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Chapter 432: To Go Forward, Retreat!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Tie Mu was already feeling rather regretful in his heart, and his anger towards the trouble the woman caused burned hotly. However, this was not the time for him to think about it. He had to use the chance before this person announced his background and tribe to kill him or injure him badly.

He turned around, and his right leg swept forth like a violent gust of wind. Immediately, a rolling yellow ocean manifested to his west, rolling about and sweeping up a large amount of illusionary yellow sand that raged in the sky.

"Fourth Ode: Northern Sea!" Tie Mu growled, and as his body spun around, he swept his left leg to the north. Soon after, a black sea manifested to the north, and it came crashing towards with roaring waves.

Su Ming retreated, and as he did so, he lifted the spiked club in his hands and swung it around. As his clone fought against Tie Mu, the spiked club in Su Ming's hand had already been swung around four times, and each circle was bigger than the last. After those four circles, the spiked club had become incredibly long, and it was so heavy that it was the maximum weight that Su Ming's physical body could bear.

Su Ming's goal in this battle was to test his combat capabilities, not to risk his life in this. That was why after swinging that club four times, he no longer added to the spiked club's weight. Even if he had wondered many times in his heart just… how much weight he could add to the spiked club he had taken from the glacier.

The four circles caused deafening sounds in the sky. Each hum caused the crowd underneath to feel fear in their hearts after they heard it. The instant Tie Mu's Four Ocean Ode crashed into the Earthen Aura Azure Dragon and the ocean formed from the First Transformation from the Nine Transformation Art belonging to Su Ming's clone, Su Ming's spiked club drew a big arc, forming the shape of a gigantic fan in the sky, and covered the light from the nine moons in an instant, then crashed down on the illusionary oceans and Tie Mu.

Booming sounds shook the sky and earth. The illusionary oceans immediately shattered, and they were destroyed due to two sources of power. One of them came internally from the clone, and the other crashed into it externally, due to Su Ming's spiked club landing on it from the sky.

As the oceans crumbled, the sea the clone had made was also blown away, blending into the ocean around it, dyeing the air a faint shade of red. At the same time, the clone quickly retreated, and in the span of a few breaths, he returned to Su Ming's side.

However, the instant the clone warped backwards, a furious roar came from the disappearing illusionary ocean before him. Looking disheveled, Tie Mu closed in on the clone in an instant. His eyes were bloodshot, and he spread his right hand wide open, seizing the clone just as quickly as he was moving.

He grabbed the clone's throat, and right when Tie Mu wanted to savagely crush what he thought was a puppet, suddenly, a loud hum echoed in the air around Su Ming's clone, and he swiftly turned into a large layer of black fog that was spreading through the area quickly.

That black fog was formed of multiple black beetles. In fact, the part Tie Mu's right hand had seized was made up of black beetles. He did not even catch the real body of the clone. The clone's real body was staring at Tie Mu coldly as he retreated swiftly.

As those black beetles spread out while Tie Mu was taken aback by the sight, the clone's appearance was clearly shown before him. Once Tie Mu saw that dried up body and those gray eyes, his expression changed drastically for the first time. His pupils even shrank, and disbelief along with shock rose on his face.

"Ji Yun Hai! You're Ji Yun Hai!" Tie Mu's expression changed drastically. He had recognized the owner of those gray eyes. It was Ji Yun Hai, the man who he had been briefly acquainted with in the past!

It was especially easy to remember him when he saw the black beetles pouncing on him from all around with a howl. Those beetles made Tie Mu absolutely certain that this person was Ji Yun Hai!

However, once he was certain that the person before him was Ji Yun Hai, a deep wave of dread rose instantly within his heart. He came to an abrupt stop and looked towards Su Ming.

At that moment, once Su Ming brought that club down, sharp pain shot up his right hand, and most of his body was completely numb. As he quickly retreated, his face turned slightly pale.

The spiked club rapidly shrank, and once Su Ming put it away, his clone returned to his side with a warp.

Tie Mu stared at Su Ming, while a huge storm raged in his heart. He simply could not imagine how such a powerful Latter Shaman like Ji Yun Hai could be turned into a puppet by someone else!

This sort of thing made Tie Mu instantly feel terror towards Su Ming.

He sucked in a sharp breath, and with a jolt of his body, the pouncing black beetles were immediately bounced several dozens of feet away, but they rushed towards him again without fear of death.

'There's no mistaking this. These are Ji Yun Hai's Origin Shaman Bugs… How… How could he be turned into someone else's puppet?!' Tie Mu stared at Ji Yun Hai, who was standing beside Su Ming, and his face gradually turned pale.

'He has valuable treasures, has Ji Yun Hai acting as his puppet, is a Soul Catcher, and his divine abilities are also strange and unpredictable… Just who… is this person?!'

As Tie Mu was feeling shocked to the core, an intense commotion had broken out among the crowd underneath. Even Nan Gong Hen was in a state of disbelief.

"Ji Yun Hai! Senior Tie Mu said that the puppet is Ji Yun Hai!"

"He's talking about that Ji Yun Hai, the best Soul Catcher under all End Shamans, the one who had disappeared for many years!"

"This person actually managed to turn Ji Yun Hai into his puppet. If he didn't refine it on his own, it would be impossible for that person to control him…"

"He might be in a disadvantage in this battle, but he's already incredibly strong to be able to battle against a Latter Shaman up to this point!"

Nan Gong Hen remained stunned for a long time before he eventually started laughing wryly. His estimation of Su Ming's power had changed multiple times and he had originally thought it would not change anymore, but by the looks of it, he had still underestimated Su Ming by a long mile.

Tie Mu waved his arm in the sky, and once he shoved all the black beetles around him away, he forcefully shifted his eyes from Ji Yun Hai's body and looked towards Su Ming.

"I'll ask you one more time. Which tribe do you belong to?!" Tie Mu voiced his question word by word.

"It's just a small tribe. You wouldn't have heard it before, senior Tie Mu." Su Ming's answer remained the same, and his expression was calm. His power circulated in his body, and his fighting spirit continued burning in his eyes.

"What an ungrateful brat. Even if you have Ji Yun Hai as your puppet, but I was only using a portion of my power just now… I gave you a chance, if you're not going to tell me the truth, then I will capture you today and have the adults in your tribe come and get you!"

Tie Mu's thoughts had already changed, and he was beginning to be unwilling to kill Su Ming. He already had a plan in his head. If this person really had some background behind him, then someone would surely come to help him shortly.

If no one came, then it would mean that this person truly did not have any sort of background behind him. If that was the case, it would still not be too late for Tie Mu to kill him.

"If that is the case, then I will have to ask to learn from you once again." Su Ming smiled faintly. With a freezing glint in his eyes, he waved his right hand, and immediately, black smoke appeared and thickened beside him. When it gathered together and shrank, his Poison Corpse formed!

The appearance of that Poison Corpse and the presence he exuded clearly showed that his original status was that of a Berserker in the initial stage of the Berserker Soul Realm!

There was no light in the Poison Corpse's eyes, but the imposing presence, the dark shade that covered all of its body, and the distortions that appeared in the air because of the poison that was clearly spreading from him not only caught the crowd around the area completely off guard, it also stunned Tie Mu momentarily. Right after, his expression immediately changed!

As his expression changed, Tie Mu also began laughing wryly in his heart.

'Just what is this person's background? Not only does he have Ji Yun Hai, he also has a puppet made from a Berserker in the Berserker Soul Realm, and this puppet is clearly filled with poison… And the boy has way too many skills at his disposal. By the looks of it, he still has a lot he hasn't revealed. Damn it, just how in the world did I run into this monster?!

'He isn't a Medial Shaman, this is… he's just plain going too far!'

Tie Mu could not stop laughing wryly in his heart. If it was just Ji Yun Hai's puppet, he still had the confidence of fighting against him at full power… but if this person threw in that clearly extraordinary Poison Corpse into the mix... Even if he could win this battle, there would be grave consequences for him.

If they were outside, it would have been fine, but they had just entered the World of Nine Yin, and Eastern Goosefoot Tribe had yet to execute their plan. He could not get hurt.

He was right. Su Ming did indeed still have some skills he had not revealed. He had still yet to use his three Wind Separation Slashes, and that was if he did not mention all his other attacks. Through this battle, as Su Ming's puppets appeared one after another, he found the difference between him and a Latter Shaman.

If he attacked alone, he would not be able to hold his own in the fight. If his clone appeared, he could still somewhat put up a fight, but if he also brought out his Poison Corpse, then he could fight against an initial stage Latter Shaman, and he would not necessarily lose to that Shaman!

This was the first time Su Ming felt himself becoming stronger in the land of the Shamans. This sort of feeling made him experience a myriad of emotions.

'Some of my attacks are external forces. I wonder when will I be able to use my own true power to fight against a Latter Shaman without using a clone or a puppet…'

Tie Mu hesitated for a moment and let out a long sigh. He cast a complicated look at Su Ming, then without another word, he turned around and charged towards the ground, landing beside the woman who was now struck dumb by Su Ming's attacks, then he lifted his hand, and slapped her across the face.

