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Chapter 536: Who is Interrupting My Training?!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

To the north of Eastern Wasteland's mainland was a land surrounded by river basins. Few people could be seen in the sky. This endless circular area had been turned into All Entities Clan's territory, and all outsiders were forbidden from stepping in.

All Entities Clan was a clan formed by twelve Eastern Wasteland tribes uniting together years ago, and it was one of the four great tribes in the continent. It contained incredible power, and there were even Berserkers who had attained great completion in the Berserker Soul Realm defending it, causing All Entities Clan's reputation to be extremely great in Eastern Wastelands!

One of the numerous basins on the land was surrounded by an innumerable amount of exquisite towers. There were even wisps of black smoke rising to the sky. A black hall could also be seen on the ground, hidden within the depths of that black smoke.

The hall looked as if it was burning, causing the black smoke to churn about. That black smoke was also the one and only wisp of smoke in the endless area of the land! It was the symbol All Entities Clan's spirit, and it was the most distinct sight that could shock outsiders!

In Eastern Wastelands, only those who had attained great completion in the Berserker Soul Realm could gather such thick smoke and use this method to stun others everywhere!

At that moment, there was an old man in black robes sitting cross-legged in the hall within the depths of the black smoke. That old man had his hair spilling all over his back, and a Berserker Mark of a scorpion could be seen on his face. The scorpion shone with a dark light, causing the old man to look strange and mysterious.

A strong wave of ripples could be seen spreading from his body. The area around him was empty except for a middle-aged man who was kneeling respectfully a hundred something feet before him.

Yet at that moment, the old man's right hand suddenly exploded and was torn into bloody ribbons. All his fingers on his left hand also shattered.

The sudden sight made the middle-aged man before him immediately raise his head. His face was filled with shock and alarm, along with panic and fear. He did not know what happened. He had only received Mo Luo's plea for help, that was why he had instantly asked to see the Great Elder of his clan and asked him for help.

However, after the Great Elder had cast his Art, this had happened, so how could he not be shocked?

"Great Elder…"

But before the middle-aged man managed to finish speaking, he saw the old man with the Scorpion's Berserker Mark on his face open his eyes swiftly. Brilliant light flashed in them, and the middle aged man noticed, to his shock, that a terrifying presence suddenly appeared in the hall!

That presence did not belong to the old man, but… to the illusory shadow of a spear in midair. With a flash, that shadow charged towards the old man, and the instant it closed in on him, the old man bit the tip of his tongue and coughed out a mouthful of blood. That blood gathered together and turned into a human face before rushing straight towards the long spear.

Rumbling sounds reverberated in the hall and stirred up a wave of air, forcing the middle-aged man backwards, even making him cough out a mouthful of blood. The shock and terror on his face grew even more. He had a vague guess of what was happening, but he couldn't believe his own thoughts!

'That's impossible. With the Great Elder's level of cultivation, how… how could he get hurt? And that person's presence even chased him down to this place… How… How could this be? The Great Elder went to save Mo Luo. Mo Luo is out in the sea, he's facing off South Morning. Could it be… that Mo Luo ran into the three great Berserkers of South Morning?!

'But even if it's the three great Berserkers, the Great Elder shouldn't be in this state!'

As the middle aged man was filled with shock, the black smoke rising into the sky outside the hall looked as if it had been cut off for a brief instant. It might have recovered very quickly and not many people noticed it, but this sight was enough to tell just how shaken the Great Elder had been from Su Ming's spear.

Once the rumbles faded away, the shadow of the long spear disappeared, and the Great Elder's mangled hands started growing back in a bizarre fashion. By the looks of it, it would not take long before they fully recovered.

The middle aged man's heart raced against his chest. Just as he was about to speak, his words were interrupted once again. Right before his eyes, the old man swiftly lifted his head and looked towards the air.

"Who are you?!" There was anger contained in his voice, along with… a hint of wariness!

"Su Ming, of South Morning!"

The instant the Great Elder's words left his lips, the middle-aged man shuddered and lifted his head to look up. Then, he heard a voice that seemed to be isolated from space itself traveling into the empty air around them.

That voice was aloof and even held a hint of youth, but when it fell into the middle-aged man's ears, it was deeply engraved into his memories.

The Great Elder of All Entities Clan, the old man who was sitting cross-legged in the hall, became incredibly sullen. He did not look at his recovered arms. Instead, his eyes began to sparkle. He knew that he had underestimated his opponent. He did not expect that the person who had made Mo Luo cry out for help would possess a hint of Life Cultivation's presence, the presence that actually made him terrified!

'Life Cultivation… Is there really someone who can move into that Realm in this world…? Su Ming, Su Ming…'

A long time later, the middle-aged man by the side lifted his head while still trembling to look at the old man. After a moment of hesitation, he spoke respectfully.

"Progenitor…"

"Don't bother about Mo Luo anymore. Go make arrangements. From now on, no disciple of All Entities Clan is allowed to step into South Morning!"

…

Su Ming had changed back from Destiny on Scour Sieve Island. He stood there while still wearing the Undertaker of Evil's Armor, but the presence coming from him was back to his original one. Yet even so, once he had brought forth that strongest spear of his, he seemed to have gained an epiphany.

He had a feeling that he had caught onto something, but it was vague and he could not see it clearly. It was as if there was an endless layer of smoke obstructing his path ahead.

But he believed that someday, when he stepped into the Berserker Soul Realm, this mysterious fog that covered the path before him would be swept aside with a wave of his hand.

He stared coldly at Mo Luo, who now only had a small part of his body remaining as he lay in the distance. At that moment, only a small amount of Mo Luo's life was left in him, but he did not want to die. He was afraid of death, terrified that his existence would be erased from the world.

He was also afraid of Su Ming. His fear towards the young man had already reached its peak. He had seen with his own eyes that even the Great Elder had been unable to fight against that spear, and if he could not, then how could Mo Luo hope to do so?!

When he saw Su Ming looking towards him, despair appeared in Mo Luo's eyes.

The young man walked towards him. At that moment, Scour Sieve Island was filled with deathly silence. Everyone had died, and the island was filled with a thick, bloody stench, making everyone who smelled it want to puke.

"You… You…" Mo Luo trembled as he watched Su Ming walking closer. With each step, it felt as if his life was being crushed, making him descend into madness in the midst of his endless terror.

"Killing me is useless. I am from All Entities Clan, and I came here because of my clan. You… Mo Que! Sir Mo Que, save me! Sir Mo Que!"

A bright light suddenly shone in Mo Luo's eyes. In his fear and madness, he remembered that he still had one move left to save himself!

It was Mo Que, Sir Mo Que who had made his heart tremble in fear after sensing his presence. It made him not dare to attack, and instead choose to give him offerings respectfully!

That presence not only made him feel fear, but also caused Bao Shan to be shocked when he first sensed it!

When Mo Luo remembered Mo Que, his despairing heart regained hope. There was no doubt in his heart. If Sir Mo Que attacked, this person would definitely die, there was no way he would survive.

But even after he shouted, not a single reply came from the island. Su Ming did not stop moving, and by then, he was only several dozens of feet away from Mo Luo.

"Sir Mo Que!"

Mo Luo seemed to be hanging onto the last slivers of light of his life. When he saw that Su Ming was getting closer to him, he gathered what little power he had in his body, flew up, and kowtowed, with his head swiftly going down in the direction of the ground.

The instant he rammed his head towards the ground, cracking sounds immediately came from the land, and cracks swiftly tore through the earth. Once they connected, they turned into a giant chasm that ripped apart the island.

The instant that happened, a powerful presence that surpassed even that of Life Cultivation erupted from the crack in the ground.

The strength of that presence caused the weather to change, made the numerous ferocious beasts lingering around the island to shiver and let out terrified shrieks before they backed off altogether.

An old, booming voice reverberated in the air as the presence filled the air.

"Who is it?!

"Who is interrupting my training?!

"Just who has the gall to interrupt me when I'm training?!

That voice was like the roaring thunder. As it reverberated in the air, Mo Luo's expression turned incredibly respectful and zealous, and he quickly started shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Sir Mo Que, it's me. Please execute justice on this person! Afterwards, I will definitely offer you even more offerings!"

Mo Luo was overwhelmed with joy. He believed that as long as Sir Mo Que rose from his sleep, he would definitely be safe!

It was especially so when he remembered how he got to know Mo Que. Just recalling it made him even more excited. He had never sensed such a powerful presence before, and under that presence, he had seen Mo Que's true self. The divine abilities he cast were also unforgettable just by their presence alone, even though the two of them had not fought.

He had only been able to invite Mo Que back to Scour Sieve Island after much effort on his part. From then on, Mo Luo had started giving offerings to him, and he would also do his best to satisfy all Mo Que's requests, even harboring the thought of pleasing him and getting into his good books. At that moment, he relaxed, and a smile appeared on his lips. When he looked towards Su Ming, killing intent appeared in his eyes again.

"It won't be so easy to kill me! So what if you have great power? You can't even hope to compare with Sir Mo Que!"

Mo Luo laughed coldly. He could already imagine what was going to happen next. Sir Mo Que would reveal himself, and in an instant, this fight would end. Once this Su Ming was killed, Mo Luo believed that if he had time to quietly heal his wounds and recover his power, he could still bring back Scour Sieve Island's glory, even though everyone on the island had already died!

