Pursuit of the Truth

The instant he saw the crystal, a smile suddenly appeared on the man’s lips.

”That’s right, I followed you because of that. It’s a pity that the other two useless pieces of trash calling themselves Shamans didn’t have it. But since you have it, then it naturally belongs to you, brother Mo.

”Judging by the direction you’re going, you should be heading to Sky Mist City. If that’s the case, we’re going down the same path.” Wu Duo wrapped his fist in his palm in a greeting towards Su Ming.

”Don’t need.”

Su Ming gave Wu Duo a look, then turned around to leave. He could tell that this person was dangerous, and he did not want to waste too much time now that he was about to enter the battle of Sky Mist. Of course, if this person attacked first, then Su Ming would not mind checking out how powerful he himself was now.

”Brother Mo, please wait.” Wu Duo took a few steps forward and immediately spoke.

Su Ming came to a halt, and a chilling glint appeared in his eyes.

”Brother Mo, don’t misunderstand, I just want to make a deal. You will definitely be interested in it.” Wu Duo looked calm and offered a smile, as if he did not notice thee chilling glint in Su Ming’s eyes.

Su Ming did not say anything. He simply stared at this Wu Duo coldly.

”Brother Mo, if you can bring some proof of your accomplishments when you go to Sky Mist City alone, once you enter Sky Mist City, your rank will definitely be quite high. Brother Mo, I need your help with something that will definitely net you some credit. Once you succeed, I promise you, you will obtain enough credit to make even Sky Mist City look at you favorably,” Wu Duo said slowly, licking his lips.

”Go on.” Su Ming kept a calm composure.

”Heh heh, brother Mo, you’re a decisive one, I admire you for that. I won’t beat around the bush then. I received a tip that some Shamans are sneaking into our land using some special methods now that Sky Mist City is too busy to bother with them.

”The three Shamans you saw previously were the first batch. There should still be some other Shamans who had snuck in. If the two of us work together and manage to kill all of them, then bring their heads to Sky Mist City, we’ll definitely be able net a huge achievement under our belts!

”Brother Mo, what do you think?” Wu Duo asked, smiling at Su Ming.

”If they can sneak under the defenses of Sky Mist City then run into our land, then they are definitely not weak. Besides, if they are few in number, we won’t gain a lot of credit, but if there are a lot of them, then even if you and I work together, it will still be difficult for us to kill them.

”And more importantly, how do you know about this?” Su Ming’s voice was freezing cold as he asked languidly.

”Brother Mo, I suppose you don’t know about this, but there is a crack in Sky Mist City’s defenses… well, it’s not really a crack. Only Fledgling Shamans and those below can pass through it. Medial Shamans would find it hard to enter because their power is too great.

”More importantly, you need to sacrifice a lot of lives to get through that crack. Usually, only those who have made ample preparations are able to find a chance and sneak through during battle.

”There are very few people like that, or else it wouldn’t be a secret. I received a tip that there are less than twenty Shamans who have entered our land and are loitering around the area. Besides, these people are at most Fledgling Shamans with the power equivalent to Berserkers at the initial stage of the Bone Sacrifice Realm.

”As for why I know these things… Brother Mo, I would have to ask you to not continue asking. This is my secret,” Wu Duo said in a dark voice, his eyes on Su Ming.

”I won’t hide from you. Once we kill these people, I will let you have the corpses to claim the credit, but their items have to go to me. As thanks, once this is over, I can tell you what the crystals are for. After all, there are still many chances for us to obtain them during the battle of Sky Mist.

”This is the first time we work together. If all things work out, then we can still continue working together. If you still can’t find it in yourself to believe in me, then I will take the first strike each time we run into a Shaman. You will be able to make your decision if that’s the case,” Wu Duo said in a low voice.

Su Ming remained silent. If this mysterious Wu Duo had mentioned any other deal, he would not have been interested. Yet if he hunted down and killed these Shamans, Su Ming could use this as the perfect excuse for why he could not make it back to Sky Mist City within the allocated time.

”What is a Fledgeling Shaman, and on that note, what is a Medial Shaman?” Su Ming was silent for a moment before he suddenly threw that question out.

Wu Duo was taken aback for a moment before he cast a surprised glance at him.

”Brother Mo, you don’t know? Oh well, this isn’t a secret anyway. Your clan or tribe might have forgotten to tell you about it.”

Wu Duo was slightly thrown off track and found himself slightly unable to figure out Su Ming’s origins. All those from slightly bigger tribes would definitely know about the ranking system within the Shaman Tribe, and Su Ming did not give him the feeling that he came from a small tribe.

‘Could it be that he’s testing me?’

Wu Duo gasped in his heart, but managed to maintain a calm composure and say with a smile, ”The Shaman Tribe is different from the Berserker Tribe. You can even say that they are completely different from us. We of the Berserker Tribe divide our levels in a manner similar to us moving up a ladder, which are the divisions of the four great realms, Blood Solidification, Awakening, Bone Sacrifice, and Berserker Soul.

”Each Realm is also divided into four small stages, which are the initial, middle, later, and completion stages.

”But the Shaman Tribe is different. The ranking system in the Shaman Tribe is rather messy, but it can also be said to be rather simple. They have six great Realms. They are divided into Battle Shaman, Spirit Wisdom, Thought Soothsayer, Soul Catcher, Spirit Medium, and Split Dawn.

”These six Realms are seldom divided in a manner where one is superior to the other. You can say that these are six paths each Shaman can choose after their coming of age ceremony. Their Patriarch or Matriarch will hold a test for them to find the most suitable path for their cultivation.