The woman coughed out blood and fell to the side. Her cheek became swollen, and she lowered her head, not daring to speak. While she was observing Mo Su and the old man's battle, she had already known that she had caused trouble…

"Sir, you killed several of my tribe members, and I've now punished her as well. Let us now put this matter behind us. If you still want to continue fighting, then I will fight you to the end!" Tie Mu turned his head around and looked at Su Ming coldly.

"Senior, your level of cultivation runs deep, and I am not your match. Even if I used all my strength, I am still in a disadvantage, I wouldn't dare continue…" Su Ming smiled wryly and wrapped his fist in his palm towards the old man with a respectful expression.

When Tie Mu saw Su Ming's attitude and heard his words, his expression warmed up slightly. This person might have attacked and fought against him, but he still remained rather polite. He always addressed Tie Mu as his senior, and he was even helping him retain his dignity before these people.

His tact made Tie Mu be unable to feel too angry towards him. In fact, he even had the feeling that there was a high possibility that his own people were the ones who provoked him first.

Subconsciously, he dispelled the thought of hunting down Su Ming after he was done with his task. Tie Mu even grew slightly fond of him.

In addition to his wariness towards Su Ming's varied methods and his suspicions towards his status, that slight fondness grew in Tie Mu's heart, and he cast a deep look at Su Ming.

"Well, you young folks do need to be impulsive in certain things. Since my tribe was the one who was unreasonable in this matter, I can understand why you attacked. You don't need to be humble about this either. This battle ended in a tie!"

Tie Mu's expression became much warmer. Once he finished speaking, he turned around and had his tribe members bring the boy and woman to leave through the air. When they left, there was a yellow spot at the cloth between the boy's legs, and there was the stench of urine coming from there.

The boy who was not even a Fledging Shaman, he would never forget the battle this day.

Once the people from Eastern Goosefoot Tribe left, the people around the area looked towards Su Ming. Their eyes were filled with non malicious envy and respect. No matter what, Su Ming's strength were deeply etched into all their hearts. Before long, the entire Shaman City would know about the battle between Mo Su and Tie Mu.

Chapter 433: Skeleton of an Evil Spirit

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The one who was the most excited was Lan Lan. She looked at Su Ming with eyes shining with elation. At that moment, Su Ming was the most powerful protector in the world.

Ahu was even more elated. The zealousness and reverence on his face was the same that all powerful warriors would have when they were still teenagers towards powerful warriors they looked up to. At that moment, Su Ming was the person Ahu wanted to imitate in his heart.

Even Qi Dong was the same. He had seen Su Ming and watched his battle with the Latter Shaman. The shock and excitement in his heart made him be unable to regain his senses even after a long time.

'One of these days, I will be as strong as he is. I will make Eastern Goosefoot Tribe pay several times back for what they did to me!' Qi Dong gritted her teeth and clenched his fist, eyes burning with determination.

Under the people's scrutiny, Su Ming put away his Poison Corpse and clone in midair, put away all the black beetles and everything else, then with one single move, landed on the ground.

"Brother Mo… you hid yourself too deeply. I only know now that you have such great battle prowess with you, and here I was wondering how I should be helping you just now…" Nan Gong Hen gave a wry laugh and walked forward to wrap his fist in his palm towards Su Ming.

Su Ming shook his head and said, "I was just lucky. Senior Tie Mu did not use his full power, or else I would have been unable to last as well."

"Brother Mo, you don't have to be so humble… Oh well, you've always been like this. But this battle will make your name ring through all of the Shaman City. It's a good thing as well. After all, the World of Nine Yin is cut off from the outside world, and everything is decided through your own level of cultivation and your power. Only powerful warriors will be able to gain firm ground and gain other people's respect here."

As Nan Gong Hen spoke, a squad of guards from the God of Shamans Temple came from the distance. All of these people possessed extraordinary power, and all of them were Medial Shamans. Once these people arrived, they immediately dispersed the crowd.

However, no one came forth to interrogate Su Ming. Instead, as they walked past him, they would wrap their fists in their palms towards him as a form of greeting, and their expressions were all full of politeness and respect.

In truth, they had arrived a long time ago, but it was impossible for them to get involved and try to stop a Latter Shaman's attack. They could only hang around at a spot far away and wait for Su Ming to be killed before they could come and clear up the battlefield.

However, the things that happened after left all these people shocked to the core. When they saw the people from Eastern Goosefoot Tribe leave, respect towards Su Ming filled their hearts. No matter where they were, powerful warriors would always be respected!

As these people went away, Su Ming and Nan Gong Hen returned to their quiet inn. On the way, Su Ming swept his gaze past Nan Gong Shan, and he found that the woman had a constant frown on her face, as if she was uncertain about something. Once he mulled over it for a while, he understood what was bothering her.

Nan Gong Shan's emotions must be incredibly mixed. She knew that Hong Luo was so powerful that it was impossible for her to take revenge on him. She could only feel bitter about it. Perhaps she had seen some form of familiarity on Su Ming and became suspicious of him.

But even though Su Ming had shown extraordinary power and could even hold his own against Tie Mu, in her eyes, if he was truly that person, then the battle would have definitely not unfolded this way...

That was why her suspicions towards Su Ming had turned into uncertainty, though in truth, she no longer suspected him of anything.

After giving it some thought, Su Ming had already guessed most of what she was thinking. This additional benefit which he obtained through this battle actually helped him get rid of a lot of trouble.

On that night, the three teenagers went to sleep late due to their excitement. To them, the incident that happened that day was something they would never be able to forget in their lives.

Nan Gong Hen's attitude towards Su Ming became distinctly much friendlier. When the next morning arrived, he went to invite Su Ming to the God of Shamans Temple branch to rent the protection of the Spirit of Nine Yin.

"The treasure gambling event should be held a month later. Most of the people from the tribes should already be here by then, as for those who are not here by then, well, the chances are, they won't be able to come here anymore.

"We might still have one more month, but I think you haven't rented a Spirit of Nine Yin before. We might need to spend quite a fortune, but we have a month's time to get familiar with it, and it will be a great help to us in the future."

As they moved towards the God of Shamans Temple branch located in this place, Nan Gong Hen explained with a smile, "The treasure gambling event will last for several days. When it's over, the crowd will disperse, and we will bring the teenagers from our tribes to go activate their paths of cultivation. At that time, we will have to split up.

"Brother Mo, you can take a look around Shaman City during this month. After all, this is the World of Nine Yin. There are plenty of items here that are not available outside, and because of the hype of the treasure gambling event, you'll also be able to see a lot of rare items being sold here." As Nan Gong Hen continued speaking to Su Ming, he greeted his friends he met on the way with a smile.

Once again, Nan Gong Hen demonstrated just how wide his connections were. Su Ming saw at least several dozens of people showing close ties to him on their way to the temple, and once most of these people greeted Nan Gong Hen, they would size up Su Ming, and he could see the reverence hidden in their gazes.

"Brother Mo, you became famous through that one battle. The deal about you not losing to a Latter Shaman with just the power of a Medial Shaman has already spread through the city, it's clear from the people's gazes around us," Nan Gong Hen said with a smile.

Su Ming was just about to give a comment about that when Nan Gong Hen quickly added a sentence, "Brother Mo, you don't have to be humble anymore…"

Su Ming gave him a faint smile and did not continue speaking.

They did not walk for long before they arrived at a spot near the center of Shaman City, outside a gigantic palace. The palace was filled with a dignified air. There was a long staircase of ten thousand feet to reach it, and there were a large number of guards from the God of Shamans Temple around the area. All the Shamans who came to this place were mostly silent, and all of them did not linger around for a long time as they came in and out.

There were distortions in the air behind the palace. There seemed to be a vortex spinning around without a sound over there, and it gave others a feeling that there was another world contained within.

Further down was a gigantic stone pillar standing erect and towering above the ground. There were numerous seals shining with an unknown color on the stone pillar, and right at the top of it was the gigantic head Su Ming had seen outside the city, the head that looked like it belonged to a person but was dried up like a block of wood.

When Su Ming got closer to the area, he could feel a great pressure that enveloped the sky and earth. Obviously, even if this was not the core of Shaman City, it was an important spot.

"Before I came here, I spent a lot of time and effort to prepare my offerings. I should be able to move the Spirits of Nine Yin in the fifth layer." As Nan Gong Hen led Su Ming onto the stairs, he mumbled under his breath.

Once Su Ming heard it, a glint appeared in his eyes, but he did not ask in detail. Both of them walked up the stairs, and once they were right before the palace's door, Su Ming's pupils shrank.

He saw a gigantic oval shaped vortex before the door floating seven inches off the ground. The moment Su Ming saw it, he was immediately reminded of the Gate to the Void.

'This is… Could it be that this is also a Gate to the Void?' Once Su Ming gave it a few closer looks, he averted his gaze from the vortex and looked towards the hall behind it.

