400 feet, 300 feet, 200 feet… When the area enveloped by the light shrunk to just 100 feet, the screen formed by the light became incredibly dull. At that moment, Yan Guang let out a low growl and the long spear in his hand flashed with a bright blue light before he stabbed the dim light screen with the spear.
The light screen immediately shattered and turned into countless shards that tumbled backwards. They gathered in midair and turned into the He Feng who had his face obscured. He Feng shuddered. The moment he appeared, the spear in Yan Guang’s hand let out a sharp whistle as it charged towards Su Ming.
Han Fei Zi’s eyes were cold as she stood beside him. She lifted her hand and the mist clouds surrounded each other before turning into a giant hand of mist clouds that plowed forth.
He Feng was overwrought with anxiety. He understood full well that if Su Ming died, he would immediately die with him. He gritted his teeth and let out a roar. Dim light shone from his entire body once again, and it gathered in an area of 30 feet around Su Ming’s body. The moment it crashed against Yan Guang’s long spear, it exploded once again, unable to withstand the force.
This was He Feng’s limit. His body immediately became dull, as if he was about to scatter away. He let out a broken laugh. The moment he fell into despair, a strong absorbing force spread out from within Su Ming and enveloped He Feng’s body, pulling him inside in an instant.
The same moment, Su Ming opened his eyes. A chilling glint flashed briefly through his eyes, and killing intent appeared!
The moment he opened his eyes, a red light appeared under Su Ming’s feet, and a red meadow spread out swiftly. As the meadow covered an area of 100 feet, it formed a layer of protection that blocked Yan Guang’s long spear and Han Fei Zi’s giant hand of mist clouds.
Rumbling sounds echoed in the sky and Yan Guang’s long spear was fended off. The moment it stopped, Su Ming stood up swiftly and took one step forward. He ignored Han Fei Zi and charged towards Yan Guang so quickly he closed in on him in an instant, hurling his fist towards him.
Yan Guang clashed fists with him, growling softly. With a boom, he staggered back and coughed out blood.
A murderous look appeared in Su Ming’s eyes. He charged forth to chase the man down and kill him.
When Han Fei Zi saw the red meadow, she was momentarily stunned. For some reason, she thought she’d seen this meadow before. Yet the things that had happened within the cave in the rainforest happened too quickly that day, hence she did not see everything clearly.
She was just about to take action after recovering from her shock when Su Ming swung his right hand towards her and that black snake immediately appeared once again, turning into a small layer of black fog. The head of the snake appeared within that fog and launched itself towards Han Fei Zi with its mouth wide open to swallow her.
All of this happened in an instant. Han Fei Zi revealed a cold smirk and the golden light flashed around her entire body. She did not pay any heed to the snake formed by the black fog. Instead, she took a step forward and charged into the fog with the intention of preventing Su Ming from killing Yan Guang and then capturing him alive along with her partner.
"He Feng, you were the one who lured her here and you’re still not attacking? How long are you going to wait!"
Su Ming’s eyes flashed brilliantly. He had to kill Yan Guang first, before he could deal with Han Fei Zi. He could not let these two people join hands. When he saw Han Fei Zi charging through the fog without care, he immediately made his decision and said those words in a hoa.r.s.e voice.
The moment the words were spoken, the calm look on Han Fei Zi’s face immediately changed. She instinctively stopped and lifted her head. With an explosive bang in her head, the answer as to why she had the sense of familiarity when she faced this man appeared.
Yet there was a price to be paid for this answer. This price was Yan Guang’s life!
The moment Han Fei Zi was taken aback by Su Ming’s words and faltered, he caught up to the backpedalling Yan Guang. The mark of the sword at the center of his brows flashed, and the small virescent sword let out a whistle as it charged out towards Yan Guang. It traveled so quickly that it closed in on Yan Guang in an instant and pierced through the center of his brows.
The man let out a shrill and pained cry.
There was a bang in the air, and Yan Guang staggered a few steps back due to the remnants of the charging force from the small sword before he fell to the ground with his legs convulsing uncontrollably. His breath left his body and he died.
Su Ming panted harshly, and sweat appeared on his forehead. Blood also came from his mouth. His face was pale, and the pain in his chest grew stronger.
The chain of actions Su Ming had taken used up a large amount of his energy. When he killed Yan Guang, he almost used up all the spiritual power stored within the path of blood in his body.
Right now, he held a red spirit stone in his hand, and the red meadow traveled with his feet to cover an area of 100 feet around him. Within Su Ming’s body, the souls of the Wings of the Moon spread out and surrounded the area as they let out soundless roars.
The small virescent sword became dull. There were even some red spots on the body of the sword, looking as if they had seeped into the sword itself. It was a terrifying sight to behold. As of now, the sword floated beside Su Ming, letting out a faint and weak sword aura.
Han Fei Zi stood hundreds of feet away from Su Ming. As she stared at him, a vicious look appeared in her eyes. She had been searching for the person before her for a long time but had been unable to find any clues. She did not expect to meet him now, in this place.
"You are Tranquil East Tribe’s guest… then that small person in the dim light just now should be He Feng! As for this thing…"
A flash appeared in Han Fei Zi’s eyes, and she stared at the small virescent sword.
"This should be He Feng’s great treasure. Who knew..? Xuan Lun and I have been fighting over it for such a long time, and you were the one who obtained it in the end! This is the second time we meet, and your powers have changed drastically. You should not be some insignificant person. Who are you?"
"Tranquil East Tribe’s guest, Mo Su," Su Ming said hoa.r.s.ely as he looked at the veiled Han Fei Zi through his mask.
"Mo Su…"
Han Fei Zi looked at Su Ming, silent.
