incredible speed.
The old man's expression instantly changed drastically. He wanted to explain himself, but he did not have time to even open his mouth. He quickly retreated, but no matter how fast he was, he could not outrun the crimson dragon. In an instant, a huge power rammed into the Grand Elder and made all his clothes flutter.
Yet at that very moment, an indistinct sigh that did not even seem to exist suddenly echoed between the sky and earth. At the same time, a piercing light abruptly shone before the crimson dragon and the Grand Elder, right in the middle of the remaining space of one hundred feet between the human and dragon. Then, from within that light, came a person.
That person's face and age could not be seen. Once he appeared, he lifted his right hand, and immediately, that piercing light surrounding his body gathered into his right hand as if it was flowing backwards to that spot, causing him to seem as if he was holding a sun in his right hand and making it look as if day had arrived, even though it was still dawn in the world.
That person's right hand moved in a manner that seemed slow, but in reality, had swept forth incredibly fast to press on the crimson dragon.
The crimson dragon roared and its entire body shone with a red light. In an instant, it crashed into the person's right hand. Loud, booming noises reverberated in all directions, and when the noise shook the sky and earth, Su Ming's body lurched forward. The crimson dragon under his feet had been forced to come to a halt.
However, the person from the light had clearly used all his power during that strike just now. He might have caused the crimson dragon to stop, but he staggered a few steps backwards, and the light around his body was dispelled to reveal a middle-aged man with fair skin. His most distinct characteristic would most definitely be a pair of long and narrow eyes that were like those of a phoenix.
The middle-aged man smiled wryly and said in a soft voice, "Brother Mo, would you mind not attacking for the moment and allowing me to say one word?"
Once he appeared, the Grand Elder of the God of Shamans Temple let out a huge sigh of relief in his heart, then with an incredibly respectful face, he bowed towards this person.
"Greetings, Temple Lord of Earthen Temple."
"I might have only gotten to know of your name today, but your existence truly impresses me… You challenged our powerful Shamans, sealed Zong Ze of Autumn Sea, and made it so that no one in the Shaman Tribe did not know about you… It's a pity that you did not appear again after that time… It is a great fortune for me to be able to see you today, brother Mo." The middle-aged man looked at Su Ming and wrapped his fist in his palm with a faint smile on his face.
Chapter 455: Departure!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The instant the middle-aged man appeared, a few from the crowd underneath immediately recognized him. They did not dare discuss among themselves loudly, but low buzzing sounds could still be heard traveling through the air faintly.
"The End Shaman who is in charge of defending the World of Nine Yin this time is Sir Mo Bai[1], the Lord of the Earthen Temple of the God of Shamans Temple?!"
"No wonder the other big tribes were so plainly hesitating just now! So this is the reason!"
"Sir Mo Bai is addressing Mo Su as brother Mo… and that crimson dragon… Could it be that he… that he's the person in the legends?!"
Su Ming's expression was calm as he looked at the man standing before the Grand Elder. Through the Grand Elder's respect and his words, along with the ripples that came from this person's level of cultivation, it was not difficult for him to guess that this person was the End Shaman who was defending Shaman City!
This was the second End Shaman he had ever met!
This person gave him a different feeling than Zong Ze, who had clearly exuded an incredible feeling of power when Su Ming looked at him. This person looked incredibly gentle, and most of his aura was also kept within himself. People would only feel that this person seemed to be different from others at first glance, but they would not be able to sense the pressure of an End Shaman coming from him.
If he could do this, then it was clear that he had come to understand his Realm better than Zong Ze.
When his words fell into Su Ming's ears, doubt immediately appeared in Su Ming's heart. Ever since he used the power of the God of Berserkers and dispelled Di Tian's projection before leaving through that Gate to the Void, he had been plagued by a thought, since everything from the moment he fought against Di Tian to the moment Hong Luo disappeared had happened inside and near that sacred mountain of the Shaman Tribe.
Rumors said that the location of the God of Shamans Temple was in that sacred mountain. Then, the God of Shamans Temple must have witnessed that battle, but now, the words and expressions of this Earthen Temple Lord of the God of Shamans Temple and that Grand Elder made it seem as if they did not know about the battle at their sacred mountain.
However, this was not the moment for Su Ming to be immersed in his own thoughts. He stood on his crimson dragon and narrowed his eyes, not speaking a word.
"We are at fault for what happened today… Brother Mo, don't worry, I will definitely give you a satisfactory answer to this… so I hope that you would not continue pursuing this matter… After all, you have been missing for many years and your level of cultivation has fallen.
"I doubt that you are here to fight against the God of Shamans Temple now that you appeared here in the World of Nine Yin. There must be something more important for you to do…" the middle-aged man said with a smile. His voice was slow, but when he mentioned Su Ming's power decreasing, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
Clearly, even he had been unable to see that finger just now, and even if the Grand Elder had seen it, he was unable to differentiate clearly whether that finger was a product of Su Ming's divine ability or it was because of someone else.
"Besides, you have a Protector Spirit of Nine Yin with you, so you must have also gone to the ninth layer…" the middle-aged man said with a smile.
"How are you going to explain this?" Su Ming asked calmly. Since the other thought that he was Hong Luo and believed that his current level of cultivation was not high because he had been injured in an accident, then Su Ming would naturally not explain anything. He, of course, had also heard the faint hints of a threat within the man's words when he spoke about his Protector Spirit of Nine Yin.
The underlying meaning of his words was a warning to Su Ming that the God of Shamans Temple also had Protector Spirits of Nine Yin in the World of Nine Yin! If he continued fighting against them, then neither one would have a good outcome.
