Pursuit of the Truth

Su Ming’s expression did not change. He sat at the summit calmly as he looked at the fog in the distance. The fog may have seemed thin, but because it had covered an area so vast, its end could not be seen. It left people the impression that they were in a sea of fog.

This special weather was one Su Ming had never experienced. He had been in Dark Mountain for more than ten years, but besides morning, it was rare for fog to cover the land, much less an area so huge.

”The Day of Eternal Creation…”

Su Ming lowered his head. His long hair covered his face, and he sat there unmoving, as if he had once again fallen into deep sleep.

He Feng hesitated for a moment before he eventually spoke in a low tone. ”Mas… Master, the Day of Eternal Creation is the day where the three tribes will open the tunnel to Han Mountain City. We can’t make it there in time now.”

Su Ming did not speak. Only when another hour passed by and the fog became thicker did he lifted his head. He rose unhurriedly and stood at the summit, his hair lifted by a breeze. As they flew behind his head, a faint scar was revealed on his face.

He looked at the fog that covered the land and placed his right hand into his bosom, taking out a black, hooded long-robe. Once he replaced his wrinkled clothes, he brought out another item from his storage bag.

It was the black mask. Su Ming put it on.

The moment he did so, his presence changed abruptly, making him seem as if he was not there. Unless someone directly searched for him, they would be hard pressed to take notice of him. The mask was black, giving Su Ming a ghastly and uncanny air.

His expression could not be seen, and neither could his face. Only his indifferent gaze shone out of the two holes where the eyes were on the mask. Su Ming’s long hair and head were both hidden within the hood of his black robes. Only the eerie black mask was revealed, giving him an enigmatic presence.

When He Feng saw Su Ming, he was stunned. For some unknown reason, he had a feeling that he had seen this Su Ming some place before, but before he had time to think about it, Su Ming had already begun moving.

When he first came to this place, while Su Ming might not have used his full speed, he still needed half a month for the traveling. Now, as he went back through the boundless fog, he only used six days!

In six days, he arrived to Han Mountain City’s territory from his isolation spot. He might not have arrived in Han Mountain City itself, but he was not far from the place.

As he traveled forth, the fog in the region became thicker. He could no longer see into the distance. Everything in sight was covered by the fog. These days, the birds and the beasts hid themselves, as if they did not dare to venture out.

The entire land was quiet. The only sound came from Su Ming as he blasted forward.

Another three days passed by. Su Ming continued running towards Han Mountain City with a speed so quick it made He Feng rife with suppositions.

On the third day, Su Ming stood at the same summit as when he had first went to Han Mountain City, and looked at the city shrouded by fog and the three mountains surrounding it. A gleam appeared in his eyes, and he moved towards the mountain where Tranquil East Tribe was located.

The mountain of Tranquil East Tribe was shrouded by fog, but it only surrounded the borders of the mountain. The fog was comparably thin within the mountain, and there was some visibility in the area.

The mountain was huge and rose high above the ground. As the mountain was currently shrouded by fog, it made all those who looked up from the foot of it to feel as if they were miniscule in comparison.

Su Ming stood at the foot of the mountain to Tranquil East Tribe. He lifted his head to observe the mountain for a few moments. Before him was a stairway that was about 100 feet in breadth which spanned all the way to the top of the mountain.

This was the only way to Tranquil East Tribe.

‘I broke my promise to meet Fang Mu, so I have to come here.’

Su Ming averted his gaze and lowered his head as he moved towards the steps.

The moment his foot landed on the stairs leading to Tranquil East Tribe, a great pressure landed upon him. This pressure did not belong to any Berserker but was the pressure of the mountain itself. At the same time, a mighty voice traveled out languidly from within the mountain.

”Halt! Tranquil East Tribe is closed off for a month and refuses all visitors!”

Su Ming paused in his footsteps. His gaze was calm as he looked at the stairway leading straight to the top of the mountain. He could feel that the pressure contained an unquestionable might. If he opposed this might, then it was equivalent to him declaring the entire Tranquil East Tribe his enemy.

”Master… We should leave. This is the power emitted by the Berserker protector statue from Tranquil East Tribe. It protects the entire mountain. The Day of Eternal Creation is near. Tranquil East Tribe is definitely high on guard. They won’t allow any outsiders coming into their tribe…

”We shouldn’t trespass… If you want to enter the tunnel of Han Mountain City, I have a method to help you.” He Feng quickly said.

He knew just how strong the three tribes of Han Mountain were nowadays. If it were him, he would definitely not come here, but would instead use other methods to enter the tunnel of Han Mountain.

”Master, don’t take the risk…. We can’t intrude into this place.”

When He Feng saw that Su Ming was ignoring him, he quickly spoke once again. He was worried that Su Ming was young and did not have enough experience. Trespassing into Tranquil East Tribe was a meaningless act to him. Not only would he be injured by it, he might even enrage Tranquil East Tribe and not get anything out of it.

Su Ming fell silent. After a long while, he averted his gaze from the stairway.

”I made my decision,” Su Ming said unhurriedly and lifted his foot towards the stairway.

