Pursuit of the Truth 146 Reencountering Xuan Lun

On the Day of Eternal Creation, fog covered the Land of South Morning. It was thickest at the center of the Land of South Morning and would spread outwards from that spot. The fog that spread out may be slightly thinner, but it would still cause a person’s vision to be clouded.
Han Mountain City was shrouded in fog. Those who stood at the top of the mountain city and looked down would not be able to see the canyons that were once visible. They would only see a sea of fog. In fact, if they looked at the fog for an extended period of time, they would sink into the false impression that they were stepping on it.
Right underneath the mountain of Han Mountain City was a gigantic chamber. The chamber was about thousands of feet in size, but there were few who knew about it.
Stacks of bonfire were burning dimly and quietly around the chamber, and they looked as if they would continue burning forever. It caused the place to flicker in various shades of light, giving the room an eerie feeling.
Gullies covered the floor, forming a giant circular picture. That picture looked rather complex and had an aged feeling to it. It was clear that it had been there for a long time.
The place was quiet. Besides the light crackling sounds coming from the burning fires, there were no other sounds. Three tunnels could be seen connected to the walls of the chamber, looking like three silently gaping black mouths.
At that moment, a white light suddenly flashed on the gigantic picture on the ground. The light became stronger, and in the span of a few breaths, the firelight in the room was overwhelmed, the entire chamber having been engulfed in white light.
After a moment, when the white light reached its brightest, three human figures could be seen materialising as they gradually appeared within the light. When the three figures appeared, the light shining from the picture faded away, causing the chamber to fall into the darkness once again.
Among the three figures was a man in his thirties. This man was the guest from Tranquil East Tribe by the name of Chen. His face was pale as he fell to his knees and began dry heaving, but nothing came out. Yet it was still clear by how his body trembled that the relocation process was incredibly harrowing.
Beside him, while the old guest by the name of Dong Fang may not have been dry heaving, his face was similarly pale. Sweat formed on his forehead and he stumbled a few steps forward to the borders of the picture on the ground. Once he did so, he immediately sat down cross-legged. Just as he was about to recover his breathing, he saw Su Ming.
Su Ming stood at the center of the picture. Since he wore a black mask, no one could see his face.
At that moment, he had his eyes closed while his heart raced against his chest. A strange red flush appeared on his face under the mask.
Coincidentally, he opened his eyes at the very same moment the old man looked towards him. When their gazes met, the old man was stunned. In his eyes, Su Ming remained aloof, completely unaffected by the transportation, as if he did not suffer during the process of relocation.
"Please recover your breathing, I will protect you," Su Ming said calmly.
The old man immediately forced out a smile and after nodding towards Su Ming, he closed his eyes and started meditating.
The man named Chen also struggled up to the old man’s side with harsh pants and smiled wanly before starting to recover his breathing.
Su Ming did not say a word. He walked out of the picture on the ground and stopped not too far away from his two companions. A pensive look appeared in his eyes as he observed the picture on the ground.
The picture was incredibly complex, causing the people who look at it to feel mystified.
"Brother Mo, your power is extraordinary to be able to withstand the pressure of the relocation. I’m impressed… Thank you for protecting us.
"The picture was carved by the tribe members of Han Mountain Tribe with the will of Han Mountain’s ancestor. There are few who know the details of its functions. After the three tribes conquered Han Mountain City, they used the power of their statues of the God of Berserkers to modify it so that it became a relocation circle when the seal in the hidden grounds becomes weaker during the Day of Eternal Creation," the old man explained after opening his eyes..
"You’re welcome. Since we’re here, we’ll have to take care of each other. I’ve only just become a guest of Tranquil East and there are many things I don’t understand. I will need to trouble the two of you to explain things to me."
Su Ming averted his gaze from the picture on the ground and looked at the old man.
The old man looked at the man named Chen beside him. When he saw that he was still recovering his breathing and would be unable to recover within a short period of time, he wrapped his fist around his palm politely towards Su Ming, and with a smile, said, "I am Dong Fang Hua. Brother Mo, you may only have just become a guest in Tranquil East, but since the Elder of Tranquil East gave you a plate with the number three on it, it’s clear that the tribe places a lot of value on you. In the future, there might even be times where I have to trouble you."
"A plate with the number three?"
Su Ming had made some guesses about it previously. Now that he heard the old man’s words, he became even more certain of his theory.
"That’s right. Brother Mo, the numbers on the plates given to the guests in Tranquil East Tribe are ranks based on our power."
As Dong Fang Hua spoke, he brought out a plate from his bosom.
"This number on this plate of mine is seven. It means that before me, there might be six other people whose power surpass mine." Dong Fang Hua pointed towards the man meditating beside him and said, "Brother Chen’s number is 11, as for Zhou Yue, his number was eight."
"Then who was the one who had the plate numbered three before me?" Su Ming suddenly asked.
"I’m not entirely sure. The people with the top three numbers don’t usually mix with us…"
Dong Fang Hua laughed bitterly.
"Brother Mo, I know some things about this."
The man named Chen took a deep breath and opened his eyes. He got up and wrapped his fist around his palm as a salute to Su Ming before speaking in a low voice.
