979, 943, 912, 887… the blood veins in Su Ming’s body were hidden away at a shocking speed under his will using fine control. As they were hidden away, the urge to Awaken was also forcefully quelled within him.
‘If I can’t even control when I Awaken, then how can I decide my own fate!’
The light in Su Ming’s eyes flickered. Most of the blood veins in his body were hidden away once again under fine control.
As the blood veins in his body were concealed and the urge to Awaken was forcefully quelled by his will so that he could decide the time to do it himself, the people in the hidden grounds of Han Mountain near the mountain cave who were in despair as they continued resisting the pressure were already without hope. Almost all of them had blood flowing out from the corners of their mouths.
They could even already feel death approaching them, see their bodies exploding and the devastating sight of their blood veins rus.h.i.+ng out of their bodies. The will to survive made them continue resisting even though they knew that it was useless. They still wanted to search for that perhaps non-existent way to survive.
Yet when Su Ming made all his blood veins scatter, suppressing the urge to Awaken, the near 100 Berserkers immediately discovered that their rampaging blood veins were calming down, and that that intimidating pressure disappeared even more quickly.
The sudden discovery made all of those people who were originally bound to die to be overwhelmed by ecstasy. Most of them were taken aback for a moment before they started running without any hesitation. They ran for their lives in a mad dash as their hearts pounded with nervousness and fear.
But there were some who understood the situation. They may have also been fleeing quickly, but before they ran out or after they took a few steps and hesitated for a moment, they bowed towards the valley that made them so terrified.
"Thank you for showing mercy!"
"Thank you for not killing us!"
They did not mumble out these words, they were all shouted out with the power of their Qi and echoed in the surroundings. As these voices grew in number, those who were running for their lives hesitated and stopped before they wrapped their fists in their palms and bowed towards the valleys, shouting out similar words.
At some point, these voices rose and fell, turning into echoes in the air that spread out through the hidden grounds of Han Mountain.
These people had escaped death, but fear lingered in their hearts. Every single one of them who was running away from the hidden grounds of Han Mountain had the same thought. Once they showed their grat.i.tude, they immediately broke off into full speed and fled the place.
The clouds in the sky were gathering together and golden light pierced through the clouds, covering most of the sky in its glow. The people could even distinctly see a rapidly materializing deity statue within the clouds.
Yet at that moment, when Su Ming suppressed the urge to Awaken, a shocking boom resounded through the clouds in the sky, as if there was someone inside that was roaring out of anger.
The golden light flickered and became dull. The rapidly materializing deity statue seemed to gain intelligence and looked as if it was lowering its head to gaze at where Su Ming was in the canyons that spanned hundreds upon thousands of feet under Han Mountain, which was situated in the vast land.
"I am the creation of the first G.o.d of Berserkers, the deity statue of Awakening among Berserkers…"
There was an incredibly great, imposing force coming from his voice. Booming sounds akin to thunder spread throughout the entire land. As his voice traveled forth, the land shook, and the mountain where Han Mountain City was located trembled. Many rocks fell from the mountain, and dust flew into the air, but the moment it appeared, it was suppressed by this force.
Han Mountain City was not the only one affected. The mountains where the three tribes—Lake of Colors, Tranquil East, Puqiang—were located were also trembling. The might of the voice brought about astonishment and shock among the numerous onlookers down below. No one knew who was the first to kneel down, but after a moment, almost everyone had knelt down on the ground to wors.h.i.+p the faint deity statue.
The crowd in Han Mountain City was like a black ma.s.s as they knelt on the ground. Their faces were filled with fanaticism and reverence as they looked at the figure in the sky. Their ears echoed with his imposing voice. Most of them had never seen the sight of a deity statue manifesting in the sky in their whole lives.
‘I’ve once heard about the three great deity statues of the Berserker Tribe. They were all created by the first G.o.d of Berserkers, and each symbolizes the three great realms in the Berserker Tribe – Awakening, Bone Sacrifice, Berserker Soul… I thought it was just a legend… How could I have known..? Who would have known..?
‘This is real!
‘The deity statue of Awakening… This is one of the three great deity statues of the Berserker Tribe – the deity statue of Awakening!’
Nan Tian and Ke Jiu Si could not remain calm. Both of them were kneeling down on one knee and were looking at the faint deity statue in the sky, feeling shaken to the core.
"This is the second time I’ve seen this deity statue. It’s slightly more obscure than when I last saw it, but… this is the first time I heard the deity statue speak!"
"I may have known that the legends regarding the three deity statues were real, but this is the first time I saw it with my own eyes. It’s said in the legends that only those who had attained completion in the Blood Solidification Realm could summon the deity statue that is enshrined within the Great Yu Dynasty. This is… the G.o.d of Berserkers’ Blessing!"
Xuan Lun was also kneeling on one knee at a corner in Han Mountain City as he stared at the deity statue in the sky with a dumbfounded expression. The words it spoke echoed in Xuan Lun’s ears. He clenched his fists.
"I was at my limit when I reached 913 blood veins. When I Awakened, nothing happened. Compared to this person…"
Xuan Lun clenched his fists even tighter. Jealousy grew in his heart. This jealousy was not because of the person involved, but due to the situation.
