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Chapter 220: Home…

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

He took a few steps forward and picked a palm sized awl from a small hole. With just a small squeeze, a corner broke off from that awl.

In the small hole next to this one was a rusted iron sword. There were also some bone Vessels that had weathered away in some of the other holes.

He took a look around the area and saw that most of the items here were slightly broken. Even if some of them seemed to be in decent condition, once he approached them, they would crack just like the awl if he so much as touched them, as if they would completely shatter into pieces if he used even the slightest force.

"Oh well, Hu Zi already mentioned this before. Looks like it's true…"

Su Ming shook his head and laughed bitterly. Once he averted his gaze, he grabbed the very first awl he took from this place, which he also broke earlier, and placed it into his storage bag before no longer paying any attention to the place. He walked into the deeper parts of the cave abode and into the second layer.

With his experience in the first layer, Su Ming did not expect much when he entered the second layer. However, right at the instant he entered the second layer, his heart started racing in his chest.

Right before his eyes were an innumerable amount of jades floating in the air. These jades were shining with a gentle light that illuminated the entire chamber of the second layer. Some of the jades even shone with a variety of colors that made them stand out at first glance.

"Could it be that Tian Xie Zi wasn't lying about Freezing Sky Clan's Arts and skills?!"

Su Ming was momentarily stunned.

The colorful jades did not seem fake. Even if the color was really fake, Su Ming could still clearly sense the mighty pressure and spiritual presence coming from them.

His breathing quickened and he took a few steps forward to take a closer look and grabbed a jade with his right hand. He placed it on his palm and focused his attention on it. Once he did so, he immediately felt as if his will was being absorbed into the jade, and a string of words and illusions appeared naturally in his head.

However, before he could pay attention to them, the words and illusions in his head swiftly faded away and disappeared.

Su Ming frowned and tried a few more times. Yet it was the same each time he tried. A glint appeared in his eyes and he let go of the jade before taking another one, but the results were the same.

"Is it because my level of cultivation is not high enough..?" he mumbled.

Not wanting to give up, he picked up a few dozen more jades and focused his attention on them one by one, but they were the same. The images only appeared briefly in his mind before they disappeared.

Even a simple jade that only had a small presence to it reacted the same way when Su Ming looked at it. Gradually, his face darkened.

Su Ming remained silent for a moment before he took in a deep breath and quelled the disappointment in his heart. Once he took a look at all the jades in the chamber and was marginally certain that all of them were fake, he laughed bitterly and shook his head before heading deeper into the chamber towards the third layer.

'If the map in the third layer is also fake…'

Su Ming remained silent as he walked towards the third layer.

The third layer was built in a simple manner. It was the smallest in size, and there were stone shelves positioned around the chamber. There were some bamboo slips lying on the shelves along with some beast skins that were bundled together.

Su Ming stood in the third layer and suddenly felt nervous. He was torn between the desire to know whether the map of the Land of South Morning truly existed in this place and worried that he would not be able to find the Alliance of the Western Region once he found the map.

This was not the first time he felt so conflicted. He had been this nervous at the foot of Tranquil East Mountain when he held the borrowed map from Tranquil East Tribe in the past.

After remaining silent for a moment, Su Ming took a deep breath. He did not look at the bamboo slips, but picked out a beast skin from the large amount of beast skins lying around, opened it slowly, and looked.

"Not it…"

There were some runic symbols that Su Ming had never seen before carved on the beast skin. With just one glance, he placed it back into its original spot and picked up another one.

"Not it…"

"Not it…"

Su Ming took out the beast skins one by one and opened them, but none of them were the map he wanted. When there was eventually only three beast skins left before him, his breathing quickened.

A corner of the second piece of the three remaining beast skins was exposed to the open, and it showed some faint lines that seemed to show the topography of a place. Su Ming hesitated for a moment before he gritted his teeth and grabbed that beast skin. He had a strong feeling that the beast skin in his hand was… the map he wanted to see!

To him, it did not matter whether he was taken into Freezing Sky Clan or acknowledged Tian Xie Zi as his Master. These were not important. What was important was his goal for entering Freezing Sky Clan – the map that would allow him to return to the Alliance of the Western Region!

That was why when Tian Xie Zi said he wanted to take Su Ming as his disciple and mentioned one thing among all the other benefits he offered, the one where he a map of the Land of South Morning that was even more complete that the one belonging to Freezing Sky Clan, Su Ming's interest was sparked.

He did not care about entering Freezing Sky Clan. He only cared about the map.

That was why Su Ming agreed to acknowledge Tian Xie Zi as his Master!

At that moment, when he was continuously disappointed by what he saw in the first and second layers, his anxiety reached its peak when he held the beast skin in his hands.

His right hand shook as he opened the beast skin before him painstakingly slowly. When the beast skin was completely unfurled and Su Ming's eyes landed on it, he trembled. He felt as if thunder was rumbling in his head, and he even felt as if there were buzzing sounds by his ears.

At that moment, he had forgotten everything. He forgot that he was within the chamber. He forgot that he was at the ninth summit of Freezing Sky Clan. He forgot that he was in the Land of South Morning. All his attention was gathered on his eyes, on his gaze that landed on the beast skin in his hands.

This was a torn and worn down beast skin, but even so, the map drawn on it was rather complete. There was an old and aged presence coming from that map, making all those who touched it to feel just how old that beast skin was.

This map should not be Tian Xie Zi's work, but something that had existed since a long time ago.

There were five continents on the map…

With his eyes trained on the map, Su Ming sat down on the floor slowly. There was a lost and nostalgic look in his eyes, and with grief on his face, he caressed the map gently with his right hand.

He saw the Land of South Morning on the map, and also saw… the Alliance of Western Region just right above it…

"My home…" he mumbled.

Tears had started falling from his eyes some time ago. The tears slid down his face from the corners of his eyes and stained his clothes before seeping into the fabric.

Four of the five continents were located to the north, south, east, and west, and right at the center was the fifth continent. A cauldron was drawn on the spot.

The Land of South Morning was located to the south, and the Alliance of the Western Region was to the west, but there was a ravine between these two continents that seemed impossible to cross…

Su Ming's tears stained his clothes, and some of them fell on the beast skin. He lowered his head and did not hear the sigh that came from behind him.

'So you acknowledged me as your Master because of this..?'

Chapter 221: What is the Meaning of Creation?

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Su Ming stared at the beast skin map before him with a stunned expression. That map was stained with colors showing the signs of time. The edges were pretty worn out, giving the feeling that it had been around for ages.

The seemingly impassable ravine between the Land of South Morning and the Alliance of the West Morning was marked with a black line.

This line did not exist solely in between the Land of South Morning and the Alliance of the Western Region. It also existed between the other continents as well.

"Someone drew this map from memory after the second God of Berserkers was buried, though it's only drawn with him guessing the distance… Before the second God of Berserkers, the entire land of Berserkers was one big continent. It was gigantic, and there were some who could walk through the entire continent."

Tian Xie Zi's old voice came slowly from behind Su Ming.

"When the second God of Berserkers died, the Land of Berserkers was divided and became five continents with the Great Yu Dynasty as its center. The cauldron in the middle shows where Great Yu Dynasty is located.

"It's marked with a cauldron because this cauldron is the tribal Vessel for us Berserkers!" Tian Xie Zi's voice became slightly low. "The Great Barren Cauldron…"

The moment these four words came out of Tian Xie Zi's mouth, Su Ming shuddered. His attention was dragged away from the beast skin map and the only words that echoed in his ears were the three words – Great Barren Cauldron.

"Barren Cauldron…"

A violent surge of emotions formed in Su Ming's heart, and Tian Xie Zi saw it reflected on Su Ming's face, though he assumed that it was because the youth had heard about the Great Yu Dynasty. He did not know that Su Ming was thinking about that black stone hanging from his neck and all the sights he saw after he entered the space in the stone.

'A Barren Cauldron is required for the process of quenching herbs into pills… Is there some sort of connection… between that Barren Cauldron and the Great Barren Cauldron Tian Xie Zi mentioned…?'

Bewilderment appeared on Su Ming's face.

"The black lines you see between the five continents are suspended lines of blood. They're formed through the grudge left behind after the second God of Berserkers died. It's rumored that the immortals used this grudge and worked together with the Shamans to lay out this exceedingly cruel Rune. This is the Rune that caused the five continents in the Land of Berserkers to be incomplete…

"It's a grueling task trying to move between continents…" Tian Xie Zi's voice echoed in the chamber and stayed for a long time.

"I have no idea why you need the map, and I don't know where you want to go on these five continents… but, since you're my disciple, then I must tell you this… work hard to increase your level of cultivation.

"Your level of cultivation is everything. With your current power, even if you want to leave the Land of South Morning, it's impossible for you to traverse the world outside Sky Mist Barrier, much less go to the other continents.

"You must first be able to move around safely outside the barrier before you can think of anything else and go to the places you want… and you need to rely on great power to do this!