"At that time, I will kill all of your people from South Morning! I will have them remember my name, and I will also let them know that all of this is because of one person called Su Ming!

"In fact, I will find out all the people you know, and I will have all the men and women die horrible deaths! It'll be even greater if I can meet your lover, because I will return the humiliation I suffered today back to that person by a hundred fold!"

As excitement grew in Mo Luo's heart, his gaze as he looked towards Su Ming turned even colder.

Su Ming stopped and looked coldly towards the crack. The old voice that had traveled out from inside to echo in his ears and that powerful presence could intimidate all living souls. Even Su Ming had frowned in the beginning because of that.

Yet soon, a strange look appeared on his face, which was covered by the helmet, and other people could not see it.

"Sir Mo Que, please attack!" Mo Luo said once again with excitement in his voice.

Chapter 537: How Could This Be?

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Time slowly trickled away. When a dozen something breaths went by, not a single reply could be heard from the crack besides the ever present powerful presence coming from within. This made Mo Luo momentarily stunned. He trembled and spoke anxiously.

"Sir Mo Que, please attack!"

Su Ming stood there and looked at Mo Luo. Besides his blood lust and aloofness, others could not see any other emotion on his person because of the helmet.

"Attack, my foot!"

After some time, in the midst of Mo Luo's anxiety, a furious roar suddenly came from inside the crack. That roar rumbled in the air and sounded like thunderclaps in the sky.

"This is my isolation grounds. How dare you interrupt my training. If it wasn't because you've been making offerings to me, I would have killed you!

"Since this is your first offense, I will spare you! Get lost!"

There was a hint of fury in the voice in the crack. It left Mo Luo completely stunned. When he eventually registered what was happening, anxiety immediately overwhelmed him.

"Sir Mo Que… This is… I'm being persecuted by others. Please help me. As long as you kill this person, I will continue making offerings to you…"

Before Mo Luo could finish speaking, the furious roar from the crack came out even stronger this time.

"Get lost! If you still don't leave, then I'll make it so that you'll never be able to leave again. And you, man in the armor, I bear no grudges against you. I won't kill you, but you have to immediately leave as well. This island is my isolation grounds. Go out and kill each other. Don't even think about coming back again!"

"Sir Mo Que!!"

Fear grew in Mo Luo's heart. He did not expect that the Mo Que he had invited to this island, the Mo Que who he had tried to please by giving him multiple offerings would… would choose to ignore him at such a critical moment.

Moreover, his attitude was a lot different from before. He was usually arrogant, but when Mo Luo gave him his offerings, Mo Que would also praise him. He had also mentioned before that if he was here, no one would be able to hurt even a single strand of hair on Mo Luo's head.

But now…

"Sir Mo Que, with just a single thought, you can kill this person. Please, on behalf of all the offerings I've given you in the past, save me! Save me!"

Mo Luo was practically pleading at this point. Mo Que was the last ray of light pointing to his salvation. He had placed all his hope on him when he was in despair, there was no way he could give up at this point.

"How could you be so blind towards what is right and wrong? There is no enmity between us, how could I kill him just like that? I am a man of integrity, of outstanding valiance, of upright character, and everyone in the world knows about it. I will not kill a person to whom I do not bear hate!

"Even if I just need a single thought to destroy everything, there are simply some things that I do not want to do. As long as he doesn't provoke me, I will not kill him!" The voice in the crack was filled with an ancient air as he emphasized that he had no grudges against Su Ming and that Su Ming had not provoked him.

"As for you, since you're going to continue bothering me, then don't even think about leaving anymore!" At the same time a cold harrumph appeared from the crack, an even greater presence erupted forth. A huge palm shot out of the crack, and a presence that shook the sky and earth spread out in midair. It could make people who saw it be shocked and terrified.

That palm was several thousands of feet big and looked as if it could cover the heavens as it pressed down towards Mo Luo, who was now filled with fear and disbelief.

A huge gust of wind stirred up, and when despair appeared on Mo Luo's face while madness and hate boiled in his heart as he decided to attack with everything he had, that palm suddenly stopped hundreds of feet above him.

A sigh came from the crack.

"Oh well, you have, after all, been making offerings to me. I don't want to kill you. I will give you twenty breaths. Leave immediately!"

Mo Luo laughed brokenly. He did not know why Mo Que refused to attack. The scenes from the past appeared in his head. This man's strength had almost suffocated him. He originally thought he had regained hope, but now… there was still nothing but despair for him.

Su Ming lifted his foot and walked forward, towards the edge of the crack to look down. The crack was incredibly deep and there was fog filling every nook and cranny inside it. He could not see too deeply.

Almost the moment Su Ming lowered his head to look into the crack, a cold harrumph came from within, and there was a hint of dissatisfaction in it.

"Boy, I'm giving you a chance here. Go! Do you really think that I won't attack you!

"I've always been kind, and your power is quite outstanding. I do quite like you after I saw it. Go, and take that boy Mo Luo away from this place as well!"

A hint of a smile appeared at the corners of Su Ming's lips, though it was still hidden behind his Undertaker of Evil's armor.

"I don't want to leave just yet," he said slowly.

"How dare you! I already gave you the chance, you ungrateful wretch! Do you really think I won't kill you!" The old voice from the crack started roaring furiously.

Mo Luo was momentarily stunned before hope once again lit up in the pools of his despair. When he looked towards Su Ming, he suddenly thought that this person was a little stupid, but he also greatly looked forward to this man continuing like this. Because if he did that, then he would definitely incite Sir Mo Que's wrath, and he would definitely die!

"Sir Mo Que, this person doesn't appreciate your grace! Please kill him!" Mo Luo quickly said.

"Quiet. I've always been merciful, how can I kill someone because of just one sentence? Boy, I'll give you another chance. If you don't take the chance, then… I will really attack!"

Su Ming did not speak. He continued looking at the crack, and the smile on his lips grew.

Time passed, and soon, ten breaths were gone. After a short period of silence, a sigh traveled out of the crack.

"I'm a merciful person, and all of this is simply something you brought on your own head."

As these words were spoken, a seven-colored light shot out from the crack. At the same time, a seven-colored peacock slowly rose up into the air. When it eventually stood in midair, it started shining with a light piercing to the eyes.

The seven-colored peacock looked incredibly powerful. The presence it exuded had already exceeded that of those in the Berserker Soul Realm, making those who saw it feel as if their breathing was about to freeze.

An ancient look appeared in its eyes, and it looked as if it had gone through an endless cycle of life and death, and after having seen through everything, had reached enlightenment.

"I will give you one last chance…"

Excitement appeared on Mo Luo's face. This seven-colored peacock before him was, naturally, Mo Que's main body, and the one he had seen in the past. He would never forget how Mo Que had cast a divine ability that had caused him to be shocked to the core.

He still clearly remembered the name of that divine ability; it was called Overturning the Ocean! It was a divine ability he had never seen before, and it was one that had nearly scared him to death!

It was also difficult for him to forget how this peacock had seemed as if he was incredibly displeased with the ocean while he was still in the sky. Right before Mo Luo's eyes, it had wanted to overturn the ocean, and he would never forget the words it mumbled.

"I don't like the color of the ocean, and since I don't like it, I will overturn it."

In Mo Luo's memories, once this peacock said those words, the entire sky was dyed in seven colors, turning into two giant hands that shot into the depths of the ocean, looking as if they wanted to overturn the seawater!

"So many lives… Fine. I cannot cause harm to so many lives just because of my personal fancies." Mo Luo then saw this peacock shaking his head and dispelling all his divine abilities before he turned his gaze towards him.

This scene had struck Mo Luo completely dumb with shock. He was originally just passing by, but after that, he started being respectful and got into the peacock's good books.

Right then, when he saw Sir Mo Que revealing his true self once again, he became excited once more, thinking that his hope had just appeared again…

Su Ming looked at the seven-colored peacock standing in the sky. Violet light started shining on his body, and gradually, his armor turned into violet threads and fused into his body, causing his face to be revealed.

"Come here!" Su Ming's expression was aloof. Right after he cast a glance at the seven-colored peacock, he spoke coldly. His words did not sound as if he was facing off to a powerful warrior, but more like a scolding.

"Su Ming, how dare you! Sir Mo Que, this person is rude, please…"

Mo Luo's eyes brightened up. Right then, he did not have time to think about why Su Ming would say such words, but instead spoke quickly, all so that he could make the powerful Sir Mo Que in his mind attack.

Yet before he could finish speaking, the words died in his mouth. He widened his eyes and stared at the scene right before him with a dumbfounded expression.

When the seven-colored peacock saw Su Ming and heard his cold words, his body trembled. Shock and fear appeared on his face, along with a look of struggle, but right as it came to be, it was immediately gone. The peacock swiftly lowered his head and put on a look of flattery before he flapped his huge wings… and like a huge bird, he quickly flew towards Su Ming.

"The world is a small place, eh? Um… My eyes failed me just now, and I didn't manage to see you clearly…" The seven-colored peacock was filled with admiration. When he came before Su Ming, he quickly began speaking.

"Return to your original look." Su Ming was dazzled by the light from the seven-colored peacock and frowned.

