On the top of the mountain, Xuan Lun’s eyes flickered as if he had just realized something. His pupils shrank.
With the sudden increase to the power of his Qi, He Feng suddenly became faster and dashed across the chain. He covered a dozen feet with every single step he took. Very soon, he neared the end of the first section of the chain. Judging by his speed, before long, he would reach the stone pillar at the end of it.
‘He’s not trying to cross the Chains of Han Mountain!’
Xuan Lun’s expression changed, and a thought appeared in his head, one that made him feel as if things were going to go south.
‘No, that’s not it! He’s using this to prove something, could it be..?’
Xuan Lun widened his eyes. The idea lurking in his head became clearer. As he saw that He Feng was almost to the first stone pillar, a venomous look surfaced in his eyes.
He suddenly lifted his right hand and touched the center of his brows. After a tugging motion, three wisps of black mist were dragged out, turning into three faint, s.h.i.+vering outlines of people before him.
The three figures were two old people and one girl. Their faces were filled with pain. They seemed to be screaming, but there was no sound coming from them. Yet when Xuan Lun pointed towards them with a finger, their restraints were broken, and the three figures immediately let out mournful cries. Their voices echoed in the surroundings.
"Feng Er…"
"Big brother…"
The sudden appearance of the voices made those watching momentarily stunned. At the same time, He Feng, who had already given his all and was just a small distance away from the end of the first section of the chain, shuddered. He swiftly turned his head back and tears fell from his eyes as he looked at the three figures standing before Xuan Lun.
When he saw He Feng stopping, Xuan Lun let out a sigh of relief in his heart. He then let out a cold harrumph and squeezed the girl with his right hand with deliberate slowness, making sure that she let out shrill, pained cries, as if her whole body was being torn apart and swallowed bit by bit.
Her screams echoed in the air, making all those watching feel their hearts tremble.
When Su Ming saw this, he frowned and sighed. He had already guessed that this He Feng was a man with a sad past.
He Feng trembled as he glared at Xuan Lun, standing in the distance. The others could not see his expression, only seeing that he fell silent for a while before quickly turning around and continuing moving forward. However, his body shook more viciously with each step he took.
Another shrill and pained scream traveled forth. It called out to He Feng with a voice that could tear open people’s hearts.
"Feng Er… save me…"
Once Xuan Lun crushed the girl’s black form, he started slowly squas.h.i.+ng one of the two old people. When the cries turned weak, and the purpe clothed man saw He Feng trembling so fiercely he seemed like he could not continue onward and was about to fall, he turned to crush the final black form.
As the pained cries that could tear people’s hearts reverberated in the air, Su Ming saw He Feng cough out a mouthful of blood on the chains. He did not manage to land his foot properly and slipped, falling into the canyon that spanned hundreds and thousands of feet below him.
When Su Ming saw this scene, he was reminded of his own tribe. He remembered the devastating things that had happened during their migration, and remembered Bi Tu’s viciousness.
‘If a wild beast is not strong enough, then it would only end up as food for others. If a person is not strong enough, then he can only be manipulated by more powerful people. Even if they resist, they can’t do much… This is the survival of the fittest.
‘If I want to change it, then I have to… become powerful!’
There was no pity in Su Ming’s eyes, only determination and resolution.
He Feng laughed brokenly as his body rapidly fell towards the canyon below him. He closed his eyes. There were still too many things left for him to do. He had not exacted his revenge, but it seemed like he no longer had the chance to do so.
Xuan Lun stood up and moved towards the edge of the top of the mountain with a few brisk steps. A cold smirk appeared on his lips. The moment He Feng died, he would use Puqiang Tribe’s power to find his corpse. He knew full well that there was a frightening power within the canyon under the chains. Even he did not dare to go there rashly. Only the people from the three tribes could enter the canyon safely after a special ritual.
Yet at that moment, a soft sigh suddenly traveled forth at an unhurried pace. A white figure walked out from the first layer of Han Mountain City. That gentle and endearing figure belonged to a woman. There was a white cloud underneath her feet that seemed to carry her as she turned into a long white arc and went towards He Feng who fell from the chains.
She reached him in an instant, causing He Feng, who had his eyes closed, to fall on that white cloud.
A glint appeared in Xuan Lun’s eyes. He glared at the woman, but did not speak, as if he was wary of her.
In fact, Puqiang Tribe also kept silent when the woman appeared and saved He Feng, as if they expected her to do so.
The woman was dressed in white, and there was a white veil on her face, which hid her countenance from others, but her eyes were gorgeous. It was as if there was some strange enchanting power within that made those who looked into her eyes become enthralled.
A memory was jolted in Su Ming’s mind. This woman was the one he had seen the previous night talking to He Feng. However, she seemed a little different compared to yesterday.
"Sir Xuan Lun, I know this person from a long time ago, so I hope you won’t mind if I save him."
The woman’s voice was pleasant to the ears, but there was also a chilling tone in her voice. It sounded like the wind in winter, bringing a chill to all those who heard it.
"It’s fine. If I knew this would happen, I wouldn’t have interfered. This is just a misunderstanding. But there is animosity between us, I hope you understand."
Xuan Lun forced out a smile and a gentle look appeared on his face.