"If you don't have enough power, then don't think of anything else. Even if you think about it, it's useless, it'll just make you frustrated and you won't be able to calm down… If your heart isn't calm, then your soul will be in turmoil, which will cause your Mark to scatter when it manifests, and you will find it hard to improve.

"The key is your level of cultivation. You must increase your level of cultivation!" Tian Xie Zi said softly and lifted his right hand to pat Su Ming's shoulder.

"You're not the only one with a troubled past… Your eldest senior brother has his own past, and your second senior brother has his as well…"

Tian Xie Zi faltered in his words, as if he felt moved by something.

Su Ming was silent for a moment, then he looked at the beast skin map before him and asked in a low whisper, "What level of cultivation will I need to go out of Sky Mist Barrier and out of the Land of South Morning?"

Tian Xie Zi was silent for a while before he said, "Those who aren't in the Bone Sacrifice Realm don't even need to think about walking past Sky Mist Barrier! Even those who have reached Bone Sacrifice Realm need to be careful outside the barrier. The slightest carelessness will lead to a person's doom.

"What lies between us and the Shamans is a blood feud!

"If you reach the Berserker Soul Realm, then you can travel through the barrier as you please, but you still need to be careful. Still, as long as you don't run into the powerful Shamans from the Shaman Tribe and don't go to some of the more dangerous places, then you can still make sure you don't die."

"So what you're saying is that if I reach Berserker Soul Realm, then I'll earn the right to leave the Land of South Morning?" Su Ming mumbled.

"It's just a right, though. The Berserker Soul Realm is merely the completion of the first great realm of us practitioners of the Berserker Arts… There's bound to be other realms after the Berserker Soul Realm!

"But it's a pity, because no one knows exactly what are the other realms after the Berserker Soul Realm and how we're supposed to reach them…"

Tian Xie Zi sighed softly.

"Why?"

Su Ming lifted his head and looked at Tian Xie Zi.

"Because the fourth God of Berserkers still hasn't appeared even after so long. Only the fourth God of Berserkers can feel the presence of the third God of Berserkers' will through a trance and obtain the inheritance of the God of Berserkers, subsequently sensing the higher realms and create the statue of the God of Berserkers for the realms after the Berserker Soul Realm, and only then will those who have reached Berserker Soul Realm be able to sense their calling."

Su Ming looked at Tian Xie Zi and said after a long while, "When I was coming here, I met a man named Bai on one of the parts of Sky Mist Barrier. He's a Divine General in the Bone Sacrifice Realm and he mentioned you. He said you once ventured out of the Land of South Morning and went to the Great Yu Dynasty. Is this true?"

Tian Xie Zi was silent. A conflicted look appeared on his face. He lifted his head and looked in another direction in the chamber. That part of the chamber was empty, and Su Ming had no idea what he was looking at.

Nostalgia gradually appeared in Tian Xie Zi's eyes.

"I don't know whether what I saw was the Great Yu Dynasty… Once you reach the Berserker Soul Realm and you want to leave, then I'll tell you about it."

Tian Xie Zi closed his eyes, and his voice sounded even older.

"I know a person whose level of cultivation isn't even in the Transcendence Realm and he doesn't live in the Great Yu Dynasty. He lives on another continent, but has left his hometown many times. There was even once… where he might have gone to the Great Yu Dynasty…" Su Ming said, his head lowered.

When Tian Xie Zi heard his words, he immediately opened his eyes, and a bright glint appeared briefly in his eyes before it instantly vanished.

The moment the light in his eyes shone, an incredible pressure fell upon the place suddenly, but the pressure also dissipated equally quickly, causing others to think that they might have just imagined it.

However, Su Ming felt shaken. During that instant, he clearly felt as if his Qi had gone still, and even the ninth summit seemed to have shuddered.

"Going to Great Yu Dynasty from the other continents without even Transcending..? That's impossible!" Tian Xie Zi exclaimed.

"Impossible..? It might be."

Su Ming closed his eyes and covered the bewilderment in his eyes.

The more he knew, the more things he found were out of place in his memories regarding Dark Mountain. It was especially so when he saw Lei Chen and Bei Ling on the Chains of Han Mountain, whose appearances he had not been able determine were real or false. There was also the elder, who seemed to have wanted to tell him something when he appeared. All of these things made him uncertain and confused about the things he saw.

'There's a veil covering Dark Mountain and the things that had happened when I was in the void in the crack… Perhaps when I have the ability to lift the veil, I'll be able to find out… the secrets surrounding me,' Su Ming thought quietly, and this was the only thought that could prevent him from losing himself in the midst of his bewilderment, stop him from breaking down from fear and his suspicions regarding his future and his past.

"How can I increase my power quickly?"

Su Ming opened his eyes and looked towards Tian Xie Zi, who was sitting by his side.

"Your eldest senior brother asked me that question in the past, and I told him that he needed to have a clear mind. He thought about it for a long time and chose to isolate himself for long periods of time in the end."

Tian Xie Zi cast Su Ming a profound look. There was a brief pause in his sentence before he continued speaking, "Your second senior brother also asked me the same question, and I also told him to clear his mind. His decision was different from your eldest senior brother's. He chose to go plant flowers and trees.

"As for your third senior brother … well, he's an ignorant fellow. He didn't ask me that question, only spending all his days drinking and searching for his heart while wasting his life away.

"I'll tell you the same answer. You have to have a clear mind."

Tian Xie Zi smiled faintly and pointed towards the entrance with his right hand.

"You must have been disappointed by the Berserker Vessels in the first layer of the chamber. You see them as broken and useless items. That is the same as the wine you drank from the gourd. You think it's water, but to me, it's wine.

"That's the same logic. To me, the items in the first layer of the chamber are things that I collected throughout my life. In my heart, they're the most precious enchanted Vessels in the world.

"You must also have been disappointed by all the skills belonging to Freezing Sky Clan stored in the second layer, because you couldn't tell what was within."

There was a ghost of a smile on Tian Xie Zi's lips as he looked at Su Ming.

Su Ming was silent. He did not speak.

"You still don't truly understand. What do Berserkers practice? We practice creation, and that means we aren't limited by anything. We rely on ourselves to create whatever it is that we want.

"Those so-called skills and abilities are just creations left behind by our ancestors. There are hundreds upon thousands of Berserkers in Freezing Sky Clan, and the powerful ones are as numerous as clouds, but are these people practicing the creation?

"Do they know the meaning of creation?

"My disciples don't need any skills or abilities. They only need to understand the rules of Creation lying in the world once they find the way to clear their mind!"

There seemed to be a strange glow on Tian Xie Zi's face. There was a sort of obstinacy with how he looked with that glow on his face.

However, Tian Xie Zi's obstinacy seemed almost like madness to Su Ming.

"Creation… This one word is what people desire and what they are searching for. But what is the true meaning of Creation? This is my question for you. Go think about it, understand it, and once you have your answer, come tell me."

That mysterious look was back on Tian Xie Zi's face. He stroked his beard and spoke languidly with the airs of a well learned sage.

"Can I take this map with me?"

Su Ming stood up quietly and carefully folded up the beast skin scroll before him.

"If you are my disciple, then you can take away one item from each layer," Tian Xie Zi said, smiling softly.

Su Ming put the beast skin away into his bosom, then looked at Tian Xie Zi and took a deep breath. He wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed towards him.

"Please receive the greeting from your disciple, Su Ming, Master."

Tian Xie Zi laughed boisterously and waved his arm. Immediately, wind blew past with a whistle and brought Su Ming out of the cave.

"Your senior brothers are a little odd, but you should get in touch with them. Go and search for a way to clear your mind. Trust me, you'll be able to find it."

Chapter 222: Third Senior Brother's Eccentricities

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Su Ming stood alone on the top of the ninth summit. Once he was taken out of the chamber by Tian Xie Zi, he was left alone on the spot. He had no idea where Tian Xie Zi went.

'Freezing Sky Clan's ninth summit… is it my home now?'

Su Ming looked at the white world lying before him in the distance, and a familiar yet strange feeling rose in his heart.

What was familiar was the snow, and what was strange was the land.

Snow danced in the air around him. When he looked at it, Su Ming lowered his head and walked down the plant covered stairs.

'Since I'm already here, then I might as well find a cave abode first.'

As Su Ming walked down, he looked around him, and all he saw were plants that could survive in the cold. They grew so densely that they covered most of the mountain.

'Our second senior brother is far too hardworking, which led him to believe that he could do better…'

The words of his third senior brother, Hu Zi, echoed in Su Ming's ears. He walked for a long time, and gradually began to understand what those words meant.

When night arrived and the world turned dark, Su Ming found a place that was not covered in plants in a certain part of the ninth summit's mountainside. The spot was a little further away from the stairs. There was a big stone protruding off the ground, and it formed a platform that was not too big.

When Su Ming stood on the platform and the moaning winter breeze blew past his ears, he lifted his right hand, and immediately, the center of his brows shone with a green light. The small virescent sword flew out and circled Su Ming several times before it charged towards the rock wall of the ninth summit next to him.

