Pursuit of the Truth

‘Right now, my best choice is to search for a quiet place and meditate with my mind cleared. After that, I’ll extract the poisonous wasp’s nectar and raise my power, or perhaps I’ll crack open the Crimson Stones instead!

‘But I don’t know whether there is any nectar in the poisonous wasp’s body… I might think that there is, but there’s also the possibility that there isn’t any nectar. If there is, then once I consume it, I’ll have to isolate myself for some time.

‘It would have been fine if I was alone, but now, I’m bringing Lan Lan and Ahu along…’ Su Ming stood on the crimson dragon, and as the dragon charged forward at a rapid speed, he turned his head around to look at the nervous but excited teenagers.

‘Oh well, I know now that the process of activating the path of a Soul Catcher isn’t that dangerous. It’s just that it’ll take some time…’

Su Ming had already made a decision. He flipped his right hand in the air, and immediately, two wooden slips with maps carved on them appeared on his hand. One of these maps came from Nan Gong Hen, and the other came from Mo Bai.

If he compared the both of them, he would find that the latter map was more complete, and a simple outline of the area beyond those one million lis was also provided.

On the map, near the edge of the one million lis to the northeast of Shaman City was a region that was about several tens of millions of lis. There was a gigantic beast bone drawn on that spot. That bone looked like that of a snake’s, and even though only a simple outline of the skeleton was provided, it was still a rather terrifying sight to behold.

‘That’s the burial ground of the Candle Dragon…’ A glint appeared in Su Ming’s eyes. He put away both maps, then sat down cross-legged on the crimson dragon’s head and closed his eyes, exercising his breathing.

The journey to activate the path of a Soul Catcher was actually very simple. A person with the constitution of a Soul Catcher just needed to get close to the dragon’s burial ground and sense the Candle Dragon’s will, which had yet to disappear.

If the person could sense the dragon’s will stronger, then it would be of a much greater help to his or her training in the future. This was just like the Berserker Tribe’s Berserker’s Initiation. However, the Berserker Tribe had been passing down their legacy for their cultivation methods for a very long time, which had allowed them to be able to pass down their legacies independently. That was also the reason why the Elders of Berserker tribes could help the others activate their cultivation.

However, since the legacy of the Soul Catchers, Spirit Mediums, and Thought Soothsayers of the Shaman Tribe came from the World of Nine Yin, that was why no one could take the place of those particular spots in helping these people activate their cultivation. They could only come to those places personally and experience it themselves to be able to get it.

The crimson dragon shot through the sky, and it did not stop as it charged forward. Since it was a life created from Earthen Aura, it could be said that the dragon was a creature existing between the state of an illusion and a physical entity. Its perception was incredibly sensitive, and it could detect all sorts of dangers, which was why it had been able to change its direction three times as they went forth without Su Ming even needing to warn it. It would either circle around the area or avoid it.

There was a gentle screen of light around Lan Lan and Ahu’s bodies. That screen of light allowed them to not feel the powerful high wind, and they would occasionally look down as they sat on the dragon’s back. As time passed by, the excitement on their faces gradually diminished. On the other hand, their anxiety grew stronger.

They knew that what they would be facing next would be the main reason for why they came to this place - to obtain the acknowledgement of the Candle Dragon’s will and to activate the path of the Soul Catcher!

Before they came here, their Patriarch had already told them that in the history of the Shamans, not all those with the constitution of Soul Catchers could get the acknowledgement of the Candle Dragon’s will.

For some unknown reason, there were quite a few who could not obtain the dragon’s acknowledgement and could not activate the path of a Soul Catcher. These people ended up either practicing other cultivation methods or living mediocre lives.

There might only be a few of such people, but they existed, which was why Lan Lan and Ahu’s anxiety became even stronger as they got closer to the Candle Dragon’s burial ground.

Several days later, when most of the Shamans were still in Shaman City, participating in the treasure gambling, a ray of crimson red light flashed in the clouds near the edge of the one million lis region northeast of Shaman City. That flash turned into a ten thousand feet long crimson dragon that lingered about in the sky.

Su Ming, who was sitting cross-legged, opened his eyes at that moment. His gaze was as bright as lightning as he looked at the ground underneath.

The entire land was shrouded in fog. There was a mountain range that formed a ring around the area that surrounded the entire region. The fog in the mountain range did not remain stagnant but was tumbling about slowly, continuously rising into the sky or sinking into the ground as if it could never remain still… From the sky, it could be seen clearly that this particular region was darker than the area beyond. The thick clouds there gave off a heavy feeling to the people watching.

Soon after Su Ming began observing this region, a gust of freezing wind blew towards him, sweeping up the fog on the ground and causing them to tumble about violently. The instant that wind blew into Su Ming’s face, his pupils shrank. He saw droplets of rain falling from the clouds in the sky above this region as that freezing wind started blowing.

The rain was not heavy, but as it fell down, it turned into ice cold water, causing the freezing air in the area to become even more bone chilling.

This was a mysterious region that covered several tens of thousands of lis. Besides the sound of rain and fog, there was no other sound. The area was in a state that was almost akin to dead silence.

However, in the midst of this silence, suddenly, a faint voice floated from within the fog where Su Ming was looking.