The door was open and it was empty inside. There was only a skeleton placed in the center. Its feet were chained down, and it was sitting down with its legs crossed. The skeleton looked to be of the same size as an average human being. However, at its skull, or perhaps more precisely at its forehead, was a vertical slit. By the looks of it, there was an eye there when this person was alive.

There were eight gigantic circular grass meadows around the skeleton. At that moment, there were two people sitting cross-legged on the grass meadows. One of them was a man dressed in a purple robe, some golden threads sparkling on it, and his long, red hair tied in a ponytail.

There were wrinkles covering his hands and they looked rather dried up and withered. However, he had the appearance of a middle-aged man, and it gave him a rather strange air.

The other person was an old man. He looked really ordinary, dressed in a sackcloth, his face covered in wrinkles. He looked really miserable, while his eyes were closed as if he was deeply immersed in his own thoughts.

There was not a hint of presence from within the palace, as if the world inside the palace and the world outside were two different dimensions. Those outside could see it, but they were separated from it.

"We can't enter that place… Er, perhaps you can, brother Mo. Only Latter Shamans can go in there and gain enlightenment before the skeleton…

"Do you see the old senior by the skeleton? He's the Latter Shaman Chen Huan from Wise Winter Tribe. The other senior in the purple robe is the Temple Elder of God of Shamans Temple. He only has one word to his name - Mu," Nan Gong Hen explained.

Su Ming stared at the skeleton chained down in the palace and asked calmly, "What is that skeleton?"

Nan Gong Hen hesitated for a moment before he whispered his answer to Su Ming, "I only know it's an Evil Spirit of Nine Yin that was killed when this place was developed in the past… I heard that the Shaman Tribe suffered huge losses when they killed this person in the past…

"All right, brother Mo, we'll have to temporarily part ways here. You'll reach Nine Yin Hall once you walk through the vortex. I'll be choosing from the Spirits of Nine Yin in the fifth layer.

"Normal treasures such as Shaman Crystals will only allow you to choose your Spirit of Nine Yin from the first layer. You'll only know the details once you get in there. Brother Mo, act within your abilities, choose according to how long you'll stay in the World of Nine Yin. Once I come out, I'll wait for you outside." Nan Gong Hen wrapped his fist in his palm as a farewell to Su Ming, then turned around and moved into the vortex and disappeared.

Su Ming scrutinized the vortex for a moment, and right when he was about to move in, suddenly, a light shone from within the vortex. A person appeared from inside, and at the same time, a gentle power spread out and pushed Su Ming back a few steps. The person in the vortex rapidly gained physical form and walked out.

That was a tall but thin young man. He had an indifferent look on his face, was dressed in black, and there were multiple small braids decorating his hair.

The instant Su Ming saw this person, a glint appeared in his eyes, and his lips curled up in a faint smile under the mask.

Once that person walked out, he instinctively looked at Su Ming, then immediately looked away. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly paused in his footsteps, turned his head back, took a few closer looks at Su Ming, then turned around and left the area with a calm look.

Su Ming no longer hesitated and lifted his foot to step into the vortex. As the vortex shone, he disappeared in it and was gone without a trace.

After Su Ming entered the vortex, the young man who walked out from it previously turned his head back from the stairs and uncertainty appeared on his face.

"Have I met that person before..?" The young man lifted his right hand and pressed it against the center of his brows. He stood there for a moment, then opened his eyes slowly, revealing the puzzlement within.

Chapter 434: Spirit of Yin

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

When Nan Gong Hen stepped into the vortex, he turned his head back to cast a look behind him. He might have accepted the fact that Mo Su's battle prowess was equivalent to that of a Latter Shaman and deep down in his heart believed that his own ability would not compare to Mo Su, but he still felt that if he made his offerings and rented a Spirit of Nine Yin, then his power would surpass Mo Su's by a large margin.

After all, he had come to the World of Nine Yin many times in the past, and since the Calamity of Eastern Wastelands was about to arrive, this would perhaps be his last chance.

That was why it could be said that he had spent an endless amount of energy to prepare the offerings for the Spirits of Nine Yin in the fifth layer based on his understanding towards the Spirits of Nine Yin before he came to this world. He had full confidence that even if it would be difficult for him to rent the Spirits of Nine Yin from the fifth layer, he could still rent those in the fourth layer.

That was why after he entered the first layer, he didn't stop for even a moment. He walked through three doors in succession and went straight to the Spirits of Nine Yin in the fourth layer.

'Mo Su might be strong, but once I rent a Spirit of Nine Yin from the fourth or fifth layer, then I might be able to fight on equal ground with him, and perhaps… surpass him!' Nan Gong Hen was filled with confidence, and looked pleased with what he would gain soon through his preparations.

Moving aside from Nan Gong Hen, once Su Ming disappeared into the vortex outside the palace and reappeared, he swept his gaze around his surroundings, and he was shocked by what he saw.

This was a dimension filled with fog. It was difficult to see its end with the naked eye. It was extremely quiet in the area, and besides the gigantic mountain before him, it was empty ground everywhere else around him.

The mountain shot into the clouds. It looked incredibly lofty, and there was also a wave of mighty pressure that descended on him at the same time. But that was not all. If that was the case, it would not have shocked Su Ming. The one thing that made his breath still for a moment was the multiple statues located on the gigantic mountain.

Each of these statues were the height of an average human being. They were decked in simple armor and their faces were covered by a helmet. Their hair was braided, making them look rough, but at the same time, they exuded a strong, imposing presence.

That was the presence that belonged to powerful warriors!

They all held different weapons in their hands. Some of them had long spears, some scimitars, some battle axes, and there were many other different types of weapons as well. Some of them held large shields in their hands.

There were several hundreds of statues in the mountain, and they stood quiet and still in different locations.

Besides Su Ming, there were several dozens of other Shamans there. Those Shamans were very quiet and did not bother each other. Some of them were pacing around the area as if they were choosing their statues. Some of them stood beside a statue with their right hands pressed on top of it as if they were sensing something.

Su Ming's arrival did not catch any of their attention. After a moment, a faint glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes and he looked upwards. There was another towering mountain above this mountain. This second mountain floated in the sky and shone with a dark light. It also looked rather indistinct.

However, he could see faintly that there were many such statues on the second mountain as well…

When he looked even higher, Su Ming saw the third mountain, the fourth, the fifth… Until his sight was blocked by emptiness and he could no longer see what was higher clearly.

The height of this place was difficult to describe with words. The sky seemed like it would reach so high it would never end, causing the distance between each of the mountains to be far apart from each other.

'Nan Gong Hen once mentioned that there are nine layers to this place, and the higher you go, the stronger the Spirits of Nine Yin will be. Then by the looks of it, the nine layers he mentioned are these mountains… Then if that's the case, there should be nine mountains.'

With his head lifted, Su Ming observed these mountains for some time before he averted his gaze and walked towards the mountain before him.

There was a staircase winding up the mountain right up to the top. There were even some paths branching off along the way. Each of these paths would lead to those statues, and if someone walked up the main staircase and past all these branching paths, then that person would be able to walk past all of the statues in the mountain.

There were two statues right at the bottom of the mountain stairs. These two statues were clearly better than those in the mountain, and they wore less armor. In their hands they held long spears. The tips of the spears were pointed downwards but were still about ten feet off the ground, and these spears were twenty something feet long. All those who wanted to go up the mountain needed to walk past the tips of the spears.

Su Ming walked closer to these two statues, and once he sized them up, he walked past the tips and stepped on the staircase leading up the mountain. He did not continue going up the mountain when he arrived at the first branching path but walked on this path leading to the right, then stood before the first statue standing erect there.

This was a statue whose appearance could not be seen clearly, and who held a battle axe in his hand. He was about Su Ming's height, and there was a primeval air spreading out it. At the same time, there was also the imposing presence of a powerful warrior surrounding this statue.

After a moment of thought, Su Ming lifted his right hand, and the instant he was about to place it on the statue, just like what the other people did, the entire mountain suddenly shuddered.

A strong ray of light also burst forth from the path, and as that ray of light began shining and the mountain shuddered, most of the people in the mountain looked towards that direction.

Right when Su Ming focused his attention on that spot, he saw a statue from which the light was coming from. That light spread to an area of one hundred thousand feet, and ripples along with distortions also came from his body. Gradually, the statue started giving off a feeling as if he was a melting block of ice, and he was revived!

Green light shone on his armor, and he lifted his helmet-clad head slowly. The green light was also shining in his eyes.

Standing right before the statue was a female Shaman. The woman looked really excited, and once she wrapped her fist in her palm and bowed towards the statue, the warrior lifted his right leg and stomped on the ground, shooting straight up into the sky, and he pointed the scimitar in his hand towards the woman.

She flew up swiftly and floated in midair to stand beside the revived statue. The statue shone a few times, and his body shrank abruptly, turning into a green ray of light that charged towards the woman. Eventually, he landed on the back of her right hand and turned into a golden mark.

The woman did not stay any longer. With an excited look on her face, she turned around and charged towards the vortex at the bottom of the mountain.

When the woman left, the mountain stilled. The gazes filled with complicated feelings and envy were gone, and the mountain slowly regained its silence.