Banging sounds echoed in the air, and under the small sword's continuous barrage, Su Ming gradually opened up a simple cave abode in the rock wall. The ice stones on the wall were incredibly sturdy. Just trying to hew out a simple cave abode required a bit of an effort from Su Ming's part.

Only when the moon hung high in the sky was the cave abode finally finished. Su Ming put away the small sword and looked at the cave abode before him. It was so simple that it did not even have a door. He shook his head and went in.

There was only one room in his abode. Su Ming walked to the end and looked around. The walls of the cave gave off a chilling air, causing the entire abode to also be cold.

He sat down quietly and took out the beast skin map from his bosom. He lowered his head and looked at it for a moment before sighing softly.

'Power… Master is right. If I want to get out of the Land of South Morning, then I need great power.

'First, I need to find a method to clear my mind and understand the true meaning of 'Creation'.'

Su Ming put away the beast skin map and sat down on the ground with a contemplative look on his face.

Time trickled by. During his first night in Freezing Sky Clan's ninth summit and in the simple cave abode with the moaning winter wind as his companion, Su Ming spent most of the night mulling over Tian Xie Zi's words.

Besides the wind, Freezing Sky Clan was quiet at night. It was especially so on the ninth summit, because there were just too few people living there.

Moonlight scattered on the ground outside in a gentle manner, though the light gave the snow on the ground a biting cold air.

When it was almost daylight, Su Ming woke up from his meditation. He frowned. He was a little unclear on what exactly clearing his mind meant.

'Clearing my own mind? I should have already done it. My mind is already calm and cleared. But what's the use of it for my training..? What does Master mean by understanding it?'

Su Ming thought about it for a long time, but still found himself a little unclear about it. He lifted his head and looked at the dimly lit sky outside his abode before walking outside.

An unfamiliar land and an unfamiliar mountain. The moment Su Ming walked outside, cold wind blew against his face and brought some snow. He did not mind the cold brought by the snow.

The sky was dimly lit. The darkness around the area had mostly gone away and he could see the outline of the land. Su Ming walked forward without a direction and the snow he walked on made crunching sounds under his feet. Those sounds along with the rhythm at which they came gradually relaxed Su Ming's mind that had become confused form his inability to understand his Master's words.

'Clearing the mind… does he mean to train the mind?'

Su Ming felt as if he understood something.

He had no idea how much time had passed, but as he walked around, he suddenly stopped and a piercing and fierce look appeared in his eyes. However, he soon relaxed and looked forward with an odd expression.

He saw a person crouching before him behind a big stone. That person had a pot of wine in his hands. As he drank, he would stretch his head out from behind the big rock carefully and peak outwards.

From where Su Ming stood, he could only see that person's back. He could not see exactly what the person was so carefully peaking at from behind the rock.

"Third senior brother..?"

Su Ming's expression became even odder. He could not really understand what this man who kept referring to himself as Grandpa Hu was doing by crouching there.

"Shh…."

Third senior brother had clearly noticed Su Ming. He turned back and swiftly placed his index finger by his mouth and made faces at him. Once he signaled Su Ming to not make a sound, he beckoned him over.

Su Ming hesitated for a moment before he walked carefully towards him. When he saw that his third senior brother was being very cautious and even had a hint of nervousness on his face, Su Ming could not help but to keep his guard up. He even bent down and approached him slowly.

When he saw Su Ming's attitude, admiration appeared on the man's face. Once Su Ming was close, he grabbed his arm and pulled him behind himself before he whispered, "Don't speak. No matter what you see later, don't cause a ruckus, or else things will get troublesome."

This third senior brother of his had kept him company when Su Ming was traveling to the ninth summit, but he had never seen such an expression on the dense-looking man.

When Su Ming saw this, he could not help but be surprised. However, he also became serious because of his words and nodded his head.

"Aye, that's it. When I look over next time, you can peak with me. Remember this, don't cause a ruckus…"

Third senior brother licked his lips. As he warned Su Ming, he drank some more wine, then lifted his head and looked out of the edge of the mountain rock.

Su Ming also lifted his head and stole a glance over the edge of the mountain rock.

That one glance alone made the expression on his face became even more peculiar.

There was nothing behind the mountain rock. The entire place was filled with plants, and there was no sign of anyone being there. The place was silent.

Third senior brother's spirits were lifted up and he whispered quickly, "He's here!"

The moment those words were said, Su Ming immediately saw a person in white floating towards them like a ghost from the distance.

However, he was not really traveling very fast. Once he drifted to the spot filled with plants before them, he stopped. Judging by his looks, that person was Su Ming's second senior brother.

There was a cautious look on his face. Once he looked around to check his surroundings, he lowered his head and looked at the plants by his feet before crouching down and picking some of them. After that, he looked around once again before drifting away into the distance.

Su Ming was stunned.

He simply could not understand just what he needed to observe in this person. The cautious and stern look on Hu Zi's face made Su Ming feel that this was completely absurd.

Once their second senior brother left, Hu Zi relaxed and leaned against the stone with a wide grin on his face as he looked at Su Ming.

"So? Didn't that feel great?"

Su Ming was speechless. He looked at his third senior brother and found himself at a complete loss for words.

"Let me tell you, youngest junior brother. Do you know who is the smartest person on the ninth summit?"

There was a prideful look of third senior brother's face as he picked up the pot of wine and drank a huge mouthful. He even let out a drunken burp in the process.

Su Ming was silent and shook his head. He felt that he should not be here, or perhaps more accurately speaking, he should not even have come out of his cave abode.

"You don't? Well, that's to be expected. This is your first day on the mountain. Let me tell you, if we compare our powers, I can't win against our second senior brother, neither can I win against our eldest senior brother, much less the old man.

"But intelligence is another matter. Is there anyone else who is smarter than me on this mountain? None!"

Third senior brother's expression became even more prideful.

Su Ming continued staying silent. He looked at the man before him and had no idea just how he came to this conclusion.

"You're shocked, right? Let me tell you, your Grandpa Hu is the smartest person because I like to think," third senior brother whispered to him with a pleased look.

"Not only do I like thinking, I also like observing things. It's not just the ninth summit, I also have other targets of observation on the other mountains.

"I think, I observe, that's why I keep getting smarter!

"What did you see just now? You saw our second senior brother, right? Let me tell you. What you saw was our second senior brother, but also not our second senior brother. Haha, our second senior brother is constantly paranoid and keeps saying that someone is stealing his plants at night. He even suspects that I'm the one stealing those plants, but I'm not going to tell him that I see him stealing his own plants at night every single time."

The pleased look on third senior brother's face grew clearer as he whispered to Su Ming.

Su Ming felt his head hurt. He rubbed the center of his brows, and just as he was about to stand up and leave…

"Our senior second brother has gone mad with farming. The him you see at night and the him you see in the morning are different people. Isn't it tiring? He goes to plant stuff in the morning, and then he goes and steals at night, and he's always looking for the thief, which also happens to be him. I'm not going to tell him, though."

Third senior brother grinned and took a big swig from his wine pot.

Su Ming smiled wryly as he looked at him.

He finally understood just what was his third senior brother's strange habit. That eccentricity of his was not his love to drink wine, but it was his love to observe and think.

"The wine's a little cold now. I've been here for too long, and now the wine's not nice anymore," third senior brother mumbled and stood up, then swept his gaze over Su Ming.

"Youngest junior brother, your senior brother Hu is happy today, so what do you say if I bring you to see our eldest senior brother? Our senior brother is a weird person. Isn't he silly? He's constantly in isolation just like a turtle. Isn't that tiring? He should live his life like me. He needs to think more, observe more, drink more, and dream more…

"But I heard from the old man when he borrowed wine from me that our eldest senior brother is different from us. He's real lucky, you know. He was the first to follow the old man, and I heard that he got himself some real skills. I heard that it's the most mysterious skill from Freezing Sky Clan," third senior brother mumbled drunkenly, pouting.

Su Ming was just about to leave when he heard the man's words. His heart jumped suddenly and a brilliant light appeared in his eyes. He had a feeling that he had caught onto something from his third senior brother's words, and his feet stopped moving once again.

He lowered his head and looked at his third senior brother looking at him with a drunken look and a foolish grin. Slowly, he found himself unable to tell whether this person was truly drunk, or that he was just telling him all of it on purpose.

"Are you coming? If you're not, then I'll go by myself."

Third senior brother rubbed his eyes and yawned.

Chapter 223: Epiphany

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"I'll go!"

Su Ming nodded his head.

His third senior brother's spirits were immediately lifted and he picked up the gourd from the ground before lifting his head to look at the sky. As he mumbled some words that Su Ming could not hear, he lifted his hand and made a few signs with his hand as if he was scheming something.

After a moment, a silly grin appeared on his face.

"That's great. You're real lucky. We can see our eldest senior brother today. Come, follow me closely."

As third senior brother spoke, he charged into the distance. Su Ming did not say anything but simply followed behind him, looking at his third senior brother's back. He gradually found himself unable to understand this person.