The middle-aged man gathered his thoughts for a moment and then spoke slowly. "Brother Mo, since you joined the treasure gambling event, then I can make a decision about this. You may choose five hundred stones that you like from the Crimson Stones we were going to auction next. You don't need to pay any Shaman Crystals for them, and you can bring them away. You don't need to open them here.
"I will also give you a top secret map of the World of Nine Yin belonging to the God of Shamans Temple. Only Latter Shamans are allowed to have this map, and it is very detailed.
"Also, while there are many limitations to outsiders who want to enter the places we of the God of Shamans Temple have developed in the World of Nine Yin, you may come and go to these places as you please, including Shaman City!"
Once he finished speaking, he seized at the air with his right hand, and immediately, two pieces of black wood appeared in his hand. He pushed them forward, and they floated towards Su Ming.
Su Ming cast the middle-aged man a glance. He did not touch the two wooden pieces but had his Poison Corpse take a few steps forward, swing his arm to sweep the black wooden pieces into his sleeve before he returned to his place.
"Thank you for the Crimson Stones," Su Ming said flatly.
When the Temple Lord saw Su Ming's puppet putting away the wooden slips, he too breathed out a sigh of relief. Even if Su Ming gave him a feeling that he was so weak that he would die with just a single blow, the Grand Elder's torn and bloodied right arm terrified him from the bottom of his heart. Clearly, even if this Mo Su's power had largely fallen, he still had incredible killing moves!
More importantly, the rumors about him made the Temple Lord unwilling to attack rashly. In his mind, he believed that this Mo Su came here to search for herbs to cure his wounds.
If that was the case, then there was really no need for him to offend such a powerful existence. Even if he could indeed summon the Spirits of Nine Yin, this Mo Su lived up to his fame. If he went all out and fought back, then the price the God of Shamans Temple would have to pay would be too great!
He also remembered how the Great Patriarch had personally issued the order when this person disappeared from the land of the Shamans to have none of them offend him if any of the members of the God of Shamans Temple ever ran into him again.
'With just a lift of his arm, he sealed Zong Ze, with a flip of his hand, he sealed the entire Autumn Sea Tribe… Even if his level of cultivation has fallen to such a state, I still shouldn't become enemies with such a person…' Mo Bai's resolve became firm. As he smiled, he cast the Grand Elder standing behind him a glance.
The old man's face was rather bloodless at that moment. Ever since he learned of Su Ming's identity, he no longer felt the humiliation from moments before. He had heard of far too many rumors regarding this person, and even some of his close friends had seen him before.
Once the old man bowed towards Su Ming with respect, he waved his right arm in the sky, and with that, dazzling light immediately filled the sky.
Within that dazzling light were nine thousand Crimson Stones of various sizes packed densely. they all appeared in the sky in a grand fashion. These Crimson Stones shone with a red glare, and that light instantly illuminated the entire world, causing this endless area to be dyed completely in crimson.
"Brother Mo, please, go on ahead!" Mo Bai said and smiled.
Su Ming did not bother with acting modest. The crimson dragon under his feet moved and brought him charging into the sky above. They appeared beside the nine thousand Crimson Stones, and right before the crowd's eyes underneath, he started walking past them.
Every single time Su Ming chose a Crimson Stone, he would immediately put it away. When dawn was over, when the nine moons hid themselves away, and when the morning sun lifted its head, Su Ming finished walking past all nine thousand Crimson Stones. In all that time, the small, black humanoid in his storage bag had only sensed nine.
To confuse the people, Su Ming put away the other four hundred and ninety-one Crimson Stones in the same manner. By doing so, it would be difficult for anyone to be able to figure out any clues from his actions.
The price for five hundred Crimson Stones was incredibly high. From that, it could be seen that the God of Shamans Temple truly wanted to resolve this matter in peace.
Once Su Ming put away all the stones, he stood on the crimson dragon and cast the Temple Lord a glance. The crimson dragon let out a roar and charged towards the ground, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared right before Nan Gong Hen.
Nan Gong Hen's face was pale at the moment, and he was staring at Su Ming with a dazed expression.
"Brother Nan Gong, the Shaman Crystals you obtained by selling that Dragon Leaf Grass has canceled the deal we made with each other. You don't have to give me any of the Shaman Crystals." Su Ming nodded at Nan Gong Hen, then looked towards Lan Lan and Ahu.
Lan Lan blinked, then immediately dragged the slightly stupefied Ahu, who was standing by the side, to climb on the crimson dragon. Once they were on, she grabbed the crimson dragon's whiskers, and her gaze as she looked at Su Ming was filled with idolization. Ahu only at that moment snapped out of his stupor and also looked at Su Ming with a zealous gaze.
To these two children, the incident today had surpassed Su Ming's battle with Eastern Goosefoot Tribe. In their eyes, Su Ming was their sky!
Once Lan Lan and Ahu climbed onto the crimson dragon, Su Ming sent his thoughts to the dragon, and it immediately rose into the sky with a roar. Just as he was about to leave, a thought suddenly bloomed in his heart, and his lips curled up into a smile under the mask.
"Brother Bai, I have a request. I hope you will help me fulfill it." A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes as he spoke slowly.
"Oh? Brother Mo, please, go on," said Mo Bai.
"It's still the most convenient to use this type of Enchanted Vessels to cut into Crimson Stones…" Su Ming's gaze fell on the one hundred Enchanted Vessels floating in midair.
"We didn't make a lot of these Enchanted Vessels and seldom give them to other people, but if you need one, then it'll be another matter." Mo Bai smiled, then with a wave of his arm, one of the Enchanted light rings immediately flew towards Su Ming and stopped before him.