Su Ming looked in the direction the woman had left, took a deep breath, then turned his head around to look at the statue beside him. Anticipation appeared in his eyes. During that instant, he had clearly felt a presence that was equivalent to Tie Mu's from the revived statue, and judging by the presence, the statue was definitely a Latter Shaman, and in terms of the Berserker Tribe, that would be saying that the statue was as powerful as someone in the Berserker Soul Realm!

'So… This is the Spirit of Nine Yin… But Nan Gong Hen mentioned before that the Spirits of Nine Yin cannot leave this world. If that wasn't the case, then with the amount of Spirits here… It doesn't matter whether it's Shamans or Berserkers, no one could fight against them!' Su Ming sucked in a sharp breath, shocked.

'Just what sort of secret is contained in the World of Nine Yin? It has the Candle Dragon's carcass, the burial ground of Spirit Mediums, and the altar for Thought Soothsayers…

'And this is just within one million lis of this area. As for the area beyond that distance… there must an endless amount of mysteries there… Just what sort of existence is the World of Nine Yin? An ancient ruin, huh..?'

Su Ming remained silent for a while, then looked at the statue before him and placed his right hand on it. The instant he did so, he immediately felt waves stirring in his head, and it was soon followed by a serene voice echoing inside his mind.

"There are two types of offerings I receive. One, I want a thousand Nascent Stones per day, which are also known as Shaman Crystals, Berserker Stones, and also spirit stones. I only want high quality stones, not subpar ones.

"Two, I want a Scattering Dust pill once every seven days."

The voice echoed in Su Ming's head, eventually turning into a lingering echo and gradually disappeared. Su Ming lifted his right hand. His eyes might look calm, but there was already a huge storm raging in his heart.

'Scattering Dust?!' Su Ming's breathing quickened, and he only recovered after a long while. He lifted his head and looked at the statue. Slowly, his eyes were filled with confusion.

Scattering Dust was the first medicinal pill he had created in that strange dimension. He had never heard of that pill from anyone else before, and only when he created Spirit Plunder did he understand that his herb quenching methods were somewhat related to the Shamans'...

In fact, his Spirit Plunder was also known as Soul Catcher Stone, and could only be created after much effort from End Soul Catchers. Su Ming also believed that the method these End Soul Catchers used to create this Spirit Plunder was completely different from his.

'Soul Catchers originate from the World of Nine Yin, then is it possible… that the End Soul Catchers also obtained the method to create their Spirit Plunder here..? Then, could it be… that my herb quenching methods also come from this place?!'

Su Ming was shocked. He had never been able to puzzle through the origins of the black stone fragment. In fact, he had even theorized before that this item was a part of Di Tian's plan.

He stared at the statue for a long time, then moved to the next statue. Once he placed his hand on it, a voice spoke in his head. Besides a different request for its first offering, the voice still requested Scattering Dust for its second offering.

After Su Ming tested several dozens of statues, he noticed that all of the statues in the first mountain should be the same. They all requested different things for their first offering, but the second offering was always the same.

'Most of the requests for the first offering are different for each statue, and some of them are really weird. By the looks of it, Nan Gong is right. The Spirits of Nine Yin here are all the natives of this world, and they once helped the Shaman Tribe gain footing in this place…

'Then, if that's the case, these statues are the same as me. They are all alive and not dead. They are… all alive! As long as I fulfill their requests, they will become my guards… If that's the case, then perhaps they only helped the Shamans gain footing here after the Shamans paid a huge price for them!

'But… just what are they..?' Su Ming took a few steps back. When he was observing these statues, two more were revived and rose into the air then left with someone.

There was a variety of emotions on Su Ming's face. After a moment, he suddenly lifted his head, and his gaze fell on the second mountain, the third, the fourth, and right up to the indistinct end at the sky.

'If that is the case, I won't bother about the origins of the Spirits of Nine Yin first. Perhaps I can… rent… the strongest guard here!' A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes, and they shone brilliantly.

Chapter 435: Dark Yin Warrior!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Nan Gong Hen was standing on the fourth mountain in the sky, right before a gigantic, dark silver statue of three hundred something feet, and he had hesitation etched on his face.

The presence exuded by the statue far exceeded all of its kind in the first mountain. His body was not just much stronger than his contemporaries, but he was filled with an air that struck fear in people's hearts. There were many scars on his body, and there was a feeling of age coming from them.

He held a gigantic battle axe in his hand, and it was about one hundred feet big. The murderous aura around it made Nan Gong Hen not dare to get closer to it.

'This is the Dark Bronze Spirit of Nine Yin, and he is the strongest existence in the fourth mountain. Very few people have been able to rent it. From what I know, he has only ventured out eight times!

'Once I go to the fifth layer, there will only be Platinum Spirits of Nine Yin there. But while the Platinum Spirits of Nine Yin are stronger the Dark Bronzes, they are only at the base level of the fifth layer. Compared to the strongest Dark Bronze here, the difference between them isn't really that great… but the price this statue gave… it's just too ridiculous! It's even more expensive than the fifth layer!'

Nan Gong Hen remained incredibly indecisive. Before he came to this place, his original plan was to reach the fifth layer, but once he saw the Dark Bronze statue, he wavered in his decision once again.

Just as he was hesitating, Nan Gong Hen cast a look at the land beneath the mountain. From this place, he could see the third, second, and first mountains vaguely.

'Oh well, I might as well go to the fifth mountain and take a look before I make a decision!' Nan Gong Hen gritted his teeth and left the statue reluctantly, then moved to the top of the mountain.

"Hah… the amount of money we have in our hands is different, while I'm hesitating about whether I should be choosing the fourth or fifth mountain, Mo Su should only be at most be able to make offerings to the Spirits of Nine Yin in the second mountain. After all, without ample preparation, it would be difficult for anyone to start making offerings in the third mountain and above," Nan Gong Hen mumbled under his breath, and he felt a little pleased in his heart, and that feeling dissipated some of the dejectedness he felt just now.

'Once I rent my Spirit of Nine Yin, then at the very least, I would be able to turn tables on him!' Nan Gong Hen smiled faintly, and his spirits lifted.

At that moment, Su Ming was walking calmly up the stairs of the second mountain. There were fewer statues in the second mountain compared to the first. There were only about to one hundred or so, and their armor was more complete. They also had more varied weapons.

The pressure of the powerful from their bodies was also stronger than those in the first mountain. By the looks of it, while they might not be in the middle stage of the Berserker Soul Realm, they should be at least at the peak of the initial stage of that Realm.

There were less than ten Shamans in the second mountain, and all of them had dark expressions on their faces as they wandered about the statues, as if they were uncertain about which one they should choose.

Su Ming casually chose a statue and pressed his right hand against it. After a moment, when he lifted his right hand and a glint appeared in his eyes.

'Five thousand superior Shaman Crystals per day… then if I stay here for a month, I would need one hundred fifty thousand Shaman Crystals, and if I stay here for several months, I would need several hundreds of thousands of Shaman Crystals. This sort of price is unthinkable for a person in a small tribe. Even a person from a middle-sized tribe would need to tighten his belt to rent this.

'They also added more Scattering Dusts. They want three pills once every three days.'

Su Ming remembered that the Shaman Crystal vein White Bull Tribe and Black Crane Tribe were fighting for had less than twenty thousand Shaman Crystals, and those that could be considered superior quality should be rare and in between. Even if he extracted all of these and brought them here, he might not even be able to get this Spirit of Nine Yin to follow him for four days.

'No wonder the person who found the Nine Abyss Flower didn't come and rent a Spirit of Nine Yin. The price… is too high! But in other words, Scattering Dusts are hard to get even if someone offers to buy one for several tens of thousands of Shaman Crystals. If I just bring out one, while the price for it may be great, but if I can bring three out in one go, then the price will blow up exponentially.' Su Ming's heart pounded against his chest, and he walked to the top of the second mountain.

He did not stop any longer. Once he reached the top of the mountain, he stepped into the Relocation Rune in this place, and with a flash, he disappeared from this place. When he reappeared, he was already at the much higher third mountain.

There were already less than one hundred statues in the third mountain, only about a few dozen. The armor these statues wore practically covered them from head to toe, and most of them were decked in complete sets. They were also about two hundred feet tall, looking like tiny hills. The pressure they exuded made Su Ming's breathing quicken.

The strength of that pressure was much greater than what he felt from Tie Mu. In fact, it was much stronger than the Berserker now turned Poison Corpse he had met, who was in the initial stage of the Berserker Soul Realm.

'Could it be… that these statues are already an existence equivalent to those in the middle stage of the Berserker Soul Realm? If that's truly the case, then those in the fourth mountain would be at the peak of the middle stage of the Berserker Soul Realm, and those in the fifth mountain… would be in the latter stage of the Berserker Soul Realm?

'If that's the case, then what sort of power do those in the sixth, seventh… and up to the ninth have?!'