Su Ming ran behind Hu Zi through the mountains, and before long, as the sun started rising in the sky, they saw a rather broken mountain rock. He could see a low cave over there, and most of the entrance was blocked by a big rock, causing a large amount of sunlight to be blocked off the cave even if it was already daylight.

Su Ming hesitated for a moment before he asked, "Eldest senior brother isolated himself here?"

"There's no way our eldest senior brother would enjoy his life this way. This is your senior brother Hu's cave abode. So? It looks grand, right? Wait here, I'll get me some wine."

While speaking, he bowed his top half and entered through the low cave entrance. Su Ming stood stunned outside for a moment, beginning to feel doubtful about his previous speculation.

Very soon, his third senior brother walked out. Some wine spilled out from the wine pot in his hands. It was clear that he had just refilled it, and there was an excited look on his face as he held the giant gourd in his hands.

"Let's go. We have to hurry, or else it'll be too late."

As he spoke, third senior brother dashed forward. Su Ming hesitated for a moment before following behind him. The both of them ran to the bottom of the mountain.

After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick to burn, Hu Zi brought Su Ming to the bottom of the mountain. With a few twists and turns, they moved to a crack in the mountain. The moment they stepped into the crack, Su Ming immediately sensed a chilling air blow against his face.

He looked at his third senior brother's actions. It was clear that he was incredibly familiar with this place. They walked for half a day in that crack and gradually moved deeper underground. During the entire process, there were times where they seemed to have reached the end because Su Ming could no longer see any road leading forward, but the moment Hu Zi took another turn, a new path would appear before them.

They took many turns in the ice layer, and when Su Ming started feeling dizzy, his third senior brother came to a halt before him and brought him to an ice basin that was moderate in size.

When he looked over, the basin seemed like a gigantic hole lying before him. It was dark inside it, and freezing air spread out from within. There were also numerous icicles hanging from the top of the basin that exuded a biting cold presence.

"We're here. Our eldest senior brother is down there, but it's too deep, so we can't go in. We can only look from here."

Third senior brother turned around and looked at Su Ming before pointing towards the basin before them.

Su Ming took a few steps forward and looked down the basin. He could not see the end with his current level of cultivation and sight.

His third senior brother placed the gourd in his hand on the ground and stood beside him. He lifted his right hand and started counting on his fingers, looking as if he was counting time.

"There's still the time of half an incense stick left. Youngest junior brother, you'll have to wait a bit…"

Yet before he finished speaking, a low roar suddenly came from within the basin. That roar was so loud that the ice around the basin started trembling viciously.

Su Ming's expression changed. He could clearly feel a strong wave of heat that did not belong to the ice suddenly erupting forth. He instantly took a few steps back. The heat crashed into the two like an explosion, and a wave of hot air surged forth explosively from underneath the basin.

That wave of hot air gave people a sense of scorching heat that would even burn their bodies. Yet strangely, the basin and the ice around it was only melting slowly under that wave of heat. When this sight that obviously defied logic appeared before Su Ming, he felt shaken, and he took a deep breath.

"Darn it! Our eldest senior brother's exhalation was brought forward! Eldest senior brother, Hu Zi is here, I even brought our youngest junior brother, he was just taken in by the old man! On behalf of our youngest junior brother, how about you help me warm up my wine?

"Let me warn you, eldest senior brother, if you break my wine gourd again and embarrass me before our youngest junior brother, then I'll never come see you again."

While he spoke, third senior brother quickly threw the wine gourd into the basin. The wine gourd did not fall but instead floated in midair until the heat that erupted from within the basin rushed out and crashed into it.

However, cracking sounds rang out in the air. Cracks immediately appeared on the wine gourd. Some of the wine even spilled from them and fell into the basin.

"Eldest senior brother!"

Hu Zi let out a shrill cry and he was so shocked his expression even changed.

A cold harrumph came from within the basin, and a thin layer of ice immediately covered the cracks on the wine gourd, causing the wine that was spilling from the gourd to stop flowing out.

At the same time, a wave of heat spread out from within the unsealed gourd. A thick alcoholic fragrance filled the air in the area, causing the people who took a breath of the air to feel warm.

The surface of the gourd was covered by a layer of ice while the wine in the gourd boiled, and a large part of it turned into alcoholic steam.

"That's enough, eldest senior brother! That's enough!"

Hu Zi's expression changed really quickly. Just a breath ago, he had a wretched look on his face, and now he was already smiling happily.

"Third… don't do this again… Every single time you leave, I have to change the outline of the path outside, but you always manage to get in either way…"

The wine gourd covered in ice floated towards Hu Zi and landed before him. At the same time, a voice that carried a hint of resignation traveled out from within the basin.

That voice was very gentle, but the moment it landed in Su Ming's ears, he first felt a chill run down his spine, and that chill soon turned into warmth that spread through his entire body.

"You're the only one who can come up with the idea of using the Origin Breath I refined after much difficulty to warm your wine… Hah… just remember to deliver half of that pot to Master, or else I won't warm your wine again!"

The resigned tone in that voice made Su Ming think that his third senior brother had gone overboard.

"Eldest senior brother, don't worry. I'll definitely send half a pot to the old man. Haha!"

Hu Zi's face was alit with excitement. He quickly picked up the wine gourd and took a sniff of the alcoholic fragrance coming from within. An intoxicated look appeared on his face.

"Fourth, you just came to the mountain. It's a pity that I can't come out of isolation just yet. I can only do so after a few years. How about this? I'll give this to you. Use it to protect yourself."

The gentle voice traveled forth once again, and a blue piece of ice abruptly flew out of the basin. It charged towards Su Ming and floated before him.

The blue ball of fire sealed in the blue ice gave it a bewitching presence.

"Thank you, eldest senior brother."

Su Ming quickly wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed before he put away the blue piece of ice. Just by the look of it, he could tell that this was something extraordinary.

Hu Zi picked up his wine gourd and dragged Su Ming a few steps back before he shouted towards the basin, "Eldest senior brother, you should hurry back to your training. I already made calculations. You'll be exhaling that Origin Breath of yours 43 days later. When that time comes, I'll come find you again. We won't bother you anymore. Eldest senior brother, good luck!"

The heat spreading from the basin clearly halted for a brief moment, and a resigned sigh reached them from within the basin.

"Don't always work on getting drunk. Remember what the Master told you before. While getting drunk is the method you found to clear your mind, this is just a process. What's important is the dream you have after you're drunk…"

The gentle voice echoed in the air.

"I know, I know. We're leaving now."

Hu Zi quickly left, but Su Ming's footsteps faltered. He looked towards the hot air spreading out from within the basin.

"Eldest senior brother, what is the skill you're practicing? Is it truly one of the skills taken from our Master's second layer in the chamber? Did you see the Arts and abilities written on the jades?"

There was a short period of silence from within the basin before the gentle voice came once again.

"You can't see what I see… because what I desire the most are skills."

His eldest senior brother's voice vibrated in the air, just like how Su Ming's heart was shaking at that moment. When he was eventually dragged out of his eldest senior brother's isolation grounds by Hu Zi and arrived at the bottom of the ninth summit, he felt his mind going into such turmoil it felt as if there were waves crashing in his mind.

He did not know how he left the place. In the shaken state he was in, he parted ways with his third senior brother and returned to his cave abode. He sat down cross-legged on the platform and looked at the world in the distance. However, what he saw was no longer important. He could not calm down. Nothing he saw could calm him down.

'Because my eldest senior brother desired skills, that's why when he saw the jades in the second layer, they were real to him… He got the skill he wanted and isolated himself to train and make himself stronger.

'And I wanted the map the most, that's why the Berserker Vessels in the first layer, the skills in the second layer, and even the ancient scrolls in the third layer were fake. The map was the only thing I could see…

'My eldest senior brother isolated himself to clear his mind and understand the meaning of Creation… perhaps the skill he obtained was just a part of it. To bring into being is the true meaning of Creation.

'I wonder what my second senior brother obtained from Master's chamber… He chose to plant those plants because if he planted them on his own, that's also a form of bringing something into being… He's bringing life into being and using this method to train his mind and to understand this…

'As for my third senior brother, he enters sleep after he's drunk. Getting drunk is the process, and he dreams when he falls asleep. That is a start of him training his mind… Dreaming can also mean creating dreams…'

Su Ming understood now.

He shuddered. At that moment, he saw the world lighting up in the distance. The sun was rising in the horizon. The sun was lighting up the land with an indescribable, shocking presence. The wind was traveling at a moderate speed and lifted Su Ming's hair. The sunlight cast him under a few different shades of colors.

Su Ming slowly turned his head and looked towards the top of the mountain that was now illuminated by sunlight. He could vaguely see an old person standing there. That person was looking at the sun rising in the horizon as his clothes fluttered in the wind.

"Master…" Su Ming mumbled.

The words Tian Xie Zi had told him that day appeared in Su Ming's mind once again, "If you accept me as your Master, then you'll understand someday that Freezing Sky Clan is nothing!"