The members of the three tribes—Lake of Colors, Tranquil East, and Puqiang—were all kneeling on the ground, wors.h.i.+ping. Their eyes were filled with reverence as they looked at the deity statue in the sky. This deity statue was the embodiment of the entire Berserker Tribe!
"It is said that during the age of the first G.o.d of Berserkers, everyone was known as Berserk. There were no Realms to speak of nor any Ways to train… The first G.o.d of Berserkers used his great strength and an innumerable amount of time to explore his body, creating the three deity statues, and from henceforth, created the Realms that were suitable for Berserkers to train – Awakening, Bone Sacrifice, and Berserker Soul!
"This isn’t the first time I’ve seen the deity statue of Awakening… but it’s the first time I heard him speak!"
Yan Luan’s expression was respectful as she stood on the top of Lake of Colors’ mountain. There was not a hint of that usual enchanting look on her face. At this moment, she looked as pure as a bamboo slip that had never been under the knife, clean and empty of words.
As the imposing voice of the faint deity statue in the sky echoed in the air, its voice traveled into the ears of all those in the area and into Su Ming’s mind.
That voice was originally intended for him. If the onlookers could already feel its might just by hearing it, then Su Ming, who was at the center of it all, felt as if the voice was rumbling in his heart like millions of thunderbolts booming in the sky. His body felt as if it was about to break down.
When he heard the rumbling voice that shook the sky and earth, a violent shudder ran through him.
Blood flowed out from the corner of his lips, but he did not stop using fine control on his body. He had his head lifted upwards to look above him. Although he could not see what was outside, he could still feel one pair of eyes looking at him from where the voice had come from in the sky.
That gaze was filled with an imposing might, but there was no life within it. It was merely a nonliving object.
"The will endowed upon me is in accordance to the will of the first G.o.d of Berserkers. I am to a.s.sist in the Awakening of the Berserker Tribe... All those whose blood is thicker than the Ancients’ of Berserkers shalt taketh the G.o.d of Berserkers" Blessing. As long as I exist, I wilt see that tis done."
His voice was so mighty that it caused the land to shake once more.
"Wherefore… doth thou not Awaken?!"
A brilliant glow appeared in the eyes of the faint deity statue in the sky. That glow was an endless golden light that covered the entire land in an instant. As it covered the land, all those who looked would see that the earth had been dyed in gold!
The final sentence caused all those who heard it tremble, and turned into echoes in Su Ming’s heart, as if there was a countless number of people howling the, as if they were all interrogating him.
Su Ming was trembling. The blood veins that he had hidden away with fine control had stormed out of his control and were showing signs of reappearing. The urge to Awaken that he had suppressed also reappeared!
It was as if there was a strong will coming from the deity statue that was forcing Su Ming to Awaken right now!
"A part of my memories have been wiped off… and I had no control over this…
"I came from Dark Mountain and was sucked into the void… I had no control over this either…
"I came to the Land of South Morning and experienced a lot of things. I mostly just went along with the flow for everything that happened, and neither did I have any control over this…
"I searched for who I am. I wanted to open my eyes and see a world that other people might not have seen, but I still closed my eyes in the end… I had no control over this too…
"All my life as Su Ming and Mo Su, from what I remember, everything that happened to me seems to have been decided by other people. They wouldn’t allow me to make my decisions, they would refuse to yield even an inch for me to change and master my own fate…
"I, who can’t even walk my own path and control my own fate… will control it today! I want to walk my own path! I don’t want to Awaken now, and no one can change it!
"I will decide when I Awaken!" Su Ming stated calmly.
He might be trembling due to that intimidating pressure in his mind, but the resolution in his voice symbolized the thoughts in his heart!
"You said you’re the creation of the first G.o.d of Berserkers and the deity statue that a.s.sists Berserkers in Awakening, then how did the first G.o.d of Berserkers Awaken? Was there anyone who forced him to Awaken?
"I don’t need you… to Awaken!"
The instant Su Ming’s shouted out his will, he used fine control to take charge of his blood veins once again and hid them away once more.
The faint deity statue in the sky fell into a short moment of silence before he cast a freezing look into Han Mountain’s canyons.
"One who defies the will of the first G.o.d of Berserkers has been found… As one who has commited the first offence, you will be given a warning!"
That voice was just as it had first appeared—there was not even a hint of his voice rising or falling.
As his words traveled out, the faint deity statue gradually faded away as if it had fused into the air. The golden light disappeared and hid in the sky along with the tumbling clouds.
The land was enveloped in silence. The bizarre phenomenon shocked all those who saw it. That shock was enough to make everyone choose to silently look at the canyons under Han Mountain City with mixed feelings.
This was the first time all the onlookers here had seen someone who was originally supposed to Awaken rejecting Awakening.
"Who is that? Why did he do that..?"
"I knew it, he’s a Berserker who attained completion in the Blood Solidification Realm, but why did he refuse to Awaken? I don’t understand it."
"Defying the will of the first G.o.d of Berserkers is something that has never been heard of before…"
When the deity statue in the sky and the clouds disappeared, long arcs charged from Han Mountain City, Lake of Colors Mountain, Tranquil East Mountain, and Puqiang Mountain towards the canyon. These people were all powerful Berserkers from the three tribes and Han Mountain City. They wanted to know just who was the person who caused such a shocking sight to happen!