”Heat… is the father…”

That voice was ancient and sounded as if it came from a long time ago. The voice seemed like it was mumbling, as if it was talking in whispers. As it echoed in the air, it caused the fog to spread slightly outwards.

The instant Su Ming heard that voice, he sensed the strange snake in his body shivering in Han Mountain Bell. Su Ming’s expression changed, then he swiftly looked towards the thick fog from where the voice had come.

Not a single person could be seen there. As rain fell, each droplet dispelled some of the fog. However, as the fog scattered away, more of it would seep out from other places, causing the fog in the area to remain a constant existence.

After a long while, Su Ming averted his gaze and looked towards Lan Lan and Ahu. The both of them seemed to be ignoring that voice, which made it clear that they did not hear it. In fact, even the crimson dragon only continued pacing about in the air. It had its eyes fixed on the fog in the region, but besides this particular action, it did not have any other reaction. It was as if Su Ming was the only one who heard that voice.

Su Ming’s eyes sparkled. After staring at the fog for some time, he spread his divine sense into the region, but like a stone sinking into the ocean, his divine sense disappeared without a trace. Su Ming fell into a moment of pensive silence before he moved off of the crimson dragon. The moment he left it, the crimson dragon turned into a red mark and branded itself on Su Ming’s arm.

As for Lan Lan and Ahu, they were brought by Su Ming to the ground in the form of a long arc when he waved his arm towards them. Su Ming did not choose to fly in midair. In the birthplace of the Shaman Tribe’s famous Soul Catchers, he decided to be extremely careful with his actions.

When the three of them descended on the ground, Lan Lan and Ahu’s faces turned a little pale. They looked a little scared as they followed closely behind Su Ming. The three of them moved forward in this silent region quietly with Su Ming walking in front and the two teenagers at the back. Not a single word was exchanged between them.

They stepped on the mountain region’s rocks while having the freezing wind blowing against their bodies. The wind brought with them a few droplets of icy rain, and when those droplets fell on their bodies, it left them drenched, and the freezing wind felt as if it could seep into their bones.

Strangely though, there was a wave of heat from the ground. When they stepped on the soil, the heat from the earth would seep through the bottom of their shoes and surge into their bodies through their soles.

Because of that, waves of heat and cold clashed in everyone’s bodies. Lan Lan and Ahu’s faces turned stark white and they followed Su Ming, shivering. Before long, they arrived at the top of a mountain range. When they stood there, the freezing wind blew even stronger.

Right beneath them was the fog covered region. It was also the burial ground of the Candle Dragon, which covered an area of several tens of thousands of lis!

”Are you ready?” Su Ming stood on the mountain, at the edge of where the fog started rolling about on the ground. He did not turn his head back, simply looked at the rolling fog as he uttered his very first sentence ever since he came to this place.

”I’m… ready, senior!” Ahu gritted his teeth. His body might be shivering, but his face was filled with determination.

”I’m ready as well…” Lan Lan bit her lip and nodded.

Su Ming no longer spoke. He simply took a step forward and walked straight into the fog. Lan Lan and Ahu quickly followed behind him. At the start, their backs could still be seen in the fog, but gradually, as they continued moving forward, the fog surged towards them and submerged the three of them within like a giant mouth.

The instant Su Ming stepped into the fog, he froze for a moment.

That ancient voice reached his ears once again. That voice sounded as if it was mumbling and whispering, just like before. It echoed in the air all around him, causing the fog to move like the waves on the surface of a sea, rising and falling as they tumbled about in the air.

”Cold… is the mother…”

The instant Su Ming heard those words, the strange snake suddenly lifted its head, shivering in Han Mountain Bell, and let out a whine. That whine was filled with dreariness and sounded like a mournful whimper. It was as if the snake had sensed something.

That whine was akin to that of an infant abandoned by his mother who was crying out helplessly and in distress when night arrived and he could not find that familiar person by his side…

However, that whine only echoed inside Han Mountain Bell and did not spread outwards.

Su Ming’s heart shook. He had begun making guesses about that strange snake’s origins since a long time ago, especially when the End Soul Catcher Zong Ze had cried out about sensing the Candle Dragon when he sensed its presence during the time Su Ming ran into Autumn Sea Tribe. Yet he still remained uncertain about its origins.

However, when Su Ming saw the strange snake’s trembling body and heard the desolate cry, all his uncertainties vanished. At that moment, he was absolutely certain that even if this strange snake was not a Candle Dragon, it was definitely directly connected to it!

Lan Lan and Ahu still could not hear anything. They could only see Su Ming’s back in the fog. Everything else was shrouded in fog, and they could not see anything else.

It was precisely because of this that the fear and anxiety in their hearts became stronger as they moved deeper into the fog.

”This is Yin and Yang… The sky is the father, and the earth is the mother… This is Yin and Yang…” As the three of them continued onward, the voice that only Su Ming could hear suddenly echoed in the air once again.

This time, the whines from Han Mountain Bell became even more sorrowful and miserable.

About an hour after Su Ming and the other two teenagers vanished into the fog, the space outside the fog on the mountain range distorted and out came a person in black robes. Hesitation shone in his eyes, but soon, as a glint appeared in his eyes, that person stepped into the fog and disappeared.