Pursuit of the Truth

Su Ming looked at Tian Lan Meng calmly. Their gazes met not too far away from each other on the edge of the 10,000 feet sword.

Tian Lan Meng remained silent for a moment before she opened her mouth and said, ”I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

”Why do you find the need to hide it from me?” Su Ming frowned, then turned around to look at the blue sky beyond Frozen Sky.

Tian Lan Meng hesitated for a moment, looking as if she wanted to say something, but hesitated.

”How did you learn of the Catastrophe of the Eastern Wastelands?” After a long while, her gaze fell on Su Ming’s face and she asked him in his mind.

It was not quiet around them. There were low whispers occasionally appearing in the air, but the sword was too huge and there were 10,000 people sitting on it. That’s why if the people were further away from each other, they would not be able to hear what the other was saying clearly. The loud whistling sounds from the sword as it sliced through the air also drowned out voices.

”When the ten shooting stars appeared, I heard some of what they said.” Su Ming did not hide anything because he had to know the truth. In his mind, this piece of information that was only privy to those in the Berserker Soul Realm was very important. It might even affect some of his actions in the land of the Shamans.

Tian Lan Meng averted her gaze and looked at the sky beyond the sword. After a long while, she spoke gently.

”Have you ever heard… of the legend of the Harmonious Morus Alba..?”

Su Ming was taken aback for a moment then shook his head. He did not speak.

”Harmonious Morus Alba is a butterfly of legend. It will only flap its wings three times in its life… The first time it flaps its wings, it will cause the mountains to crumble and the earth to shatter in the east,” said Tian Lan Meng softly, looking at the sky beyond the sword.

”It’s just a legend,” Su Ming retorted.

”A legend, hmm..? Right now, in our world, no one has ever seen the first God of Berserkers, but could you say that the first God of Berserkers is also a legend? We don’t know whether the Harmonious Morus Alba exists…” Tian Lan Meng shook her head.

”Nine shooting stars mean that the Great Patriarch has appeared within the Shaman Tribe. That is an entity that exceeds all life forms, a thing that exceeds what we can understand with our Realms of cultivation.”

Tian Lan Meng’s voice in Su Ming’s head was gentle, but there was a hint of fear within her words. Su Ming could clearly feel her fear as her voice reverberated in his mind.

”Great Patriarch?” Su Ming turned around and looked at Tian Lan Meng.

”You should know that the great Berserkers of the Land of South Morning fought against the Great Patriarch thousands of years ago. The three great Berserkers won in the end, but the Great Patriarch did not die. He simply went into deep sleep.

”He is an indestructible entity… Now, he woke up again. That is why Sky Mist City sent out those nine shooting stars to tell Freezing Sky Clan and Western Sea Clan.” Tian Lan Meng bit her bottom lip and spoke gently in his head.

Su Ming’s pupils shrank. He remained silent for some time before he asked.

”What about ten shooting stars?”

”In the Land of South Morning, nine shooting stars should have been the limit of what Sky Mist City can send to Freezing Sky and Western Sea. From what I can remember, ever since Sky Mist City was formed, they have never sent out ten shooting stars…

”Today is the first time they did so,” Tian Lan Meng’s face was stark white as she mumbled under her breath.

”By logic, five shooting stars mean a great disaster, eight shooting stars mean that the Berserkers of the Land of South Morning are faced with the threat of annihilation, nine shooting stars mean that the Shaman Tribe’s power has reached its peak… Then ten shooting stars might mean…”

Once Tian Lan Meng spoke to that point, she stopped, and when she put on a look as if she was thinking about how she should phrase her next sentence. Su Ming softly spoke beside her.

”South Morning will fall…” Once Su Ming said those words in her mind, Tian Lan Meng shuddered and her face turned stark white. After a long while, she nodded her head bitterly.

”Just what sort of thing could cause the Land of South Morning to fall?” Su Ming found it a little hard to believe that idea. He simply could not fathom what sort of power could possibly exist in the world that could do such a terrifying thing.

”If the Great Patriarch truly possesses such power, then there’s no need to fight in this battle,” Su Ming said in her head, his voice low.

”He might have such incredible power that it exceeds our understanding, but… he can’t do that. Still, even if he can’t do it, it doesn’t mean that no one else can. Didn’t the battle between the second God of Berserker and the Immortals from the other worlds divide the continents of the land of Berserkers..?” Tian Lan Meng said softly.

”Do you still remember me mentioning the Harmonious Morus Alba..?” Tian Lan Meng looked at Su Ming, and he could clearly see the fear in her eyes.

”The first time the Harmonious Morus Alba flaps her wings, it will cause the mountains to crumble and the earth to shatter in the east…” answered Su Ming.

”The eastern continent is the Eastern Wastelands. Between the five continents belonging to the Berserkers is the endless Dead Sea that is filled with water that looks like an ocean but is not an ocean, looks like ink but is not ink, and looks like blood but is not blood... No one can pass through the Dead Sea.

”Ever since the five continents were separated, we lost all contact with each other. It’s as if our messages were intercepted.” Tian Lan Meng’s voice echoed in Su Ming’s head.

”If someday, the Dead Sea extends to our lands like a tidal wave that drowns out the entire Land of South Morning, at that time, how many people would be able to survive…?” Tian Lan Meng dipped her head down.