When the seven-colored peacock saw Su Ming frowning, his heart immediately gave a loud thump against his chest. He had seen just how powerful this person was. He was the person that was chased down by the five colored peacock and the very same person who had made him run away in fear.

Most importantly, the bird had seen everything that had happened from underground. If it had not been because he was too afraid of being discovered if he ran away, he would have fled a long time ago.

That was why he had been praying vigorously while he was underground, hoping that this person would not notice him, but in the end, he was forced out by Mo Luo. It could be said that his hate towards Mo Luo had already reached an intensity that it could burn the sky.

Right then, as he was busy trying to get into Su Ming's good books, a shudder ran through his body, and the seven-colored light immediately disappeared to reveal a black crane with half its feathers gone right before Su Ming and Mo Luo's eyes…

Its appearance and expression gave others a feeling that it was incredibly filthy and nasty, a difference between heaven and earth compared to its previous valiant and mighty appearance just now. In fact, to please Su Ming, it had even turned its head around to glare at Mo Luo. 　　

Mo Luo stared at the black crane with a dumbfounded expression, watched it as it tried to get into Su Ming's good books, listened to its bombastic and hyperbolic words, saw how the seven-colored peacock turned into the bald crane, and his mind went blank. His world had just shattered because of one single crane.

"How could this be…?"

He was originally not a person who was easily fooled, but the black crane was indeed quite skilled in this regard, that was why Mo Luo fell for its deceptions so utterly, all while never having seen its true form…

"A crane… peacock…" Mo Luo coughed out a mouthful of blood, then as he looked at the crane… he suddenly, really wanted to swear...

Chapter 538: Departure!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Su Ming left Scour Sieve Island, and behind him was a bald crane with a look of flattery as it tried to please him.

In the crane's claws was Mo Luo, who had not completely died, but whose world had completely shattered. His battle against Su Ming had caused his power to show signs of collapse, and Su Ming's strength was engraved into his bones.

Yet even so, even though he was afraid of death, even though he was terrified, he was still confident that he could survive through this and continue building his faction of power. He was confident that he could still make a comeback sooner or later with his intelligence and his methods.

However… the crane's appearance had made him begin doubting his own intelligence, and his world had shattered because of it. He could not believe that he had been fooled by such a dirty looking bald crane, and had even been making offerings while trying to curry its favor for the past few years.

Now that he thought about it, when he met this shameless bald crane in the past, all its actions and that so called 'mercy' were all fake!

It was plainly an act, it was clearly just putting on a show, and he actually believed it…

Su Ming could sense Mo Luo's thoughts, but he did not bother about him. Scour Sieve Island was behind him at that moment, and as he walked in midair, the land was filled with dead silence. The entire ground was covered in blood, and it had turned into a dead island!

Su Ming had also cut down a mountain before he left, slicing it down into a gigantic stone monument, which he placed at the center of the island, at the most eye-catching spot on the land!

He left behind a line of words on it, and each word was written using fresh blood. A murderous aura and killing intent that burned the sky spread out from that monument, shocking and intimidating all the Eastern Wastelanders who would perhaps come to the island in the future!

"All those who dare humiliate us from South Morning will be executed, no matter how far you are! Let this place serve as the first warning for all Eastern Wastelanders who trespass South Morning!"

Right behind this sentence, Su Ming had written his name.

"Su Ming, of South Morning!"

He knew that after this battle, his name would spread like wildfire in this foreign land. And it was precisely what he wante. This shock was what he would do for South Morning.

Once he left that stone monument behind, he took a step forward and walked towards Southern Swamp Island. He did not intend to stay long in the region of the Dead Sea between South Morning and Eastern Wastelands. He would first return to the ninth summit. He wanted to see how it was faring currently, and he wanted to see whether he could find any news about Hu Zi there.

After that, he would head to Eastern Wastelands!

There was a long black blade in Su Ming's storage bag at the moment, and there was a shadow of fog on it. That shadow was attached to the blade, and once Su Ming took it away, she remained trembling in his storage bag.

Su Ming was familiar with the woman's shadow. She was also the reason why he had not killed Mo Luo right away, but had chosen instead to bring him back to Southern Swamp Island!

That shadow was the woman from the bracelet his eldest senior brother had given him as a gift in the past, who also happened to be one of the three hundred Shaman Souls of Nine Li!

"I'll have to ask Zong Ze whether eldest senior brother took this with him in the past. If that's the case, then how did this end up in Mo Luo's hands?

"Perhaps this is the clue that will lead me to eldest senior brother!" Su Ming mumbled, bringing with him the bald crane who did not dare leave because it was still afraid of him. They turned into a long arc in the sky and left into the distance.

When evening arrived, Su Ming returned to Southern Swamp Island. At that moment, the protective screen of light around the island had become much thicker, and the Rune was being repaired at lightning speed. The islanders were trying to restore it to its complete form so that the island would sink down once again and they could avoid disaster.

Su Ming did not catch much attention when he returned, but once he landed on the island, he charged straight towards Zong Ze. Right when the shaman saw him, a thick, bloody stench forced its way into his nose, and he also saw the sealed and bound Mo Luo!

His impression of Mo Luo ran deep. After all, he had lost to this person in the past. When he saw the man once again at that moment, a huge storm raged in Zong Ze's heart.

He did not expect Su Ming to return so quickly, neither did he expect him to truly be able to destroy the entire Scour Sieve Island. As shock filled his heart, an even more complicated feeling rose within him as he looked towards Su Ming.

Zong Ze spoke the truth when asked about the three hundred Shaman Souls and the bracelet Su Ming was forced to leave behind in the past in Autumn Sea Tribe while having mixed feelings in his heart.

"I will leave tomorrow. Senior Zong Ze, I hope that you will take care of Cang Lan and Zi Yan. I will be deeply grateful for that." Before Su Ming left Zong Ze's cave, his footsteps came to a halt and he turned around and looked at the shaman, then he wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed towards him.

Zong Ze nodded and watched Su Ming leave. In the midst of all the complicated emotions in his heart, he sighed, then disappeared from his cave. He only returned the next morning.

He went to Scour Sieve Island, and there, he saw the blood on the island, along with a newly erected stone monument. That sight turned into a powerful impact that delivered a shocking blow to him, and it also made him place even more attention towards the matter of Su Ming asking him to take care of Cang Lan and Zi Yan.

He no longer had much time left, and though he wasn't afraid of death, but due to the island, he became respectful towards Su Ming, and this respect was the reason why he decided to treat his request seriously.

When morning arrived, before Zong Ze's return, Su Ming had already left Southern Swamp Island. With Fang Cang Lan's divine abilities, he was able to see Mo Luo's memories, and had also been able to see how the bracelet his eldest senior brother had taken away ended up in his hands.

Once he learned of everything, Su Ming left with an expression as dark as thunderclouds. Before he left, Zi Yan came to him and asked about Zi Che's whereabouts, but in the end, left dejected.

Su Ming left, bringing with him the bald crane who did not dare leave his side. They turned into a long arc and disappeared into the sky. Behind him was a person, who stood on Southern Swamp Island while watching him quietly. When Su Ming left into the distance, when he was gone from her sight, her gaze turned into a pained sigh…

As Su Ming flew towards South Morning on his way back to the ninth summit, he could already guess the level of shock he would bring to Eastern Wastelands with the slaughter he brought on Scour Sieve Island. However, he did not expect that the shock would soon turn into a violent gust of wind that would sweep through the entire Eastern Wastelands and the sea beyond!

Three days after Su Ming left, six long arcs came flying towards Scour Sieve Island. There were men and women within those six arcs, and as their chatter and laughter filled the air, they approached the island.

"That's Scour Sieve Island. The festival will be held here. I'm familiar with senior Mo Luo, when the time comes, we can…" One of the men among the six people laughed as he spoke. With a rather complacent expression, he approached the island with the rest of his group, but the instant he closed in, his words died on his tongue.

The dead silence that filled the entire island and the thick stench of blood that wafted into their noses caused shock to appear on the six people's faces. As they stepped onto the ground, the blood that covered every inch of the land and had yet to dry made their breathing quicken instantaneously, and their faces immediately turned pale.

The blood that filled the entire ground, the ruins everywhere, and the endless sea of mangled corpses caused the place to instantly look like hell. The aura of death filled the air in the place. The six people started shivering and their faces turned pale. Their eyes flew wide open, and while filled with shock, they saw the gigantic stone monument standing erect in the middle!

When they saw it, the six hastily left Scour Sieve Island without hesitation. Huge storms raged in their hearts, and in their minds, the words written in blood on the stone monument as well as Su Ming's name emerged at the same time!

Several days later, another batch of people came to attend Scour Sieve Festival, but after a moment, their expressions changed drastically to paleness and terror, and they hastily fled the island.

Gradually, more people learned of what happened to Scour Sieve Island, and more people learned about Su Ming of South Morning!

From then onwards, the island that was filled with a bloody stench and death became a warning, causing all the cultivators around Eastern Wastelands to be stricken with fear!

Chapter 539: The Three Great Islands of South Morning

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

There were only three pieces of land remaining of the old continent of South Morning besides the islands scattered here and there. These three pieces of land might seem desolate, but they were the only three regions that remained in a more complete state as South Morning suffered through the effects of the Catastrophe of the Eastern Wastelands.

