45 So, You Are Su Ming?
At the center of the pentagonal altar was a middle aged man wearing a purple robe. He lifted his head as he looked at them with a smile on his face.
There was some distance between Su Ming and the middle aged man. Yet for some unknown reason, the moment Su Ming heard his voice and looked at him, he saw the image of the man appearing before his eyes as if he was looking at him at close proximity.
The strange sight stunned Su Ming. At the same time, as the man’s laughter traveled to his ears, the Qi within his body began circulating as though he lost control of it. It felt like just one glance from the man would make the blood in his entire body burst forth and he would die instantly.
Su Ming was not the only one who felt that way. Lei Chen, Wu La, and even Bei Ling felt the same way. Lei Chen shuddered as his eyes were filled with disbelief.
Wu La too, was trembling. It was as though the middle aged man she could clearly see before her eyes had some sort of incredible strength that made her want to bow down and worship him.
Even Bei Ling’s father, the Head of the Guards of Dark Mountain Tribe was trembling slightly. Slowly, he lowered his head before the man who was walking towards them in midair from the altar below.
Besides the Head of the Guards, Shan Hen, the chief of the hunters was breathing rapidly. A hint of fanaticism and anticipation materialized in his eyes. This was an incredibly rare look for him. He was usually stoic and reserved.
‘Awakening Realm!’
Su Ming cried out in his heart. At that moment, these two words formed in his head!
‘Those who arrive at the Awakening Realm can walk in the skies. They can show their Berserker Mark to the skies and with their mouths, activate their Berserker Blood. With their Qi, they can break through the sky!’
These were the words written in the beast skin scroll describing the Awakening Realm.
Su Ming stared at the man in purple walking towards them on air, with an astounded expression. He seemed to be in his 40s and was on the leaner side of the spectrum. However, he looked extremely handsome. There were not a lot of signs showing that he was a member of the Berserker Tribe. The only sign that hinted it was a pair of bone earrings he wore.
Su Ming had never seen such a beautiful material as the one his purple robe was made from. Coarse linen and sackcloth could in no way have compared to that, much less beast skin and hides.
As he walked towards them, Wind Stream Tribe started twisting behind him. It appeared that for a moment, everything disappeared from the world and all that was left was him.
What was more, the wind stopped howling and the clouds also froze in the sky!
The middle aged man’s long hair flowed behind his back. He smiled as he approached them slowly. His smile was like the spring breeze, causing the Qi and blood within Su Ming as well as the rest of them to gradually calm down. Yet as the middle aged man came closer still, they were overwhelmed by a feeling of suffocation. It was like they were too afraid to take a deep breath.
His eyes seemed to contain the sky. When other people looked into them, their minds went blank. It was as if all their secrets would be exposed before him, as though they were standing naked right in front him.
The python also appeared to be frozen in midair at that moment. It did not move an inch as though it felt the man’s terrifying aura. The elder slowly stood up straight. The expression within his eyes was unreadable when the man appeared. It was carefully hidden.
"Greetings, Wind Stream Berserker Lord." The elder’s face was old and wizened as he stood up and bowed before the middle aged man.
"Mo Sang, there’s no need for this between us." The man’s voice was gentle but he did not stop the elder from bowing. When the elder was done, he swung his right hand through the air like he was going to help the elder up using his Qi.
Yet instead of standing, the elder’s body trembled and he bowed once more under the pressure of the force! After that, the force on the elder’s body collapsed. As it dissipated, the elder stood up straight.
The man in purple looked at the elder deeply. He smiled and shook his head as he pointed at the elder.
"Your temper is still the same as when you were young. So many years have passed, why did you decide to come see me now?"
"I have thought about your request all those years ago and I have arrived at a decision," The elder looked like he always did as he spoke slowly.
When the man in purple heard his words, his demeanor changed. He was sharp with concentration.
Su Ming and the rest had already stood up and they were standing at the side respectfully. Su Ming was standing the closest to the elder and he could somewhat feel how the elder felt as he looked at his former friend. He could also understand why the elder refused to come to Wind Stream.
As he looked at the elder’s old and wizened face, he glanced at the man in purple nervously as his heart pounded against his chest. Su Ming recalled what the elder told him some time ago.
"The Elder from Wind Stream Tribe was not my match before he was 20. When he was 34, he could only barely keep up with me. At that time, my name was known in all the tribes around the region!"
Su Ming felt his heart twisting. Just as he was about to avert his gaze, the man in purple smiled and looked at him. With just a glance, there was loud roar in Su Ming’s head. He could clearly tell that the man had seen through the disguise the elder gave him.
Just as Su Ming’s body began trembling and was on the verge of breaking down, the man turned away and looked towards Bei Ling, Lei Chen, Wu La, the chief of the hunters, Shan Hen and Dark Mountain Tribe’s Head of the Guards.
"Greetings, Wind Stream Berserker Lord." Shan Hen was the first to bow, his actions were quickly followed by the others.
