Pursuit of the Truth

Once the line was drawn, a crack that seemed to divide the sky and earth appeared in the air under the dark sky. Su Ming’s right index finger was like the tip of a brush. When he drew past the old Shaman’s chest, his body moved along with it. Like the falling of leaves in autumn, he drew an arc, then turned his back towards the old Shaman right in his face and walked away.

The old Shaman coughed out blood and staggered a few dozen steps backward before swiftly lifting his head. The moment he trained his gaze on Su Ming, a terrifying long line appeared on his chest and blood poured out of that line. His blood dropped on the ground, causing the place to be filled with a bloody stench.

The old Shaman’s bones from the wound on his chest could be seen shattering inch by inch, and the organs under those bones had turned into a pool of blood…

The old man’s face instantly turned pale. He lowered his head and looked at the long wound on his chest. Slowly, as if he could not stand straight, he knelt down on the ground, and blood poured out once again from his mouth.

Su Ming stood before him and closed his eyes. In his mind, the words that did not seem to have existed but had appeared during the process he drew the line reverberated in his head.

A raspy voice tumbled out of the old Shaman’s mouth weakly, ”Such a Style that beats even the makings of nature itself has proven my assumptions. You are definitely not an ordinary Berserker. In the Berserker Tribe, you’re definitely one of the prodigies who are known to have the highest possibility of becoming the God of Berserkers…”

Su Ming did not speak. He still had his eyes closed, immersed in the experience of drawing that line.

”It’s a pity, even if that Style of yours feels like an attack from nature itself, but… the difference between our power makes it so that even if I am heavily injured, you still won’t be able to completely kill me that easily!”

The old man knelt on the ground and struggled to lift his head. A dim light appeared in his dull eyes and blackness immediately formed on his body, even though he was mortally wounded. That blackness came from the wound on his chest and spread around his entire body.

Su Ming opened his eyes and looked at the old Shaman calmly. He had to admit that the old man was right. Just as he said, he could not kill this person completely.

Because the instant he used that line to destroy the old man’s life force, Su Ming sensed that ghastly and malicious presence once again. That presence had become one with the old man, and because of it, while he could destroy his body, Su Ming could not destroy his soul.

He had to have the same level of cultivation as Bai Chang Zai, or else he would not be able to cut down the connection between the old man and the Lizard Totem which he worshipped.

”Thirteen years later, when the sacred beast of Shaman Lizard Tribe remakes my body, I’ll wait for you in the land of the Shamans… The fight between us has not ended!”

The old Shaman’s voice grew increasingly weaker. His half kneeling body had already turned completely black, and every spot that was covered in black turned the old man’s body into a statue. His body swiftly became rigid.

”When we meet again, I will…”

The old man’s dull eyes shone with a cruel and deeply rooted hate. He glared at Su Ming. The moment he closed his eyes and opened his mouth, wanting to say his final words before this body of his died…

… Su Ming’s aloof voice cut him off.

”You will find that your Lizard Shaman Tribe has been destroyed thirteen years ago,” Su Ming stated calmly. His words held no hint of bloodiness, but when they fell in the old man’s ears, his eyes flew open.

”You!”

The moment the old man opened his eyes, his breathing turned rapid as if he was struggling to escape from death. Blood flowed from his lips, but he found that he could not even form a complete sentence. He could only force out one single word, and as he struggled, his head became rigid and his entire body turned into a statue. He was rooted to the ground and soon enveloped by a ghastly and malicious presence. Unless one’s power was greater that the sacred lizard’s worshipped by Lizard Shaman Tribe, then no one could destroy this, much less take it away.

This statue had turned into a part of the forest.

Su Ming’s cold eyes were fixed on the dead old man now turned statue. His heart was very calm. Once again, he gained a new understanding of the Shaman Tribe’s strangeness.

If the old man was a Berserker, perhaps he would have truly died. Yet right now, his physical body might have been destroyed, but his soul was still around and had fused with the forest. With some time, his body would be remade.

Su Ming did not understand this mysthical ability, but he could still sense that this skill truly existed.

He brought out some medicinal pills and placed them into his mouth. He took in a deep breath and lifted his head to look at the weather. The sky was no longer dark. Dawn was almost over and the first rays of sunlight were about to shine through. In fact, if he looked into the distance, he would find that the horizon had become bright.

”Shaman Tribe…” Su Ming mumbled.

His trip to the land of the Shamans had allowed Su Ming to gain first hand understanding of the Shaman Tribe. That understanding was much more impactful and useful than if he had listened about the Shamans from other people or read about them in ancient scrolls.

If his eldest senior fellow disciple had not given him the treasure to protect himself, then he would have died during the day. When he was surrounded by that dozen Shamans, if he had been held back and made a single mistake, he would have been unable to come back.

If it had not been for the scale that turned into his uncle master Bai’s Divine Clone, Su Ming knew that he would be the one lying on the ground right now.

He stared at the old Shaman who had turned into a statue. His expression was the one he’d had in his final moments of life – a rage filled face that seemed to want to say something. This person could be considered to be the strongest enemy Su Ming had ever run into!

