The Night of the Blood Red Moon
The one-eyed man waited for a long time before he was summoned. When he was called, he entered the tent respectfully. After an hour, he exited the tent with an ecstatic expression, his mannerisms still respectful as he left.
Within the purple tent were two elderly men with completely white hair but their eyes still held a lot of life and vigor. Before them laid a very normal looking, empty small bottle.
One of the old men who wore a white robe held a pill between his fingers. He looked at it for a while. Then slowly, his gaze was filled with surprise and uncertainty.
He sank into deep thought for a moment after which he brought the pill to his nose and took a sniff. He closed his eyes in concentration. After a long moment, he opened his eyes abruptly.
"It’s just like he said. This pill has unbelievable effects! I’ve been in Wind Stream Tribe for many years but I’ve never seen such a thing in my life. By the looks of it, it doesn’t seem to be a medicine made from a long time ago either. There isn’t any sign of age on it so, it’s clear that it has just been made recently!"
"Just what is this…?"
"It’s a pity a long time has pa.s.sed since the trade took place. The Fallen Berserker is not an easy person to deal with either or else we might get to know how this pill was made," the other old man spoke slowly.
"Don’t be reckless. A person who can produce such an item is either a very powerful Berserker in the Blood Solidification Realm... or a Fallen Berserker at the Awakening Realm who came from somewhere else. Brother Zhou, let me take this thing back to the tribe. Perhaps the Elder in Wind Stream Tribe can identify it." As the old man in white spoke, he carefully placed the pill back into the small bottle. Then he waved his right hand and the small bottle disappeared.
"You do that." The old man sitting before him nodded his head.
"This item is too important. I’ll be taking my leave first. If I get any information, I’ll tell you." The old man in white stood up. He then held his fist and palm together as a salute towards the old man called Zhou. He quickly left the purple tent. The moment he stepped out of the tent, the outline of his body became distorted. He turned into white mist and rose into the sky. Instantly, he disappeared.
Daylight had almost arrived. On the vast plains some distance away from the square, was a big tribe. The size of the tribe was almost equivalent to the size of a city. It was surrounded by six other tribes the size of Dark Mountain Tribe. In the very middle was a big city made of stone and dirt!
The city looked magnificent like a giant beast had arrived on the land. The citizens within the city alone numbered more than thousands. It was not something Dark Mountain Tribe could ever hope to overcome.
The six surrounding tribes were affiliated with the city. Some of them were conquered by Wind Stream Tribe while some sought protection when some sort of disaster befell them and they became part of Wind Stream Tribe.
Wind Stream Tribe was a medium sized tribe but it was still considered weak for a medium sized tribe. After all, Dark Mountain was located at a rather rural area in the world. However it was precisely because of that, Wind Stream Tribe could rule over the entire area and accept tributes offered by numerous smaller tribes. It was also the only tribe in Dark Mountain that was qualified to contact members of the Berserker Tribe belonging to the upper cla.s.s.
As the sun began to light up the sky, a white mist flew across the sky. It gathered outside the city and transformed into the old man in white.
The old man looked solemn as he immediately walked into the city. On the way, he met other members of Wind Stream Tribe. All of them would stop and bow towards him respectfully.
At the center of the city was a completely dark altar. The altar was built in the shape of a pentagon and was 100 feet tall. There was a drawing of a bird on it. The altar looked as if it was left behind since ancient times.
The old man in white stood underneath the altar respectfully. After a moment, a gentle voice traveled from the top of the altar.
"s.h.i.+ Hai, what is it?"
"Elder, I was at Zhou Ran’s square and saw a medication I’ve never seen before. The effects of this herb are incredible…" The old man in white took a deep breath and spoke in a low voice.
"Oh? Let me see it," the gentle voice spoke slowly from atop the altar.
The old man in white lifted his right hand and bright light appeared from his palm. A small bottle materialized itself instantly. Then, as if there was some mysterious force attracting the small bottle, it floated upwards slowly towards the altar.
It was quiet around the area. The only sounds were that of the wind pa.s.sing by. The wind caused the old man’s robes to flutter. He stood there, as still as a statue and waited silently.
After a moment, the gentle voice spoke once again but this time, there was a tinge of surprise in it!
"There’s only one?"
"Only one," the old man in white replied immediately.
"I’ve never seen a medication like this before… The makeup of this medication is something I don’t understand… And it’s clear this was made not too long ago… Who brought this to the square?" The gentle voice spoke solemnly.
"A Fallen Berserker," the old man in white spoke in a low tone.
"Find him. Use all the resources we have and find him! Tell him to join Wind Stream Tribe and I will treat him as a permanent guest here!" The gentle voice exclaimed almost immediately after the old man spoke the last syllable.
The old man in white took a deep breath and complied to the order respectfully. He could identify that the medicine was out of ordinary but he did not expect the Elder to invite the person to Wind Stream Tribe as a permanent guest. The status of a permanent guest was treated with extreme respect. Besides the tribe leader, the Elder and few other people, they were treated almost with the same importance as the other leaders of the tribe.
As the old man in white went away, he immediately had the entire Wind Stream Tribe carry out the Elder’s orders. He had cast a huge net to search for the Fallen Berserker!
As for Su Ming, he had just made a decision at home in Dark Mountain Tribe. Hence in the morning of the second day, he left the tribe alone and went into the forest. Then, he ran towards Black Flame Mountain.