Su Ming closed his eyes and immersed himself in his own understanding of the words.

Time passed by slowly. One day, two days, three days…

As the sun rose and set, Su Ming sat on the platform and remained unmoving in the midst of the wind and snow.

Chapter 224: The Person who Came in the Snowstorm

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Su Ming lost his sense of time in that rather unfamiliar state. He had his eyes closed, and he looked as if he had lost his soul. His soul seemed to have left his body and fused together with the world.

In his world, there was neither the sky nor the earth. There was only chaos that enveloped his mind like a thick layer of fog, causing him to be unable to see clearly, but his heart was still calm, so calm that even his heartbeat was beginning to grow faint.

Snow fell on his hair and his clothes. The snow gradually accumulated on him, causing Su Ming to look like a snowman from afar.

Four days, five days, six days…

The sun rose and set numerous times. Sunlight and moonlight fell on Su Ming's body alternatively and reflected off different shades of light on his body. Nonetheless, he still remained still and unmoving.

Su Ming did not know about this, but at that moment, at the top of the ninth summit, the person he'd seen before he entered this state had not left.

Tian Xie Zi stood on the peak silently. He had been watching Su Ming sitting there from the very start, had been going through the past few days along with him, and he would continue staying there.

As his Master, he would only leave when Su Ming woke up.

He knew that this state was an incredibly important process of life and metamorphosis for this particular disciple of his. This was a process that would grant him epiphany.

Tian Xie Zi looked at Su Ming in the distance as he mumbled under his breath, "All my disciples would experience their first epiphany at different points of time once they came under me…"

When his first disciple experienced his epiphany, he watched.

When his second disciple experienced his epiphany, he watched.

He still watched on the peak quietly when his third disciple experienced his epiphany.

Right now, he was standing on the mountain just like the previous three times he had done so. He watched Su Ming gain his epiphany. During this process, he would not allow anyone to disturb his students. He was their Master. He had to stretch out his arms and protect them with his body when they were weak.

"I look forward to what sort of method will dawn on you and allow you to clear your mind…"

A kind smile appeared on Tian Xie Zi's face. In that smile was expectation.

He would never forget the sight of this disciple of his crying when he saw the beast skin map in the chamber a few days ago…

Just like how when he took in his first, second, and third disciples, the moment Su Ming called him his Master, he treated Su Ming as his disciple. There was no need for him to acknowledge Su Ming as his disciple overtime. Sometimes, people only needed that one particular feeling at that one particular moment to familiarize themselves with each other.

Tian Xie Zi continued watching…

Su Ming's third senior brother who loved calling himself Grandpa Hu lay in his cave on the ninth summit with his wine gourd in his hand, drinking from it. He was already drunk. However, the state of drunkenness he was in for the past few days made it difficult for him to fall asleep.

He would occasionally lift his head and look towards a particular direction. His line of sight might have been blocked by the stone wall of his cave, but if the wall was not there, then he would be able to see Su Ming sitting on that platform in the direction he looked.

"My life is so difficult… but there's no help to it, he's my youngest junior brother. There's no way around it… but at least when I go out and fight next time, I'll have someone helping me. Not bad, not bad at all…" The third senior brother mumbled under his breath and grinned widely in a highly pleased manner.

"Hmph, at least I'm smart. Youngest junior brother gained an understanding from my unwitting guidance. Let's see what sort of method he'll figure out… No good. What if he reaches an epiphany like eldest senior brother and isolates himself just like him? Then I'll just be lonely again!

"What if he comes to a realization and obtains the same weird habit as second senior brother and falls in love with planting stuff… That won't do either… Drinking. It'll be best if he comes to reach an epiphany where he needs to drink, then he can drink with me."

The man scratched his head and anxiety appeared on his face.

At that moment, there was a person who was crouching down among a large field of plants on the ninth summit. He was digging through the iced earth and planting some seeds in the ground.

The man was wearing a white shirt. He had a handsome face and his eyes were bright. There was a smile on his face. He would occasionally lift his head and look towards where Su Ming was sitting. When he did so, his smile would widen.

"Youngest junior brother, good luck. Whether or not you can become part of the ninth summit depends on whether you can reach an epiphany…"

That man was Su Ming's second senior brother. He did not go to sleep even though it was already daylight. In fact, he had not gone to sleep for the past few days, but would instead occasionally cast his eyes to where Su Ming was as he took care of his plants, an act that was out of ordinary for him.

At the bottom of the ninth summit was a crack in the ice that led to the bottom of the mountain. It was Su Ming's eldest senior brother's isolation grounds. He was also looking in the same direction with a kind look in his eyes, as if he could see Su Ming. There was also eagerness in his gaze.

Su Ming was sitting silently on the platform. There was still a layer of fog in his world. He could not see anything, only the fog surrounding him. He had no idea how long it had been. It might have just been several breaths, it might have been several days, or even much longer.

He did not think about that in depth. He only kept his gaze fixed on the fog.

He could see the vague shape of a person in that fog. That person seemed to be sitting cross-legged. Cold air gradually gathered around that person, but there was also a presence of heat within that cold air.

This was how Su Ming felt about his eldest senior brother in his mind.

"With isolation, he could lock his body in a meditative state and focus his mind, which will lead to clearing his mind… By understanding the skill given to him, he could create his own path… This is my eldest senior brother," Su Ming mumbled. This was what he understood about his eldest senior brother.

"I can achieve this state as well… but if I choose this path because I saw it, then it's not creation… I'll just be walking on someone else's path. I'll be walking in my eldest senior brother's shadow."

Su Ming was silent for a long time before he shook his head slowly.

Slowly but surely, right before his eyes, another picture appeared in the fog in his world. However, only Su Ming could see that picture. If anyone else was in his world right then and looked at the fog, they would only see fog. They would not be able to see anything else.

It might look like fog, but in truth, those were Su Ming's thoughts.

Within the new picture, Su Ming saw his second senior brother. He saw the plants on the ninth summit, and saw a power that created life.

"By allowing the flowers to grow to the peak of perfection, he could reach the peak of perfection of his mind. The lives of these plants were given by the world, but through the second senior brother's hands, this also becomes a type of creation…

"Second senior brother seems to turn into another person at night and takes away the plants he creates… That's because since he was the one who gave life to the plants, he can also… destroy them with his hands…"

Su Ming trembled. In his state of reaching epiphany, he suddenly understood some of his second senior brother's actions.

His thoughts might not be correct, but it was what Su Ming understood.

"This sort of creation has reached an incredibly profound state… Second senior brother…" Su Ming mumbled. He fell silent for a moment, but still chose to shake his head again.

"This path still isn't suitable for me to answer Master's question on what is Creation…"

Su Ming looked at the fog. In truth, he already had an answer for Tian Xie Zi's question. However, he could only keep the answer in his heart. He could not say it out loud. If he did, then it would be wrong.

"Eldest senior brother's answer should be… I am Creation."

"Second senior brother's answer should be the same."

"Perhaps the words are slightly different for third senior brother, but the meaning should be the same… They can answer it this way because they found the way to clear their minds and find their own Creation."

"I can't say it, because I haven't found the answer. If I imitate second senior brother's path, then I'll never be able to say this… Unless I find my own path."

Su Ming shook his head.

The fog before him changed once again. This time, in the picture that no one else could see, he saw his third senior brother. He had a drunken look in his eyes as he drank wine and lay on the ground. There was a foolish smile on his lips, and drool flowed out from the corner of his mouth. Su Ming could hear faint snores.

He was dreaming about a world that made him happy. In that world, there were countless people drinking wine with him, and there were also countless people who were waiting for him to go and hit them…

His happy expression made Su Ming snicker uncontrollably.

He could already imagine that his third senior brother gained his epiphany the easiest and his epiphany was the simplest. In fact, there was a high possibility that his third senior brother did not have any sort of epiphany. It was just that when he fell asleep once he was drunk, he dreamed, and from then onwards, he naturally found the way to clear his mind.

"If someday, third senior brother's dreams could become true, then his achievements will not be any less than second senior brother's… As for eldest senior brother… I still don't really understand his path."

Su Ming eventually chose to shake his head once again.

He would not walk on his third senior brother's path either.

"I wonder what was Master's epiphany..?"

Su Ming had no clue, but he did not think about it either. Gradually, the fog before him started changing drastically. Its change was a projection of Su Ming's thoughts.

He was thinking about his own epiphany and his own method to clear his mind.

Days passed by. Very soon, it was already the 27th day since Su Ming sat down on the platform.

During the 27 days, sometimes snow would fall from the sky, but the volume was light. Yet even so, the snow still made Su Ming look as if his body had fused together with the snowstorm beside him.

Once 27 days passed by and the morning of the 28th day arrived, the morning sun was accompanied by a great blizzard.

Blizzards were not uncommon in Freezing Sky Clan, there would be blizzards once every few days. As of then, as a blizzard raged in the land, and moaning, cold wind whistled through the sky, lifting up a large amount of snow in a seeming attempt to cover the entire world, the blizzard looked like a large, ancient beast that had its claws lifted then slammed them on the ground.