Three incredibly huge protection Runes covered each of these three huge pieces of land. From the distance, it was not exactly accurate to call them that thought, because they were not connected together to form a single continent. Instead, they were spread out in a triangle, and black seawater roared between them.

Perhaps it would be more accurate to describe them as islands.

Su Ming stood on the Dead Sea as clouds tumbled in the sky. There was a rather complicated look on his face as he looked at the sea beneath his feet. Vaguely, he could see a shadow in the depths below…

The shadow looked like a dragon's head. That spot was… where Sky Mist Barrier was located in the past, but it was now submerged under the sea. If the terrain itself had not been incredibly highly elevated since the beginning and the mountain ranges where the wall was built upon had not existed, Sky Mist's dragon head would no longer be seen after it was submerged.

Twenty something years ago, Su Ming fought against the Shamans here in a great war as a member of the Berserker Tribe. Over here, he had refined his will. Over here, he became a Divine General of Bone Sacrifice, and also in this very same place, he was forced to escape into the land of the Shamans.

Now, this place had changed. Everything had changed, be it the place itself or the people. It would make a person sigh if he tried to search for the faint traces of the past.

Compared to the complicated feelings and the sentimental thoughts in Su Ming's heart, the bald crane behind him was looking around while having all sorts of thoughts in its mind. It was trying to search for a way to leave Su Ming with everything it had. It was incredibly terrified of the man, and it told itself that if it could not find a way to escape, it might never see the light of day again.

'I'm a valiant and wise crane with a high status. How could this little Berserker brat speak to me so rudely? Hur hur.' As all sorts of thoughts ran through the bald crane's mind, it saw Su Ming turning his head around, and was immediately terrified. It quickly put on a look of flattery, and even flapped its wings a few times like a little chick.

Once it noticed that Su Ming was not looking at it but into the distance, it started grumbling in its heart.

'I must think of a way to escape as soon as possible. It'd be great to have my freedom again. With my divine abilities, I can have as many concubines as I want, as many lackeys as I want. Ah… it's a pity about Mo Luo. I wasted a lot of effort making him believe in me in the past.'

Su Ming did not bother with the bald crane's thoughts, but only looked at the vast sea underneath, moving his eyes away only after a long time had passed. His gaze gradually calmed down. As he moved forward, he turned into a long arc and walked forth. The bald crane hesitated for a moment, until Su Ming's cold harrumph reached its ears.

It made the bald crane tremble, and even though it was absolutely unwilling to, it still put on a look of happiness on its face.

"Sir, please wait for me. Look, I don't have a lot of feathers left, I can't fly too quickly. Why don't I… wait for you here?"

Su Ming did not continue paying any sort of attention to it. He might think that there were some mysteries surrounding this black crane, but as of then, his desire to return to the ninth summit was too strong, that was why he did not bother himself too much with the bird.

Besides, there was no sort of grudge between him and the black crane. With how Su Ming was, he would not make things too hard for the crane. If it wanted to leave, he would not stop it.

When the crane saw that Su Ming was ignoring it and was flying further away, it widened its eyes and started backing away slowly, wondering in its head whether he had decided to be kind and stopped paying attention to it.

'Something's wrong!' The bald crane froze for a moment, then after flapping its wings a few times, it lifted its claws and scratched the spots on its body that were without feathers.

'He's testing me. If I truly ran away, he'll have a reason to teach me a lesson. Aaahhh, what a sly person, this Su Ming. I won't fall into your trap. Hur hur, the more you act this way, the less I should escape. I'm a smart crane, did you think you can actually make me fall for your little schemes, you little Berserker brat!'

The bald crane immediately flapped its wings and quickly chased after him. As it flew, it continued feeling smug about itself for not falling into Su Ming's 'scheme'.

The colors of the three protection screens of light on the three big islands of South Morning were different. The one at the center was black and looked dull. It was as if there was an endless layer of black smoke surrounding the entire land. It let out an eerie presence, causing people to feel a chilling air spreading out before they even got closer to the place.

The big island located several tens of thousands of lis away to the left was surrounded by golden light. That light spilled out in all directions and could be seen from the distance. The final big island was located to the right of the black island. That place was filled with blue light, and as it flowed, it looked as if there were ripples spreading out into the world.

Su Ming flew past the Sky Mist Barrier and looked at the vast surface of the sea and the world in the distance. In his hands he held a jade slip, and the locations for the three great islands of South Morning were marked clearly on the map.

However, since the three islands were eternally sealed off, it was rare to find anyone coming out. That was why it was difficult to determine just which faction of power that existed in South Morning since the past owned these three islands.

However, Zong Ze had his own assumptions, and he had made some marks on the map based on them.

According to his guesses, the big island shining with golden light should belong to Western Sea Clan, who had activated the power of its clan when the calamity arrived so that they could stand against the disaster.

Judging by the place where the land was torn, the golden island was indeed where Western Sea Clan was once located.

Zong Ze had been unable to make any sort of guesses regarding the black island. He could only theorize that the island shrouded in blue light was controlled by Freezing Sky Clan based on some of the hints he obtained.

Su Ming fell into a moment of silence while holding the jade slip. As his eyes flickered, he charged towards the blue island, and he continued flying across the surface of the sea for the next few days.

The bald crane followed behind him. The two of them turned into two rays of long arcs, and they did not see another living soul besides the endless sea and the occasional ferocious beasts that would pop out of the Dead Sea around them.

It did not matter whether it was day or night. Besides the roars of the seawater, not much sound could be heard from anything else, causing the region to almost fall into deathly silence.

Eventually, Su Ming saw a hint of blue light in the world before him. The light gradually grew stronger as he got closer. Soon, a large piece of land appeared before him. Rays of blue light that seemed like flowing water flashed in a globe around the land. The screen of light was rather thick, and it looked as if it was about a thousand feet in breadth!

The thousand feet breadth cut off everything from outside, causing this huge island to be isolated from the world. Right at the moment Su Ming closed in on the protective screen of light, a vast and mighty pressure spread towards him slowly. Su Ming stood there and cast his gaze at the screen of light, but he could not see through it.

This was a powerful defense that could resist the Catastrophe of the Eastern Wastelands. It looked as if it was a thousand feet thick, but it was definitely not just that. The strength and resilience of the screen of light made a light crease appear between Su Ming's brows once he saw it.

He stood beyond the screen of light and lifted his right hand slowly, but right at that moment, the bald crane behind him blinked and quickly flapped its wings.

"Don't, sir. I have a method for us to enter the place. I promise you, it'll definitely work, and the people inside won't notice us. This sort of thing is too easy for me," the bald crane said smugly next to Su Ming. When he looked towards it, the bald crane immediately puffed out its chest and even slapped its chest several times with its beak.

"Sir, just watch me!"

As it spoke, it immediately flew towards the light screen with everything it had. Lifting its claw, it pressed it against the screen, and its body immediately turned invisible. Soon after, it slowly started shining with blue light, as if it was about to fuse together with the Rune.

Su Ming focused his attention on the bird, and was rather surprised. He did not expect that the bald crane would have this sort of ability, but as he continued watching, an odd expression gradually appeared on his face.

Because right then, as the bald crane started shining with blue light all over its body, its appearance slowly changed and it gained a human form. By the looks of it, it had turned into an old man.

The old man stood outside the Rune, and a thick wave of aura of death spread out from his body. That wave of death surrounded him, causing him to look incredibly weird.

He closed his eyes, and when he reopened them, a hint of ancientness as well as somberness could be seen in his eyes. When Su Ming saw the bald crane taking up human form, his heart trembled. That gaze gave even him an indescribable feeling.

However, that feeling disappeared the next instant, because the dignified and solemn old man that was the bald crane started changed its expression rapidly and put on a look of flattery. There was also a hint of smugness contained within, which completely destroyed his mighty and serious temperament. It made Su Ming shake his head as he chuckled wryly.

"You puny little Rune, do you see who I am? I was the one who placed you here. Now open up for me!"

As the bald crane mumbled, he stretched his right claw now turned into the old man's right hand towards the Rune. Immediately, the thousand feet thick screen of light before Su Ming opened up a crack without making a single sound. That crack stretched right down to the inner parts of the Rune, revealing the land it protected inside.

An odd expression settled on Su Ming's face. He could tell that the bald crane had become one with the Rune with its great transformation powers, then, after casting some unknown method, had turned into the old man, who might possibly be the person who had made the Rune in the past.

With this method, it had deceived the Rune, causing it to open up a path for them.

Su Ming's eyes sparkled. He cast a glance at the old man who was really the produce of the bald crane's transformations, then walked forward slowly. Almost the moment he closed in on the path the screen of light had opened up, he disappeared and warped a thousand feet away, appearing inside the protected zone within the Rune.

When he was gone, the bald crane rolled its eyes, and the crack on the Rune immediately closed up, causing Su Ming to be instantly encased within, which also meant that the two of them were now separated by the Rune.

"Ha ha, how dare you try to scheme against me, you little Berserker brat? How dare you test me? In the end, you fell into my trap! From now on, go on ahead and be trapped inside that Rune! I'll be living my life of freedom!"