Su Ming's clone immediately took one step forward from behind him and put away the Enchanted Vessel into his storage bag. Once he did so, Su Ming swept his gaze across the land. All the people on the ground entered his vision, along with the people standing outside the eight halls - Wan Qiu, Tie Mu, Tian Lan Meng, and Sky Mist's ancestor, whose presence had made Su Ming's pupils shrink.
Finally, Su Ming's gaze fell on the Celestial Maiden in white. The woman was also looking at him at the moment, and the delighted surprise on her face was genuine.
Su Ming turned his head away and averted his gaze. The crimson dragon under his body let out a roar to the skies. Then, no longer bothering itself with Wan Qiu, it brought Su Ming to charge into the sky.
Its roar was filled with happiness. Clearly, meeting Su Ming was much dearer to it compared to it following beside Wan Qiu.
"Senior… where are we going?" Lan Lan held onto the crimson dragon's whiskers and shouted at Su Ming loudly while the wind blew against her face.
"I'll bring you both to activate your path as Soul Catchers… But before that, we'll be searching for a cave abode outside Shaman City. I want to open these Crimson Stones!"
Su Ming's heart pounded against his chest as he traveled among the clouds in the sky. He touched the storage bag hanging over his chest with his right hand. Over there was the Crimson Stone that had caused all the ruckus just now, and it filled Su Ming with anticipation.
He had heard most of the crowd's words clearly just now with his powerful divine sense.
'This Crimson Stone doesn't have the God Sealing Flower… but there is a venomous wasp in there, and perhaps… some of the nectar of the God Sealing Flower is contained within the venomous wasp's body!
'If it's truly there, then if I drink it down, my level of cultivation will…'
Su Ming's eyes sparkled with a brilliant flash.
However, even if he had spread out his divine sense, he did not notice a person in black robes following closely behind him after he left Shaman City. The other's body was so indistinct that he seemed almost invisible.
That person had a frown on his face, and he did not dare to get too close, even as he was following Su Ming. It was as if he was hesitating about something.
'Damn it, is Hong Luo dead or not..? Is he Hong Luo or Destiny?!'
Translator's Notes
1. Mo Bai is written as 摩拜 (mo2 bai4), different from Bai Chang Zai, Bai Su, Bai Ling, whose Bai is written as 白, which means white. Mo Bai's 摩 means grinding, though in this case 摩 would be a surname, and 拜 means worship. Not the same thing, please keep that in mind. Also, the Bai for Bai Ling, Bai Su and Bai Chang Zai is pronounced as bai2, which sounds something like 'bye?', and Mo Bai's 拜 is pronounced as bai4, which sounds something like 'bye!'
Chapter 456: Burial Ground of Bones
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
'Right now, my best choice is to search for a quiet place and meditate with my mind cleared. After that, I'll extract the poisonous wasp's nectar and raise my power, or perhaps I'll crack open the Crimson Stones instead!
'But I don't know whether there is any nectar in the poisonous wasp's body… I might think that there is, but there's also the possibility that there isn't any nectar. If there is, then once I consume it, I'll have to isolate myself for some time.
'It would have been fine if I was alone, but now, I'm bringing Lan Lan and Ahu along…' Su Ming stood on the crimson dragon, and as the dragon charged forward at a rapid speed, he turned his head around to look at the nervous but excited teenagers.
'Oh well, I know now that the process of activating the path of a Soul Catcher isn't that dangerous. It's just that it'll take some time…'
Su Ming had already made a decision. He flipped his right hand in the air, and immediately, two wooden slips with maps carved on them appeared on his hand. One of these maps came from Nan Gong Hen, and the other came from Mo Bai.
If he compared the both of them, he would find that the latter map was more complete, and a simple outline of the area beyond those one million lis was also provided.
On the map, near the edge of the one million lis to the northeast of Shaman City was a region that was about several tens of millions of lis. There was a gigantic beast bone drawn on that spot. That bone looked like that of a snake's, and even though only a simple outline of the skeleton was provided, it was still a rather terrifying sight to behold.
'That's the burial ground of the Candle Dragon…' A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. He put away both maps, then sat down cross-legged on the crimson dragon's head and closed his eyes, exercising his breathing.
The journey to activate the path of a Soul Catcher was actually very simple. A person with the constitution of a Soul Catcher just needed to get close to the dragon's burial ground and sense the Candle Dragon's will, which had yet to disappear.
If the person could sense the dragon's will stronger, then it would be of a much greater help to his or her training in the future. This was just like the Berserker Tribe's Berserker's Initiation. However, the Berserker Tribe had been passing down their legacy for their cultivation methods for a very long time, which had allowed them to be able to pass down their legacies independently. That was also the reason why the Elders of Berserker tribes could help the others activate their cultivation.
However, since the legacy of the Soul Catchers, Spirit Mediums, and Thought Soothsayers of the Shaman Tribe came from the World of Nine Yin, that was why no one could take the place of those particular spots in helping these people activate their cultivation. They could only come to those places personally and experience it themselves to be able to get it.
The crimson dragon shot through the sky, and it did not stop as it charged forward. Since it was a life created from Earthen Aura, it could be said that the dragon was a creature existing between the state of an illusion and a physical entity. Its perception was incredibly sensitive, and it could detect all sorts of dangers, which was why it had been able to change its direction three times as they went forth without Su Ming even needing to warn it. It would either circle around the area or avoid it.
There was a gentle screen of light around Lan Lan and Ahu's bodies. That screen of light allowed them to not feel the powerful high wind, and they would occasionally look down as they sat on the dragon's back. As time passed by, the excitement on their faces gradually diminished. On the other hand, their anxiety grew stronger.