Lei Chen’s heart pounded against his chest. He was so nervous his face had become pale. It was the same for Wu La. Even Bei Ling was no longer aloof He was respectful.
"I remember you. You’re Bei Ling, right?" The man pointed at Bei Ling.
Bei Ling was momentarily stunned. Then his eyes were filled with joy as he quickly spoke with a trembling voice.
"Berserker… Berserker Lord, I am Bei Ling."
The man in purple smiled as he nodded. He looked at the elder and was just about to speak when his demeanor changed and he looked into the distance. The elder still stood silently by the side. However, he also seemed to have noticed something and looked towards the same direction.
There seemed to be a typhoon roaring in the distance. A gigantic black line-like creature descended quickly upon them. As the black line approached them, it became apparent that it was actually a massive dragon. It was about hundreds of feet long.
The dragon was hundreds of feet and it looked vicious. Black mist surrounded it as it moved forward. There were six people standing on it!
As Su Ming looked at the approaching dragon, he saw a white figure standing among the six people. He smiled.
The person who stood in front was an old woman with silver hair. She wore a black robe. Although she looked slightly wizened, it was still obvious that she was incredibly beautiful when she was young. Nonetheless, her face was so cold people felt like they were freezing just by looking at her.
Su Ming could tell the elder’s gaze had changed when he looked at the old woman from Dark Dragon Tribe.
Behind the old woman stood a giant, built like an iron tower. The man was incredibly tall. His face was also cold and the presence of his Qi was so strong he seemed as though he slightly surpassed Shan Hen and the Head of the Guards.
Standing by the old woman’s side was a girl in white. The girl’s eyes, as beautiful as they were, held a hint of sorrow that did not seem to disperse. Yet when she saw Su Ming, her sorrow immediately disappeared. It was replaced by shock and joy.
She even winked at Su Ming.
There was another familiar face among the other three people left. It was Si Kong. He stood on the dragon’s back as he glared at Su Ming. There was hatred in his eyes.
The other people were a young boy and a girl about Su Ming’s age. From the looks of it, they were siblings. They were both silent. The girl was larger. She looked busty but she had a beautiful appearance.
Once the dragon approached them, the old man and the other people on the dragon bowed towards the man in purple. Their faces were all respectful. Even the dragon underneath them trembled. It seemed terrified of the man.
The man in purple was still smiling. He nodded to acknowledge Dark Dragon Tribe’s homage. A person then came towards them at a blinding speed from Wind Stream Tribe. There was purple mist surrounding his feet. As he appeared in midair, he bowed towards the man in purple.
The person was an old man wearing a white robe. He was Shi Hai, who took away Su Ming’s pill the other day!
"Shi Hai, treat our guests well." Once the man in purple finished speaking and Shi Hai expressed his compliance, he looked at the elder of Dark Mountain Tribe, Mo Sang.
"Mo Sang, there is a tribe that offered me some Morus Alba Cloud Leaves as tribute. I know that you were fond of this a long time ago. I was waiting for you to come so that I could enjoy it with you."
The elder nodded his head and turned around to talk with the Head of the Guards. After that, he took a few steps forward and to Su Ming’s surprise, the elder also walked in midair towards the man in purple. Then they flew downwards to the city made of mudstone.
As he watched the man in purple, a faint look of yearning appeared in Su Ming’s eyes.
‘Awakening Realm… I wonder if I can also become so powerful!’
As Su Ming was looking forward to it quietly in his head, Shi Hai peered at them with a smile on his face.
"Besides these young ones, the rest of us are already well-acquainted with each other. You are early. The rest of the tribes have yet to arrive. Allow me to guide you into Wind Stream City!" Shi Hai still had other matters on his mind. He quenched those thoughts as he smiled and spoke politely. He guided the people’s descent into the city made of mudstone.
During that time, Lei Chen moved to stand beside Su Ming. He seemed to remember what happened at the square when he saw Bai Ling and felt slightly guilty about it. He thought that if he stood beside Su Ming, he could perhaps push all the blame on him.
Su Ming would occasionally look at Bai Ling. There was also a smile on Bai Ling’s face and she would meet his gaze sometimes. When their gazes met, Su Ming’s heartbeat quickened.
Not long after, the people from both tribes went into Wind Stream City and landed on a large square. The dragon’s body scattered and transfigured into a large amount of black mist, quickly fusing into the body of the old woman from Dark Dragon Tribe.
As for the python, it transfigured into white clouds and disappeared into the sky.
There were already tribe members from Wind Stream Tribe waiting on the big square. Under Shi Hai’s orders, some people came forward to guide them courteously towards their lodgings during their stay at the city.
However, the politeness was only for show. Underneath all that politeness was still arrogance.
Su Ming and the rest were about to follow after Shan Hen and the Head of the Guards to their lodgings, when a voice traveled forth from Dark Dragon Tribe.
"So, you are Su Ming?"
Su Ming stopped. When he turned around, he saw the old woman from Dark Dragon Tribe looking at him darkly.