The bald crane laughed smugly, and with a single swing of its body, it turned back into the seven-colored peacock. Clearly, it loved this particular appearance, and while feeling pleased with itself, it flapped its wings. But just as it was about to leave…

"Really now?"

An aloof voice suddenly came from beside the bald crane's ears, causing it to be momentarily stunned, and a shudder crept up its spine. It immediately turned its head back and looked at the spot in the Rune where Su Ming had previously disappeared, only to find him still standing nearby while looking over coldly.

Chapter 540: The Ninth Summit!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The instant the crane saw Su Ming, all the feathers on the seven-colored peacock immediately stood up, and with a shudder, its body started twisting. Clearly, that scare had caused its divine ability to become unsteady, and it returned to its appearance of a bald crane. The few feathers remaining on its body were also standing up.

It stared at Su Ming with a dumbfounded expression, blinked, and a few tears actually fell from its eyes…

"I… I…" At that instant, the bald crane was scared stiff. It could not even speak.

"Open the Rune and come in with me."

Su Ming looked at the bald crane coldly, and as he spoke, he lifted his right hand, formed a seal, and without a hit of delay, pressed his palm in the direction of the bald crane. In an instant, a ray of black light spread out from his fingertips and charged towards the bald crane, swiftly, seeping into its body and turning into a seal that was connected to Su Ming's mind.

He originally did not want to place any form of restriction on the crane. If it had not just done what it did, Su Ming would have cut off all ties with it once he stepped into the screen of light. No matter where it wanted to go, he would not have interfered.

In truth, if the bald crane had said that it wanted to leave on their way here, Su Ming would not have denied its request, but what the crane did just now displeased him.

The bald crane's heart trembled. It lowered its head and hastily went to the Rune. Once it opened it again, it looked at Su Ming with a fawning look, and just as it was thinking of how to curry favor by buttering him up, Su Ming took a step forward, lifted his left hand, and grabbed the bald crane by the neck before dragging it into the Rune with him.

The blue light before him was dazzling to the eyes. His world blurred for an instant, and when it cleared up, Su Ming had already walked through the Rune and was standing under the sky that belonged to South Morning in the past. He looked at the ground. Everything was barren underneath and not a single hint of green could be found. The sky was murky, and the sun could not be seen clearly.

The mountains were still here, and so were the plains, but not a single life form could be detected. The stench of death was evident in the barren place.

Su Ming released his grip on the bald crane's neck, and with a cold harrumph, turned into a long arc and flew forward. With a dejected look, the bald crane quickly followed suit, all the while grumbling in its heart and lamenting that it had been careless… Not only did it not manage to run, a seal had also been placed in its body.

'Damn it, how could I not have seen through this test…? This Berserker brat is too sly. Looks like he's a person who is used to testing others. I'll have to remember. I can't fall for his tricks again!' The bald crane lamented to itself and repeatedly reminded itself to be wary of the man's tests.

Su Ming walked forward in the sky. He was familiar with the terrain here, and when he flew several hundreds of lis to arrive before an island surrounded by water, he came to a halt.

The vast expanse of water looked like a sea, but its color was not black. It was blue, and it covered a wide region. There was originally not supposed to be any sort of water here, it had been a world filled with glaciers and ice. Freezing Sky Clan was built on this glacier.

Yet now, as the calamity fell on their heads and South Morning was torn to pieces, the glacier became the sea around the island, drowning everything familiar to Su Ming.

"The ninth summit…" he mumbled under his breath as he looked at the seawater beneath him. Before his eyes, the image of the ninth summit of the past appeared. Gradually, an agitated look appeared on his face. He spread his divine sense outwards to cover the region.

With it, he saw the land, and also... a small mountain at the center of this vast expanse of sea...

The instant he saw it, Su Ming started trembling. His heart started racing, and his eyes started shining with eternal light. He walked forward slowly, towards that tiny mountain, or perhaps more accurately speaking, the portion of the mountain that was revealed on the surface of the sea, which was really less than one thousand feet.

He was like a wanderer that had wandered for decades, only to return home after many years to see unfamiliar sights laced with familiarity. The complicated feelings he harbored in his heart, along with his excitement and agitation, were difficult to put into words.

There was an ancient air to the sea breeze. When it blew past the surface of the sea, layers of ripples were formed on the water, causing the seawater to sparkle, giving it a nostalgic beauty.

The wind blew against Su Ming's body, lifting his hair, making his robes flutter. When the wind touched his eyes, it turned into longing and nostalgia, making him move his feet to walk towards where the ninth summit had been located in the past.

Everything in Su Ming's gaze disappeared at that moment. The only thing left in his field of vision was the mountain that was now less than one thousand feet in height.

Perhaps it should be said that this was just the peak of the mountain, because most of it was submerged under the seawater, including Su Ming's cave abode, his second senior brother's plants and flowers, his eldest senior brother's isolation grounds, and Hu Zi's house, where he slept… Everything was submerged under the water, and only the peak of the mountain remained eternally standing tall, surrounded by seawater.

It was as if it was also waiting for Su Ming, waiting for his return, or else, why would this mountain be the only one remaining while all the others had disappeared…?

All the things that had happened in the ninth summit in the past were clouded by nostalgia in Su Ming's eyes. When he got closer, mixed feelings rose in his heart. It had been twenty years, and because of one calamity, so many things had changed.

In his divine sense, Su Ming saw the tip of the ninth summit, which was still about several hundreds of lis away from him. At that moment, there was a man standing outside the cave abode that originally belonged to Tian Xie Zi!

The man had a powerful back and shoulders, his body was incredibly well-built, but his hair was a mess. He stood there like a mountain that would never disappear. At that moment, he had his fists clenched while glaring right ahead.

Before him were two men dressed in Hanfu. Those two men were middle-aged, and one of them was glaring at this big man coldly while speaking slowly.

"The due date for your rent ends in three days. If you want to continue staying here, then you have to bring out even more offerings this time. If you can't, then Heaven Gate will wipe away this mountain."

"Since we're both from the same clan and are fellow disciples, here is my advice. If you don't want to give up on this land, you'd best bring those offerings here," the other person stated coldly.

"You're going overboard!" the man roared furiously. His face was filled with anger and pain. Over the years, he had given up far too much to protect the ninth summit.

When the calamity arrived, Freezing Sky Clan's Heaven Gate activated their divine ability and protected this place with their Rune, but in the process, they made this place completely isolated from the outside world. Moreover, due to Heaven Gate's, all factions of power had no choice but to submit to them.

The Great Frozen Plains had also been demolished because of all sorts of reasons and made to drown in the depths of the sea. The ninth summit, however, had been allowed to stay due to some mysterious reason, but there was a condition for its continued existence. This man had to bring out ten items from Tian Xie Zi's cave abode and give them up as an offering, or else Heaven Gate would destroy the ninth summit.

The man knew that there was a strange seal to his Master's cave abode. This seal prevented all outsiders from entering, and if anyone tried to force their way in, all the items inside would be destroyed in an instant. Only the disciples of the ninth summit could enter the cave abode freely.

"You've already taken most of the things Master left behind. Why can't you just leave the ninth summit alone? I just want to protect my home. Master is gone, eldest senior brother is gone, even second senior brother is gone, and youngest junior brother has gone missing as well. I'm the only one left here. I'm the only one…

"I just want to protect this place. I just want to make sure it keeps on existing so that Master will have a home to return to when he comes back, and when my eldest senior brother as well as my second senior brother come back, they will be able to see their home!

"I want to let youngest junior brother be able to find his way back when he returns. This is the only thing I can think of, but you… how could you do this?! Master already doesn't have much left, so how can you do this?!!" As the man cried out, tears fell from his eyes. The pain and suffering he had had to endure over the years was something no one could possibly know.

He was Hu Zi, the simple and honest Hu Zi who had some odd quirks and unique hobbies. However, twenty years had passed by since then, and the signs of age had appeared on his face. He was no longer the child who could sleep every single day and did not have to worry about anything because he had Tian Xie Zi's protection. Now, he was the Hu Zi who wanted to protect the ninth summit so that he could give his Master and his junior brother a home to return to!

"You wouldn't dare do this if Master was still around!

"Even if it was just my eldest senior brother, you wouldn't dare do this either! And before my second senior brother left, you wouldn't have dared to humiliate the ninth summit!" Hu Zi yelled at the two people with anger burning on his face.

"Indeed, if senior Tian Xie Zi was here, we wouldn't dare to do this, but he has gone missing for too long, and we don't even know whether he's still alive and well," one of the two people standing before Hu Zi said, shaking his head.

"If your eldest senior brother or your second senior brother were around, this might perhaps not have happened as well, but they've also gone missing.

"Honestly, you don't have to be so angry either, we just came here to tell you the orders from the clan," the other person said coldly.

"The ninth summit belongs to Freezing Sky Clan, and Freezing Sky Clan belongs to Heaven Gate. Why would we need to force you if we want to take back this mountain? Three days later, we will come and retrieve the offerings. If you can't produce them, then we will have to report this to the clan."

Once the two people finished speaking, they cast Hu Zi a glance filled with cold aloofness, along with a hint of disdain and mockery. They then turned into long arcs and charged into the sky, disappearing without a trace. The air around them distorted and it looked as if they had just entered a void.

