The sun rose and set. Clouds came and went. Five months pa.s.sed by in the blink of an eye.
During these five months, drastic changes happened multiple times in these remote mountains. Sometimes, the land would shake, and numerous birds and beasts would scatter far away, as if the place had turned into a forbidden land.
There were also a large number of trees that suddenly turned white and withered away as if they had lost all their life, becoming dried husks. The area where the trees were affected was wide as well, covering almost a spherical area of dozens of li.
From the sky, the land exposed under the withered trees was covered in innumerable cracks, as if there was a drought in the place. This strange sight was incredibly rare in the Land of South Morning. Rain was abundant in the region. By right, drought should not happen.
However, there was something more shocking than this. Every single time the full moon appeared on this land, howling would start. These howls did not seem to be made by humans, and they were difficult to hear with one’s ears. Only those who had a certain level of cultivation could be able to feel them if they came near the place.
These howls would become incredibly loud during full moon nights, and a lot of moonlight would descend upon the place then. Hot air would also rise into the sky from the ravines on the ground, as if the entire remote mountain was being burned and roasted.
It was evening. In this area that seemed like a forbidden place, four figures appeared. These four people were very cautious, and they did not move forward. The leader of the group was an old man. He wore a blue robe, and his body was thin and dry. His frame was big, and his entire body exuded a sullen presence.
Behind him were two men and a woman. They did not have the same presence as the old man, especially the woman. Compared to the sullenness of the old man, she was very beautiful.
"Father, is this the place you spoke about?" Behind the old man, a middle-aged man in his forties spoke cautiously.
"That’s right. Two months ago, I pa.s.sed by this place and saw the strange sights that happened here. Most of the plants here have withered and lost their vitality. Even the land itself has dried up. If I’m not wrong, then this phenomenon should mean that a treasure is about to be born!"
The old man’s eyes were ghastly as he spoke slowly. His level of cultivation was remarkable. He might not have reached Awakening, but he was already in the later stage of the Blood Solidification Realm.
As for the other three people behind him, two were at the fifth level of the Blood Solidification Realm. The third middle-aged man was at the seventh level of the Blood Solidification Realm.
"I did not tell any of our people about the strangeness of this place. Our status in the tribe is normal, and we do not have the right to go into the holy land during the Day of Eternal Creation. This has to do with me being unable to Awaken with my level of cultivation. I’ve placed my hope on you. If I can obtain this treasure, perhaps it will do you good.
"The Day of Eternal Creation is near. Fog has started surrounding the entire Land of South Morning. The tribe is busy making preparations to enter the holy land, they won’t notice our movements."
The old man looked at the land in the distance. It was evening. There was a thin layer of fog far ahead. If they looked down at the earth from a high place, they would see that a large amount of fog was coming out and covering an endless area in the Land of South Morning.
The man took a deep breath and nodded.
"As for Dao Er and Shan Er, you two can follow behind. There might not be any aura of death coming out of this place, but the withered trees have lost their vitality. The aura of death is within them, you two can absorb them into your bodies. It’ll be good for you."
The old man looked at the sky and spoke in a low tone.
"Every single time night arrives in this place, there will be a change. I went in once after observing it for a few days, but I stopped after I traveling in 10,000 feet. However, with the tribe’s Death Essence Pearl, I should be able to venture deep within."
There was an eager look in the old man’s eyes.
"Father…" The middle-aged man by his side looked rather hesitant. He cast a glance at the old man before saying with a low tone, "Father, this might not be due to a treasure appearing, but a senior training in this place. If our a.s.sumption is wrong, then…"
"Haha, it’s good that you have your worries. I thought about that too before, but when I entered this place last time, I did not meet with any misfortune. More importantly, the plants and the earth have only lost their vitality, but the aura of death did not spread out. If that senior is truly training in this place and caused such a huge change, why would he not use this aura of death?
"This phenomenon can only be explained by the birth of a treasure."
As the old man spoke, dusk went by. The entire sky darkened. The crescent moon appeared in the sky, and moonlight s.h.i.+ned onto the ground.
"Don’t think so much. We will go now!"
The old man took a deep breath and led them into the withered forest. Behind him, the middle-aged man followed cautiously. As for the two youngsters, they followed behind with excitement as they continuously absorbed the aura of death from the trees that had lost their vitality. Their expressions were becoming more and more eager.
They did not move fast. As they walked through the dead forest, the sight of the cracked earth and withered plants entered their sights. The old man may have looked unaffected, but the middle-aged man was gradually covered in sweat.
‘If it was just withered plants, it wouldn’t be so strange, but the land is also cracked badly… The land itself here has lost its vitality, and this has become a great place for us from Puqiang Tribe to train. If I could just train here… It’s a pity the aura of death is not lively here. It loses to the area in the tribe…’
The middle-aged man took in a deep breath and gave up on the thought. Instead, he too became eager to find the treasure.
As for the male and female youngsters, they were stupefied. They were no longer excited or eager, they were beginning to feel nervous.
At that moment, howls suddenly came from one of the summits in the distance. The howls were sharp, and normal people could not hear them. Only those with a certain level of power could do so.
The old man’s expression changed. It was clear that he heard the howls. As for the middle-aged man, he could vaguely hear them. His Qi was circulating uncontrollably, causing his heart to race.