Su Ming walked around in the third mountain. Not counting him, there were six Shamans standing beside different statues, as if they were communicating with them. When Su Ming had only travelled one hundred feet into the third mountain, suddenly, the mountain trembled. He immediately saw a gigantic statue reviving, and once the warrior opened his eyes, he lifted his head and roared towards the sky.

His roars shook the sky and earth, causing the space around the area to distort. Soon after, the statue flew up and swung the gigantic, long halberd in midair. The presence he exuded instantly made Su Ming feel an immense pressure.

As the statue flew up, a tall and lean, long-haired man dressed in a blue robe laughed and jumped up to stand on the statue's shoulder. The statue did not seem to mind, turning into a long arc and charging to the exit with the man.

Su Ming's expectations grew stronger. He took a few brisk steps, and once he arrived at the top of the third mountain, he stepped into the Relocation Rune, disappearing into it. All those in the third mountain could see the Rune flashing. Three of the few remaining people lifted their heads to look over, but their expressions were calm, and there were not many changes on their faces.

After all, there were some people who could not offer more money, but would still try to go to a higher level to have a look before they left. They had seen many of such people before.

When Su Ming appeared at the fourth mountain, Nan Gong Hen was in the fifth mountain looking at a statue that was four hundred feet tall and was no longer black but so white it was like silver. There were some fine runic symbols on his armor, and he looked incredibly gorgeous and extraordinary.

His appearance alone was already far better than the statues' in the fourth layer.

'Twenty five thousand Shaman Crystals per day, and I must pay for ninety days in a go… or I can offer some items that are rare even in the World of Nine Yin… this price is still a little reasonable. It's far less than the guy from the fourth layer. That one from the fourth layer actually asked for thirty thousand Shaman Crystals, the nerve! And I even have to pay for at least one hundred eight days in a go.'

Nan Gong Hen automatically ignored the other rental alternatives the statue offered besides the Shaman Crystals. To him, Shaman Crystals were the main focus.

When he was observing these statues, he had also noticed the Relocation Light from the third mountain. He turned his head around and cast a glance at the area underneath before ignoring it. Instead, he walked to the next statue. He wanted to choose a statue that was the cheapest in the area but whose strength was not that much different from the others.

'It's a pity that these Spirits of Nine Yin are all so prideful, and each of them increasingly so. There is absolutely no room for negotiation. If I tried to haggle, I wouldn't hear any sort of answer. It'd be as if they were ignoring me.' Nan Gong Hen shook his head.

Including Su Ming, there were only three people in the fourth mountain choosing their Spirits of Nine Yin. There was one who was standing by the mountainside, and there was one who stood at the three hundred something feet tall dark bronze statue covered in scars where Nan Gong Hen had lingered around earlier while struggling in uncertainty. That person also looked undecided.

It was an old man. By the looks of it, he had arrived at the peak of a Medial Shaman and was only a step away from becoming a Latter Shaman. He stared at the statue and sighed.

As Su Ming walked on the fourth mountain and looked at these statues that were much higher than those in the third mountain, he found that there were less than fifty of them in this place.

As he continued walking forward, Su Ming's gaze was immediately attracted by a scar-ridden statue at the mountainside. The statue was the one Nan Gong Hen had been observing earlier, and he was also the cause of the old man's sighing.

Su Ming walked towards the statue slowly and he looked over calmly. There was nothing around the statue, neither was there any other of his kind in his vicinity. He stood there alone, and his armor was filled with scratches. It was plain that he had gone through much battle throughout his life. The murderous aura spreading out from that gigantic battle axe made Su Ming's pupils shrink.

The old man cast Su Ming a glance, then ignored him. Instead, he continued wavering in his decision, and the struggle in his eyes became stronger.

Once Su Ming walked closer, he lifted his right hand and pressed it on the statue. The instant he did so, a hoarse voice immediately echoed in his mind.

'Thirty thousand Shaman Crystals per day. If you want my protection, then you need to pay for one hundred eighty days in one go. If you agree to it, then I will protect you from all danger within my power, but not anything beyond.' The voice only said those words, and once he finished, his words lingered in the air before dispersing.

Su Ming was stunned. This was the first Spirit of Nine Yin he had met that only stated the amount of Shaman Crystals he wanted but did not mention the equivalent amount of medicinal pills as an alternative.

As Su Ming was caught in a daze, the old man by his side seemed to have made his decision. He had thought about it for a long time. After all, this was a hefty sum. If it was thirty thousand per day, then it would be about five million superior Shaman Crystals for one hundred eighty days. Even to big tribes, this was an incredible fortune. No one would offer this amount of money easily.

Once the old man made his decision, he no longer bothered with Su Ming. He pressed his right hand on the statue as if he was communicating with the Spirit of Nine Yin. After a moment, light immediately started shining in the statue's eyes. A powerful presence instantly spread out from his body, and his presence swept through the area like a vortex, causing his body to rapidly reawaken.

'I am the best warrior of this layer. Choosing me is better for you than choosing those tribe members of mine in the fifth layer.' Humming sounds traveled out of the statue's mouth. This was the first time Su Ming had seen one of these statues speaking, and a sharp glint instantly shone in his eyes.

As the old man's face was lit with excitement, Su Ming suddenly sent a trail of his divine sense into the reviving statue.

'If it's Scattering Dusts, what is your price?'

Chapter 436: Old Man!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The voice Su Ming delivered through his divine sense could only be heard by the Spirit of Nine Yin, the old man by the side could not hear it. Once the reviving gigantic warrior statue heard Su Ming's words, he turned his head around swiftly and stared at him.

At the same time, his body stopped regaining life.

The old man was stunned.

"You have Scattering Dusts?"

Su Ming took a few steps back and looked at the statue, whose voice was reverberating like thunder in his head.

"Sir, if I want your protection, how many Scattering Dusts do you require?" Su Ming sent his divine sense out with a calm look.

However, the old man was not stupid. He saw the statue looking at Su Ming at that moment, and knew that the unexpected occurrence was due to him, but this place banned fights, and they were not the ones who chose the Spirits of Nine Yin. They were chosen based on the will of the Spirits of Nine Yin. At that moment, he stared at Su Ming coldly, and while there was aloofness in his eyes, there was also a freezing glare, along with contempt.

After all, the amount of Shaman Crystals required to obtain the protection of this Spirit of Nine Yin was too great! He did not believe that this person would be able to produce this amount of Shaman Crystals!

"I want ten Scattering Dusts every seven days. Even if you only have ten, I will still protect you for seven days. If you only have five, then I will protect you for three days and a half. If you only have one, then I will protect you for one day!"

As the voice of the Spirit of Nine Yin echoed in Su Ming's head, he started calculating how many Scattering Dusts he had in his disposal. He only had less than two hundred of these pills right now, but as long as he had enough materials, then he could immediately start making them, and he was incredibly familiar with the procedures of making this pill, so even if he would end up wasting some, he would only waste about a tenth of materials.

"Would you accept South Asunders?" Su Ming mulled over his thoughts for a moment before he sent his divine sense into the statue once again to test waters.

"South Asunder?! You have South Asunder?!" Strong light immediately began shining in the gigantic statue's eyes. Even the voice that was reverberating in Su Ming's head had become agitated.

His body started trembling slightly, and the halted revival was activated once again. However, his eyes were fixed on Su Ming, and he no longer paid any attention to the old man.

"Sir, you're going overboard. Leave immediately, if you continue fighting over him with me…" The old man immediately became nervous and growled threateningly at Su Ming, but before he could finish speaking, the gigantic statue suddenly stretched out his left hand and grabbed the old man. As the old man cried out in surprise, the statue tossed him down the mountain.

"Get lost! Don't bother me when I'm making a deal!" That old man's body immediately turned into a long arc and he was tossed down the fourth mountain.

"It doesn't matter whether it's South Asunder or Mountain Spirit, if you bring five of either, I will offer you seven days of protection."

The statue's voice buzzed in Su Ming's head. He was incredibly excited by the mention of South Asunder. After all, he had been here for many years, and while he had met people who brought out Scattering Dusts before, most of the time, the number was incredibly small, and the effects of the pills were weak, making it painfully obvious that they had obtained it from some spot in the World of Nine Yin.

However, Su Ming gave him the feeling that he had quite the number of this pill, and he had even mentioned South Asunder. This made the Spirit of Nine Yin excited.

"Looks like you've found a pill storage. How about this, if you have better medicinal pills like Spirit Plunders, then with just one, I will protect you for 60 days!

"If you think that my power can't satisfy your requirements, then I know an old man in the fifth mountain who should originally have been in the sixth layer, but if you Shamans want to get up there, you would need to be at least a Latter Shaman or else it'll be difficult for you to get in there.

"That's why the old man came down to the fifth layer… One Spirit Plunder and he will protect you for 10 days. I'll go and talk to him, perhaps we can increase the time he can protect you, but the condition is, you have to give me South Asunders and Scattering Dusts!"

A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes and he immediately asked, "That old man you speak of, what is his level of cultivation?"

"By your standards, he's an End Shaman," the gigantic statue immediately said, and an expectant look appeared on his face.