Su Ming touched his chest. The injury over there had become even worse, but after he used many medicinal pills to recover, he could control it somewhat.

‘There’s still one day… with my speed, I won’t be able to go back in time…’

Su Ming lifted his head and looked in the direction his Master was waiting for him. He fell silent for a moment.

‘I’ll be late by about half a day. Master said he’d wait for three days…’

Su Ming closed his eyes. Right now, he had to make a choice.

One of the choices was for him to leave this forest as quickly as possible. Even if he could not make it in time, perhaps his Master would still be waiting for him.

As for the second choice, it would be…

Su Ming opened his eyes, and within them was determination and viciousness. He turned his head around and looked towards the deeper parts of the forest.

‘If I go back now, I’ll definitely question my decision for doing so!’

He turned around calmly and put away all the things he had brought out in this place before turning into a long arc and charging into the forest. In his dash, he disappeared from the place. His direction was clear. It was the place where Lizard Shaman Tribe was located deep within the forest!

Su Ming might not know the exact location of where the Lizard Shaman Tribe was located, but he had lived in a forest since he was young. If there was a part in a forest where a tribe of more than a hundred people lived, then there would definitely be tracks and clues that showed where they were in the forest.

It might be a little difficult for other people to look for a tribe hidden within a forest based on those clues, but to Su Ming, this was not difficult, especially when he had his divine sense helping him. With that, the search became even easier.

‘This tribe is definitely not a big tribe and there aren’t a lot of powerful Shamans in there. Since I killed quite a number of them and the old Shaman from their tribe died… If I don’t bring an end to this, I’ll regret it!’

Killing intent flashed in Su Ming’s eyes. He had harbored no hostility and grudge toward the tribe, but because of one moment of weakness, he had fallen into a situation where he almost died.

Not long after Su Ming left, at the place that had just been a battleground moments ago, rustling suddenly could be heard in the midst of the silence right beside the old Shaman that had turned into a statue.

That sound was of someone walking slowly from the distance. Before long, a person came out from the forest.

That person was dressed in purple robes. Naturally, he was Tian Xie Zi!

Tian Xie Zi walked towards the old Shaman now turned statue and stood beside him with a calm look. Once he lifted his eyes and cast a look in the direction Su Ming had left, his gaze fell on the old Shaman’s statue, and at that instant, his eyes were filled with a powerful killing intent.

”How dare you try to hunt down my disciple..! Since you provided a chance to sharpen his skills, I’ll grant you death.”

Tian Xie Zi lifted his right hand and slapped the statue gently.

With that slap, the statue trembled, and with a loud bang, numerous cracks appeared on its body before it shattered into pieces that scattered in the air. A faint sound that sounded like a pained cry echoed in the air.

The moment Tian Xie Zi ‘s palm struck the statue, he broke the connection between the old Shaman and the sacred lizard in the forest, which in turn destroyed his soul and brought about his true death!

”And you, you little reptile… You are merely a thing that gained sentience after a small Shaman Tribe worshipped you. Do you really think you are a sacred beast of the Shaman Tribe?!” Tian Xie Zi said to the air unhurriedly and lifted his right leg before stomping on the ground.

The instant his foot landed, a violent gust of wind passed through the forest. The earth trembled, and many piercing, moaning sounds rang out. Su Ming, who was running through the forest, could not hear it. Only the cause of that sound, Tian Xie Zi, could notice it.

As his foot landed and the piercing moan echoed in the air, a lot of black fog began forming in the air before him. Right before Tian Xie Zi’s face, the black fog gathered together and turned into a gigantic lizard.

The lizard was indistinct. Its originally cruel eyes now showed panic, terror, and a plea for mercy as it looked at Tian Xie Zi. It trembled, and right on the spot where it was, it bowed its head and worshipped Tian Xie Zi.

Tian Xie Zi remained silent for a moment before he let out a cold harrumph.

”Looks like the Lizard Shaman Tribe has worshipped you quite a lot. Not only have you gained a form because of it, you also have intelligence… I can grant you mercy. Stay here, and when you meet my disciple again, you must follow him and protect him with your life!

”If you disobey my words, then I will send you back from whence you came!”

Tian Xie Zi’s voice was serene, but when his words fell into the illusionary lizard’s ears, it made the creature shudder, and within its eyes, gratitude and obedience appeared.

”Begone!”

Tian Xie Zi waved his arm, then walked towards the direction Su Ming had left.

The illusionary lizard turned into black fog once again and disappeared into the ground.

While running through the forest, Su Ming would occasionally stop to observe the signs around him, then change his direction according to what he discovered. The sky gradually brightened, and when the sun reached its brightest point at noon, a glint appeared in Su Ming’s eyes. He had already discovered the location of Lizard Shaman Tribe. That tribe… was somewhere before him!

Su Ming’s body floated forward like an apparition, but when there was still about tens of thousands of feet between him and Lizard Shaman Tribe, he suddenly came to a halt. He saw a person standing before him!

”Mas… Master!”