”Perhaps there would be some who would survive, but when the Land of South Morning is flooded, the mountains crumble and the earth shatter, and the entire Land of South Morning is destroyed… at that time, how many people would survive..? Will the both of us survive?” Tian Lan Meng closed her eyes.

”That’s the Catastrophe of the Eastern Wastelands? Is it connected to the Eastern Wastelands?” Su Ming was shocked to the core. His breathing quickened, and a thought that to him was ridiculous gradually appeared in his mind.

”The Dead Sea won’t expand without reason. It has existed since forever. It won’t change without reason.” Tian Lan Meng remained silent for some time before she spoke bitterly.

”Unless there is a power that could move that endless Dead Sea and make its waters surge like the waves in the sea…” Su Ming mumbled.

”You heard the words the Catastrophe of the Eastern Wastelands, but you didn’t hear what was spoken before them. My ancestor mentioned that more than 10,000 feet of the area close in the eastern part of South Morning, which belongs to the Shamans, has been flooded by the Dead Sea…

”This is the first time such a thing has happened in the Land of South Morning. It is also precisely this change that prompted the Shamans to panic and attack Sky Mist Barrier before the promised date.

”The Dead Sea won’t grow bigger for no reason. It would only grow bigger because the Eastern Wastelands, a continent that is located really far away from the South Morning, is pushing the Dead Sea towards the Land of South Morning… at an inconceivable speed.”

Tian Lan Meng finally told Su Ming the secret. The secret from Sky Mist City that was originally only privy to those in the Berserker Soul Realm, and the one they had been forbidden to spread to others!

”Eastern Wastelands and South Morning crashing into each other...” Su Ming sucked in a sharp breath. He understood what was going on now, but he still could not imagine how such a huge continent could move at such a high speed.

”Perhaps it’ll take one year, perhaps ten, or perhaps less than that… but eventually, when Eastern Wastelands crashes into the Land of South Morning at that high speed it’s traveling now, what do you think will happen to South Morning?

”From what the ancient maps tell us, the mass of land belonging to the Eastern Wastelands is several times the size of South Morning’s…” Tian Lan Meng stared at Su Ming, and despair appeared in her eyes.

Su Ming shuddered and closed his eyes. He could somewhat imagine the horrors that would happen the instant two continents of different sizes, one big and the other small, crashed into each other at an indescribable speed.

”First, the edge to the east of the Land of South Morning would instantly shatter, and the impact that caused the land to shatter would continuously spread out. In a very short amount of time, that crack would extend to Sky Mist Barrier…

”Then, Sky Mist Barrier would crumble and the land of Berserkers would be destroyed along with it… Even if we escape to the westernmost part of the land, it’ll still be difficult for us to escape the fate of being destroyed.

”When the continent crumbles and tilts to the side, the part of the Dead Sea that came with the Eastern Wastelands will drown out everything… Perhaps some of us will survive. When the land under our feet has turned into pieces, we will continue living on one of the pieces as if it was an island floating in the endless Dead Sea…

”But it’s clear that it’s very difficult to find such an opportunity when you live close to the borders, and especially once they knock into our land, the Land of South Morning will definitely start moving west… At that time, the west part of South Morning and all its coasts will suffer the worst damage.

”And the Shamans live at the outer parts of South Morning… For the sake of their survival, you can surely imagine just how devastating the Sky Mist Shaman Hunt this time will be…

”The Shamans want to invade Sky Mist Barrier and occupy the center of the Land of South Morning. Only if they stay there can they have a hope that their race can survive through the disaster when it comes.

”But would you be able to let the mortal enemy of generations of your race walk into your home..? Besides, if they move into Sky Mist Barrier, then we have to divide a part of our land to them. The result of us providing a piece of land to the Shamans that might or might not remain safe during the disaster... is us wiping away the lives of the Berserkers who were originally living in those places…

”And it stands that no one can be certain which part of the center of South Morning will remain safe till the end. If the Shamans aren’t around, then the Berserkers can spread out, and the possibility of us continuing our line will surely exist, no matter how small, but once we make the wrong choice and give up the safe place to the Shamans…” Tian Lan Meng’s voice became weaker until she eventually fell silent.

”The Catastrophe of the Eastern Wastelands…” Su Ming’s face turned pale. All of this surpassed his imaginations. In fact, even if he heard the truth now, he still found it a little hard to believe all of it.

Yet at the same time, he also instantly understood why the information could not be shared with everyone. Once that happened… it would definitely bring about an unimaginable disaster brought by human hands…

”Harmonious Morus Alba.” Su Ming committed that name to memory even though he knew that this was a legend, a legend that just might be coincidental to what was happening now.

”You won’t be able to hide this for too long. As time passes by, more and more people will know about it.” Su Ming sent his message to Tian Lan Meng, and his voice was solemn in her heart.

”During this disaster, many people will die… We live in this day and age, and we have no choice.” Tian Lan Meng stood up and went to stand at the edge of the sword as a profound look appeared in her eyes.

”Thank goodness we’re not alone…” Tian Lan Meng turned her head to the side and looked at Su Ming with her beautiful eyes. There was a strange light flickering within them.

”Su Ming, do everything possible to increase your power before the Catastrophe of the Eastern Wastelands arrives. If you do, then even if you lose the Land of South Morning, even if you lose everything, as long as you’re alive, then you still have your powers to keep you company and support you…”

Su Ming stared at the sky beyond the sword and did not say a word.