Pursuit of the Truth 104 The Place Closest to the Sky

Su Ming stood silently and looked at Shan Hen who had fallen before him. Su Ming was filled with complicated emotions towards the traitor of Dark Mountain Tribe. Killing him did not bring any satisfaction to him; it only made him even more burdened.
If it were not because this person had committed a crime punishable by death, who would want to kill his own tribe member? If it were not because this person caused so many deaths due to his mistake, who would want to kill the powerful Berserker he had admired since he was still a child?
Su Ming looked at Shan Hen's eyes, which were still open. His dull eyes seemed to be looking at a place Su Ming could not see, and he wondered what he was thinking about before his death.
The small piece of bone belonging to a baby was stained with Shan Hen's blood. He held it tightly in his hand, as if that was his deepest attachment prior to death.
Su Ming did not know why Shan Hen betrayed the tribe. There was no answer to it. He took a few steps and crouched down. As he looked at Shan Hen, he recalled the kindness and laughter in this man's eyes as La Sus cheered when he brought back the beast fangs for them.
Su Ming raised his right hand and put it on Shan Hen's eyes to close them. His actions were gentle, as if he was afraid of bothering the head hunter's deceased spirit.
He let out a light sigh and was just about to get up when his eyes fell on the baby's leg bone in Shan Hen's hand.
'Is it because of this..?'
He picked it up silently, but did not check whether there was anything wrong with it and just quietly put it away in his bosom.
Standing up straight, he looked at the once familiar tribe. It was already past midnight, but the moonlight was still bright since the full moon hung in the sky. The silvery light scattered on the earth, serving as a mirror to the snow on the ground, causing the sky and earth to not seem so dark, allowing some degree of visibility.
He was just about to leave when a slight hint of warmth emitted from the area around his chest. He lowered his head and took out an object from his bosom. That object was also a bone, but it was the bone of a beast – the bone the tribe leader of Dark Mountain Tribe had gifted him when they parted ways.
'If this thing turns red, then it means that Dark Mountain Tribe is completely safe…'
For the first time since a long time ago, a smile appeared on Su Ming's face. The bone in his hand was letting off a red light and a faint hint of warmth.
'The tribe is safe…'
He took a deep breath. At that moment, a loud, thunderous boom came from Black Flame Mountain, which was located in Dark Mountain, far away from the tribe.
Su Ming lifted his head abruptly and immediately saw the summit of Black Flame Mountain erupting as the booming sound occurred. The stones at the top of the mountain shattered, and the sound reverberated all over the place. Due to the crack at the top of the mountain, from where he stood, Su Ming saw the elder fighting against Bi Tu in the sky right behind the collapsed mountaintop.
The elder seemed to be retreating, and he also seemed to be heavily injured.
The red fog that was all over the sky tumbled after the elder, and the faint shape of the Wings of the Moon formed inside. There was also a person standing on top of that Wings of the Moon.
This battle had gone on for a very long time. The Elder of Black Mountain Tribe had originally thought that with his powers of the Awakening Realm, he could end the massacre quickly, but he did not expect that up till now, Mo Sang would still be holding out against him.
More importantly, from what he could tell, Mo Sang might not have reached Awakening Realm, but he had a lot of Berserker Arts at hand, most of which he had never seen before. The might of those Berserker Arts could even compare with the power of Awakening!
If he hadn't mastered the Fallen Berserker Art and continuously absorbed the earth's vitality as he fought, this battle would have been incredibly difficult.
The moment Mo Sang was expelled from the red mist, Bi Tu charged out from the Wings of the Moon towards him. He no longer dared to use the Wings of the Moon that were formed from his Berserker Mark. After all, he had lost control of it once, and that incident had not only left behind an impression, but also a hint of fear in his heart.
He didn't know why, but the Berserker Blood in his body was restless, as if he was about to lose control of it, and it was going to charge out. But that wasn't even the main point.
What frightened Bi Tu the most was a desire that kept growing inside him. This desire did not stem from his mind, but the blood flowing in his veins. It was as if it was trying to lead him in a direction somewhere on the land to worship something.
If he hadn't forcefully quelled that impulse with the power he had gained in the Awakening Realm, this battle would not have lasted to this point.
Su Ming stood in the tribe. Once he saw the sight in the sky, he rushed wordlessly towards Dark Mountain.
He could not fly, so it was impossible for him to participate in the sky battle, but he could go to Dark Mountain and stand at the very top. Its summit was the place closest to the sky.
Only when he was there could he help the elder.
As Su Ming continued running towards the top, a strange light flashed in his eyes. The countless moonlight threads floating behind him looked like solidified moonlight.
'The tribe is safe now, I no longer need to worry about the others… With my strength, I shouldn't be able to join the fight between the Elders, and if I go, it'll only cause the Elder to worry and distract him.'
Su Ming's expression was calm. He was no longer as loud and reckless as he was before. Although he was anxious, he could now assess the situation calmly.
