Pursuit of the Truth

”That’s uncle master to you!

”What an insolent brat. Didn’t your Master tell you about my status? Besides those old folks in the sky, who else has a higher status than me in Freezing Sky Clan? Even the head preceptor has to call me his uncle master. You’re of the same seniority as the head preceptor, don’t you know how to address me?

”Boy, let me just point out which rules you broke by offending your seniors. You broke the second, fifth, and the seventh rules of the school.”

Tian Xie Zi yawned on the ninth summit of Freezing Sky Clan and spoke lazily. There was a lackadaisical tone to his voice, and it did not bear the low and deep quality of the purple-red robed old man’s voice, and it did not travel too far either.

The old man wearing the purple-red long robe stood calmly in the air and watched Tian Xie Zi standing on the top of the ninth summit. If it had not been completely necessary, he would not have wanted to come to the ninth summit. It was not because he held any form of respect towards the rumors regarding Tian Xie Zi, but because Tian Xie Zi’s status was simply too high in the school.

He was silent for a moment before he wrapped his fist in his palm and greeted Tian Xie Zi.

”Greetings to uncle master from You Long Zi.”

”Aye, that’s more like it. I doubt that you were born when I came to this mountain. You can’t be so rude. Pay more attention next time, understand?”

Tian Xie Zi stroked his beard and nodded towards the old man in the purple-red long robe.

”Then, uncle master, please give me my disciple back. I’d like to take him away,” the old man in the purple-red long robe said, remaining calm and seeming to not have heard Tian Xie Zi’s words.

”Oh? Do you disagree with the punishment dealt out by your second senior brother to your disciple?”

Tian Xie Zi put on a surprised look.

The old man remained silent. He had to accept the fact that all the people’s status in the ninth summit were raised exponentially due to Tian Xie Zi. For example, the man who injured his disciple, that person… was indeed of the same seniority as he was…

It was difficult to tell whether he was the senior brother or junior brother for the time being, though.

”Tian Xie Zi, I don’t have time to play with you. I only asked you for one thing, are you going to let Zi Che go?”

The old man frowned, and his expression gradually turned cold. He had already paid his respects, so even if he spoke this way right now, no one would find fault with him.

”Hah? Are you trying to scare me? I’m not letting him go! I won’t! I won’t! I won’t!”

Tian Xie Zi glared and put on a domineering air.

The old man’s face turned dark and he let out a cold harrumph.

He did not attack, but that one harrumph alone sounded like thunder rumbling, and it caused the entire ninth summit to tremble, the weather to change, the clouds and wind to tumble backwards, and thin cracks to spread through the ice on the ninth summit.

Tian Xie Zi widened his eyes and quickly took a few steps back from the top of the mountain. He let out a shrill cry, and that cry was so distressed it was enough to make those who heard pity him.

Hu Zi was in his own cave. He had long since brought Zi Che back with him and had by then thrown him to the side before crouching down and starting to drink while laughing viciously with ill-intent.

Tian Xie Zi’s shrill cries echoing in his ears made Hu Zi lift his head to look at the stone wall above him, and an odd expression appeared on his face.

”Go on pretending, old man, that’s what you do best anyway… Don’t think that your Grandpa Hu… Urgh, don’t think that another person’s family’s Grandpa Hu doesn’t know that you wore white today.”

That shrill cry spread through the entire ninth summit, similarly falling into the second senior brother’s ears, who was sitting beside Su Ming. Second brother had his head lowered and was toying with the plants before him as if he had heard nothing.

”Master, I saw you wearing white today…”

Second senior brother shook his head with a gentle look on his face, as if he was whispering to the plants before him.

At the same time, in the basin located deep in the cracks in the ice right under the ninth summit, a weak mumble sounded in the originally quiet place.

”The Master was wearing white today, wasn’t he..?”

That voice belonged to the eldest senior brother.

As Tian Xie Zi was crying out in distress and retreating on the top of the ninth summit, he saw the old man in the purple-red long robe walking towards him and he quickly let out another piercing cry.

”Xiao Hu, save me! I promise you I won’t ask you for your wine anymore…”

Hu Zi drank his wine in his cave abode and glared at Zi Che lying before him. He swatted Zi Che’s head, and the force was so great it made the man jolt. Anger burned within him and he glared at Hu Zi.

”Hah?! How dare you glare at your Grandpa Hu?! I’ll kill you!”

Hu Zi seemed to have found a way to not think about his Master crying out in distress. He stretched out his arm and swatted Zi Che’s head again.

Once Tian Xie Zi shouted out those words on the mountain, he found that the old man had already closed in on him. He had even landed on the ninth summit, and the moment his feet landed on the ground, a loud boom came from the ninth summit.

”Second! Second… I’m warning you, if you don’t save me, then I’ll pluck out all your plants from the mountain!”

The second senior brother sitting by Su Ming’s side seemed to not have heard anything and touched the plants before him as he said in a gentle whisper, ”Go on and pluck them, then. I’ll just plant new flowers after you pluck them away. It’ll be fine… won’t it, youngest junior brother?”

Second senior brother lifted his head and cast a glance at Su Ming with a smile.

The old man in the purple-red robe from the second summit was looking at Tian Xie Zi screaming with a cold look, he then frowned and lifted his right leg to move forward.

