The five summits of Dark Dragon Mountain were all different. The mountain that produced Dark Dragon's Saliva was the closest to Dark Mountain Tribe. If he went deeper into the mountain, it would be easier for him to run into people from other tribes.
That was why Su Ming spent most of his time there. Only when he needed to gather herbs that he did not need much would he proceed forward cautiously and remain vigilant.
In Su Ming's eyes, the mountain that emitted thick smoke was known as Black Flame Mountain.
It was said that this mountain contained a large amount of earthen fire. A long time ago, it was the core of the land of the Fire Berserkers. Even though many years had passed since then, he could still feel the heat coming from the mountain.
Su Ming was no stranger to Black Flame Mountain. He had gone there many times and even met people from Black Mountain Tribe. If he had not been agile enough to escape, he would have died a long time ago.
That place was very close to Black Mountain Tribe, and Black Mountain Tribe and Dark Mountain Tribe had a personal grudge between them for generations. Both tribes were about the same size, and even though there were no major wars between them, the small conflicts between the hunting teams were still bloody and cruel.
After a moment of hesitation, Su Ming's eyes lit up. After a long while, he averted his gaze from Black Flame Mountain and took a few brisk steps towards the deeper part of the platform. There were a few big stones that had sunk into the ground. When Su Ming moved them away, he saw that there was something underneath the stones.
It was a crude bow!
Even though it was crude, the string that was as thick as a finger was stretched taut. Su Ming could feel the explosive power contained within it.
Only members of the hunting team in Dark Mountain Tribe could have a bow. It was difficult for the other members of the tribe to get one. Su Ming had made this bow himself after exchanging herbs for some other materials. He did not bring it back to the tribe but kept it here instead. Only Lei Chen knew about this secret.
As he held the bow, Su Ming's eyes lit up. He took out another five arrows from under the big stones. The arrowheads were made from the stones. Su Ming would rub the tips of the arrowheads. They were incredibly sharp.
He placed the five arrows in the basket on his back. Su Ming took the bow and whistled at the little monkey. He pointed at the herbs he had drawn on the ground.
The little monkey understood what he meant. It bared its teeth and ran forward in a red blur.
With a cautious look on his face, Su Ming quickly followed behind. With a few flashes, the man and monkey disappeared from the spot.
In terms of familiarity with Dark Dragon Mountain, even Su Ming could not compare to Xiao Hong. Under Xiao Hong's guidance, the basket on Su Ming's back was already filled with herbs when the sun was setting.
There were seven or eight types of herbs, and there were quite a few of each type. They were all similar to the pictures Su Ming saw. He could not really tell which one was which was why he decided to take all the herbs that were similar.
"You said there's a similar herb here?" The sun was about to set. Su Ming and Xiao Hong were in the forest near Black Flame Mountain. He pointed at the black mud before him and looked at Xiao Hong.
Xiao Hong nodded and gestured at Su Ming for a long time before pointing at the setting sun in the sky.
A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes. He crouched down and stared at the swamp, calming his Qi and focusing his mind as he waited for the sun to set. Time passed by slowly. After a while, the light in the forest had mostly dimmed. It was as if a person's gaze would be swallowed by darkness if they looked further than 100 feet away.
The moment the place turned completely dark, a large amount of bubbles suddenly appeared in the swamp. There was also a layer of red light that looked as if it was swimming rapidly within the swamp. This strange sight made all the hairs on Su Ming's body stand up, but he still did not move.
He stared at the red glow that was swimming within the mud. It slowly surfaced from the mud. It was red flower buds. Their roots were hidden within the mud. The red glow just now was clearly their roots moving.
As he watched the flower buds emerge from the mud, Su Ming saw them bloom with his own eyes. There was also an indescribable fragrance that spread through the air. Su Ming only took a whiff and immediately felt his blood boiling. It was as if his entire body was surrounded by flames and he was about to spit out fire poison.
At that moment, Xiao Hong let out a nervous roar. Su Ming did not hesitate. He took a step forward and grabbed the red flower closest to him. He held a sharp knife made of stone in his hand. His movements were extremely familiar. In an instant, he cut off the flower from its roots and placed it in the basket on his back.
Once he was done, Su Ming used his body's agility and retreated without hesitation. He used all his strength to leave with Xiao Hong.
Right after Su Ming left, the roar of a wild beast came from within the mud. All the red flowers immediately shrank back into flower buds and sank into the mud in an instant, disappearing without a trace. Yet very soon, a layer of bright red blood seeped out of the mud, causing the entire area to be filled with the stench of blood.