They knew that what they would be facing next would be the main reason for why they came to this place - to obtain the acknowledgement of the Candle Dragon's will and to activate the path of the Soul Catcher!
Before they came here, their Patriarch had already told them that in the history of the Shamans, not all those with the constitution of Soul Catchers could get the acknowledgement of the Candle Dragon's will.
For some unknown reason, there were quite a few who could not obtain the dragon's acknowledgement and could not activate the path of a Soul Catcher. These people ended up either practicing other cultivation methods or living mediocre lives.
There might only be a few of such people, but they existed, which was why Lan Lan and Ahu's anxiety became even stronger as they got closer to the Candle Dragon's burial ground.
Several days later, when most of the Shamans were still in Shaman City, participating in the treasure gambling, a ray of crimson red light flashed in the clouds near the edge of the one million lis region northeast of Shaman City. That flash turned into a ten thousand feet long crimson dragon that lingered about in the sky.
Su Ming, who was sitting cross-legged, opened his eyes at that moment. His gaze was as bright as lightning as he looked at the ground underneath.
The entire land was shrouded in fog. There was a mountain range that formed a ring around the area that surrounded the entire region. The fog in the mountain range did not remain stagnant but was tumbling about slowly, continuously rising into the sky or sinking into the ground as if it could never remain still… From the sky, it could be seen clearly that this particular region was darker than the area beyond. The thick clouds there gave off a heavy feeling to the people watching.
Soon after Su Ming began observing this region, a gust of freezing wind blew towards him, sweeping up the fog on the ground and causing them to tumble about violently. The instant that wind blew into Su Ming's face, his pupils shrank. He saw droplets of rain falling from the clouds in the sky above this region as that freezing wind started blowing.
The rain was not heavy, but as it fell down, it turned into ice cold water, causing the freezing air in the area to become even more bone chilling.
This was a mysterious region that covered several tens of thousands of lis. Besides the sound of rain and fog, there was no other sound. The area was in a state that was almost akin to dead silence.
However, in the midst of this silence, suddenly, a faint voice floated from within the fog where Su Ming was looking.
"Heat… is the father…"
That voice was ancient and sounded as if it came from a long time ago. The voice seemed like it was mumbling, as if it was talking in whispers. As it echoed in the air, it caused the fog to spread slightly outwards.
The instant Su Ming heard that voice, he sensed the strange snake in his body shivering in Han Mountain Bell. Su Ming's expression changed, then he swiftly looked towards the thick fog from where the voice had come.
Not a single person could be seen there. As rain fell, each droplet dispelled some of the fog. However, as the fog scattered away, more of it would seep out from other places, causing the fog in the area to remain a constant existence.
After a long while, Su Ming averted his gaze and looked towards Lan Lan and Ahu. The both of them seemed to be ignoring that voice, which made it clear that they did not hear it. In fact, even the crimson dragon only continued pacing about in the air. It had its eyes fixed on the fog in the region, but besides this particular action, it did not have any other reaction. It was as if Su Ming was the only one who heard that voice.
Su Ming's eyes sparkled. After staring at the fog for some time, he spread his divine sense into the region, but like a stone sinking into the ocean, his divine sense disappeared without a trace. Su Ming fell into a moment of pensive silence before he moved off of the crimson dragon. The moment he left it, the crimson dragon turned into a red mark and branded itself on Su Ming's arm.
As for Lan Lan and Ahu, they were brought by Su Ming to the ground in the form of a long arc when he waved his arm towards them. Su Ming did not choose to fly in midair. In the birthplace of the Shaman Tribe's famous Soul Catchers, he decided to be extremely careful with his actions.
When the three of them descended on the ground, Lan Lan and Ahu's faces turned a little pale. They looked a little scared as they followed closely behind Su Ming. The three of them moved forward in this silent region quietly with Su Ming walking in front and the two teenagers at the back. Not a single word was exchanged between them.
They stepped on the mountain region's rocks while having the freezing wind blowing against their bodies. The wind brought with them a few droplets of icy rain, and when those droplets fell on their bodies, it left them drenched, and the freezing wind felt as if it could seep into their bones.
Strangely though, there was a wave of heat from the ground. When they stepped on the soil, the heat from the earth would seep through the bottom of their shoes and surge into their bodies through their soles.
Because of that, waves of heat and cold clashed in everyone's bodies. Lan Lan and Ahu's faces turned stark white and they followed Su Ming, shivering. Before long, they arrived at the top of a mountain range. When they stood there, the freezing wind blew even stronger.
Right beneath them was the fog covered region. It was also the burial ground of the Candle Dragon, which covered an area of several tens of thousands of lis!
"Are you ready?" Su Ming stood on the mountain, at the edge of where the fog started rolling about on the ground. He did not turn his head back, simply looked at the rolling fog as he uttered his very first sentence ever since he came to this place.
"I'm… ready, senior!" Ahu gritted his teeth. His body might be shivering, but his face was filled with determination.
"I'm ready as well…" Lan Lan bit her lip and nodded.
Su Ming no longer spoke. He simply took a step forward and walked straight into the fog. Lan Lan and Ahu quickly followed behind him. At the start, their backs could still be seen in the fog, but gradually, as they continued moving forward, the fog surged towards them and submerged the three of them within like a giant mouth.
The instant Su Ming stepped into the fog, he froze for a moment.
That ancient voice reached his ears once again. That voice sounded as if it was mumbling and whispering, just like before. It echoed in the air all around him, causing the fog to move like the waves on the surface of a sea, rising and falling as they tumbled about in the air.