Su Ming did not speak either. He could only pant harshly as he stared at Han Fei Zi.
"You’re gravely wounded. I’m a seventh of a chance certain that I can kill you here."
After a dozen breaths pa.s.sed by, Han Fei Zi spoke softly.
"I am also a seventh of a chance certain that I can take you down with me!" Su Ming stated coolly. The small virescent sword beside him let out a light sword whistle.
"I trust you."
A smile suddenly appeared on Han Fei Zi’s face. Even if her smile was concealed by the veil, it could still be seen vaguely. It looked as if her face that was covered by the veil contained an unparalleled beauty with the addition of her smile.
"Now that I know who you are, it’s enough for me. I’ll give you a chance. I won’t reveal your ident.i.ty, but if you can walk out of this place alive, then you will have to fulfill one request of mine."
Han Fei Zi laughed softly. She did not even ask whether Su Ming agreed to her words before she floated into the air with the white cloud underneath her feet. Her clothes danced in the air as she disappeared into the distance languidly.
Su Ming frowned. He could not understand this woman before him.
When Han Fei Zi disappeared into the horizon, Su Ming momentarily fell into a pensive silence. He cast a glance at Yan Guang’s corpse and searched through his body. Once he found his things, he took the blue long spear and quickly left the place.
Two hours later, Su Ming sat down cross-legged in a secluded area within a mountain range. The pain in his chest had become stronger. At this moment, he closed his eyes to meditate and took South Asunder to heal his wounds. He had to heal quickly. This place would only become more dangerous.
That piece of starry sky still dominated the sky in the isolation grounds belonging to Han Mountain’s ancestor. Daylight would never arrive. However, this place was not dark. There was a gentle light in the area that was no different from daylight in the eyes of a Berserker.
Su Ming woke up from his meditation a few hours later and let out a shaky breath. His face was still pale underneath the mask, but his injuries had mostly healed. The most grievous injury on his body was on his heart.
If it were not for the protection of the mysterious debris, Su Ming’s heart would not have been able to withstand the laughter of the tribe leader of Lake of Colors Tribe, which had been part of her Berserker Art. His heart would have shattered into pieces. He might have recovered somewhat now, but he could still feel the pain in his heart.
As he sat there, Su Ming lifted his right hand and pressed against the center of the mask’s brows. Immediately, a green light flashed on the center of his brows and the small virescent sword appeared. Su Ming brought it before his eyes. There were three small red spots on the sword that had corroded its body, causing the aura of the sword to become corrupted and its might to be greatly reduced.
"A powerful Berserker in the middle stage of the Awakening Realm…" Su Ming mumbled.
He lifted his left hand and tried wiping away the red spots. After a long while, he let out a long sigh. He could not wipe the red spots off.
In his silence, Su Ming’s expression suddenly changed. He felt someone moving closer to him in his Branded area.
‘It’s him!’
Su Ming narrowed his eyes.
It was quiet in the mountain range. Dong Fang Hua moved forward cautiously. His body was laden with injuries and his robes were soaked in blood. His face was pale, and as he moved forward panting harshly, he would continuously turn his head back with a lingering fear in his eyes.
"This accursed place! Who would’ve thought Lake of Colors Tribe would attack on such a large scale… Ah, the excavation this time is far too dangerous. It’s a good thing I found some herbs. I should be able to obtain protection now."
Dong Fang Hua laughed bitterly and moved forward quickly but cautiously.
As he walked forth, a calm voice suddenly reached his ears.
"Brother Dong Fang!"
"Who is it?"
Dong Fang Hua’s expression changed. He did not stop as he spoke, but instinctively ran a few steps forward. Only then did he realize that the voice he had heard just now was rather familiar.
"Brother Mo?"
Dong Fang Hua was momentarily stunned. He stopped, but remained alert. As he looked around his surroundings, his gaze fell upon a person walking towards him from the distance.
Su Ming walked unhurriedly to Dong Fang Hua and stopped 100 feet away from him. He looked at the currently miserable looking old man. It was clear that the old man did not have a safe trip after he entered this place.
When Dong Fang Hua saw Su Ming, he let out a breath of relief and a bitter smile appeared on his face.
"Brother Mo, I embarra.s.sed myself when you suddenly spoke because I was too nervous. Please excuse my poor behavior."
"It’s fine. This place has been taken over by Lake of Colors Tribe and it’s very dangerous. I acted too rashly just now."
Su Ming shook his head. He could understand Dong Fang Hua’s fear.
"Brother Dong Fang, why are you alone? I remember that Brother Chen was with you." Su Ming looked at Dong Fang Hua and spoke in a collected tone.
"Brother Chen… Ha… He was killed. Brother Mo, this isn’t a good place to talk. We can’t stay here for long. If you don’t have another place to go, why don’t you come with me to the gathering place? With your power, you won’t need to be like me and gather herbs to get protection from Sir Nan Tian," Dong Fang Hua quickly said.
"Gathering place? Alright, I’ll go with you."
Su Ming was moved by the idea and nodded his head. Under Dong Fang Hua’s lead, the two of them quickly left the place and charged into the distance.
"More than half of the guests of Tranquil East Tribe died. Right now, besides you and me, there are only two other survivors left. One of them is Sir Nan Tian, Tranquil East Tribe’s chief guest.
"The other person is Chou Nu. He has a short temper and is Sir Nan Tian’s follower. He’s also Tranquil East’s guest. When brother Chen and I went to the gathering place, we ran into trouble. Brother Chen died, and I was saved by Chou Nu when I was in danger."
On the way, Dong Fang Hua spoke to Su Ming in a low voice of the things he had experienced once he arrived to this place.