Only Hu Zi remained standing on the ground alone. He sat down in anguish and clenched his fists tightly, but in the end, when his gaze landed on the ground and the ninth summit, he started crying.

"I only want to protect the ninth summit... I don't want it to disappear. I want to find the warmth it had in the past. I want to keep our home intact for all of you… Master, where are you? Do you know that the ninth summit has reached such a state…?

"You went to Eastern Wastelands for South Morning, but do you know that our ninth summit is about to fall? I can't bear with this for much longer…

"Eldest senior brother, where are you…? Second senior brother, why did you go out? Why didn't you stay here and protect our home together with me…?

"Youngest junior brother, are you… are you… are you dead or alive? It's been twenty years… Do you still remember the ninth summit? Do you still remember our Master, our eldest senior brother, our second senior brother? Do you still remember me…?" Tears fell down Hu Zi's cheeks as he mumbled.

When a man cried in such a manner, it was enough to make all those who saw him feel their hearts shake.

Chapter 541: Hu Zi, Don't Cry...

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Hu Zi no longer drank. Over the years he had become unwilling to drink, because he was afraid of getting drunk. Once he became drunk, he would remember his Master, his eldest senior brother, his second senior brother, and his youngest junior brother.

This longing was pure and plain torture to him. It would make him wake up from his sleep in tears, make him drown in loneliness as he looked at the darkness around him and remembered just how alone and at a loss he was.

He seldom fell asleep now, and would rather not dream, because he was afraid of becoming immersed in the happiness of the past and unwilling to wake up. If he truly could not wake up, then the ninth summit might fall into trouble.

He no longer peeped either, because he had already grown up, he no longer had the strength to do such a thing… because there was no longer anyone else in this area besides him. If there was any, then it would be the hidden Heaven Gate in the sky.

It was a place he hated with everything he had. He would never forget how Heaven Gate had abandoned the Great Frozen Plains when the calamity came upon them, forcing an innumerable amount of the disciples in the mountains to leave. They were made to wander without a place to call home, and he had no idea whether they were still alive or dead.

He had to watch the mountains collapse, watch Heaven Gate descending on them and making all the factions of power on the ground come under their jurisdiction, and watch the ninth summit slowly be drowned as the glacier melted. He would never forget the day his eldest senior brother's isolation grounds went under water. Tears had fallen from his eyes then, but he could only move backwards, and could only continue retreating until his cave abode was gone, until even his youngest junior brother's cave abode disappeared under water. At that moment, he cried again.

He could not stop any of this. He could only continue moving backwards, could only watch water drowning even his second senior brother's house, the plants and flowers dying, until only a thousand feet of the entire ninth summit was left.

The lonely mountain was left with a lonely person. He struggled for years, and he had no idea for how much longer still he had to continue struggling. Perhaps… he would not be able to continue for long.

With tears falling from his eyes, Hu Zi sat on the mountain. He looked at the world in the distance, then at the sparkling seawater, and more tears fell from his eyes. Those tears contained his pain, his anger, and even more so, his longing.

He knew that if Heaven Gate's Bai Su had not harbored special feelings for the ninth summit and loved his missing youngest junior brother, he would be in an even worse trouble.

He also knew that Bai Su only had very little influence in Heaven Gate. Even if her father had a lot of power in Heaven Gate in the past, but the thing that had happened during these past few years had caused him to be badly injured, causing his power and influence to fall greatly as well.

Hu Zi would never forget that sight. It was something that was largely connected to a person called Si Ma Xin, who had walked out of Freezing Sky Cave when the glacier turned into an ocean. It was something that no one expected, not even Bai Su's father!

Si Ma Xin had become incredibly powerful when he walked out of the glacier, and from then onwards, he became one of the powerful warriors within Heaven Gate. His existence was also the reason why the ninth summit was in such a difficult situation.

As Hu Zi cried, he touched his back and started mumbling in a voice that only he could hear.

"Master, I'm at my limit… Eldest senior brother and second senior brother went to Eastern Wastelands… Youngest junior brother, where are you…? Did you know? Our home is almost gone… Do you still remember the ninth summit's principles…?

"Kill those who have harmed even a single plant of ninth summit.

"Kill those who have harmed even a single follower of ninth summit.

"Kill all the Berserkers of the tribe of the person who harmed even a single disciple of the ninth summit."

As he spoke, more tears fell from his eyes, and his heart clenched in pain.

"These are the ninth summit's principles… but our summit is no longer here, are we… even considered a part of it anymore…?" Hu Zi continued crying. On that lonely mountain, the sobs of a man echoed in the air.

Men do not cry easily, because their cries sounded horrid to the ears, because their sobs symbolize weakness, but… when they reach their limit, their cries become filled with their despair towards life.

Those sobs filled with despair would no longer be unpleasant, but would be filled with grief...

Hu Zi wept silently, until a sigh came from behind him, along with a gentle, familiar voice.

"Hu Zi, don't cry…"

When that voice spoke, a hand landed on Hu Zi's shoulder. The hand that represented warmth caused him to lurch forward, and when he turned his head around while shivers wrecked his body, he saw a face that for long had only existed in his memories.

"Youngest… junior brother…" Hu Zi looked at Su Ming with a dumbfounded expression, and his mind went blank. He could not tell whether this was reality or just a figment of his imagination. As he trembled, he slowly lifted his hand and pressed his palm on the hand Su Ming had placed on his shoulder, then grabbed it tightly. When he was certain that the hand was truly there, Hu Zi suddenly began shouting at Su Ming.

"You're only back now?!

"Only the peak of the ninth summit remains, did you know that?! Eldest senior brother went to search for Master in Eastern Wastelands because we didn't know whether he was still alive! And while we were waiting in anxiety, second senior brother left for Eastern Wastelands because he was worried!

"I wanted to go as well, but he wouldn't let me. He asked me to protect the ninth summit! He asked me to stay here and wait for you so that you'd know the ninth summit is still here and that our home is still around!" As Hu Zi roared, tears fell from his eyes.

"It's been twenty years! Twenty years! You've been missing for twenty years, and you're only back now?! Do you still remember that the ninth summit is your home?! Do you have any idea just how often Master sighed and looked towards the land of the Shamans?! Do you have any idea how dejected he looked when he did that?!

"Do you know why eldest senior brother came out of isolation earlier and went to the land of the Shamans?! He didn't go for the Shamans, he went to search for you!

"Did you know about these?! Did you?!

"Did you know that second senior brother took care of your cave abode and rearranged it so that it looked as if you never left? The plants and herbs he planted on your platform are still around. At that time, when he planted these flowers, he had even turned around and said to me while smiling that these flowers could protect you so that you could train at ease on this platform!

"Because he knew that you loved sitting there and exercising your breathing! Did you know about all these?!" Hu Zi stood up in agitation and shouted at Su Ming without stop, just like how a man who had suppressed his burdens for a long time would explode when he finally saw his family.

Su Ming remained silent, and his face was filled with grief. He looked at Hu Zi, listened to his furious cries silently, and he continued listening until Hu Zi, at some point in his rant, went up to hug him.

"Youngest junior brother, I missed you… Eldest senior brother also missed you, and so did second senior brother. Master looked so much older before he left, you know? I know that he went to the land of the Shamans to look for you…

"But he didn't manage to find you. Youngest junior brother, just where did you go? Why are you back only now…?" Hu Zi wept as he hugged Su Ming. His voice became softer with each word, and in the end, only one sentence was left echoing in the air.

"How could you come back only now…?"

"Third senior brother, I'm back…" Su Ming hugged Hu Zi and spoke softly. Tears fell down his eyes, too.

Hu Zi's voice became weaker with each passing moment, and eventually, his whole body sagged against Su Ming's. He was too tired, both in body and mind. He had been protecting the ninth summit alone without sleeping and drinking, enduring the loneliness quietly and silently. At this moment, the instant he saw Su Ming, he relaxed. Just like that, he closed his eyes while in his embrace, and gradually, the snores Su Ming was so familiar with rang through the air.

He held Hu Zi in his arms, and even when his senior brother's snores grew so loud that they sounded like thunder roaring, not a hint of impatience could be found on Su Ming. His lips curled up into a smile. This was his senior brother, a brother who would do everything for Su Ming without regard for his own safety, and also a brother whom Su Ming could give up everything for!

He was a little simple, but he was not foolish. He had some unique hobbies, but he was a sincere person. He had a horrible temper, but he was a person who would stand before his junior brother to defend him!

Because he always believed that he was the senior brother and he had to protect his junior brother!

Similarly, he would also stand behind his second senior brother, because he believed that his second senior brother would do the same thing and defend him, and that was also the truth. This… was the ninth summit.

"Senior brother, I'm back… You don't have to defend the ninth summit alone now. I will make all the people who harbor ill will towards the ninth summit to only have time to worry about themselves from now on!" A hint of killing intent appeared in Su Ming's eyes, and that killing intent was much stronger than when he was in Scour Sieve Island!

After all, he had done everything in Scour Sieve Island for someone else, but over here, he was doing this for his Master, his senior brothers, for his own home!