"Cold… is the mother…"
The instant Su Ming heard those words, the strange snake suddenly lifted its head, shivering in Han Mountain Bell, and let out a whine. That whine was filled with dreariness and sounded like a mournful whimper. It was as if the snake had sensed something.
That whine was akin to that of an infant abandoned by his mother who was crying out helplessly and in distress when night arrived and he could not find that familiar person by his side…
However, that whine only echoed inside Han Mountain Bell and did not spread outwards.
Su Ming's heart shook. He had begun making guesses about that strange snake's origins since a long time ago, especially when the End Soul Catcher Zong Ze had cried out about sensing the Candle Dragon when he sensed its presence during the time Su Ming ran into Autumn Sea Tribe. Yet he still remained uncertain about its origins.
However, when Su Ming saw the strange snake's trembling body and heard the desolate cry, all his uncertainties vanished. At that moment, he was absolutely certain that even if this strange snake was not a Candle Dragon, it was definitely directly connected to it!
Lan Lan and Ahu still could not hear anything. They could only see Su Ming's back in the fog. Everything else was shrouded in fog, and they could not see anything else.
It was precisely because of this that the fear and anxiety in their hearts became stronger as they moved deeper into the fog.
"This is Yin and Yang… The sky is the father, and the earth is the mother… This is Yin and Yang…" As the three of them continued onward, the voice that only Su Ming could hear suddenly echoed in the air once again.
This time, the whines from Han Mountain Bell became even more sorrowful and miserable.
About an hour after Su Ming and the other two teenagers vanished into the fog, the space outside the fog on the mountain range distorted and out came a person in black robes. Hesitation shone in his eyes, but soon, as a glint appeared in his eyes, that person stepped into the fog and disappeared.
Chapter 457: Carcass of the Candle Dragon!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Su Ming's eyes sparkled and his face was filled with caution. Once he took a few steps forward, he suddenly saw a white shadow flashing past in the fog in the distance.
That white shadow traveled incredibly quickly and disappeared without a trace in an instant. It only left behind the fog rolling about in the area, and not a single sound traveled forth.
Su Ming came to a stop. He was not the only one who saw that white shadow, Lan Lan and Ahu had also seen it. The two of them immediately became even more anxious. They did not dare be too far apart from each other and followed behind Su Ming closely.
"Senior… what… what is that?" Lan Lan asked in a whisper.
"I think that's a woman…" Ahu clenched his fist and kept his gaze fixed at the spot where the white shadow had appeared.
A glint flashed through Su Ming's eyes. He lifted his right hand swiftly and swung his arm before him. Immediately, there was a muffled low growl. Then, the three hundred something feet Spirit of Nine Yin appeared before Su Ming.
Once the spirit came into being, he seized at the air with his right hand, and red light flashed instantly out of nowhere to gather into a red battle axe.
That battle axe looked exactly the same as the battle axe that had shattered when he fought against the Grand Elder of the God of Shamans Temple.
With that battle axe in hand, he turned around and cast Su Ming a glance.
"Your duty is to protect these two children," Su Ming said slowly.
The man nodded. Once he swept his gaze past Lan Lan and Ahu, he surveyed his surroundings.
The group continued moving forward towards the center of the fog. There, at the center, would be the carcass of the Candle Dragon.
Once they were there, Lan Lan and Ahu could approach that skeleton and sense its remaining will. If they were acknowledged, then they would have completed their test.
Su Ming had come to understand from Nan Gong Hen that the test was not actually very difficult. In fact, they were not the first batch of people to be there. Every single time the World of Nine Yin was opened, a large number of people with the constitutions of Soul Catchers would come here.
There were no dangers lurking in the fog. In truth, the biggest threat in this test lay in the journey and their companions. However, Su Ming had arrived to this place early, at a time when other people were still participating in the treasure gambling event in Shaman City. There should not be too many dangers in this place.
However, the strangeness in the forest a month ago and the many dangers he ran into after that had shown that the World of Nine Yin now was different compared to the past.
Life threatening crises had appeared in originally safe places. If that was the case, then there was no guarantee that this place would not suffer the same fate.
About two hours since Su Ming and the group had moved into the fog, the white shadow that had appeared before suddenly flashed before them once again, and just like before, it disappeared into the distance in an instant.
A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. He did not give chase.
However, Lan Lan and Ahu became even more scared. The two of them held hands, and they could feel the cold sweat on the other's palm.
At that moment, green light suddenly shone at the center of Su Ming's brows. The small virescent sword manifested instantly and charged behind Lan Lan and Ahu, slashing downwards.
When it cut down, the fog behind the boy and girl suddenly tumbled about, and a beast claw made of fog stretched out to crash into the small virescent sword. As a muffled boom echoed in the air and the beast claw was cut apart by the sword, it turned back into fog.
The Spirit of Nine Yin laughed savagely and threw his battle axe away. That battle axe turned into a long red arc and instantly charged into the fog, and a shrill cry of pain traveled forth, but it soon disappeared in the distance.
That scene happened too quickly, so quickly that Lan Lan and Ahu did not even have time to react to it.
Su Ming's expression was dark as he walked in the fog. He first looked into the distance, and then cast his gaze at the ground. With a swing of his arm, a small area of fog was instantly swept away to reveal a mass of flesh about the size of a palm on the black ground. A rotten stench spread out, and it was enough to make everyone nauseous.
Su Ming stared at that mass of flesh and frowned.
Suddenly, he heard that ancient voice from the fog once again. This time, that voice was much clearer, and it sounded as if it was coming from a spot much closer than before.
"The left eye of the descendants of the Candle Dragon are the day, and their right eye is the sun. When they close their eyes, the sky will turn dark, and when they open their eyes, the sky will turn bright…"
As that voice spoke, the whines from the strange snake in Han Mountain Bell grew even stronger, but Su Ming stayed silent.