"I will not interfere with the matter between you and him."
Once the woman finished speaking, she brought the unconscious He Feng back towards the mountain belonging to Lake of Colors Tribe in the distance.
After they left, Xuan Lun remained silent for a while on the top of the mountain before he too returned to the second layer.
The eight giant stone pillars under the chain connecting the mountain of Lake of Colors Tribe to Han Mountain City started to sink, letting out rumbling sounds, before they disappeared into the deep canyon. The chain started swaying in the wind once again.
Everything returned to normal. While watching the woman leave in the dusk, Su ming heard people mumbling to each other around him.
"It’s Han Fei Zi."
"She’s the prodigy of Lake of Colors Tribe and is also regarded highly by one of the elders in Freezing Sky Clan. She’s already considered one of the disciples of Freezing Sky Clan. It’s said that she should have joined the school a long time ago, but she asked to defer, preferring to wait for the next time Freezing Sky Clan took in disciples before she joined them."
"I heard about that too, but even so, everyone still calls her Han Fei Zi. That’s a glorious designation. I heard that the elder from Freezing Sky Clan gave her that name."
"Those aren’t secrets anymore. Freezing Sky Clan is incredibly strict when it comes to taking in disciples. In fact, since the past, only the three strongest disciples within the school will be given the t.i.tle of Saint."
"I heard that she already has 900 something blood veins. She’s the type that’s bound to reach Awakening. Xuan Lun might be a powerful Warrior in the Awakening Realm, but he’s still respectful towards those of Freezing Sky Clan.
"The white cloud underneath her feet should be the sacred treasure that has been pa.s.sed down through generations in Lake of Colors Tribe. It’s said that that treasure changes its form constantly, and it’s called Cloud of Colors…"
The discussions did not last long, and the crowd gradually dispersed. Perhaps it was because too many changes had happened in that day, so most of the people in the third layer did not have the mood to continue trading. Very soon, the number of people in the third layer decreased by a large margin. Some shops even closed early.
Su Ming did not leave, but instead went to the shop that had previously caught his attention. The old man had already sat down in the shop. When he saw Su Ming coming over, he looked at him.
"I saw you wanting to come in during noon, but you were interrupted by the challenger trying to take on the Chains of Han Mountain," the old man spoke calmly.
Su Ming nodded his head and started looking around the shop.
"Speak if anything catches your fancy, but don’t try to deceive me. There is nothing in this shop that I’m not familiar with. You won’t be able to get away with trying to rip me off."
The old man cast a glance at Su Ming and frowned.
Su Ming nodded his head again and pointed towards the ninth leg on the nine-legged spider hanging on the wall.
"I want that!"
"The ninth leg of the Nine-Striped Spider. That limb contains all the essence of its body, and it’s incredibly rare. I don’t sell things for stone coins here, what can you trade with me? If it’s a common item, then forget it," the old man said coldly, his eyes on Su Ming.
"With this!"
Su Ming did not bother with idle chatter. He reached into his robes with his right hand and brought out a black bone blade. The blade was completely black in color, but if anyone took a closer look, they would see a red line in it.
This was the bone blade Fang Mu had given to Su Ming.
He placed the blade on the ground and pushed it towards the old man. The old man’s expression changed slightly, and he gave it a few attentive looks once he grabbed the blade.
"A counterfeit Berserker Vessel from Tranquil East Tribe."
The old man lifted his head and regarded Su Ming carefully, unable to ascertain where Su Ming came from. He knew that few outsiders could obtain this bone blade. Only those from Tranquil East Tribe could obtain and create this. Anyone who possessed this blade definitely had some sort of connection to Tranquil East Tribe.
"Besides the ninth leg from this spider, I also want this bone!"
Su Ming pointed towards a black bone the size of a fist on the shelf beside the old man with seeming casualness. Strangely enough, there was a layer of frost emitting a chilling presence on the bone. It was clear that this bone belonged to a remarkable beast.
"The sh.e.l.l of Great Brambles… You can only exchange an item with this blade, you can’t trade two."
The old man gave a faint smile. He could tell that this person before him wanted the sh.e.l.l more. It also seemed like due to the blade, the old man’s expression was no longer as cold as it was before, but was starting to warm up.
"Please look at the blade carefully," Su Ming looked at the old man and spoke with an even-tempered tone.
The old man was taken aback for a moment. Once he heard the words, he lowered his head and looked at the blade once more with his eyes slightly narrowed. He saw the red line in the blade. He held up the blade and gave it a swing. Immediately, a cold blast spread out, but within that cold air was a ball of heat. The cold and heat blended with each other as if they had fused together.
After a moment, Su Ming walked out of the shop with the ninth leg of the Nine-Striped Spider and the black bone in his hands. The old man had deduced correctly. The bone was what Su Ming had wanted.
More accurately speaking, Su Ming wanted both. One of them was an ingredient for the Welcoming of Deities, and the other was for him to plant the herbs required for Spirit Plunder.
‘I didn’t expect this shop to contain both items. I may not be able to use them for now, and I even used my only counterfeit Berserker Vessel in exchange for them, but…’
A flash pa.s.sed through Su Ming’s eyes as he remembered the number of black bells on the old man’s right wrist.