"I will let everyone know about the principles of the ninth summit," Su Ming stated calmly, then carried Hu Zi back to their Master's cave abode. He placed his senior brother on the ground, lifted his right hand and pointed at the center of his brows, sending out a warm wave of aura into his body. That aura would provide him with nourishment so that his fatigue over the years could be relieved.

He was too tired. He had not slept like this for far too long. Right then, as dreams visited his sleep, he started drooling at the corner of his lips. There was even a smile on his face, and it looked as if he had encountered something happy in his dreams.

Su Ming looked at Hu Zi quietly, at the signs of age on his face, and what appeared before his eyes was the honest figure in his memories, along with this very same figure taking him along to peek at their second senior brother while they hid behind a big rock.

"I'm not bragging here, youngest junior brother, if we talk about intelligence, is there anyone else who is smarter than me on this mountain? None!" The words Hu Zi had said in the past and the smug expression he had when he said them appeared in Su Ming's head.

"Let me tell you, eldest senior brother is always in isolation… Our second senior brother is the most interesting out of the lot. He always thinks someone is stealing his plants…"

"Be quiet. Don't make a sound. I'll take you to the seventh summit tonight. We'll go see those girls today. Let me tell you, youngest junior brother, you have to be smart. When I tell you to run, you have to be quick and get going!"

"Damn you all, how dare you bully my junior brother?! I'll bring you into my Dreams!"

"Youngest junior brother, look, quick! Master is wearing flowery robes today…"

Su Ming looked at Hu Zi, and the memories surfaced in his mind. At that moment, Hu Zi rolled over, looking as if he thought that sleeping on his stomach would be more comfortable. The moment he changed positions, Su Ming's gaze immediately zoomed in on his back, and he saw dried specks of blood on the robes covering his back.

He moved next to Hu Zi and lifted the robes covering his back. Then, on Hu Zi's back, he saw wounds with their flesh turned inside out. Those… were wounds left behind by flogging!

They were packed closely to each other. Some of them had formed scabs, but there were even more who had already turned into brown scars. When Su Ming saw all of them, the cave abode immediately turned cold, and an indescribably chilling killing intent appeared in his eyes!

Chapter 542: Their Home under the Sea…

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Su Ming remained silent, and after a long while, moved his gaze away from Hu Zi's back. At that moment, the chill in his heart had practically frozen over the sky. He would make those people suffer the pain Hu Zi had to bear a million times over!

If he did not do this, he would not be able to quell the pain in his heart. If he did not do this, he would not be able to force down the anger burning in his soul!

He was angry, and that anger was burning so furiously that it had reached its peak, turning into a calm look on his face at that moment. However, once that anger under that calm facade erupted, it would be able to burn the world.

Su Ming turned around quietly and looked at his Master's cave abode. He swept his gaze around the area, and found it empty. He had come to this place before, and he knew that his Master had left behind a large amount of items in the multiple floors in his cave that he had collected.

Now, this floor was empty. In silence, Su Ming walked down to another floor. When he eventually walked through the entire cave, the sullen look on his face had fused with his anger, and it had turned into a terrifying, unsettling wave of ripples around him.

His Master's cave was practically empty. There were only a few items left behind, and the rest were all gone.

Su Ming's heart clenched in pain. He walked out of the cave quietly and stood outside to look at the world in the distance. The words Hu Zi had said just moments ago echoed in his ears. His Master often stood here and stared at the land of the Shamans with a dejected look on his face…

His Master had gone to the land of the Shamans in search of him, but he had been unable to find him.

"Master…" Su Ming stood there and closed his eyes. A long time passed. When he opened his eyes, he walked down the mountain using a trail that now existed only in his memories. Eventually, rolling seawater appeared before him, but Su Ming did not stop there. He walked into the sea, and under the water, he saw the complete ninth summit…

As grief filled his face, he walked through the seawater, right down to the submerged stairs of the ninth summit. This flight of stairs was originally covered in plants, and when he walked on those stairs, he should have felt as if he was stepping on dust.

But Su Ming could see that the stairs were incredibly clean. It was clear that Hu Zi always came to this place to clean it.

The memories in Su Ming's mind were incredibly clear, and they were overlapping with the desolate view his eyes perceived right then. He could even hear the faint sound of the high wind in his ears above the ninth summit, could even see his second senior brother standing on the stairs with the side of his face turned towards the sun while smiling towards him.

The sorrow on Su Ming's face became deeper. It was quiet all around him. In the midst of that silence, he walked forward slowly, passing by Hu Zi's cave abode to reach his second senior brother's house. His house was incredibly neat and tidy, but submerged under the seawater. His herbal garden laid in waste…

Second senior brother's smile, his figure, and his identity as a Phantom appeared in Su Ming's heart, causing him to stop silently, and he stood there for a long, long time...

Perhaps there were tears in his eyes, but they fused with the sea and he could not see them.

"Second senior brother…"

Su Ming turned around. On the way here, he saw many plants that had died in the sea. Those… were all the marks his second senior brother had left behind.

When Su Ming reached the foot of the ninth summit, he went to his eldest senior brother's isolation grounds. Over there, he went to the karst cave based on his memories that was now submerged in seawater.

As he looked at the familiar place, his eldest senior brother's voice from the past appeared in his ears. The concern in his voice still sounded as strong as ever in his heart.

"Eldest senior brother…" Su Ming mumbled in anguish. His eldest senior brother was a quiet and reserved man. He was a person of few words, and did not like speaking too much, but he cared for his junior brothers and his Master deeply.

After a long while, Su Ming left, dispirited.

He walked through every single spot in the ninth summit, walked past every single mountain rock in his memories. Everything here carried his memories and the warmth he felt here in the past.

Eventually, he came to his cave abode from all those years ago. He looked at the protruding platform, then at the dead plants that his second senior brother had planted after he left. And he sat down there quietly.

He sat alone, on the ninth summit located in the depths of the sea, and looked into the distance.

In his eyes, he saw murky seawater, but in his heart, he saw the frozen world from the past.

The ninth summit was an ice mountain, and beneath this ice mountain was a true mountain. This mountain would not melt… it would never melt!

Su Ming closed his eyes. As he sat there, his heart gained peace.

It was just like in the past. However, now, his Master's constant roars to the sky were gone, his eldest senior brother's divine sense covering him while he was in isolation was absent, and his second senior brother's warm and gentle smile was missing. Once so many things had vanished, could this… still be considered the ninth summit?

"This is the ninth summit. This is my home in the Land of South Morning," Su Ming declared under his breath. He was the only person in this endless seawater, and his presence stood out like a sore thumb as he sat on the platform.

Yet his distinct presence shone with loneliness, longing, and reminiscence.

What sort of longing would make a person defend the ninth summit without any care for the consequences?

What sort of longing would make a person sit quietly at the depths of this lonely sea to search for the hints of the past?

"Master, I'm back… I came back to the ninth summit. I'm back home." Su Ming sat on the platform, just like he did in the past. As time passed, he continued sitting there, day by day…

On the third day, Su Ming opened his eyes and lifted his head. He looked towards the surface of the sea above his head, and a chilling look full of killing intent that surged into the sky appeared in his eyes.

He stood up and walked back through the path he had come. Gradually, he emerged from the sea and walked up the stairs leading to the peak of the mountain. He arrived at the top, and heard Hu Zi's snores still traveling through the air. When he heard those sounds, the very first smile since Su Ming had entered the submerged ninth summit appeared on his lips.

"Senior brother Hu Zi, take a good rest. You… have me to handle everything!"

Su Ming sat down cross-legged outside his Master's cave abode on the mountain. The sea breeze lifted his hair and made his robes flap loudly in the air. His expression gradually turned cold and detached, and he closed his eyes.

The bald crane was by his side. Over the past few days, it remained there, not daring to leave due to the seal on its body, and grumbling immensely in its heart because of it. However, when it saw Su Ming return from the depths of the sea and saw him sitting quietly outside the cave, it suddenly shuddered.

It had noticed the killing intent within Su Ming's body. That killing intent burned so greatly that it surpassed what he possessed in Scour Sieve Island, making the bald crane's heart shudder and not dare to get closer to him.

In fact, it could even see the air around Su Ming freezing through his divine abilities.

The small snake crawled out of Su Ming's storage bag and lay sprawled across his shoulders. It had also noticed Su Ming's killing intent, and was hissing while staring at the sky coldly.

Time trickled by slowly. Two hours later, distortions suddenly appeared in the sky above the ninth summit, and from those distortions, two long arcs flew out and charged straight towards the ninth summit.

Before they even got closer, a cold voice echoed in the air.

"Time's up. Bring out the offerings and come with us to meet Sir Si Ma. Once you receive the Nine Punishment Lashes, you can keep your ninth summit protected for another month."

Su Ming opened his eyes, lifted his head, and looked towards the sky.

Chapter 543: Freezing Sky Heaven Gate!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Su Ming's face remained calm when that cold voice echoed in the air. However, that calmness around him was more terrifying than any sort of murderous aura, was even more frightening than any eruption of a cultivation base. This tranquility contained a power that could make others suffocate once they saw it.

Two long arcs charged through the sky to head straight towards the small bit of the ninth summit remaining above the sea, but before they managed to get any closer, the person in the left arc noticed something off.