The moment his foot landed the second time on the stairs, a booming sound seemingly echoed from the mountain. The mighty voice traveled outwards once again.

”Trespassers will have their powers destroyed, be expelled from Han Mountain, and their safety will no longer be our concern!”

The mighty voice gradualy dissipated, but the pressure from the mountain became stronger in an instant, causing the fog around Su Ming to scatter as if it was avoiding the pressure.

”Master!”

He Feng could not understand. He was just about to advise Su Ming against his actions when he moved once again and continued walking up the stairway.

He Feng could not understand Su Ming’s actions. In his mind, sneaking into the tunnel of Han Mountain unnoticed was the best solution to the problem. This was related to his status. He did not want to expose his true identity and cause more unwanted trouble.

However, Su Ming did not harbor that thought. The three tribes of Han Mountain had been in control of Han Mountain Tribe for hundreds of years. They had entered the hidden grounds multiple times, and it was impossible for them to enter the place with an uncertain amount of people with how cautious the three tribes were.

Not only would their numbers be fixed, they might also know each other. If that was the case, once they encountered someone they did not know in the grave, then they would definitely attack the stranger together.

Once this happened, then he would definitely become the mortal enemy of the three tribes. In fact, this sort of sneaking around was even worse than Su Ming intruding on Tranquil East Tribe now. If he was discovered, it was the same as forcing himself into a dead end. Even if he could escape with the mask concealing his true identity, there would still be a possibility for his identity to be revealed.

That was the true risk!

He Feng could choose that path. After all, he had a trade with Han Fei Zi before this. He was also the only tribe member left of Han Mountain Tribe. It was not surprising that he knew of other methods to enter the grave. However, Su Ming was an outsider. If he chose to take that path, it would be too dangerous for him.

”I’m still going in no matter the method. Instead of taking a risk and sneaking around, I might as well go in with pride and dignity!” Su Ming’s said.

With his mind set, he stood where he was and took a deep breath before letting his voice travel to the top of the mountain.

”I, Mo, have come to visit the tribe leader of Tranquil East Tribe.”

His voice boomed and traveled through the surroundings and to the top of the mountain, causing a large amount of echoes to reverberate around the mountain for a long time.

Time passed by slowly until the pressure from the mountain suddenly disappeared. A faint smile appeared on Su Ming’s face and he lifted his feet to walk up the stairs.

Tranquil East Tribe was a middle-sized tribe. There were a lot of people in the tribe. The mountain itself was part of the tribe and filled the entire area. As Su Ming walked in, he saw quite a number of people from Tranquil East Tribe looking at him coldly, but they did not come forth to stop him.

To be exact, the mountain did not have a summit. The top of the mountain was flat, as if the summit was sliced off. There were buildings built on it and around it, forming a tribe in the mountain.

There was also a large empty space in the mountain side. Buildings were erected on the mountain side as if they were entrenched on the mountain, and those buildings were erected along the mountain up to the very top.

It was clear that this was not the only territory belonging to Tranquil East Tribe. As Su Ming stood there, he could see the faint contours of other summits in the distance from where he stood in the fog.

Before Su Ming was a teenager. It was Fang Mu. When he saw Su Ming, he was first stunned. He had never seen Su Ming’s true face before. When he saw the mask, he became uncertain.

”Senior Mo?” Fang Mu took a step backward and looked at Su Ming warily.

”Lead the way,” Su Ming’s hoarse voice traveled forth.

When he heard the voice, Fang Mu let out a breath of relief. Respect appeared on his face, and he wrapped his fist around his palm in a greeting towards Su Ming.

”Senior, you asked me to visit you half a year later, but when I went there, you were not around…” As Fang Mu led the way, he spoke to Su Ming with a put out voice.

”I had some matters that took up my time. That’s why I decided to come straight to your tribe.”

There was laughter in Su Ming’s voice. As he looked at the people from Tranquil East Tribe and the unique buildings, he could not help but remember Dark Mountain.

As they moved forward, some tribe members greeted Fang Mu kindly, but when they saw Su Ming, their expressions turned aloof.

Su Ming observed the tribe, noticing that there were a lot of Berserkers among the people of Tranquil East Tribe. The number of people who had reached the seventh level of the Blood Solidification Realm also surpassed Wind Stream by quite a large number.

Not much time passed by. Under Fang Mu’s guidance and introductions, Su Ming was brought to a tower that was built within the mountain. The tower was hundreds of feet tall, had three floors, and exuded a great presence. From the distance, it looked like the head of a gigantic wild beast roaring towards the sky ferociously.

”My father is inside. He asked me to bring you here…”

Fang Mu stopped outside the tower. After a moment of hesitation, he whispered to Su Ming by his side.

”Senior, my aunt is back… She’s from Freezing…”

Before Fang Mu could finish speaking, a cold harrumph from a man traveled out from within the tower.

Fang Mu swallowed his words and laughed sheepishly before taking a few steps backwards.

”Brother Mo, my son was rude, don’t mind him. Please come up here and speak.”

A middle-aged man who looked somewhat similar to Fang Mu appeared from within the tower and looked at Su Ming with a smile.