Su Ming and Xiao Hong quickly ran away. When the sky darkened completely, they sat on a big tree and used the moonlight to look through their harvest for the day.
There were a lot of herbs in the basket. Su Ming was excited as he looked at them. The scenes of him quenching the herbs kept appearing in his head and he became even more excited.
'It's a pity I don't know the exact effects of the Scattering Dust … But it should be pretty good!' Su Ming licked his lips and looked at the two herbs in the basket.
There was almost no difference in the color of the two herbs. At first glance, they looked almost the same. They were both red. The only difference was that one of them had six petals and the other had five petals.
Su Ming did not recognize these two herbs. They were unfamiliar to him. They were the only herbs that he had never seen among the herbs needed to make the Scattering Dust. Luckily, Xiao Hong had some impression of these two herbs and brought Su Ming to them.
'Just which one is needed to create the medicinal pills..?' Su Ming frowned and swept his gaze across the two herbs. The one with six petals was the one he obtained from the swamp. When he remembered how strange it was when it bloomed, Su Ming had a feeling that if he ate it, he would immediately die.
He put the herbs back into the basket and lay down on the tree. He took a bite of a wild fruit and looked at the stars in the sky. He breathed in the air of the forest. Occasionally, he would hear the sounds of birds and beasts. It was as if he had become one with the forest. It was a comfortable feeling.
Lil 'Red was combing its fur on the side, occasionally looking around vigilantly.
Just like that, the man and the monkey spent the night on the trunk of the forest.
The next morning, when the sun had just risen, the forest was still half dark. There was even a faint mist in the air. Su Ming and Xiao Hong left the tree and rushed towards Black Flame Mountain in the distance.
Along the way, Su Ming held onto his bow and was on high alert. Xiao Hong seemed to have been affected by him and also became cautious. When the sun rose completely and the fog in the forest dissipated like snow, a gigantic mountain appeared before Su Ming. The mountain was entirely brown and there was a wave of heat coming from it.
At the top of the mountain, there was a ball of black smoke rising into the sky. From afar, it was a magnificent sight.
"Black Flame Mountain …" Su Ming mumbled. He looked around cautiously and rushed up the mountain without hesitation. He was prepared before he came. There were a lot of heat-repelling herbs under his feet. He did not stop as he climbed towards the top of the mountain.
He may have been climbing quickly, but Su Ming's caution did not decrease. Instead, it increased. He did not know how much time had passed. When he reached the middle of the mountain, Su Ming was about to continue when Xiao Hong let out a soft cry behind him.
Su Ming did not think about the cry. He moved to the side and hid himself in a crack on the mountain. His feet dug into the side of the mountain and he drew the bow with his right hand. He took out an arrow with his left hand. Everything was done in an instant. Xiao Hong was one step ahead of him and stuck close to Su Ming.
Su Ming's breathing slowed down. There was a cold glint in his eyes. If he ran into any of the people from Black Mountain Tribe and they discovered each other, then it would definitely be a fight to the death.
Not long after, a faint voice traveled into their ears. There was even the sound of stones falling from the sky.
"It's so early in the morning and they're asking us to dig up these stupid stones. I don't even know what they're for."
"You've been nagging all the way here. If it's the tribe leader's request, then we have to complete it. By the way, did you hear? The elder seems to have reached a breakthrough … "
"I heard from someone in the tribe yesterday that the elder is different from how he usually is. He's a little scary now."
"Do you think the tribe leader asked us to dig up these stones has anything to do with the elder?"
The two people's voices gradually became clearer before they slowly disappeared into the distance. Su Ming leaned against the crack without moving. He only let out a sigh of relief when he noticed that the two people were getting further away from him.
'The Elder of Black Mountain Tribe has reached a breakthrough … I remember the elder saying that the Elder of Black Mountain Tribe is at the eighth level of the Blood Solidification Realm but he has mastered a Fallen Berserker Art. That's why he can fight against the elder.' Su Ming's eyes flashed. He was going to report this to the elder once he returned.
He waited for a while longer. Once he was certain that the two people were far away, Su Ming was about to continue climbing up the mountain when the little monkey beside him grabbed Su Ming's clothes.
Su Ming immediately turned his head around and saw the little monkey pointing excitedly at the deeper parts of the crack where they were. There was a small natural hole there and there was heat coming from it.
Su Ming's eyes focused and he immediately gave up on climbing up. Instead, he went closer to the hole and looked at it carefully. He took off the basket on his back and went in with it. Xiao Hong followed behind him.
The hole was not big. If it were not for Su Ming's frail body, a normal Berserker would not have been able to go through it.