If he was in this kind of state, then it was even more so for the two youngsters. The faces of these people were pale. They may not have heard the howls, but they had a feeling as if their hearts were being torn apart.
The old man let out a cold harrumph and brought out a black pearl from his bosom with his right hand. The moment the pearl appeared, the area was instantly filled with a black air that flew out from the plants and the earth. It charged towards the pearl and gathered within, turning into a screen of black light that enveloped the four people.
"I came up to this place last time. Now, with the Death Essence Pearl, we should be fine, or else that howling will become stronger and it’ll be an annoyance."
As the old man spoke, he continued moving forward.
The three people behind followed after him quickly. Under the protection of the screen of black light, they gradually moved into the deeper parts of the land, towards where the mountain was.
Under the moonlight, the mountain was obscured and could not be seen clearly, but even with the screen standing between them and the howls, they still traveled inside, coming from the mountain.
"The treasure must be at the peak of the mountain!"
The old man quelled his excitement and took a few quick steps forward, bringing the other three behind him into the mountain as they moved quickly towards the top of the mountain.
The top was barren. The plants here had long since withered into ashes. Numerous cracks covered the entire mountain, causing it to look ghastly. Yet the old man did not take note of these. As he continued moving forward, they soon reached the obscured part of the mountain.
Yet at that moment, the old man suddenly faltered. The middle-aged man behind him paled in an instant, and a dismayed look appeared on his face. At the summit located 100 feet away from them was no treasure but a person sitting cross-legged!
They could see the figure of the person before them clearly. His face was obscured, but even so, a strong presence covered the surroundings, causing the old man and the middle-aged man’s hearts to race uncontrollably. This was not due to agitation, but anxiety.
In fact, the s.p.a.ce around the person seemed to be twisting, and the howls were coming out from the twisted s.p.a.ce.
The old man’s pupils shrank. Stunned, he was about to retreat, but at that moment, right before their eyes, the obscured figure sitting cross-legged opened his eyes unhurriedly.
There was an aloof look within that profound gaze. With a freezing glance, the figure looked at the old man, and a banging sound rounded in the old man’s head. His Qi began circulating uncontrollably in his body. He quickly retreated and grabbed the pale-faced middle-aged man who looked as if he was struck by lightning as well as the two youngsters who could not withstand the pressure brought about by that gaze along with him as he withdrew.
Yet when they had retreated to a distance not even 500 feet away, the four people trembled as a fierce, invisible presence appeared out of nowhere and locked onto them. Lots of moonlight descended around them, causing a huge sense of danger to fill their hearts.
‘Awakening. This person is definitely a powerful Berserker at the Awakening Realm, or else he wouldn’t be able to exude such great power with his gaze alone…’
The old man stopped and cold sweat broke out on his skin. He had a feeling that if he continued retreating, he would definitely die!
"Senior, I am from Puqiang Tribe. Please forgive my transgressions…"
The old man quickly wrapped his fist in his other hand towards the person sitting at the summit. His expression was respectful, even though he was nervous.
It was quiet all around them. The howls that he felt had also disappeared. Time pa.s.sed by in this silence, causing the four people to become increasingly more nervous.
"Puqiang Tribe… Leave behind that pearl in your hands and go!"
Amidst the silence, the old man felt as if years pa.s.sed by. When he heard the person’s words, he took off the black pearl without any hesitation and placed it by his side before quickly bringing the other three people to withdraw. His heart raced against his chest with a feeling as if he had just escaped death by a hair’s breadth.
Even after they ran out of the withered area, they continued running for several hours before slowing down. The old man’s face was pale. He turned his head back and a fearful look appeared on his face. To him, what had just happened was a life and death situation.
The middle-aged man beside him was also breathing rapidly. He looked at the old man and asked in a whisper, "Father, is he… is he a Awakened Berserker?"
"He’s not just a normal powerful Berserker who Awakened. He should be at the middle stage of the Awakening Realm!" the old man said after hesitating for a moment.
"Middle stage of the Awakening Realm? Then isn’t he at the same level as the Elder? There are only three Berserkers who are at the middle stage of the Awakening Realm in Han Mountain City…"
The middle-aged man took in a sharp breath.
The other two youngsters beside him were also shocked, and lingering fear swarmed their senses.
"Don’t spread this out. We can’t provoke powerful Berserkers like these. We’re fortunate that this person was not interested in killing us, or else…"
A shudder ran through the old man’s heart. He quickly swallowed his words and led the other three people away.
Su Ming sat quietly at the summit. In his hands, he held a black pearl. The pearl was the item left behind by the old man. He held the pearl for a long while before putting it away in his storage bag and standing up.
"The fifth burning of blood makes people fall into deep sleep…" Su Ming mumbled and lifted his head to look at the land in the distance. It might have been dark, but he could still see that there was a layer of fog covering the land.
"Master, you’ve slept for more than five months… The Day of Eternal Creation is around the corner. The entire Land of South Morning will be covered in mist during the next few days…" He Feng cautiously said in Su Ming’s mind.
His contact with the outside world might have been limited during these five months, but as Su Ming fell into deep sleep and he could not leave Su Ming’s body, he could still feel that Su Ming was gradually becoming stronger. This strength made He Feng terrified, and the youth became even more enigmatic in his eyes.