"There aren’t many guests in Tranquil East Tribe, the number is maintained around twenty something guests. The person who had the plate numbered three before you should have died, and he most likely died here, or else the Elder of Tranquil East wouldn’t have modified the plate.
"The dangers and serendipity in this place coexist. The tribe leader of Tranquil East Tribe did not lie to us. If we’re lucky, then we may find serendipities here that cannot be found outside. This is also why we became guests and are willing to do things for Tranquil East.
"Brother Mo, it’s best not to travel alone in this place. Once you’re left behind and the guests from other tribes find you… it’ll be dangerous."
The man named Chen’s facial parlor returned to normal and he looked at Su Ming as he spoke in a low tone.
"Alright, since brother Chen has recovered, let’s leave this place quickly. We’re the third batch of people who entered this place, but we don’t know what has happened here. There should be guests from Tranquil East receiving us outside the tunnel. We have to meet up with them quickly. The third batch of people from Lake of Colors and Puqiang will be here soon as well. The three tribes are wary of each other and that is why the guests from the three tribes are sent to locations close to each other. There might be a seal in the transfer circle that prevents the remnants of power from spreading out before we leave the tunnel, and the three tribes have prohibited us from fighting against each other to prevent accidents, but it’s still best to avoid them," Dang Fang Hua urged them forward.
When the man named Chen heard it, he nodded his head and wrapped his fist around his palm towards Su Ming before briskly moving towards one of the tunnels that looked like a gaping mouth. Su Ming followed behind him quietly with Dong Fang Hua at his side.
At the very moment he and the other two were about to enter the tunnel, the picture on the ground in the chamber suddenly flashed brightly. Yet this time the light was not white, but dark. It illuminated the chamber in an instant.
The expressions on Dong Fang Hua and the man named Chen’s faces changed.
"It’s Puqiang Tribe!"
Su Ming’s pupils shrank and he looked over subtly. The dark light only lasted for a short moment, then quickly disappeared. In the chamber, three people appeared.
The person leading the team wore purple robes and had a dark expression. He had his hands behind his back and looked incredibly relaxed. In an instant, his eyes fell upon Su Ming and the other two people. Once he swept his gaze past them, he gave Su Ming a scrutinizing look before letting out a cold harrumph, no longer taking note of them.
"Xuan Lun!"
"The chief guest of Puqiang Tribe? I didn’t expect him to be in the third batch and not the first!"
Dong Fang Hua and the man named Chen were both stunned and instinctively took a few steps backwards. Their gazes were respectful as they looked at Xuan Lun.
The two people behind Xuan Lun both looked to be in their forties. As of then, their faces were pale and they struggled out of the picture on the ground with Xuan Lun, sitting down immediately to meditate once they reached the side.
Xuan Lun stood by the side with his hands behind his back, frustration evident from in-between his brows. He had been searching for He Feng and the man named Xu for a long time, but had no clues. His temper grew worse, and he would kill with just the slightest provocation.
When he saw the three guests from Tranquil East Tribe, he would have killed them if it were not for the wave of power that would be activated on the seal from the transportation circle if someone was killed. If any accidents happened, even he as the chief guest of Puqiang Tribe would not be able to withstand it.
"Get lost!" Xuan Lun barked out harshly.
Even if he was not looking at Su Ming and his two companions, they understood who it was meant for.
Dong Fang Hua and the man named Chen did not dare speak. They lowered their heads and quickly retreated.
Su Ming was behind them. He was just about to leave with Dong Fang Hua.
"Wait! I’ve seen all the guests of Tranquil East Tribe before. Who are you? Take off your mask."
Xuan Lun pointed at Su Ming.
Dong Fang Hua’s footsteps faltered, forcing the man named Chen to stop as well.
Su Ming frowned, and He Feng’s alarmed voice immediately appeared in his head. "Master, don’t leave immediately. From what I understand about Xuan Lun, he’s not testing you. He’s just throwing the question out of frustration. You can put on an arrogant air. He won’t think too much into it if you do that."
Su Ming’s eyes flashed. He stopped and turned to met Xuan Lun’s gaze with aloof eyes.
"If you want me to take off my mask, you’ll have to win against me."
Su Ming’s words were spoken coolly. Once he finished speaking, he turned and walked into the tunnel. The hearts of Dong Fang Hua and the man named Chen trembled when they heard Su Ming’s words. They looked at each other and hesitated for a moment before quickly following after.
Xuan Lun’s eyes shone when he heard the words. He laughed coldly, but did not speak again. However, the murderous look in his eyes became clearer.
Su Ming and his two companions moved quickly through the tunnel. Dong Fang Hua and the man named Chen widened the distance between them and Su Ming on the way. They had wanted to invite Su Ming to explore the grave of Han Mountain’s ancestor, but after what happened with Xuan Lun, they changed their minds.
Not much time passed before they reached the end of the tunnel. There was a crack at the end of the tunnel, and dark light shone throug it. The hidden grounds of Han Mountain City were outside.
Dong Fang Hua and the man named Chen were about to walk out when Su Ming’s eyes glinted and he stopped.
"Brother Dong Fang, you said before that there would be guests from Tranquil East receiving and protecting us once we got out of the tunnel?" Su Ming asked coolly.