Su Ming's heart pounded in his chest. He wanted to go to many places in the World of Nine Yin. That Candle Dragon's corpse alone was already a place he wanted to go to, then there was the burial ground of Spirit Mediums, which might be of help for awakening the seventh head in Han Mountain Bell and allow him to obtain the One Hundred Million Souls Devouring Heaven Art.

Then there was the deal about the Thought Soothsayers as well. If that altar could make Thought Soothsayers appear, then if it was possible, Su Ming would like to go and see the birthplace of Thought Soothsayers.

Also, his main purpose was the Nine Abyss Flower. This flower could increase the chances of surviving through a life threatening crisis when one was entering the Berserker Soul Realm once they attained great completion in the Bone Sacrifice Realm. This was an item that Su Ming had to get no matter what.

Also, he had to think about the problem of his identity possibly getting exposed. If that happened, then if he could obtain the protection of a Spirit of Nine Yin at the level of an End Shaman, then he could be like fish in water in this place… In fact, it would even be possible for him to go and explore the area one million lis away.

"All right!"

Once he thought about it, Su Ming nodded and brought out a small bottle from his bosom, then threw it at the Spirit of Nine Yin that had completely regained its life. That Spirit of Nine Yin grabbed that small bottle, and with a method, from which Su Ming could not even feel any ripples with his divine sense, laughter came from under the Spirit of Nine Yin's helmet.

"My name is Li Huo. According to the treaty made between my tribe and the Shaman Tribe, I am willing to serve you." As Li Huo laughed, he took a step forward, and once he stood before Su Ming, he lifted the gigantic battle axe, and the action caused howling sounds to reverberate in the air. A violent gust of wind swept through the area.

Li Huo's huge body rapidly shrank in that wind and turned into a dark silver light that charged towards Su Ming's left hand. He suddenly lifted his right hand and received that dark light with that hand. The dark light hesitated for a moment, then turned into a mark on the back of Su Ming's right hand. It flashed a few times.

"Boy, let's go to the fifth layer. I'll tell you where that old man is, or else it'll be very difficult for you to find him."

Li Huo's voice echoed in Su Ming's ears. Su Ming dipped his head down and looked at the mark on the back of his hand, then lifted his head before moving briskly towards the top of this mountain.

He was not afraid of this Li Huo causing any problems. He had still one chance to use the power of the God of Berserkers, and there was enough power in it acting as a deterrent even if he did not use that one last chance.

Even if that person had the power equivalent to an End Shaman, Su Ming could still intimidate him!

After a moment, Su Ming arrived at the top of the mountain, and as the light from the Relocation Rune shone, he disappeared within. When he reappeared, he was already on the fifth mountain.

Besides him, only Nan Gong Hen was in this mountain.

Nan Gong Hen was moving about the mountain, occasionally coming to a stop to in search of a silver statue that he thought would be more reasonable. He had seen the light from the Relocation Rune in the fourth mountain, but did not pay too much attention to it. He simply continued browsing through the few statues in the mountain.

It was only when he was at the mountainside that his footsteps come to a halt and he looked towards the mountain staircase in the distance with a strange look - He saw Su Ming slowly walking up the stairs.

He blinked, then Nan Gong Hen let out a dry cough and gave Su Ming a smile.

"When I saw the light from the fourth mountain's Relocation Rune, I was wondering who it was. I didn't expect it would be you, brother Mo. Since you're here, why don't we take a look around together?"

When Su Ming saw Nan Gong Hen, he wrapped his fist in his palm and greeted him with a smile with his usual calm look on his face.

"I was expecting to meet you here, brother Nan Gong. You mentioned before that you were going to choose a Spirit of Nine Yin here."

"Brother Mo, it seems like I've made a fool of myself before you. All of the Spirits of Nine Yin here need several millions of Shaman Crystals before we can tempt them. In truth, if I had not made preparations for this, I wouldn't choose any of the spirits here," Nan Gong Hen said with a smile, and there was a slightly pleased expression on his face. After all, the amount of Shaman Crystals he had to spend to choose a spirit in the fifth layer was enough to render anyone speechless.

Nan Gong Hen pointed at a statue and started providing explanations to Su Ming. "Come, brother Mo, let me introduce you to this place. Look at this Spirit of Nine Yin, his armor is giving off pressure, but his weapon is a scimitar. This spirit should be one specializing in defense, but his battle prowess is slightly weaker than the other Spirits of Nine Yin here."

When Su Ming looked over, he heard Li Huo snorting coldly in his ear.

"Your companion didn't reveal much. Ta Ka's scimitar is so sharp that if I ran into him, I would feel my skin crawl. His armor, however, is rather mediocre."

Nan Gong Hen continued introducing the statues to him and would occasionally place his hand on the statues to find their price. Su Ming always had a smile in place and did not open his mouth to speak much. All this while, he was listening to Li Huo rebutting Nan Gong Hen's views, and by the end, he was looking down on Nan Gong Hen even more.

"Brother Mo, you might not be able to provide any offerings in the fifth, but you can look around as well to broaden your perspectives. I walked up to the fifth layer in the past as well."As Nan Gong Hen spoke, he arrived at a spot where two statues stood erect on the other side of the mountain.

One of the statues was large and the other small. The big one was four hundred something feet tall, while the small one was only two hundred something. That small one did not hold any weapons in his hands and looked incredibly ordinary. The big statue, on the other hand, was holding a long spear, and he looked incredibly heroic and extraordinary.

Nan Gong Hen placed one hand on each of the statues. After a while, a brilliant light began shining in his eyes. He looked at the statue that was four hundred something feet tall and excitement filled his face.

"Brother Mo, look at this spirit. His price is thirty-two thousand Shaman Crystals per day, and he's the most expensive statue in this place, but don't just judge him because he's expensive. This spirit is definitely the strongest one here!

"Look at the spirit beside him. His price might only be twenty thousand Shaman Crystals per day, but… I definitely won't choose him!" Nan Gong Hen was originally still wavering about his decision, but when he saw Su Ming standing by his side, resolution immediately appeared on his face.

"I'll choose this one!" As he spoke, he placed his palm on the statue again.

"Idiot, Su Han might be in the fifth layer, but he's definitely not the strongest. Your friend's an idiot, that old man beside him is the friggin' strongest monster here. That's what the old man likes. He'll use himself to set up a contrast and to serve as a comparison to scare Su Han so that he will raise his own price. Just you watch, a large part of the offerings Su Han obtains will be given to the old man!

"Boy, the one I'm talking about is him. Place your hand on him, I'll talk to him!" Li Huo's voice traveled into Su Ming's ears.

Su Ming cast a glance at Nan Gong Hen with a wry smile, because he knew that even if he advised him against it, Nan Gong Hen would also not listen to him. He then walked towards the statue that was only two hundred something feet tall.

Chapter 437: You Have a Good Eye!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Nan Gong Hen's statue shone with a strong light, and the statue started rapidly regaining life. At that moment, Su Ming pressed his right hand against the two hundred something feet statue.

Nan Gong Hen also saw Su Ming's actions, but he did not bother himself too much with it. In his eyes, Su Ming was just checking out the statue's price. Even if the statue was not expensive, not all people were capable of making offerings to him and taking him away.

'I browsed through the entire mountain once, and the price for this one is the highest. The prices offered by the Spirits of Nine Yin are based on their abilities. If he dares make this price, then I will pay for it!

'By the looks of it, he's the strongest in the fifth layer!'

Nan Gong Hen might be finding it painful to part with the Shaman Crystals, but he trusted his own judgment. As he watched the light from the statue shine in an area that spanned to one hundred thousand feet, as the incredibly extraordinary statue looked as if it was about to completely regain life, and as light shone in his eyes, his breathing started quickening.

After a moment, once the statue was completely revived, he lifted his long spear and struck the ground. At the same time, he shot up in the sky with a whistle. Only a pair of brightly burning eyes could be seen on his face, which were covered by the helmet. He lowered his head and cast Nan Gong Hen a glance.

That gaze was slightly strange, as if it contained an array of complicated emotions, a deep sentiment…

"By the treaty formed between my tribe and the Shaman Tribe, I am willing to serve you until you are no longer able to fulfill the requirements of the offerings." The Spirit of Nine Yin in midair said these words slowly. His voice echoed in the area, and humming sounds could be heard, making him sound incredibly exceptional.

Nan Gong Hen was just about to fly up excitedly when the statue on which Su Ming had placed his right hand immediately started shining by his side. The light was incredibly dim, but the statue was rapidly regaining life. An ancient gaze gradually appeared where his eyes were.

Nan Gong Hen was momentarily stunned, then widened his eyes swiftly.

"Brother… brother Mo, you rented him?"

Nan Gong Hen sucked in a deep breath, and his face was filled with disbelief. Once he saw Su Ming nodding his head, Nan Gong Hen's expression immediately became strange, and he opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but after a moment of hesitation, he cast Su Ming a compassionate glance.

While Nan Gong Hen might find himself in a sort of disbelieving state in regards to Su Ming's financial power, but the truth was right before him, the other must have some sort of means and methods to obtain money, which no one else knew about.