'If that incident where I controlled the Wings of the Moon hadn't happened, I wouldn't go, but now, I might… really be able to help the elder!'
He turned into a long red arc and dashed into the forest, bringing with him the numerous moonlight threads.
'I'll go to the place closest to the sky, closest to the full moon, and perform the burning of blood!'
The red light charged through the forest at an incredible speed.
That thought had not just occurred to Su Ming. He had already come up with that idea when he first saw the Wings of the Moon formed by the red fog behind Bi Tu. In fact, he had already had a faint inkling when he saw the Berserker Mark in the shape of the Wings of the Moon on the center of Bi Tu's brows.
Since the incident where he had used his willpower to control the Wings of the Moon, that idea was no longer a mere inkling, but became a complete plan.
'There are many Wings of the Moon in the five summits of Dark Mountain. When I performed the burning of blood before, I had the feeling that the Wings of the Moon were restless… If my guess is correct, then if I perform the burning of blood on Dark Mountain during full moon, I can make them even more worked up, which will also affect… Bi Tu, who clearly practices Fire Berserker Arts!'
After the days of trauma experienced by the tribe, Su Ming had learned how not to be reckless, and how to be calm and quiet.
He did not choose to go to Black Flame Mountain, but went towards Dark Dragon Mountain. The red arc trailed a very long line through the forest. From a distance, it looked like a red ribbon that would not break no matter how it moved.
Time passed by.
Soon, the long red arc wound through the forest, and Su Ming—traveling on the familiar path—approached one of the five summits of Dark Mountain – Dark Dragon Mountain.
He could not remember how many times he had climbed this mountain. It could even be said that he was familiar with every nook and cranny of the place. The moment he got closer, the long red arc jumped into the air, and with a few leaps, Su Ming climbed up the mountain without stopping, charging towards the top in the span of a few breaths.
He ran at his full speed along the back of the mountain, hence Bi Tu and Mo Sang, who were fighting against each other in the sky, did not notice his actions on Dark Dragon Mountain, despite it being located not too far away.
Besides, they were in a state where they could not divide even a tiny bit of their attention elsewhere. Yet for some reason, anxiety and fear suddenly rose up in Bi Tu. The rampant state of his Berserker Blood became much stronger all of a sudden, as if his blood was boiling in his body. It made him afraid, and he quickly retreated, using some power to forcefully quell that feeling down. His expression changed to one of dismay.
'Just what is happening!'
He was shocked but did not have time to think about it. Mo Sang used that chance to close in on him, and they were engaged in a fight once again.
Mo Sang was already running dry and was incredibly exhausted, yet he had already fought to the extent where he could not leave even if he wanted to. Jing Nan was not here yet either, which made worry and a sense of danger rise in him.
At that moment, Su Ming was rushing up Dark Dragon Mountain towards the top. When he passed by the cracks, he could feel Wings of the Moon on edge deep below.
'My guess should be correct!'
Light flashed through Su Ming's eyes.
He continued climbing upwards, and before long, he stood at the top of Dark Dragon Mountain. Wind whistled by, lifting his hair and causing his torn beast skin shirt to flap. Yet he stood there with his back straight and looked at the sky, towards the red fog by Black Flame Mountain that covered the sky, and at the two flashing figures that clashed and quickly separated from each other inside the fog with the dark python's roars thundering around.
There was also a pressure that appeared when the elder and Bi Tu cast their Berserker Arts, which caused a change in their surroundings.
Su Ming took in a deep breath and sat down cross-legged. He lifted his head in one swift motion and looked at the brilliant moon in the sky. The moon was round, and its light was bright. It fell into Su Ming's eyes, and he felt as if his blood was about to burn at any moment.
'Elder, Su Ming will accompany you!'
The shadow of the blood-red moon in Su Ming's eyes became even clearer. As the blood in his body started boiling, and a burning sensation filled his entire person, he raised his right hand and bit his fingertips before pressing them to his left eye.
The fourth burning of blood!
The moment the blood on his fingertips touched his left eye, Dark Dragon Mountain lurched underneath his body. In fact, the instant Dark Dragon Mountain shook, Dark Mountain with all five of its summits started trembling.
At the same time, all Wings of the Moon within the five summits screeched and howled in excitement. They wanted to rush out of the blood-red tree that kept them contained. They madly scratched and clawed at the big tree with red eyes as they cried out with unbelievable excitement.
They wanted to rush out and worship their King!
At that moment, Bi Tu suddenly trembled while fighting against Mo Sang in the red fog. He quickly retreated, dismay and panic appearing on his face. He was losing control over the Berserker Blood in his body, and his Blood was crashing all over his body. There was a strong urge growing in him—making him incapable of resisting—to kneel down and worship in the direction of Dark Dragon Mountain.
'How could this be!'
Bi Tu looked pathetic. Blood flowed out of the corner of his mouth when he forced down the terrifying desire. At the same time, he saw a figure of a frail person sitting on top of Dark Dragon Mountain!