"Let's go." He turned around and ignored the mass of flesh on the ground, bringing Lan Lan and Ahu further in the fog with the Spirit of Nine Yin behind them.
Time gradually passed by. As they continued onward, they ran into attacks just like the one before several times. Fortunately for them, the Spirit of Nine Yin was around. With his strength, he prevented the creatures hiding in the fog from killing them.
Su Ming could not tell whether it was still day or night outside, but judging by the fact that they had been traveling for several hours, it should be night time outside.
Su Ming was walking forward with Lan Lan and Ahu, and slowly, a gigantic dark shadow appeared in the fog before him. That shadow looked like it was ten thousand feet tall, and it remained hidden in the fog, still and unmoving. At first glance, it looked like a building, and an indescribable feeling spread through the entire area.
That feeling could make a person feel depressed. Su Ming looked at the shadow, and right at the instant he focused his gaze at the thing, Lan Lan suddenly let out a cry of surprise.
When she cried out, Su Ming immediately turned around and looked over. He could not spread his divine sense too far, only a few dozens of feet away, which was why he could detect the attacks from the beasts in the fog, but if he wanted to look further ahead, he would have to rely on his eyes.
At that moment, he cast his gaze in the direction where Lan Lan was looking in fear, and straight away, he saw a faint figure in white about one hundred something feet behind them, hidden in the fog where they had just passed through. That figure seemed to be sitting on a rock with the back turned towards them as it cried silently.
Sobbing sounds echoed in the quiet fog.
At the moment those sobs traveled forth, Lan Lan's eyes grew glazed. Ahu was in the same situation, looking as if he had lost his soul.
Su Ming's expression turned even darker. Just as he was about to take action, the sobbing sounds suddenly increased in number, and the additional crying voice came from Su Ming's right side.
When he looked over, he immediately saw another white figure crying several hundreds of feet away to his right. That thing had its back turned towards him, and he could only see its long hair.
Those sobbing sounds only served to make Su Ming annoyed. He let out a cold harrumph and took a step forward, charging straight at the white figure to his right. As for the Spirit of Nine Yin, he immediately stomped on the ground after Su Ming sent a single thought to him, and a screen of light swiftly appeared around Lan Lan and Ahu to protect them. Then, he took a step forward and rapidly closed in on the white figure that had appeared behind them with his battle axe in hand.
With a flash, Su Ming's clone appeared to his left and his Poison Corpse manifested on his right. In the blink of an eye, they closed in on the white figure, and the sobbing sounds became even clearer.
However, right at the instant they got closer, the white figure suddenly turned around to reveal a breathtakingly beautiful face that would make hearts pound. Yet a sharp screech suddenly came from the woman's mouth, and with a hum, that screech turned into a wave, and just like how a wave of sound would, it rushed towards Su Ming.
At the same time, the white-robed woman's body abruptly swelled up and was torn apart from within, turning into a mass of black flesh and blood that charged towards Su Ming while a rotten stench spread through the air.
The instant that flesh and blood appeared, Su Ming lifted his right hand and seized at the air with his fingers. Immediately, a whirlwind gathered in his palm, drawing in the fog from all around him before he rammed his palm on that mass of flesh and blood.
Immediately after, green light shone on his clone, and the small sword grew into a big sword that sliced horizontally through that mass of flesh. The clone also started forming multiple seals, and once he formed the final seal, he jabbed at that mass of flesh.
The Poison Corpse's actions were the most straightforward. He did not do anything except open his mouth and breathe out a puff of poisonous fog that seemed no different from the fog around them. As if it contained life, that fog turned into nine small snakes once it left the Poison Corpse's mouth and charged out ferociously.
All of these divine abilities were executed within an instant, and they all charged towards that mass of flesh. However, right at the instant they were about to crash into each other, the mass of flesh gathered together in midair and turned into a woman's face. That face was filled with murderous intent, and before Su Ming's divine abilities could touch it, it started burning on its own.
It was reduced to smoke in an instant and disappeared without a trace.
Su Ming's pupils shrank, and when he whipped his head back, he found that there was only fog behind and all around him. There was no Spirit of Nine Yin, no Lan Lan, no Ahu…
The area was not silent. Sobbing sounds echoed around him as if they had surrounded him. Those crying voices increased in number, and in the span of a few breaths, it sounded as if there were several of these women hiding in the fog.
"Petty tricks!" Su Ming let out a cold harrumph and forced down the annoyance in his heart. Once he calmed his mind, he lifted his right hand, and with a flash on his palm, a spiked club immediately appeared in his hand.
Once Su Ming held it, he immediately lifted it up. As buzzing sounds echoed in the air, the spiked club's length swiftly increased, and in the blink of an eye, it became one hundred something feet long and several dozens of feet wide. Su Ming leaped up, and with a low roar, swung the spiked club upwards in the shape of a fan before he slammed it down on the ground.
"Move!"
When Su Ming's spoke, the spiked club grew several times in size once again while falling downwards. The instant the club crashed into the ground, it was already nearly one thousand feet long and several dozens of feet wide. Veins had popped up on Su Ming's arms as he held that spiked club, and the Berserker Bones in his body shone with a golden light.
The gigantic spiked club crashed into the land with a huge bang, causing the ground to tremble and the sea like fog to look as if it had been ripped apart by two hands. With the spiked club as its center, the fog rolled backwards in both sides.