However, Nan Gong Hen thought that Su Ming's choice… was kind of not worth it, or perhaps more accurately, it was extremely not worth it.

"Ha… brother Mo… you should have told me sooner, there are plenty of Spirits of Nine Yin here that are… Oh well, since you've already made your choice, then I won't say anything." Nan Gong Hen shook his head with a wry smile, and his compassion grew stronger.

There was a strange look on Su Ming's face, covered by the mask. When he saw the pitying look on Nan Gong Hen's face, the same look appeared in his eyes.

The statue beside Su Ming had already completely resuscitated. He moved his body for a while, and cracking sounds came from within him, as if he could not bear with moving. This made Nan Gong Hen pity Su Ming even more.

It was especially so when the Spirit of Nine Yin started slowly shrinking as he moved until he stood there like a normal person with a bent back. This was clearly a hunchbacked, old Spirit of Nine Yin. His armor might be silver, but it was dark and dull. When he wore it on his body, he looked rather sloppy.

When Nan Gong Hen saw this, he sighed in his heart. He could already understand just how good of a judge of character Su Ming was. In his mind, this was no longer a problem with being a bad judge of character, this was a problem of his intelligence going down the drain.

"Lad, choosing me is your fortune. Oh well, I'll protect you all the way on behalf of your Spirit Plunders, but we're doing it according to the deal we made. I will not calculate the price by days, but with each three times I attack, you have to give me a Spirit Plunder."

The old man's voice echoed in Su Ming's head. He looked at the hunchbacked old man before him. This old man might be wearing a helmet and was decked in armor, but he looked incredibly strange in this appearance.

However, Su Ming was very respectful towards him. He wrapped his fist in his palm to salute the old man.

"I will do my best to fulfill your requirements, senior."

The old man was quite satisfied with Su Ming's show of respect, so he took off his helmet, held it under his armpit, revealing a very unique countenance.

His dark skin looked like wood, and when set against his long silver hair, it made the hair incredibly eye-catching. Once Su Ming saw the old man's face, his pupils shrank. This person's appearance was highly similar to the gigantic head that was placed high on top the stone pillar in Shaman City. Clearly, they were from the same tribe!

The old man's face was filled with wrinkles and his eyes were unfocused. After a yawn, he swept his gaze past Nan Gong Hen, and his lips curled up in a smile.

In Su Ming's eyes, that smile looked quite nasty.

The old man grinned and said in a raspy voice, "You, boy. This man is a heroic and exceptional one. You did well to choose the best lad in my tribe. Not bad indeed. You have a good eye!"

Nan Gong Hen's sympathy towards Su Ming increased once again. Just as he was about to open his mouth and say something, he suddenly widened his eyes and saw the old man lifting his head to look at the Spirit of Nine Yin he had rented, then said something that stunned him in place.

"Hey, dummy, where's my share?!" The old man glared and looked at Nan Gong Hen's Spirit of Nine Yin standing in midair. At that moment, Su Han, the spirit, brought out a ball of glittering light from his bosom obediently and handed it to the old man respectfully.

The old man shook the ball with his hand, then nodded his head, satisfied. He quickly put it away into his own bosom, all while not forgetting to address the stunned Nan Gong Hen in the process.

"Boy, you have a really good eye. Don't worry, if that dummy is disobedient, then I'll teach him a lesson afterwards. Don't you worry, all the tribesmen I introduce are absolutely free of problems!

"Hey, how about we go now? It's been a long time since I went out. I wonder how many things have changed in the outside world." The old man turned his head around and looked at Su Ming, urging him on.

Su Ming cast Nan Gong Hen a compassionate glance, then let out a fake cough before he walked forward. The old man had his hands placed behind his back, following behind him with a swagger, even humming a little tune, all while looking incredibly smug.

Nan Gong Hen only recovered after a long while. He looked at the old man leaving into the distance before he lifted his head and looked at the Spirit of Nine Yin called Su Han. He suddenly felt that this originally heroic and extraordinary spirit looked like a rather rigid person… In fact, he seemed kind of silly...

His mind kept going back to the moment the old man had demanded his reward and his acts of praising Nan Gong Hen himself. He shuddered, then slapped his own head before he started laughing wryly.

'This is the first time… I heard about of the Spirits of Nine Yin conning people!'

Just like that, Nan Gong Hen brought with him regret and dispiritedness, along with the Spirit of Nine Yin that had turned into a mark on the back of his hand, then left the dimension through the vortex in the air with Su Ming… and the old man who made him grit his teeth but whom he did not dare offend.

The instant the old man walked out, he lifted his head and looked at the gigantic head lifted up high on the stone pillar. A complicated look along with nostalgia appeared in his eyes. The complication quickly disappeared and he averted his gaze to look at the shackled skeleton in the palace behind the vortex.

The instant he saw him, the old man sighed.

"Lad, I'm going to meet an old friend of mine. As long as you are in the city, I'll be able to detect you. When you want to leave, I'll appear.

"If you need me to attack, then call out the name I told you, and I will naturally attack!" The old man said with a flat tone, then took a step forward. His body instantly disappeared.

When the old man left, Nan Gong Hen wrapped his fist in his palm towards Su Ming with a wry smile.

"Brother Mo… ha… I'll cut myself off here. I'd like to go back and clear my mind in the inn, then… communicate with my Spirit of Nine Yin. Once the treasure gambling even starts, I'll come out. Are you coming with me or do you want to go explore Shaman City?"

Su Ming felt some degree of pity towards Nan Gong Hen, but just when he was about to speak, a glint suddenly appeared in his eyes, because he saw a person looking at him while standing at the foot of the palace's stairs.

"Brother Nan Gong, please go back first. I'll be exploring the area here." Su Ming wrapped his fist in his palm to bid farewell.

Nan Gong Hen, who was feeling incredibly dispirited, did not have any mood to say anything anymore. He shook his head and left the place quickly…

Once Nan Gong Hen left, Su Ming looked towards the person standing at the bottom of the stairs, and their gazes met. His lips curled up into a smile under the mask, and he walked down the stairs.

As he got closer to the person who was observing him, the thin young man who was dressed in black robes and had various small braids decorating his hair started, his pupils shrinking, but he continued standing there without moving.

When Su Ming walked down that long staircase and arrived right before the person, the young man suddenly smiled. His shrunken pupils dilated. He looked at Su Ming and wrapped his fist in his palm, giving him a small bow.

"It's a great joy in life to be able to meet an old friend in foreign land. I was wondering why I thought you were familiar. Now I remember. Brother Su, you still look as graceful as when we parted ways," the young man said with a smile.

He was Wu Duo, the person who Su Ming had met when he was heading to Sky Mist City and the person who had a mysterious background and seemed like a Thought Soothsayer from the Shamans!

"Brother Su, you don't have to argue with me, I'm very certain of this. We're not strangers, since I waited for you here and could identify you, then it proves that I'm not that sort of despicable person, or else, there would be no need for me to do this.

"Brother Su, your disguise is really great. It doesn't matter whether it's your presence or the general air you give off, no one would be able to find any clues about you. Even if I used any of Thought Soothsayer Spells to look into you, I wouldn't be able to find any answers.

"However, ever since I was young, I possessed a talent no one else had. I'm very sensitive to smells. Brother Su, you can change everything, but you neglected to change your smell." Wu Duo spoke with a faint smile, and his words were filled with sincerity.

"My name is Mo Su." Su Ming looked at Wu Duo.

"My name is Zhong Yi. Brother Mo, it's a great pleasure to meet you for the first time. Would you mind finding a place with me so that we can sit?" Wu Duo cast a glance at the mark of the Spirit of Nine Yin on the back of Su Ming's right hand, then spoke in a whisper. "You must have come here for the treasure gambling event as well. I know quite a lot about this. Perhaps we can even work together…"

Su Ming mulled over it for a moment, then nodded.

Chapter 438: Crimson Stone

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The Shaman City belonging in the World of Nine Yin was built a very long time ago. Even now, besides the city giving off an ancient feeling to others, it did not give off too much of a feeling of decline. Instead, as time went by, the city was continuously improved, causing it to be incredibly prosperous.

It was especially so each time the World of Nine Yin was opened up and a large amount of Shamans surged in, which would cause the city to bustle with activity, and there were numerous shops which would still be visited even at night.

It was a bit past noon. In a two story inn located in the west of the city were Wu Duo and Su Ming, who were sitting at a table while looking at a river running through the entire Shaman City. Sounds of running water echoed in their ears, adding another sort of taste to the wine they drank.

"The person who fought against the Latter Shaman from Eastern Goosefoot Tribe yesterday must have been you then, brother Mo. When I saw you walking out from the place of the Spirits of Nine Yin with Nan Gong Hen by your side, I could already guess." Wu Duo smiled, and there were all sorts of emotions in his eyes as he looked at Su Ming.

"I didn't expect that in a few years since the last time we met, your level of cultivation would have went up by leaps and bounds. It's indeed impressive!"

Su Ming shook his head and said slowly, "Being able to fight against senior Tie Mu was just pure luck on my part."