He saw that the person sitting on the ninth summit was no longer Hu Zi, but someone who looked somewhat familiar. However, there was something unfamiliar about that face as well, making him unable to recall where he'd seen it before.

The other person also noticed Su Ming's presence. The two of them came to a halt in midair and floated above the ninth summit while looking at the mountain beneath them coldly.

"Who are…"

One of them frowned, but his expression was as cold and aloof as ever, and along that look on his face was a hint of arrogance that came from his status as a disciple from Heaven Gate. Yet before he could even finish speaking, Su Ming lifted his head, and the instant he opened his eyes, a chilling glare that seemed to have come from the abyss itself abruptly shone within his eyes.

Right then, that disciple from Heaven Gate who was looking at Su Ming from midair suddenly heard a loud bang in his head, and his body started shivering violently. At that moment, he could practically hear thunder roaring in his head. Su Ming's gaze was like two sharp blades that had pierced into his eyes and shot straight to his head, causing him to feel as if his mind had instantly broken down. Then they rushed into his spirit, causing his heart to continue beating faster and faster with each passing moment until it was racing at lightning speed against his chest.

Cracking sounds also came from his body at that moment, as if it was unable to withstand the will and pressure contained within Su Ming's gaze!

The unparalleled fury contained in that gaze towards Heaven Gate erupted abruptly in that Heaven Gate disciple's body.

His face turned pale in an instant, and his eyes became the first thing to explode. Blood poured out of them, and he staggered backwards before coughing up a large mouthful of blood. During that time, his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth started bleeding as well. He let out a shrill scream of pain as his spirit collapsed and his mind broke. Then, right at that moment, his life was extinguished by the pressure formed by the tranquil fury burning in Su Ming's eyes!

With a bang, that Heaven Gate disciple fell headfirst into the sea, all while his companion watched, dumbfounded.

However, before his body fell into the sea, a black shadow immediately shot out from the ninth summit. Naturally, that black shadow was the bald crane. At that moment, its eyes were sparkling with a brilliant light, and the few remaining feathers on its body were lustrous and glossy. With an excited expression on its face, it caught up with that plunging corpse in the span of a breath, and when it flew past the body, a storage bag appeared in its mouth, and there were even a few shining objects in its claws.

If anyone took a closer look, they would be able to tell that those shining objects were the jade buttons on the dead Heaven Gate disciple's robes.

'What a waste, such a waste. I'll just keep collecting these things a little at a time. If I continue like this, I'll be rich someday!' The bald crane lifted its head in excitement and fixed its eyes on the other Heaven Gate disciple while expectation shone on its face.

Su Ming's gaze could not kill, but if the pressure around his body fused with his gaze and his divine sense, then it would be enough to kill a person!

The instant the Heaven Gate disciple died, his companion started shivering. His face instantly turned pale, and his gaze when he looked towards Su Ming was filled with shock. With a piercing scream, he started retreating hastily, thinking of returning to Heaven Gate as quickly as possible.

His mind was in a mess. He could not imagine just what sort of power would be needed to kill his fellow disciple of his with just the pressure from a gaze. His companion… had been about the same level as him.

At that moment, the arrogance he had as a Heaven Gate disciple was gone, and the aloofness and disdain he had when he confronted Hu Zi were absent. Even his screams were no longer cold but filled with terror. The never-ending horror was like a tidal wave that drowned his heart and soul. At that moment, he had only one thought in his head: Run. Run as fast as possible and return to Heaven Gate with the fastest speed he could muster!

"Kill those who have harmed even a single plant of ninth summit.

"Kill those who have harmed even a single follower of ninth summit.

"Kill all the Berserkers of the tribe of the person who harmed even a single disciple of the ninth summit," Su Ming mumbled to himself calmly. He stood up and took a step towards the sky. When his foot landed, he abruptly appeared in the sky.

"The ninth summit protected me in the past. From now on… it will be my turn to protect the ninth summit!

"All of you from Heaven Gate have humiliated and hurt my senior brother. I… will kill all of you!"

The killing intent in Su Ming's eyes burst forth swiftly, and he took another step forward to appear right before the fleeing Heaven Gate disciple. That disciple's soul had practically left his body from fear at that point. He fell to his knees, wanting to beg for mercy. He was afraid of death, especially when he had lived in safety during the calamity. It amplified his terror to a whole different level.

However, Su Ming's right hand had already swept past the center of his brows almost the instant he fell to his knees, before he even managed to beg for his life. When Su Ming walked towards the sky, the Heaven Gate disciple started trembling, and a crack appeared at the center of his brows, ripping right through his skull. The top half of his head was torn off, along with his hair, and as blood gushed out from the remaining half, the top part fell into the ocean.

The same scene appeared once again. The bald crane let out a few excited screeches and rushed over swiftly. When it returned, another storage bag and a few more buttons appeared in its claws.

'I'm rich! I'm rich! If the Berserker child kills more, I will become richer… Hey… following him doesn't seem like such a bad idea!'

It was simply unfortunate for that Heaven Gate disciple. He had to die while in tattered garments as his body sank into the ocean… Right at the final moment of his life before he died, that disciple suddenly remembered why the stranger felt so familiar. In the midst of his terror, he had finally managed to recognize that person. He was the fourth disciple of the ninth summit, the disciple who had gone missing for twenty something years… Su Ming!

The moment he recognized, his world turned dark, and he never woke up again.

Hu Zi's snores were still traveling through the air. He had been far too exhausted for too many years, and with Su Ming's help, he would sleep for a long time, until his body was fully recovered. Perhaps, when he eventually woke up, everything in his sight would be different.

Su Ming stood in midair. He had been waiting for those Heaven Gate disciples' arrival for the past few days because he had sent his divine sense to scan the sky a few days ago, but he had been unable to find any traces of any sort of Rune whatsoever in the sky.

That was why he waited. When the sky distorted and those two people appeared, he immediately noticed a single dot appearing in a single spot in the vast sky.

Before he met Fang Cang Lan, Su Ming would not have been able to recognize that one dot, but now, with just one glance, he could tell that it was a dimensional realm locus!

The instant he noticed it, he took a third step, and right when his foot landed, he moved into the dimensional realm locus.

When he stepped there, everything he saw turned chaotic for a brief instant, but he had already sent his divine sense sweeping through all directions. Without even needing his eyes, he could sense that he had landed on some sort of relocation spot.

When his vision became clear, he found himself standing on a gigantic Rune. Outside it were nine huge stone pillars, and there were all sorts of different bizarre looking creatures carved on them. Nine people sat cross-legged on top of those pillars.

The sky was blue. There was no sun up ahead, but light was still shining on the ground. When Su Ming looked into the distance, he could see mountain ranges rising and falling up ahead. There were long arcs weaving through the white clouds in the sky.

Birds chirped, and the beautiful fragrance of flowers filled every corner of the air. The spiritual aura in this place was incredibly thick, and there were quite a large number of precious medicinal herbs planted on the ground. Green could be seen everywhere, and anyone who saw all of these things would be struck by a feeling that this place was the paradise itself.

Tranquility and serenity filled this beautiful world. Nine gigantic stones could be seen floating in the sky. Those stones were in the shape of a cone, their pointed ends facing the ground. On the flat surfaces above were palaces built in a variety of styles.

The nine of them were like the most supreme beings in this world. They floated high in the sky, and the long arcs weaving in and out of the clouds were mostly moving about those nine palaces.

Faint sounds of running water could be heard in the air as well. It came from a long river running through the grounds. The sounds of it were accompanied by the sounds of women giggling and playing. Occasionally, some birds would fly through the sky elegantly. They looked incredibly beautiful and did not look like ferocious beasts, but were like pets that had been tamed.

The sky was clear and blue, a stark contrast to the world outside, causing the people who saw it to be unable to help themselves but be hypnotized by the sight.

At the center of the nine floating palaces in the sky was a mountain that reached the clouds. There was a big stone plate erected on it, one that could be seen clearly even from the distance.

There were four golden words carved on it, and they were glowing with endless light, causing all the people in the place to be able to see them the moment they lifted their heads!

"Freezing Sky Heaven Gate!"

This was Freezing Sky Clan's Heaven Gate. Before Su Ming arrived in here, he had very limited knowledge about this place, but now, with the experiences he had accumulated, he was able to tell with just one glance that this was a fragmented dimension!

This place did not belong to South Morning. It was just a fragmented dimension that might have developed on its own or had been discovered by chance.

Perhaps this place was not even part of the land of the Berserkers, because the moment Su Ming placed his feet on the ground here, a faint aura of death immediately started spreading out from his body. It was incredibly similar to the moment when he left Yin Death's Region in the ancient bronze sword and his blood landed on Fang Cang Lan's finger.

But this was much weaker. It was not strong at all, and was nothing compared to the time he left the ancient bronze sword.

Yet all of this clearly told Su Ming that this was a mysterious dimension located between Yin Death and Bright Yang!

The spread of the aura of death from Su Ming's body upon his appearance was something that simply could not fit with this dimensional world, even though it was very faint. Because of that, the instant he appeared in the Rune, the aura of death from his body turned to black smoke, and as it tumbled about, it rose into the sky, causing a small part of it to be shrouded by a black fog, as if someone had spilled ink on a piece of paper!