Pursuit of the Truth

Su Ming came to a halt, while Hu Zi took a few steps forward by his side. With his wine gourd in hand, his eyes were gradually tainted with bloodlust. As for the second senior brother, he had his hands behind his back and stood nearby in a relaxed manner. It was a pity that the sun was covered by the clouds. But even if the land was still bright, it was not hot.

About 10,000 feet ahead of Su Ming and the rest of them were many big buildings built on a large expanse of snow. As wind blew past, the snow would be lifted from the ground.

Right before Su Ming were two giant statues. These two statues were carved in the image of malicious Phantoms fighting against each other. A heinous, murderous aura spread from within the two statues without restraint, and filled the entire area with it.

Behind the two giant malicious Phantom statues were rows upon rows of neatly arranged houses. These houses were all made from ice and connected in a long, unbroken line. With just one glance, it was hard to find the end of that line.

This was a tribe bigger than a city. The enormous size of the tribe was not due to how grand it looked, but due to its length. It seemed endless, stretching far into the distant land.

If anyone stood in the sky high above the tribe and looked at the ground, then they would be able to see that the buildings within Northern Frontier Tribe were positioned in a manner that they formed the shape of an arrow on the vast and endless plain of snow!

It was like the mark of a gigantic arrow that was branded on the land belonging to Northern Frontier Tribe!

Beneath the snow plains were layers upon layers of snow that continued sinking into the snow plains. The bottom most layer, which touched the earth buried under the snow plains, had the least amount of snow.

If a person could see far ahead, beyond the snow plains, they would find hints of green growing on the ground, which was also located much lower than the snow plains itself. If that person could see even farther ahead, they would find birds flying about and flowers blooming.

This snow plain was like a ravine that separated winter and summer!

Northern Frontier Tribe existed within this land, a land that made it seem as if the Great Tribe of Freezing Sky was located south, but was in truth a place that was located to the north in the maps detailing the topography of the Land of South Morning. The tribe stayed here defending the northern gate of the Great Tribe of Freezing Sky.

”This is just one part of Northern Frontier Tribe on the Great Frozen Plains. There’s another part of the tribe underneath the snow plains…” Bai Su said softly.

”Northern Frontier Tribe has retained the customs of Phantom Dais. All their Berserkers have very long hair. If they fight against outsiders, those who die will lose their heads. If they fight among themselves, the person who loses will have a choice. He can choose to cut off his own head or cut off his hair.

”That is why if a person has very long hair, it means he seldom loses. It might also be that… he has never lost before,” Bai Su whispered, looking at Su Ming. Once she finished speaking, she hesitated for a moment.

”Su Ming, I would suggest all of you to wear hoods… If you do that, I think it might be easier for all of you.”

The moment Bai Su finished speaking but before Su Ming could manage to say anything in return, second senior brother gave the girl an approving look. He then turned to Su Ming.

”Youngest junior disciple, this lass is very good! But lass, I’ve already made preparations for this a long time ago.” Second senior brother smiled gently and lifted his right hand to bring out a number of black hoods from his bosom.

”Ahem, as disciples of the ninth summit, we have no need to hide our faces, in fact, it’s below our dignity to hide our faces, but…” A stern look appeared on second senior brother’s face when he looked at Su Ming and Hu Zi.

”We have to be considerate of our Master. He’s already old, and his mind can’t react fast enough for him to formulate lies, so we have to find an excuse for him, no?

”We’re not worried about showing our faces, but for our Master, for our old man, we have to bear with this shame and wear the hood.”

Hu Zi blinked, then nodded his head firmly in understanding.

”You’re right. Ah... this is for Master. We’re doing this for Master. Second senior brother, I can bear with this. I will bear with it!” As he spoke, he snatched a hood and covered his head, which left only his eyes to be seen. He snickered.

”Third senior brother, I’m sorry you have to go through this…” Second senior brother patted Hu Zi’s shoulder with a touched expression on his face.

”Second senior brother, we’re doing this for Master, this insult is nothing!” Hu Zi stopped snickering and a resolute look appeared in his eyes.

”We’re all Master’s good disciples. Youngest junior brother, what about you?” Second senior brother handed a hood to Su Ming.

Su Ming took it with an odd expression on his face, but he still covered his head with it without a word.

Bai Su widened her eyes where she stood by the side. She had a sudden feeling that she had never come to understand the ninth summit as clearly as she did at that moment…

‘Just what are these people..?’

Bai Su rubbed the center of her brows. She had thought that convincing these people to wear a hood would be difficult, but the strange development made her suddenly think that she was far too young and inexperienced compared to these people.

”Master, for you, we will suffer through this injustice, but we’re doing this willingly because we’re your good disciples. We love you…”

Second senior brother lifted his head and puffed out his chest before putting on the hood. He winked at Su Ming and Hu Zi, then threw the leftover hood down as if he did not just do it intentionally and charged towards Northern Frontier Tribe in a long arc.

Hu Zi stomped the ground with his right foot, and as snow scattered in the air, he dashed after his second senior brother.

”Find a safe place and wait for me!”

Su Ming cast a glance at Bai Su and leaped into the air to chase after his second senior brother and Hu Zi. The three of them were like shooting stars traveling in the sky, and their destination… was Northern Frontier Tribe!

Bai Su stood there and watched the three of them. She remained silent for a moment before she sat down cross-legged. There were hints of worry along with a complicated look on her face.