In the blink of an eye, there was no longer any fog within a circular area of several thousands of feet. In the distance, Su Ming saw the Spirit of Nine Yin shuddering due to its struggles to break free. There was an eyeball of several hundreds of feet before him. The eyeball seemed to contain the power of a Soul Catcher, and its center was torn apart like a mouth. It was luring the Spirit of Nine Yin to move towards it slowly.
Behind the Spirit of Nine Yin was a screen of light that was on the verge of shattering, and there were several figures in white crying shrilly behind it as they continuously rammed their bodies against the screen. Inside were Lan Lan and Ahu, whose faces were pale with fear and despair.
As the fog continued rolling back, Su Ming saw clearly further down that area of several thousands of feet a gigantic skeleton of ten thousand feet!
That skeleton looked like the tail of a gigantic python. Most of its carcass had already decayed, and only some scales were left. When Su Ming looked over, the tail of the skeleton was so long that he could not see its end, and if the tail itself was already such a shocking scene, then the whole body might be an unimaginable sight.
"Candle Dragon…" Su Ming's pupils shrank, and within Han Mountain Bell, the strange snake let out its strongest cry!
Chapter 458: Descendants of the Candle Dragon
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The situation was perilous. The screen of light protecting Lan Lan and Ahu was shining furiously, looking as if it was about to shatter. It would only be able to persevere for a few more breaths before it disappeared completely.
Once it disappeared, then the fragile boy and girl, who were not even Fledgling Shamans, would shatter with just a touch. Similarly, the Spirit of Nine Yin was also caught in a life threatening crises. He was actually struggling due to that strange giant eyeball even though he had the power of a Latter Shaman. By the looks of it, he was in a considerable amount of pain as he was continuously pulled near the tear in the eyeball, and the eyeball looked as if it wanted to devour him.
A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes, and without any hesitation, he charged towards Lan Lan and Ahu like a bolt of lightning. His clone and puppet followed closely behind him. At the same time, the mark of the crimson dragon on Su Ming's arm shone, and as a low roar echoed in the air, the dragon appeared. With a swing of its huge head, it rushed towards the Spirit of Nine Yin who was being dragged towards that eyeball and swept its head across the land.
Su Ming's speed had reached its peak, but right at the instant he was about to close in on Lan Lan and Ahu, the screen of light shattered with a bang under the impact of those white figures and their shrill cries, turning into a large amount of fragments that scattered everywhere. The white figures pounced on the children.
Su Ming's face turned dark. His clone let out a low growl beside him and his body disappeared in an instant, only to reappear right when the screen of light shattered and the white figures pounced on the children. As Lan Lan's face was filled with despair, the area before her distorted, and Su Ming's clone walked out, and when he did so, he formed a seal with his right hand and patted the air before him.
With that one pat, the fog around the area immediately started churning rapidly, as if there was a great force bursting forth and pushing outwards from the clone's palm, like a vase full of water shattering with an explosive bang. The pouncing white figures let out piercing screeches, and once the impact crashed into their bodies, they froze for a moment in midair before tumbling backwards.
Without a hint of hesitation, Su Ming's clone waved his arm, using the force from the motion to immediately bring Lan Lan and Ahu away from the spot and back to his side. The remaining white figures let out piercing shrieks, and just as they were about to rush over, due to the clone's impeccable aid, Su Ming managed to arrive at the most crucial moment. Almost at the instant the clone brought Lan Lan and Ahu away, Su Ming himself came charging and arrived swiftly like a violent gust of wind.
The Poison Corpse came with him.
With murderous intent burning on his face, the moment Su Ming closed in, he clenched his left hand into a fist and hurled it straight at one of the white figures. His fist traveled so quickly that the white figure did not even have time to dodge before the fist rammed into its body.
That figure was immediately ripped into pieces, but when those pieces turned into a layer of fog that spread backwards, it gathered together once again. The same thing happened over at the Poison Corpse's side.
"A vengeful spirit?"
Su Ming let out a cold harrumph, then flipped his left hand over. Immediately, dark light started flickering around him, and Han Mountain Bell swiftly manifested. Once that bell appeared, Su Ming formed a seal with his hands and pointed towards it. The Nine-Headed Dragon's illusion instantly formed outside the bell, and the dragon roared right when it appeared.
As it roared, the white figures froze up and did not dare come forward. Instead, they moved swiftly away, as if they wanted to escape into the fog, but with murderous intent raging on his face, Su Ming formed several seals with his hands, and the sixth head of the Nine-Headed Dragon opened its eyes, widened its mouth, and sucked in a deep breath in the direction of those white figures.
Those white figures immediately shivered and turned into wisps of fog, and as if they could not control themselves, they were all sucked into the sixth head's mouth and were devoured. That sixth head even chewed a few times, looking as if it had just had a tasty meal.
During that time, the Spirit of Nine Yin was on the verge of being devoured by the giant eyeball with a dazed look mixed with a hint of struggle on his face. However, the crimson dragon's head rammed straight into the spirit's body with a huge force, and from the distance, he looked as if he was swept away by the crimson dragon's head, causing his entire person to be forced out from the eyeball's strange Soul Catching abilities.
At the same time as the Spirit of Nine Yin was knocked away, the crimson dragon let out a low roar. It lifted its claw and swiped it at the eyeball, but right at the instant its claw was about to touch it, gray fog filled the inside of the eyeball and it disappeared without a trace, causing the crimson dragon's claw to swipe at air before falling on the ground, which made it tremble.
All of this seemed to have happened over a long period of time, but in truth, only several dozens of breaths had passed since the moment Su Ming and the group were ambushed. When the white figures were devoured by the Nine-Headed Dragon and the giant eyeball disappeared, everything returned to silence around them.
The fog that was blasted away by Su Ming's club also came rolling back from all directions, as if it wanted to submerge the entire area once again.