Su Ming traversed through the forest without any hesitation. After reaching the second level of the Blood Solidification Realm, his speed and agility had increased so much even Lei Chen had a hard time keeping up with him at full speed. As he ran through the forest, his speed increased even further due to his familiarity with the place. By noon, he had arrived at the foot of Black Flame Mountain.
He climbed up Black Flame Mountain and went to the cave which he used for the quenching of herbs. Su Ming placed the basket down on ground. There were a lot of herbs in there, all of which he prepared for the purpose of quenching.
Xiao Hong was not in the cave. It was most probably out playing. Su Ming cast a glance around the cave. Once he was certain there were no signs of abnormality around, he sat down cross-legged on the ground. He concentrated on circulating the blood in his body until the 10 blood veins shone brightly on his body and his body reached the best condition possible.
There were even vague signs of the 11th blood vein manifesting itself, which could allow Su Ming to reach the third level of the Blood Solidification Realm.
‘The elder helped me to truly Awaken and he did say I was about to reach the third level… Not a lot of time pa.s.sed since then but I feel that there’s enough blood within me now… The ancient Berserker Art is truly amazing.’
Su Ming opened his eyes and the scene of the black substance oozing out of his body surfaced in his mind.
‘I might as well put aside creating more pills for now and break through the second level!’
Su Ming only took a moment to make his decision and brought out the Sky Stone he pillaged the other day from his bosom. He took a look at the herb and swallowed a Scattering Dust before plucking a leaf from the herb and swallowing it as well.
He closed his eyes and meditated once again. After a moment, Su Ming’s body was covered in sweat and surrounded by blood red light. The 11th blood vein showed signs of manifesting completely.
After a few hours, a m.u.f.fled sound resounded throughout Su Ming’s body and the 11th blood vein manifested itself completely. A much stronger presence of Qi immediately erupted from Su Ming’s body.
Su Ming opened his eyes, which shone brilliantly.
‘The third level of the Blood Solidification Realm!’
He stood up, his face bright with excitement. After he moved his body to remove the numbness in his limbs, he brought out the herbs. He began the process of creating Mountain Spirit according to the methods in his memory.
Su Ming was no longer as clueless as he was a few months ago. He was already familiar with the process of quenching herbs and even more so at controlling the fire in the cave. As the temperature within the cave increased, Su Ming took off his clothes and stood beside the stone cauldron half-naked. At times he would bring one of the herbs to his nose whereas other times, he would crush the herbs and throw them into the cauldron.
Time pa.s.sed by. The sky gradually began to darken. Silence also fell upon the forest and mountains. Even the sounds of the birds and beasts became a m.u.f.fled whisper.
As the sky darkened, the moon rose into the sky but, the moon that night was different from the other nights. It was in a shade so red like there was a blood red moon in the sky.
The strange sight immediately covered the land with a strange atmosphere. It was especially so for the area around Dark Mountain. The sounds from the birds and the beasts completely disappeared. There was not even the slightest whisper from them. It was as if they did not dare to make a sound.
A red shadow sped through the forest at the foot of Black Flame Mountain. It was the little monkey. At that moment, its gaze was solemn and alert. It would lift its gaze towards the red moon occasionally and distress would flicker across its features.
As it ran forward, it hesitated. It still did not know that Su Ming had returned. It changed its direction and no longer ran towards Black Flame Mountain. Instead, it hid itself somewhere in the forest.
As the sky grew darker, the moon shone a brighter shade of red. By the time midnight arrived, the entire Dark Mountain seemed to have been dyed in blood.
At that moment, a weak cry came from within Dark Mountain. The cry grew louder as time pa.s.sed and eventually grew so loud it traveled past Dark Mountain.
The cry seemed to be filled with endless resentment. Those who heard it were filled with fear. It was a cry that seemed to shake the soul. If anyone listened to it for a prolonged amount of time, they would feel like their blood was boiling. It terrified them.
The cry echoed through the skies as if it reflected the blood red moon. It made Dark Mountain appear to be shrouded in mystery.
That night, the three tribes around Dark Mountain were filled with wariness. The normal members of the tribe in Dark Mountain Tribe all returned to their houses under the protection of the Berserkers within the tribe. They were told not to leave unless it was absolutely necessary. The tribe leader also personally took command of the Berserkers to protect the tribe.
The elder stood at the highest place in the tribe. It was a stage made of giant wood. In his hands was the black bone cane. As he looked afar, his eyes were tainted with a hint of worry.
He felt Su Ming leave the tribe earlier but he did not expect the blood moon which only occurred once every three years to happen that night. It was months earlier than the previous appearances of the blood red moon. The strange phenomenon made him surprised and fearful.
"Fire!" After a long while, the elder spoke. Immediately, the tribe members surrounding the giant wooden stage brought out torches and placed them underneath the stage. The torches caused the stage to burn. The elder on the stage looked as if he was caught in a sea of fire but he was calm as he chanted in a strange language.
Dark Mountain Tribe was not the only one who did this. At the same time, in another direction from Dark Mountain Tribe, the same thing also happened in Dark Dragon Tribe. The elder of Dark Dragon Tribe wore a loose robe, hair untied. There was no telling whether the elder was a man or a woman. In the person’s hand was the skull of a strange, one-horned beast. The elder lifted it up high and a piercing cry escaped the person’s lips.
Among the tribe members of Dark Dragon Tribe stood a girl of extreme beauty. Her face was pale as she looked at the blood red moon in the sky.