Pursuit of the Truth

Su Ming held He Feng and ran through the rainforest at full speed. As he continued running, he consumed South Asunder to heal his wounds. He continued moving for an entire day before slowing down.

The deeper he was in the rainforest, the more danger he was exposed to. Once he was there, Su Ming saw numerous plants and wild beasts that made his skin crawl. Fortunately, he was extremely fast, which was why he could avoid them from the distance.

Su Ming no longer looked for small mountains in the seemingly endless rainforest. There were mountain caves for him to rest, but there were a lot thick of tree stumps too. Some of those stumps were so thick that ten people would need to hold hands, stratching out their arms, before it could be completely surrounded.

Su Ming searched for a big tree like this, then emptied out its inside, forming a place where he could stay. Once he spread out the red meadow to protect himself, he placed He Feng by the side and sat down cross-legged with his eyes closed to heal his wounds.

Yet as he healed his injuries, he held a stone coin in his hand and kept the Branding Art active in an area of 1,000 feet around himself, constantly remaining alert of his surroundings.

When the sky darkened and the world outside was enveloped in darkness, Su Ming opened his eyes and glared darkly at the unconscious He Feng.

The man was entirely covered in herbs. If he was placed in the rainforest, he would look like a plant. Even if people passed him by, it would be difficult for them to recognize him as a living dead person.

Su Ming stared at He Feng for a moment before he jabbed at the center of He Feng’s brows. Immediately, a dull ball of light floated out from the center of his brows. Without the Branding Art, Su Ming would not be able to see that dim light.

Yet now, right before his eyes, he could clearly see a small person in that dim light. That small person was obviously He Feng. However, He Feng’s face was filled with terror. He trembled as he continuously prostrated himself before Su Ming, his acts of begging for mercy clear as day.

”I originally intended for you not to feel any pain. Once I was done creating the pills, I would have let you die, and I would have taken revenge for you… but now, I changed my mind,” Su Ming spoke slowly.

The small person trembled even harder. With a look of terror, he opened his mouth, and He Feng’s weak voice appeared in Su Ming’s head.

”Brother Xu, please have mercy. I was wrong, I really did wrong this time. Brother Xu, please give me a chance. Please give me a chance!” He Feng’s voice was weak, but the pleading tone in his voice was very strong.

”Give me a reason why I shouldn’t kill you!” Su Ming lifted his right hand, and on his index finger, he gathered a thread of the Branding Art.

When He Feng saw Su Ming’s actions, he immediately let out a sharp cry. Every single time he got into contact with Su Ming, he would suffer great losses. He was now terrified of Su Ming, and now, when he saw the dark look on his face, a feeling of great danger overwhelmed him.

”Brother Xu, if… if you kill me, then you won’t be able to get that location for the great treasure. The location I gave you before is fake…”

Su Ming stared at He Feng coldly and slowly pushed his right index finger forward. Precisely because his actions were so slow, it created a greater amount of stress for He Feng. That sort of stress that stemmed from being caught between life and death made He Feng’s convictions crumble. He could feel that the young man before him was different from the first time he saw him. It was as if he had matured after experiencing all these things.

”Don’t kill me, I’ll give you the treasure. I’ll give it to you… I also know some secrets regarding the place where the ancestor of Han Mountain died. Not even the three tribes understand these things completely…” He Feng quickly said, but Su Ming’s index finger did not stop. It was now not even seven inches away from He Feng.

That formless pressure made He Feng fall into despair, and he immediately spoke once again.

”I know the correct method to use the red meadow… I also know the secret of the mask, I… I… I’m useful to you. I know the relationships between the three tribes in Han Mountain City, and the important people within each tribe.

”I have a house in Han Mountain City, and I also have a cave abode nearby. It’s hidden well and other people won’t be able to find it. I’ll give it to you…

”I…”

He Feng had already ran out of words. He trembled and saw that Su Ming’s finger was closing in on him. There were only three inches between them now.

”I have more experience than you. I can help you. I know everything around this place. With my help, you can be like a fish in…”

He Feng was shouting by the end, his eyes closed in despair.

Su Ming’s finger stopped when it was only one inch away from him.

”I don’t trust you,” Su Ming said languidly.

He Feng immediately opened his eyes, and the desire to live was evident in his eyes. It was as if Su Ming’s words were the final straw he could cling onto before his death. He could not let go.

”You can believe me. I can acknowledge you as my master. This is very easy. You… you can gather the Branding Art into one mark and imprint it on my body. Once it fuses with me, I will become a part of your Branding Art. You will only need one single thought to kill me, and I will be unable to resist.

”Besides, I’m about to reach Transcendence. I’ll be of great help to you. We can kill Xuan Lun together and you can use his body as a puppet… I…”

Before He Feng could finish speaking, Su Ming pressed his finger onto the center of the brows of the small person formed from the dim light. He Feng let out a shrill, pained cry, and right before Su Ming’s eyes, quickly faded away.

In the span of a few breaths, the light would completely dissipate. Once it dissipated, He Feng would truly die. Even if his physical body had signs of life left, there would no longer be a person called He Feng left in this world.

”Up till now, you still want to harm me?!” Su Ming growled.