"Oh? Brother Mo, you don't have to be humble. I might not have seen it, but when I heard about it from others, I could tell that you definitely did not manage to survive by pure luck." Wu Duo smiled and took a sip of wine.

When he heard Wu Duo phrasing it as such, Su Ming smiled faintly and no longer spoke about that. Instead, he looked at Wu Duo and said calmly,"Brother Zhong, what are the details of the treasure gambling event you mentioned? I don't know much about it, so I hope you would be able to tell me."

"Brother Mo, you must obtain a sufficient amount of Shaman Crystals before the treasure gambling event. Only then will it be possible to reap any sort of rewards from the event. Of course, if you're only going there to take a look and not to join it, then you won't need to do this."

Wu Duo took a sip of wine, cast Su Ming a look, then said with a smile. "This treasure gambling event is actually a unique thing that only appears in the World of Nine Yin. It is divided into two parts. All people who have more than one hundred thousand Shaman Crystals can join the first part of the event.

"Only those who have become Latter Shamans can gain from the second part. Most people whose level of cultivation is not high enough would not choose to enter the second part, unless they have great luck. If not, most of them would end up really badly." Wu Duo spoke in great detail. He knew that Su Ming might have gained some knowledge about the event, but since he was not a Shaman, there must still be some details that he was not entirely clear about.

"Oh? Please, I would like to hear it." Su Ming brought the wine cup to his lips and took a sip.

Wu Duo gathered his thoughts for a while, then looked around before he asked in a whisper, "Brother Mo, do you know why this place is called the World of Nine Yin and do you know how this name came to be?" .

Su Ming looked at Wu Duo. He did not speak. He knew that Wu Duo did not require any answer from him.

"Besides the Yin Spirit Tribe telling the name to the Shamans' ancestors in the past, it originated from a stone monument that was once erected at a spot somewhere in this place.

"There were only four words on the stone monument, and they were 'World of Nine Yin'. As for the Yin Spirit Tribe, it's this…" Wu Duo said, then lifted his left hand to reveal the glowing mark on the back of his hand.

"In the past, when the Shamans' ancestors arrived in the World of Nine Yin, they somehow got into contact with Yin Spirit Tribe, allowing them to be able to get their help to occupy an area of one million lis in this place in one go, though it was over a period of many years. They also managed to get their help to build Shaman City.

"The treasure gambling event is actually largely connected to the spot where Shaman City is built." Wu Duo's voice was soft. It did not spread too far, and only Su Ming could hear it clearly.

"They chose to build Shaman City on the ground right underneath our feet because there is a gigantic secret in this area. It was very difficult for outsiders to learn about this secret, and it was not until many years later, when an End Shaman who participated in building the city told his descendants of this secret before he died that more Shamans learned about this through a series of complicated events.

"Heh heh, brother Mo, it's definitely difficult for you to guess this. Before we built Shaman City over this land, this place was a giant pit! There were many crimson colored stones stored in it. There was nothing strange about those stones, but we could not send our senses and perceptions into them. When we cracked them open gently, we found some strange herbs inside!

"The famous Nine Abyss Flower is one of them! In fact, there are still plenty of herbs that are not recorded by the Shamans, and even those from Nine Li Tribe cannot recognize them. They should be treasures of immeasurable worth that were rare even during ancient times, and have long since become extinct!

"However…" A brilliant flash passed through Wu Duo's eyes.

"Most of the Crimson Stones have nothing inside. Well, actually, they might have had something inside before, but because they had been around for too long, those things gradually dissipated.

"Only few among the Crimson Stones contain herbs, and even so, most of them have already turned into fossils. There are no longer any sort of medicinal properties within them. And even if some herbs still contain medicinal properties, there won't be much of it left anyway.

"However, there is no absolute in this world. Some of these Crimson Stones that have been cracked open before were found to contain herbs that still contain seven tens of their medicinal properties! In fact… from what I know, there were nine times over the years where complete, undamaged herbs that still retained all of their medicinal properties were found in these Crimson Stones!

"These herbs are all incredibly old, and each of them could be called a priceless treasure! But it all depends on luck. If you're lucky, perhaps the herb's original value itself is already high to begin with. If you're not lucky, then it would be an ordinary leaf. Even if it was still fresh, it would still be…" Wu Duo sighed deeply with feeling.

As Su Ming listened to Wu Duo's words, his eyes began sparkling.

"We calculate the value of the herbs based on two things. One of them is the quality of the herb itself, and the other is the medicinal properties the herb contains compared to other herbs with the same effects.

"Herbs are not the only things contained in Crimson Stones either. There are also ancient Enchanted Vessels and some skill manuals. All of these are things you might find in there. It just depends on whether you can find them and whether the item you get can still be used…

"Due to its mysteriousness and because even End Shamans will have difficulties in finding any sort of clue from these stones, this luck-based cracking of Crimson Stones has gradually turned into the treasure gambling event!

"This sort of heart pounding excitement is something many people cannot resist… The Crimson Stones that can only be bought with a large amount of Shaman Crystals can be said to be able to make a person rise to great heights in an instant… and it can also make a person lose everything in an instant as well." Wu Duo licked his lips. Clearly, he was very passionate about this treasure gambling event.

"These Crimson Stones are valuable. Even if it is incredibly rare for herbs and treasures to appear within them, with the God of Shamans Temple's power and influence, there's absolutely no need for them to hold this treasure gambling event. They could just crack open all the stones on their own. By doing so, they wouldn't have to lose anything!" Su Ming frowned.

"Brother Mo, you might not know about this, but that's what the God of Shamans Temple did in the beginning, but as time passed by and the secret of this place spread through the entire Shaman Tribe… Heh heh, the God of Shamans Temple's influence might be great, but the big tribes in the land of the Shamans would absolutely not let it monopolize the chance of obtaining priceless treasures.

"Even those middle-sized tribes have set their sights on this event. It's only under the pressure of all the tribes in the land of the Shamans that the God of Shamans Temple brings out a portion of the Crimson Stones every single time they open up this place and host this treasure gambling event!" Wu Duo explained.

Su Ming pondered over this for a moment before he voiced his thoughts. "Even so, the big tribes must have also joined the team of people who developed this place. It's impossible that they didn't know about this. If that's the case, what you're saying is a little far-fetched.

"Besides, how could there still be Crimson Stones in this place after such a long time? And by the looks of it, they still have quite a lot of these things left. This is something I don't understand as well."

Wu Duo hesitated for a while before he said with a lack of confidence, "Perhaps there are some reasons that I don't know of regarding the former matter you speak of, but no matter what they may be, the God of Shamans Temple has been hosting this treasure gambling event involving all Shaman Tribes for many years…

"There is in no way you can fake this, and there have been people who have indeed been able to find valuable herbs in these stones. The nine times I spoke of are examples.

"As for the second, well, brother Mo, you still don't really understand this World of Nine Yin. The amount of Crimson Stones in this world is incredibly large, but we can't extract too many of them in one go. We can only get them out slowly. That is how the God of Shamans Temple is able to bring out these Crimson Stones every single time they open up the place.

"Legend has it that there are several huge tunnels underneath Shaman City. These tunnels were all dug out through the years, during the process of mining for these Crimson Stones.

"But it's true that the number of Crimson Stones that are brought out is smaller with each treasure gambling event. I didn't come here when this place was open to public the last time, but I heard later that they only brought out about ten thousand of these stones. It's a little fewer than the previous times."

Su Ming thought about it quietly for a while. There might be some things he still did not understand about this, but Wu Duo did not seem to know everything either, which could only mean that these thing were not privy to a Medial Shaman.

"Brother Zhong, is the second part of the treasure gambling event you speak of a small scale event that is limited to only certain people who have certain levels of cultivation, and is held in another place that is like a trading zone, in a manner almost like an auction?"

"Wrong guess. There is indeed small scale auctions like these during the treasure gambling event, but those are held in private. They are not considered as the second part of the event. The second part of the event is incredibly bloody, and people frequently die in this part! Its name is also known as Stone Looting Event!

"The End Shaman who is protecting Shaman City will definitely not take action. This is a contest between Latter Shamans, and the location is in one of the three small Crimson Stone veins that are usually closed off to public. They are all located within these one million lis.

"Some Crimson Stones will gush out of these small Crimson Stone veins once in a while. After some preparations, the God of Shamans Temple will be able to make these veins gush out a large amount of Crimson Stones for a short period of time. It depends on the person's abilities on how many they are able to loot.

"When the time comes, a Relocation Rune will be activated. The original rule states that everyone with any sort of level of cultivation can enter it, but few Medial Shamans go. But since there's that Catastrophe of the Eastern Wastelands, the pressure of the threat of death from this disaster will drive those who want to survive through it mad. The number of those who will risk their lives in this event will be a lot higher compared to previous times.

"What I want to discuss with you is the second part… If you're willing to help me, then I will give you some of the Crimson Stones I'll obtain. I can promise you, if everything goes smoothly, then we will get a large amount of Crimson Stones!" Wu Duo looked at Su Ming with an expectant look.