As the blizzard raged in the air, a person walked towards the bottom of the ninth summit from the distance. That person wore a thick bamboo hat and a straw cape that covered his entire body. A shocking presence spread out faintly from within his body as he walked in the blizzard, causing the snow and wind to seem afraid of coming close to him. They rolled back from his body, causing him to look like an earth dragon coming closer to the place.

"Su Ming…"

That person's voice was freezing cold and he spoke with a ghastly tone under the ninth summit.

Chapter 225: The Hands of Creation

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"There're a lot of rumors regarding Freezing Sky Clan's ninth summit. Since I'm here today, I might as well see whether those rumors are true…" the person wearing the bamboo hat said with a cold sneer at the foot of the ninth summit.

"I don't understand just how this unassuming Su Ming could make senior brother Si Ma pay so much heed to him. He even sent me a long distance letter and used that one favor I owe him to make me come here and take away something from him."

The moment the person took a step up the ninth summit through the blizzard, his entire body seemed to have blended together with the snow. The blizzard in the sky suddenly turned into a human face and let out a low, savage growl at the ninth summit. That growl became the wind the lifted up the snow.

The moment the person stepped on the mountain, the entire ninth summit seemed to tremble.

Su Ming's third senior brother who was drinking in his cave opened his eyes, surprised. He quickly took a few steps forward and bent his body down to exit his cave abode before looking down the mountain.

"That's Zi Che from the second summit. He's placed ninth on the ranking board among the disciples on the Great Frozen Plains in Freezing Sky Clan! Why did he appear on the ninth summit? Could it be to fight me? But I didn't offend him."

Hu Zi was momentarily stunned. He scratched his head.

In the midst of his surprise, his expression suddenly changed, because at that moment, Zi Che, who was dressed in a straw cape and bamboo hat, took his second step since up the ninth summit.

The instant his foot fell, his body suddenly appeared before Hu Zi. His appearance was so sudden it looked as if he had just forced his way through. The moment he stood a few hundred feet before Hu Zi, a monstrous presence erupted forth with a bang. That presence made Hu Zi quickly take a few dozen steps backwards. The wine gourd in his hand also shattered with a bang.

"Trash!"

Zi Che's face could not be seen under the straw cape and bamboo hat, but a chilling glint appeared in his eyes, and the shocking presence caused the ice around him to show signs of cracking. It was especially so for the land behind him. The savage human face that was formed from the blizzard let out a roar, and more snow gathered in the sky, as if it wanted to bury the entire ninth summit underneath.

Zi Che cast Hu Zi a cold glare and took his third step.

The moment he took the third step, he disappeared from Hu Zi's sight. Because he had left, he did not see that Hu Zi was staring at the shattered wine gourd on the ground at that moment. Red filled his sight and viciousness appeared in his eyes.

"How dare you break your Grandpa Hu's gourd!"

Hu Zi lifted his head swiftly and let out a loud shout towards the sky. He turned into a long arc and charged towards Zi Che, who was leaving.

At that moment, two people were running out of the seventh summit towards the ninth summit. The two of them were women and pleasing to the eye.

One of them was Han Cang Zi. There was worry on her face as she ran at full speed towards the ninth summit.

The woman beside her wore a yellow robe. Her petite, oval shaped face gave her an elegant and beautiful air. It was a strikingly similar look to how Han Cang Zi usually looked like.

There was a lazy expression on her face. When she saw just how nervous and worried Han Cang Zi was, she teased her, "Junior sister Fang, just what sort of person is this Su Ming for you to pay so much attention to him? Could it be…"

The woman's voice was very attractive. She chuckled after her own words.

"Junior sister, this isn't the time for this!"

Han Cang Zi travelled incredibly quickly, charging towards the ninth summit.

"Alright alright, I won't say anything more. Don't worry, Zi Che may be wild, but he's not a bad person. I'll just ask him not to cause trouble to Su Ming."

"He's your younger brother, of course you'll be siding with him."

There was a hint of a complaint in Han Cang Zi's words. The woman behind her smiled, but did not mind. She simply continued trying to soothe Han Cang Zi with a gentle voice.

They gradually got closer to the ninth summit as they spoke. However, right at the moment they got closer, they clearly felt the power of a blizzard charging towards them and forcing them to slow down.

At that moment, both of them also saw the savage human face formed by the blizzard, which was previously obscured from their sight by the ninth summit. The face was howling at the ninth summit.

Han Cang Zi's expression immediately changed. The woman beside her also turned grave.

"He activated the Art for his Berserker Mark!"

The woman took a step forward and charged towards the ninth summit in the face of the blizzard. Han Cang Zi bit her bottom lip and followed behind her with worry.

On the ninth summit, Zi Che, who was dressed in a straw cape and a bamboo hat, arrived 300 feet away from where Su Ming sat the moment with his third step. He stood there with a cold and detached expression as his gaze fell on Su Ming's body.

"Just another piece of trash. The ninth summit is not as spoken in the rumors!" Zi Che said coldly and lifted his right hand.

But just as he was about to point towards Su Ming…

At that moment, Su Ming was completely unaware of what was happening outside. He was immersed in his own world. The fog he saw was currently raging and tumbling furiously. He thought he saw a faint shadow of something within.

A feeling akin to epiphany gradually formed in his heart.

"Just let me see a little clearer…" he mumbled. He had a strong feeling that if he could just see clearly, then he would be able to find the answer, and he would obtain the right to answer just what was the meaning of Creation.

As Zi Che lifted his right hand in the world outside Su Ming's mind, the world let out a loud rumble around the platform Su Ming had seated himself. The giant blizzard that had turned into the savage human face appeared in the air just to Su Ming's side, and it was approaching quickly. The giant blizzard brought with it an earth shaking presence that did not just intend to bury Su Ming underneath, but also the entire ninth summit!

That sight even created a false impression that this blizzard was a work of nature, not due to a person using a mystical ability.

Zi Che did not intend to let Su Ming live. If he had not joined the ninth summit, but joined any other summit and became a true Freezing Sky Clan disciple, then Zi Che would find his hands tied. After all, they would belong to the same school, and the rules within the school were very strict, and it would be difficult for him to act in the day like this.

Yet Su Ming entered the ninth summit, the ninth summit that belonged to Freezing Sky Clan, but at the same time not. The disciples here did not have to follow the rules set by Freezing Sky Clan, but because of that they were also not protected by the rules of the school. That was why Zi Che thought about killing Su Ming without even a word and subsequently throwing his corpse to Si Ma Xin, who was rushing back to Freezing Sky Clan.

To him, the man who always referred to himself as Grandpa Hu was trash. There was no need for him to be careful of him. As for the person who loved planting things, he was a very effeminate and weak person to Zi Che.

Even the eldest senior brother of the ninth summit was just a coward who loved isolating himself. Zi Che had heard about him before. When disciples from other summits came to teach that trash Hu Zi a lesson, his other two senior brothers did not act at all. The trash who loved planting stuff would especially pretend to be asleep to avoid trouble and let his junior brother fend for himself.

In fact, there was even one time when he saw such a thing happen when he was passing by the ninth summit. At that time, he was filled with disdain and contempt towards the ninth summit.

The only person he was wary of was the old man – Tian Xie Zi!

However, he had already made preparations before he came to this place. He was the second summit's prodigy and his Master placed high value on him. In his mind, if Tian Xie Zi attacked him without care for their differences in status, then his Master would definitely not stand by and watch.

With all these preparations, he was certain that nothing could go wrong. He lifted his right hand and readied himself to point at Su Ming so that the human face in the blizzard could swallow him up and let him achieve his goal for coming back this time.

Yet at the very moment he was about to swing his right hand down, a gentle voice traveled forth from behind him. That voice was very serene, as if the speaker was talking to a friend, and there was no hint of any anger in it.

"Brother, you're stepping on my flowers… That's… not good."

At the very moment that voice came, Zi Che shuddered. A serious look appeared in his eyes, which were covered by the bamboo hat. With his current power, if anyone appeared around him, he would notice them immediately. This sort of thing, where a person appeared beside him and he did not notice, should only be possible for Tian Xie Zi alone on the ninth summit. Yet the person's manner of speech made it clear that he was not Tian Xie Zi.

"There's only ice under my feet. There aren't any plants."

Zi Che let out a cold harrumph. He did not turn back, but he did not try pointing towards Su Ming with his right hand either.

"Look again."

The gentle voice got closer to him, and a handsome man in white gradually approached Zi Che from behind. There was a smile on his lips and his face was kind. He walked to Zi Che's side, went past him, then stood… before the sitting Su Ming.

Zi Che was silent. He did not lower his head, but he could clearly feel green grass and flowers growing under him when the man walked past, and he… was stepping on them.

Shock rose from the bottom of his heart. He looked at the gentle looking man before him. He'd seen this person before and knew that he was the second disciple in the ninth summit.

Yet he never expected that the person who he thought was trash would… make him feel shaken.