”I did not… I truly did not…”

As He Feng cried out, his voice became weaker. Half of the dim light had already disappeared. A bitter expression appeared on his face, and he slowly closed his eyes.

The moment the small person formed from the dim light almost completely dissipated, a light appeared in Su Ming’s eyes, and he formed a small mark with the Branding Art, fusing it with the dim light.

He Feng immediately started stabilizing from his dissipating state. There was pain on his face, but the joy and desire to live was evident in his opened eyes. He did not struggle and let the light fuse into him. After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, his small form transfigured from dissipation stabilized, and he knelt down before Su Ming with a respectful face.

At the same time, a new line of thought arose in Su Ming’s mind. That thought seemed to be connected to He Feng. With one thought, Su Ming could completely destroy it.

”I know that you do not want to resign yourself to this.”

Su Ming looked at He Feng’s small form and spoke unhurriedly.

”I… wouldn’t dare…”

He Feng smiled wanly and looked at Su Ming before lowering his head once again.

”I’ll give you a chance. If you assist me with a sincere heart, then after 100 years, I’ll return you your freedom,” Su Ming said coolly as he looked at He Feng.

When He Feng heard those words, he immediately lifted his head and looked at Su Ming.

”Do you mean it?”

”There is no deep enmity between us. You were the one who had been scheming against me, and I was only resisting. Why should I lie to you?” Su Ming stated coldly.

He Feng fell silent. He felt bitter, but a moment later, a resolute look appeared in his eyes.

”Master, you can take the mask from my… my storage bag. The mask is an imitation of an item of my ancestor. It might not be able to compare, but once you wear it, you don’t need to use spirit stones when you cast the Branding Art.”

”Storage bag? Spirit stones?” Su Ming was momentarily stunned.

”It’s not strange that you don’t know about this. Very few people know about this bag. I only learned it when I read about it in the ancient records in my tribe. It’s an item left behind by my ancestor. It’s called a storage bag.

”The spirit stones are the stone coins we members of the Berserker Tribe use.” He Feng explained by the side.

Su Ming cast a glance at He Feng and took out the purple bag from his bosom, bringing out the mask from within.

”Master, you are indeed a cautious man. If you had worn this mask before…”

He Feng laughed bitterly and spoke honestly. Even if he did not finish speaking, Su Ming already understood. He saw He Feng struggling to lift his right hand to touch the mask.

Immediately, the mask also let out a dim light from the center of its brows. Once it was absorbed by He Feng into his body, it caused his dimmed body to have a lively hue.

”Master, please take a red spirit stone from the storage bag,” He Feng said softly.

”What’s with your appearance now?”

Su Ming did not immediately take it out. He looked at He Feng instead and spoke unhurriedly.

”I don’t understand it clearly myself. This is what happened after I used the Branding Art for a long time. The ancient records left by the ancestors spoke about this condition as well. This is called a Spirit Body. It may be weak, but it only exists for those who practice this Branding Art and have reached the Transcendence Realm.

”If we reach the Bone Sacrifice Realm, then the spirit within people who practice this Branding Art will be known as a Spirit Infant. If the Berserker becomes stronger and reaches the legendary Berserker Soul Realm, it’ll be known as an Origin Spirit.

”It’s a pity that a lot of ancient records were seized by the three tribes. The ones remaining were stolen by Xuan Lun, or else you could take a look at them,” He Feng said in a low tone.

”Why did you ask for the red spirit stone?”

Su Ming fell into a pensive silence for a moment, his eyes growing cold.

”Master, don’t worry. I’ve already acknowledged you as my master and we made the 100 year promise. I won’t betray you. I want to use that red spirit stone so that I can fuse my spirit body in it, then use its power to fuse into the mask. Next time, when you use the mask, you won’t need to use spirit stones to cast the Branding Art anymore. You will just need to get another spirit stone to replace it once that red spirit stone is shattered.

”That mask also has an effect of changing a person’s presence. I’ve used it twice, and the people who saw me use it have been killed. Even if you wear it, you don’t need to worry that people will make any connections between you and me.

”I can also attach myself to the mask and help you with my experience.”

He Feng presented his case logically. It was clear that he had already recovered from his panicked breakdown and once again turned into the pensive He Feng.

Su Ming’s eyes flashed, and he stared at He Feng. After a long while, he spoke suddenly.

”Don’t need. I’ve already gotten used to using stone coins to cast it. I’ll have other uses for the mask as well. As for your dwelling place…”

Su Ming swung his right hand in the air and a large amount of souls of the Wings of the Moon appeared immediately. No outsider could see the souls of the Wings of the Moon, but the moment He Feng saw them, his expression immediately changed.

Yet he did not dare resist. He let the souls of the Wings of the Moon charge towards him with ferocious expressions. They entangled him and formed a tight seal before pulling back into Su Ming’s body.

With the large amount of souls of the Wings of the Moon, Su Ming was not afraid that He Feng would cause any trouble. Besides, with the seal from the souls, he could make sure that He Feng’s connection to the outside world was completely cut off, allowing this person to not notice some of his secrets.

Once he was done, fatigue appeared on Su Ming’s face. All the things that had happened with He Feng during the past few months tired Su Ming out. Not just his body, but his heart was exhausted, too.