”First disciple! Why are you still isolating yourself at this moment?! Do you only know how to isolate yourself?! Your Master is about to be finished, if you don’t come out now, I’ll get Xiao Hu to go to you to warm up his wine every single day!”

The basin deep under the ninth summit remained silent. Eldest senior brother who had chosen this place as his isolation grounds also chose to pretend not to hear anything as he immersed himself in his meditation.

However, Tian Xie Zi’s voice was simply too distressing, and a moment later, a sigh came from within the basin.

”Master, stop fooling around…”

The voice originated within the basin and spread outwards. In an instant, it reverberated all through the ninth summit and traveled into Hu Zi’s ears, causing him to pause in delivering another slap.

The voice also landed in the second senior brother’s ears and a bright glint appeared briefly in his eyes.

It also traveled to the old man walking towards Tian Xie Zi. The old man faltered in his footsteps and his heart started beating uncontrollably. His expression changed instantly, because a wave of heat that came out of nowhere suddenly fell on his body and caused the air all around him to immediately start distorting.

Yet this was not his doing. It was due to the voice that had formed a ripple around him, one that made him feel shaken.

He seemed to have heard low growls of a ferocious beast echoing from the distortion, but that distortion could not be heard by anyone else. Only the old man himself could hear it clearly. That voice made him don on a grave expression.

”The Sound of Creation!”

The old man’s pupils shrank.

However, the sound only appeared for an instant before slowly fading away. The distortion around the old man’s body also disappeared without a trace.

The moment Tian Xie Zi heard the sound, surprised delight appeared on his face, but his expression soon changed to one of anger when the sound dissipated.

”Rascals! You three rascals! If I knew about this, then I wouldn’t have taken you people in as my disciples! How could you not help your own Master at such an important moment! You make me so mad!

”Hey, Junior! Don’t force my hand now. I’m telling you, if I make a move, you’ll run away immediately like a dog with its tail between its legs!”

Tian Xie Zi lifted his right hand and placed it onto his bosom. His gaze gradually grew stern as he looked at the old man in purple robes.

As he grew stern, an intimidating pressure gradually gathered in his body, causing the old man in purple robes, who was still shocked by the Sound of Creation, to also become stern.

He had not really regarded the ninth summit too highly. This was, in fact, the first time he came to the ninth summit. Yet now that he had experienced the string of events that happened to him, he could not help but recall the rumors circulating around Freezing Sky Clan about the ninth summit.

The old man in purple robes was silent for a moment before he spoke in a low voice, ”Uncle master, if you release my disciple, then I’ll leave immediately and won’t enter the ninth summit again. If not, then I’ll just have to check whether the rumors regarding you are true! The Sound of Creation alone, it’s still nothing to worry about.”

As he spoke, the old man in purple robes walked towards Tian Xie Zi. His footsteps were not quick, but as he moved, a presence that grew increasingly stronger spread out from his body. An illusionary picture started appearing faintly in the sky and was quickly gaining physical form.

”You made me do this! Behold my enchanted treasure!”

Tian Xie Zi retreated once again and drew his right hand from his bosom swiftly. Something was in his hand—it was a plate.

”Insolent brat, do you know what this is?!”

As Tian Han Zi shouted out, the old man in purple robes came to an abrupt halt and stared at the plate in Tian Xie Zi’s hands. That plate had a dark purple hue and let off a pure, freezing chill. It did not seem like a counterfeit, and neither would anyone dare to make a counterfeit of that plate in Freezing Sky Clan…

When he remembered Tian Xie Zi’s status, the old man’s expression started experiencing drastic changes. Sometimes, he would look sullen, sometimes glum, and sometimes resigned. All these emotions blended together and eventually turned into a long sigh filled with mixed feelings.

He wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed deeply towards Tian Xie Zi.

”I, De Long Zi, disciple of Freezing Sky Clan, greet the Clan Master’s plate. The status of the owner of the plate is akin to the status of the Clan Master himself, of course I will recognize it.

”Hmph, how dare you force me to bring out this plate? Let me tell you, I grabbed the ninth summit in the past using this plate, didn’t your Master tell you?

”Ah… Whatever. Looks like you’re not your Master’s beloved disciple either, or else he definitely would have told you something so important. You seem rather pitiful, so how about this? Give me a few million stone coins and I’ll turn a blind eye towards your offence.”

Tian Xie Zi lifted his head and puffed out his chest as he spoke arrogantly.

The old man in purple robes breathing quickened. Veins gradually popped out on his face, but when he saw the plate in Tian Xie Zi’s hands, he quelled down that anger and wrapped his fist in his palm to salute Tian Xie Zi.

”Yes, sir.”

After saying that, he immediately turned around and turned into a long arc that left the ninth summit in an instant. He was afraid that if he stayed even a moment longer, he would be unable to force down that miserable feeling in his heart.

He finally understood why those of the same seniority as his rarely went to the ninth summit, and it was especially so for the Lords of the summits. Most of them would choose to travel around the ninth summit.

De Long Zi himself seldom took notice of other things. He might be one of the powerful Berserkers in Freezing Sky Clan and a member of the second summit, but he was not the Lord of the second summit. Besides, he had been staying in the Great Tribe of Freezing Sky most of the time and only came back to stay in the school recently.

When De Long Zi left the ninth summit, Su Ming, who was sitting on the platform cross-legged, slowly opened his eyes.