A sense of danger, something that was rarely felt by him, surged forth abruptly in his body.

Zi Che was silent, but after a moment, he let out a cold harrumph and took a swift and huge step forward with his right foot. With his lifted right hand, he also pointed towards the man blocking him from Su Ming without any hesitation.

Yet the very instant he pointed with his right hand, the bamboo hat on his head shattered abruptly and turned into an innumerable amount of pieces that tumbled backwards, revealing a long haired man who looked to be in his thirties.

The straw cape he wore also burst apart with a bang and turned into smithereens, revealing the black robe he wore underneath. A mouthful of blood spilled out from Zi Che's mouth and he started trembling viciously. An intimidating pressure that shocked him spread out from the smiling man standing before him like the winds in spring. No one else could feel that pressure. In fact, from Zi Che's perspective, this might not even be pressure.

This was a type of stress formed by a gaze and also a temperament that created an indescribable but still spine chilling terror within him.

The source of that terror came from the hands of the man standing before him!

Those ordinary hands, those hands that were not lifted but placed by his sides, touching his sleeves, seemed to hold the keys to his life and death!

Those were the hands of Creation!

Chapter 226: Understood

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Zi Che shuddered and shock appeared on his face. He turned pale instantly and instinctively staggered a few steps back. Once he coughed out a mouthful of blood, he quickly retreated and rose into the air to leave the mountain immediately.

His heart pounded and raced against his chest. Terror had replaced all his thoughts. He had never expected that such a frightening person would exist on ninth summit of Freezing Sky Clan.

Those terrifying hands, those hands that seemed to control life itself, those hands that made him feel shaken to the core and made him injure himself badly the moment he made a move.

"He left just like that..?"

Su Ming's second senior brother continued smiling as he looked at Zi Che. His smile was gentle and no hint of anger or happiness could be found beneath it. Yet the moment he spoke, all the plants in the ninth summit shuddered at the same time.

"I didn't act last time because you didn't touch the ninth summit's bottom line. It doesn't really matter that Hu Zi gets hit. He's built tough, he'll get better if he just takes a nap after getting hit."

Su Ming's second senior brother spoke with a smile, and as he did so, the plants in the ninth summit trembled. A shocking presence erupted forth. There was an endless amount of life force within that presence, and it came simultaneously from all the plants in the mountain.

Zi Che's expression changed drastically. As he ran, he groaned in his heart. All the other people from the ninth summit may be trash, but the man before him was not!

He was as terrifying as a monster!

"With just a breath, he drew out the force of all the plants… This is… This isn't a normal Berserker Art… This is…"

Zi Che sucked in a sharp breath, and as he retreated, the giant human face formed by the blizzard behind him gathered together and let out a faint growl towards the second senior brother.

"But this time, you spoiled a lot of my plants, broke Hu Zi's gourd, and even came to hurt my youngest junior brother. These… aren't good…"

Second senior brother sighed softly. The moment he said 'not good', all the plants in the ninth summit floated into the air and with an indescribable speed, they covered the sky and earth before charging towards Zi Che.

Zi Che was in shock. The snow human face behind him immediately surrounded him, attempting to fight back as they retreated, but the moment the snow face touched the innumerable plants, it exploded with a loud bang.

It exploded and the world rumbled, turning into mountains of snow that fell down. At the same moment, Zi Che, who was wrapped inside the face, coughed out once again. His face immediately turned pale, and before he could retreat once more, the plants charged straight towards him and instantly surrounded him. Some of them even crept into his body, causing Zi Che to look like a person made of plants.

He trembled, and when he fell face down, he was wrapped by the plants and pulled back to the ninth summit.

"I won't kill you. I'll punish you instead to repair my third senior brother's gourd at the ninth summit, then to help me check who is stealing my plants at night. Listen to the other people in the mountain during the other times, like making sure my youngest junior brother is safe when he leaves the mountain.

Second senior brother retained his gentle demeanor as he smiled and explained. "Do this for three years."

At that moment, Hu Zi let out a loud roar and stormed out of the cave. He grabbed the plant covered but not unconscious Zi Che and lifted him up with a ferocious smile.

"You jerk! How dare you break your Grandpa Hu's gourd?! Just you wait, just you wait and see how I'll deal with you. D*mn you, I'll drag you into my dreams."

There was anger in Zi Che's eyes, but he had already lost all his strength. When he was lifted by Hu Zi, who he had deemed as trash previously, a feeling of humiliation spread through his entire body.

At that moment, two long arcs arrived from the sky, before they revealed Han Cang Zi and her companion within. The two of them stood in midair and were stunned for a moment.

"We have guests. Are you here to visit my youngest junior brother?"

Second senior brother looked at the two beautiful women in the sky with an even gentler smile on his face.

Fang Cang Lan remained stunned for another moment before she quickly bowed towards second senior brother. "Greetings… second senior brother."

The woman beside her had a steely expression on her face. She glared at the gentle looking second senior brother standing beside Su Ming, then looked at Zi Che who was being dragged into the distance by Hu Zi, but she did not say a word.

"We seldom see such pretty ladies on the ninth summit. Looks like my youngest junior brother has a lot of luck with ladies… but you came at a bad time. He's currently training. Why don't you stay here and help me take care of him?"

Second senior brother winked and laughed.

With that one laugh, Fang Cang Lan immediately blushed.

"It's not what it looks like, it's…" she quickly explained.

At that moment, the woman with the oval shaped face glared at second senior brother. With a cold harrumph, she turned around and walked away.

Fang Cang Lan hesitated for a moment, looked at Su Ming, who had his eyes closed and was meditating, then at her clearly livid senior sister, and then shot an apologetic look to second senior brother.

"Since Su Ming isn't in danger, then… then… I'll be leaving first. Second senior brother, when he wakes up, please tell him…"

As Fang Cang Lan spoke, she saw the teasing look on second senior brother's face and blushed again. She quickly made her leave and went after her senior sister as if she was chasing something.

Second senior brother looked at the two leaving figures and shook his head before looking at Su Ming again. Just when he was about to feel moved, he suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked towards the sky in the distance once again.

There was an old man wearing a purple-red long robe walking forward with a calm expression on his face in the sky in the distance. He was alone, but as he got closer, the wind around him froze. An intimidating presence spread out and covered every inch of the plants and the ice on the ninth summit.

"Urgh… I knew it. Once I hit the young one, the old one immediately popped out. Master, I can't deal with this one, you'll have to do it."

Second senior brother smiled and sat beside Su Ming.

"Youngest junior brother, how is that you already offended others when you just came..? Hmm? Are you waking up already?!"

There was a puzzled look on second senior brother's face when he looked towards Su Ming, but he suddenly smiled, and there was eagerness hidden within that smile.

"I wonder what method you found to clear your mind…" second senior brother mumbled.

Beside him, wisps of fog seeped out of Su Ming's pores and gradually spread around him. The fog tumbled around in an illusionary state before it gradually took form.

In Su Ming's mind, the fog that covered the world he saw was thinning out, causing his sight to no longer be obscured and allowing him to see the world behind the fog.

No, it wasn't a world he saw—it was a painting. The painting was slowly filled with mountains, water, grass, trees, and people.

Gradually, a sort of epiphany formed within his mind…

"My answer is that I will bring things into being myself. I… am Creation…" Su Ming mumbled.

He understood it.

In the sky of the physical world was the old man in the purple-red long robe calmly getting closer. He stood in the air beyond the ninth summit. There was no sign of any emotion in his eyes as he stood there and stared at Tian Xie Zi standing at the top of the ninth summit.

"Tian Xie Zi, let go of my disciple."

The purple-red robed man's low and deep voice reverberated in the sky.

Chapter 227: Insolent Brat!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"That's uncle master to you!

"What an insolent brat. Didn't your Master tell you about my status? Besides those old folks in the sky, who else has a higher status than me in Freezing Sky Clan? Even the head preceptor has to call me his uncle master. You're of the same seniority as the head preceptor, don't you know how to address me?

"Boy, let me just point out which rules you broke by offending your seniors. You broke the second, fifth, and the seventh rules of the school."

Tian Xie Zi yawned on the ninth summit of Freezing Sky Clan and spoke lazily. There was a lackadaisical tone to his voice, and it did not bear the low and deep quality of the purple-red robed old man's voice, and it did not travel too far either.

The old man wearing the purple-red long robe stood calmly in the air and watched Tian Xie Zi standing on the top of the ninth summit. If it had not been completely necessary, he would not have wanted to come to the ninth summit. It was not because he held any form of respect towards the rumors regarding Tian Xie Zi, but because Tian Xie Zi's status was simply too high in the school.

He was silent for a moment before he wrapped his fist in his palm and greeted Tian Xie Zi.

"Greetings to uncle master from You Long Zi."

"Aye, that's more like it. I doubt that you were born when I came to this mountain. You can't be so rude. Pay more attention next time, understand?"

Tian Xie Zi stroked his beard and nodded towards the old man in the purple-red long robe.