The Spirit of Nine Yin crawled up from the ground and pulled off his helmet from his head. His expression was dark, and his eyes were burning in anger, but at the same time, there was also wariness within them.
The Spirit of Nine Yin cast Su Ming a glance before he spoke slowly, enunciating each word clearly. "You Shamans didn't keep to your promise. You must have gone past the edge of the seal, that is why the seals are being continuously broken, and now abnormalities have appeared on the Sacred Nine Yin's skeleton here... That eyeball just now doesn't possess incredibly powerful divine abilities, but its Soul Catching abilities aren't something an ordinary person would possess. That is the Sacred Nine Yin's second eye!"
"I was the one who rented you with Scattering Dusts, and I was also the one who saved your life just now," Su Ming pointed out calmly.
The Spirit of Nine Yin fell silent, and after some time, he began to laugh wryly.
"Did you just mention the Sacred Nine Yin?" Su Ming put away the spiked club and turned his head around to look towards the pale Lan Lan and Ahu, then swept his gaze around the area before finally landing on the gigantic carcass a thousand feet away.
"The dead body you see now is the Sacred Nine Yin's carcass, which is also known as Candle Dragon among you Shamans. I was thinking that there was something off about this place just now. By the looks of it, those white figures are the vengeful spirits belonging to the enemies who were killed by the Sacred Nine Yin in the past.
"The beast claw in the fog we met previously is formed through the Sacred Nine Yin's decayed flesh… When you Shamans broke the seal here all those years ago, you caused the Sacred Nine Yin's will to scatter. You people had even thought about taking the carcass away, but once you found that you could not, you had your descendants come here to sense its will so that your so called Soul Catchers could be born.
"Then you came to our tribe so that you could work together with us to seal up this place along with a few other spots. But while those seals look sturdy, they are actually very fragile. Once ripples of power that are equivalent to those of End Shamans come from the outside world, then the seals will shatter… That one doesn't count among those that would shatter the seal," the Spirit of Nine Yin said, casting a glance at the crimson dragon.
Su Ming looked at the gigantic carcass. Most of its carcass had already rotted away, but not a hint of the smell of decay could be detected from its body. After a moment of pensive silence, Su Ming walked towards it.
Lan Lan and Ahu quickly followed behind him. The Spirit of Nine Yin cast an incredibly wary look at his surroundings before he too followed behind them.
The crimson dragon floated at a low altitude. Its eyes sparkled as it surveyed its surroundings cautiously. The air here made it uncomfortable, and that gigantic carcass especially filled the place with an oppressive air.
As the crowd moved closer, the fog from all around them slowly seeped closer, causing the area around them to gradually turn foggy once again. Then, when Su Ming arrived beside the gigantic carcass, he stopped.
He stared at the Candle Dragon's carcass for a moment before he spoke unhurriedly towards Lan Lan and Ahu. "Get closer to the carcass here and sense the Candle Dragon's will. Now, whether or not you will be able to activate the path to become Soul Catchers will depend entirely on your own serendipity."
The pair of teenagers might be afraid, but they nodded their heads resolutely. Then while holding hands, the both of them sat down cross-legged and closed their eyes, silently circulating the blood in their bodies which held that weak bloodline connecting them to the Soul Catchers according to the method their Patriarch had taught them.
Su Ming did not know how long the boy and girl would take. Once he ordered the Spirit of Nine Yin to protect them and had the crimson dragon keep a close eye on the area along with fighting off all threats as well, he leaped up into the air and charged into the fog in the sky to appear on the gigantic Candle Dragon's carcass.
When he stood there, Su Ming could see the dark shadow of the Candle Dragon's carcass under his feet stretching endlessly into the fog, and he had no idea just where the end was.
In fact, when he looked at the shadow, he had a feeling as if the Candle Dragon's carcass was a path that led to an unknown destination.
Only when he stood up there did he manage to smell a faint and indistinct foul stench spreading out from the carcass.
Su Ming's heart shook slightly. This was the biggest creature he had ever seen, and with just its physical body alone, this beast could already startle a person.
He could not imagine just what sort of power could bring about this beast's death, except that it had finished walking through the course of its life and reached the end.
'Perhaps it had indeed walked through the course of its life and chosen this place to die…' Su Ming looked at the distance that stretched down endlessly and once again felt that there were simply too many forms of power and materials he did not know of.
When he put himself in comparison to these things, a feeling that he was insignificant blossomed in his chest.
Su Ming sighed. Just as he was about to leave and return to Lan Lan and Ahu's side, his footsteps suddenly froze, because right beside his ears, that ancient voice echoed once again.
"The Candle Dragon's tribe will never die and be destroyed… Even if the world crumbles, we will not. Even if the heavens rot away, we will not… In my long life, I have devoured ninety-seven worlds and more than one hundred billion lives… When I open my eyes, I can see the skies from all worlds, because I am day itself…
"When I close my eyes, I can let the darkness I see cover the heaven of my world… In my life, I have devoured three of the descendants of my tribe… so that my life will lengthen… They… did so willingly…
"This is how the Candle Dragon's tribe grows… My child, you will be…" As that voice echoed in Su Ming's head, the strange snake in Han Mountain Bell let out a piercing cry. The grief in that cry made Su Ming's heart clench in pain.
The grief in that voice gave others the impression of an indescribable sorrow of a wanderer who was devoured alive by his own kin after finding his family after a long period of time spent unable to find home.
The strange snake lay within Han Mountain Bell, shaking as it continued crying incessantly…
A freezing glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. In silence, he leaped down and descended from the Candle Dragon's carcass to land on the fog covered ground.