In the sky, the three disciples of the ninth summit closed in rapidly on Northern Frontier Tribe, side by side.

”Second senior brother, is Master really behind us?” An excited and savage look appeared in Hu Zi’s eyes when he asked softly.

”Of course, Master is even faster than we are. Besides, when we left the ninth summit, I saw him peeking at us in white with my own eyes,” second senior brother whispered in a hushed tone.

”...I saw him too…” Su Ming offered in a whisper.

”Ha ha! Then there’s no mistake about it. I left a hood for Master. We can kill as much as we want today. We’ll kill that little birdie, and even if it’s a serious matter, the Master is there to hold the line! There’s nothing for us to be afraid of!”

Second senior brother had clearly become excited as well. His eyes sparkled.

”How will we kill them?” Hu Zi pulled the hood back and licked his lips.

”Third, Fourth, I’ll tell you the rule of the ninth summit today. This is what our eldest senior brother told me in the past!” Second senior brother looked at Su Ming and Hu Zi.

”Kill those who have harmed even a single plant of ninth summit!

”Kill those who have harmed even a single follower of ninth summit!

”Kill all the Berserkers of the tribe of the person who harmed even a single disciple of the ninth summit!

”The ninth summit will never cause trouble, but if someone provokes us, then we will use murder to tell them that the ninth summit is not someone they can offend! That is why we will look for Zhuo Ge, and if anyone stops us, they’ll die!” There was a murderous aura within second senior brother’s words, and his voice was as cold as ice.

Hu Zi sucked in a deep breath, then pulled the hood back on his head. A blood-red light appeared in his eyes. However, after a moment of hesitation, he turned to look at his second senior brother while flying forward.

”Second senior brother, why didn’t you help me when I was bullied last time? That doesn’t fit the rules of the ninth summit.” Hu Zi was very dissatisfied.

”If you didn’t peek at me every single night, I’d help you as well!” Second senior brother shook his head and sighed deeply.

Su Ming did not speak. Green light shone at the center of his brows and the murderous aura in his right eye spread through his entire body, causing him to look like an arrow filled with killing intent. With one single charge, he flew to the forefront of the three of them.

As they charged forward, the distance between them and Northern Frontier Tribe grew shorter!

At the same time, at the spot where Bai Su had sat down behind them, she had cast some unknown Art and her body gradually faded away until she looked almost invisible and was as unnoticeable as a spectral.

Yet right then, Bai Su’s eyes flew open and she nearly cried out in surprise.

A layer of black smoke had appeared before her. That black smoke filled the air and was charging forward through the snow plains. In the span of a breath, it had traveled 10,000 feet and was already far away from her.

”Lass, don’t make a sound…”

The cause for Bai Su’s held back scream was the old voice that fell into her ears. Soon, she saw an old man dressed in white robes walking forth from the snow plains on her side.

That old man had his back bent and was walking towards her with light footsteps. When he was before Bai Su, he placed his index finger to his mouth and made a shushing sound.

A strange expression immediately appeared on Bai Su’s face. She had seen this old man before and knew that he was Su Ming’s Master, Tian Xie Zi!

Tian Xie Zi lowered his head and picked up the hood second senior brother had thrown down while mumbling under his breath.

”Those brats sure are sly, at least they knew to bring hoods with them. Looks like they’re not dumb, after all. They even left one for me… Shoot! Did they see me?”

The white-robed Tian Xie Zi pulled the hood over his head as he continued mumbling, then turned around to look at the stunned Bai Su. A smile appeared on his face.

”Hey, you must be that young companion of my fourth disciple. So… do I look good?”

Bai Su was stunned. She instinctively nodded her head.

A pleased look immediately appeared on the white-robed Tian Xie Zi’s face. He turned around and walked in the direction Su Ming and the other two had taken to Northern Frontier Tribe.

The instant Su Ming and the other two arrived 10,000 feet away from Northern Frontier Tribe, the people within it noticed them. However, the treatment given to Su Ming and the other two by this tribe was completely different compared to the other tribes Su Ming had run into in the past.

If it was any other tribe, someone would have flown out a long time ago to stop them.

Yet Northern Frontier Tribe was not so. When they noticed Su Ming and the other two approaching, only a few of the tribe members stopped whatever they were doing and lifted their heads to look at the sky coldly. Most of the rest chose to ignore them.

In an instant, Su Ming and his brothers arrived at the gate formed by the two statues. With a smile, second senior brother took one step forward and wrapped his fist in his palm to bow towards the Northern Frontier tribe members who were looking at them coldly but were not saying a single word.

”I am Gong Sun Hu of Freezing Sky Clan’s third summit, I would like to meet brother Zhuo Ge. Please tell him on my behalf.”

The people who were looking at them coldly from behind Northern Frontier Tribe’s gate continued remaining silent.

Second senior brother shook his head.

”You are all far too rude. This… is not good…”

While speaking, he took one step forward. The moment his foot landed, the earth suddenly trembled and a large amount of snow shot into the air. It blotted out the entire sky and earth, causing the Northern Frontier tribe members who had been looking at them coldly to change their expressions drastically.

”Give us Zhuo Ge! Anyone who try to stop us, die!” Hu Zi lifted his arms, and a gigantic battle axe materialized in his left hand. He took a big swig from the gourd in his right hand and charged forth.