"Then, uncle master, please give me my disciple back. I'd like to take him away," the old man in the purple-red long robe said, remaining calm and seeming to not have heard Tian Xie Zi's words.

"Oh? Do you disagree with the punishment dealt out by your second senior brother to your disciple?"

Tian Xie Zi put on a surprised look.

The old man remained silent. He had to accept the fact that all the people's status in the ninth summit were raised exponentially due to Tian Xie Zi. For example, the man who injured his disciple, that person… was indeed of the same seniority as he was…

It was difficult to tell whether he was the senior brother or junior brother for the time being, though.

"Tian Xie Zi, I don't have time to play with you. I only asked you for one thing, are you going to let Zi Che go?"

The old man frowned, and his expression gradually turned cold. He had already paid his respects, so even if he spoke this way right now, no one would find fault with him.

"Hah? Are you trying to scare me? I'm not letting him go! I won't! I won't! I won't!"

Tian Xie Zi glared and put on a domineering air.

The old man's face turned dark and he let out a cold harrumph.

He did not attack, but that one harrumph alone sounded like thunder rumbling, and it caused the entire ninth summit to tremble, the weather to change, the clouds and wind to tumble backwards, and thin cracks to spread through the ice on the ninth summit.

Tian Xie Zi widened his eyes and quickly took a few steps back from the top of the mountain. He let out a shrill cry, and that cry was so distressed it was enough to make those who heard pity him.

Hu Zi was in his own cave. He had long since brought Zi Che back with him and had by then thrown him to the side before crouching down and starting to drink while laughing viciously with ill-intent.

Tian Xie Zi's shrill cries echoing in his ears made Hu Zi lift his head to look at the stone wall above him, and an odd expression appeared on his face.

"Go on pretending, old man, that's what you do best anyway… Don't think that your Grandpa Hu… Urgh, don't think that another person's family's Grandpa Hu doesn't know that you wore white today."

That shrill cry spread through the entire ninth summit, similarly falling into the second senior brother's ears, who was sitting beside Su Ming. Second brother had his head lowered and was toying with the plants before him as if he had heard nothing.

"Master, I saw you wearing white today…"

Second senior brother shook his head with a gentle look on his face, as if he was whispering to the plants before him.

At the same time, in the basin located deep in the cracks in the ice right under the ninth summit, a weak mumble sounded in the originally quiet place.

"The Master was wearing white today, wasn't he..?"

That voice belonged to the eldest senior brother.

As Tian Xie Zi was crying out in distress and retreating on the top of the ninth summit, he saw the old man in the purple-red long robe walking towards him and he quickly let out another piercing cry.

"Xiao Hu, save me! I promise you I won't ask you for your wine anymore…"

Hu Zi drank his wine in his cave abode and glared at Zi Che lying before him. He swatted Zi Che's head, and the force was so great it made the man jolt. Anger burned within him and he glared at Hu Zi.

"Hah?! How dare you glare at your Grandpa Hu?! I'll kill you!"

Hu Zi seemed to have found a way to not think about his Master crying out in distress. He stretched out his arm and swatted Zi Che's head again.

Once Tian Xie Zi shouted out those words on the mountain, he found that the old man had already closed in on him. He had even landed on the ninth summit, and the moment his feet landed on the ground, a loud boom came from the ninth summit.

"Second! Second… I'm warning you, if you don't save me, then I'll pluck out all your plants from the mountain!"

The second senior brother sitting by Su Ming's side seemed to not have heard anything and touched the plants before him as he said in a gentle whisper, "Go on and pluck them, then. I'll just plant new flowers after you pluck them away. It'll be fine… won't it, youngest junior brother?"

Second senior brother lifted his head and cast a glance at Su Ming with a smile.

The old man in the purple-red robe from the second summit was looking at Tian Xie Zi screaming with a cold look, he then frowned and lifted his right leg to move forward.

"First disciple! Why are you still isolating yourself at this moment?! Do you only know how to isolate yourself?! Your Master is about to be finished, if you don't come out now, I'll get Xiao Hu to go to you to warm up his wine every single day!"

The basin deep under the ninth summit remained silent. Eldest senior brother who had chosen this place as his isolation grounds also chose to pretend not to hear anything as he immersed himself in his meditation.

However, Tian Xie Zi's voice was simply too distressing, and a moment later, a sigh came from within the basin.

"Master, stop fooling around…"

The voice originated within the basin and spread outwards. In an instant, it reverberated all through the ninth summit and traveled into Hu Zi's ears, causing him to pause in delivering another slap.

The voice also landed in the second senior brother's ears and a bright glint appeared briefly in his eyes.

It also traveled to the old man walking towards Tian Xie Zi. The old man faltered in his footsteps and his heart started beating uncontrollably. His expression changed instantly, because a wave of heat that came out of nowhere suddenly fell on his body and caused the air all around him to immediately start distorting.

Yet this was not his doing. It was due to the voice that had formed a ripple around him, one that made him feel shaken.

He seemed to have heard low growls of a ferocious beast echoing from the distortion, but that distortion could not be heard by anyone else. Only the old man himself could hear it clearly. That voice made him don on a grave expression.

"The Sound of Creation!"

The old man's pupils shrank.

However, the sound only appeared for an instant before slowly fading away. The distortion around the old man's body also disappeared without a trace.

The moment Tian Xie Zi heard the sound, surprised delight appeared on his face, but his expression soon changed to one of anger when the sound dissipated.

"Rascals! You three rascals! If I knew about this, then I wouldn't have taken you people in as my disciples! How could you not help your own Master at such an important moment! You make me so mad!

"Hey, Junior! Don't force my hand now. I'm telling you, if I make a move, you'll run away immediately like a dog with its tail between its legs!"

Tian Xie Zi lifted his right hand and placed it onto his bosom. His gaze gradually grew stern as he looked at the old man in purple robes.

As he grew stern, an intimidating pressure gradually gathered in his body, causing the old man in purple robes, who was still shocked by the Sound of Creation, to also become stern.

He had not really regarded the ninth summit too highly. This was, in fact, the first time he came to the ninth summit. Yet now that he had experienced the string of events that happened to him, he could not help but recall the rumors circulating around Freezing Sky Clan about the ninth summit.

The old man in purple robes was silent for a moment before he spoke in a low voice, "Uncle master, if you release my disciple, then I'll leave immediately and won't enter the ninth summit again. If not, then I'll just have to check whether the rumors regarding you are true! The Sound of Creation alone, it's still nothing to worry about."

As he spoke, the old man in purple robes walked towards Tian Xie Zi. His footsteps were not quick, but as he moved, a presence that grew increasingly stronger spread out from his body. An illusionary picture started appearing faintly in the sky and was quickly gaining physical form.

"You made me do this! Behold my enchanted treasure!"

Tian Xie Zi retreated once again and drew his right hand from his bosom swiftly. Something was in his hand—it was a plate.

"Insolent brat, do you know what this is?!"

As Tian Han Zi shouted out, the old man in purple robes came to an abrupt halt and stared at the plate in Tian Xie Zi's hands. That plate had a dark purple hue and let off a pure, freezing chill. It did not seem like a counterfeit, and neither would anyone dare to make a counterfeit of that plate in Freezing Sky Clan…

When he remembered Tian Xie Zi's status, the old man's expression started experiencing drastic changes. Sometimes, he would look sullen, sometimes glum, and sometimes resigned. All these emotions blended together and eventually turned into a long sigh filled with mixed feelings.

He wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed deeply towards Tian Xie Zi.

"I, De Long Zi, disciple of Freezing Sky Clan, greet the Clan Master's plate. The status of the owner of the plate is akin to the status of the Clan Master himself, of course I will recognize it.

"Hmph, how dare you force me to bring out this plate? Let me tell you, I grabbed the ninth summit in the past using this plate, didn't your Master tell you?

"Ah… Whatever. Looks like you're not your Master's beloved disciple either, or else he definitely would have told you something so important. You seem rather pitiful, so how about this? Give me a few million stone coins and I'll turn a blind eye towards your offence."

Tian Xie Zi lifted his head and puffed out his chest as he spoke arrogantly.

The old man in purple robes breathing quickened. Veins gradually popped out on his face, but when he saw the plate in Tian Xie Zi's hands, he quelled down that anger and wrapped his fist in his palm to salute Tian Xie Zi.

"Yes, sir."

After saying that, he immediately turned around and turned into a long arc that left the ninth summit in an instant. He was afraid that if he stayed even a moment longer, he would be unable to force down that miserable feeling in his heart.

He finally understood why those of the same seniority as his rarely went to the ninth summit, and it was especially so for the Lords of the summits. Most of them would choose to travel around the ninth summit.

De Long Zi himself seldom took notice of other things. He might be one of the powerful Berserkers in Freezing Sky Clan and a member of the second summit, but he was not the Lord of the second summit. Besides, he had been staying in the Great Tribe of Freezing Sky most of the time and only came back to stay in the school recently.

When De Long Zi left the ninth summit, Su Ming, who was sitting on the platform cross-legged, slowly opened his eyes.