”They have six types of Realms, and each one of them is divided into four stages: Fledgling, Medial, Latter, and End. A Fledgling Shaman is equivalent to those of us in the initial stage of the Bone Sacrifice Realm, and Medial Shaman is about the same as those of us who have attained the great completion of the Bone Sacrifice Realm. Latter Shaman is equivalent to those of us in the initial stage of the Berserker Soul Realm, and End Shaman is equivalent to those of us who have attained great completion in the Berserker Soul Realm.

”There is still a legendary stage after the End. It is known as Hollow. Within the six great Realms, anyone who has gone past End can call himself or herself as the Hollow Shaman!

”But the difficulty for a Hollow Shaman to appear is second only to the God of Berserkers appearing among us Berserkers.” Wu Duo smiled faintly,explaining in detail.

”Battle Shaman, Spirit Wisdom, Thought Soothsayer, Soul Catcher, Spirit Medium, and Split Dawn.”

A glint appeared in Su Ming’s eyes. This was the first time he had heard of the rank division among the Shamans. It was completely different from the divisions in the Berserker Tribe. Among these six types, he had seen the Split Dawn and Spirit Medium before, but he had no idea which category the Patriarch of Lizard Shaman Tribe belonged to.

”The simple part of it is due to the four stages, which are the Fledgeling, Medial, Latter, and End stages. The messy part is because these six Realms are all different from each other. The Battle Shamans are the warriors of the Shaman Tribe. They number the highest, and in a way akin to a sacrifice, they will use the power of their bodies along with their sense towards their Totems to gain great power.

”Spirit Wisdoms can control other people’s fate after combining their strength with their wisdom. They are very unique in the Shaman Tribe. All of the Patriarchs in the Shaman Tribe are Spirit Wisdoms, and their wisdom is supreme to all others. They can call upon the wind and summon rain, force their own people to sacrifice their lives for their gods.”

Once Wu Duo started talking about the Spirit Wisdoms, his voice became much softer, as if he was very wary of these Spirit Wisdoms.

When Su Ming heard about them, he was slightly shaken. He remembered just how strong the Patriarch of Lizard Shaman Tribe was. He was one of the rare, incredibly powerful enemies that Su Ming had run into in his life.

”Thought Soothsayers are chosen among the most handsome men or beautiful women in the tribe. Then their powers in prophesying will be trained. They will observe the stars and govern over the land to become more familiar with maintaining good human relationships. Powerful Thought Soothsayers can arrive at a terrifying state where they can tell when lives return to earth, when earth is affected by the sky, and when sky provides for all.

”Soul Catchers are skilled with the Red Death Spell, the Revival Spell, and the Immortality Spell. You must absolutely not look into their eyes. They are as powerful as the Candle Dragon1... I killed two Fledgling Soul Catchers before, and it is a nightmare fighting against them.”

When Wu Duo spoke up to that point, he fell silent for a moment.

”Spirit Mediums govern over the souls of the dead and the living. They pity the dead, but are completely unbothered by the living. A single Spirit Medium might not be strong, but if a powerful one works together with a Soul Catcher, they will bring about disaster to the living.

”The final one are the Split Dawns. They are beautiful, rare, and each pair of Split Dawns can only be fully developed after the Shaman Tribe pours in a large amount of effort into them. They are an existence that is unworldly, an existence that defies reality. It is said that they can imagine anything they like, and all their imaginations will turn into reality! I hate these sort of Shamans, but in truth, it is also the most difficult for Hollow Shamans to appear from this class.

”Once a Hollow Split Dawn appears, then his existence would be the same as a new God of Berserkers appearing among the Berserkers. In fact, he’d be even more powerful than the God of Berserkers!

”That is the Shaman Tribe. Brother Mo, the more you understand them, the higher your chances of survival will be during the battle of Sky Mist. Now then, do you think we have a chance of working together?”

Wu Duo licked his lips and looked at Su Ming.

Su Ming pondered over it for a while, then said resolutely, ”If you’re this confident, then you must be certain that you can find them. Lead the way.”

”Brother Mo, you’re a straightforward person. I can indeed find them. As for the reason, well, I can’t say it. But don’t worry, I’m offering to work together sincerely!” Wu Duo laughed boisterously and stepped onto air before turning into a long arc and charging into the distance.

”Brother Mo, the closest batch of Shamans are somewhere near us if we go straight ahead. Once I attack, please help me!”

Su Ming got up and stepped forward, then right behind Wu Duo, he too turned into a long arc and charged into the sky without a word.

Far off in that direction, there were two Shamans who were cautiously dashing across the plains. One of these two was wearing a leather helmet with bull horns on it. His gaze was ghastly, and there was a scar on his lips, making it seem as if his lips divided into four. It was a terrifying sight to behold.

By his side was a boy. That boy’s hair floated behind his head, and he had his eyes closed, but there was an air of ghastliness surrounding him, causing fear and respect to appear on the man’s face when he occasionally looked over.

”You’re scared.” As the two of them moved forward, the boy, who still had his eyes closed, suddenly opened his mouth and spoke. His voice was rather sharp, and it sounded as if it was scraping against the man’s soul.

”Lord Soul Catcher…” The man beside him shuddered.

”Don’t be afraid. That Wu Duo won’t dare to play any tricks. Once we finish the trade, he will become your companion and follow me while enjoying an Undying Shaman Body.”

A smile appeared on the boy’s lips, and even though his eyes remained closed, there was still a strange black light shining through the slit between his eyelids.

”Yes!” The man’s eyes immediately turned blank, and he lowered his head before answering respectfully. There was not a hint of emotion in his words. It was as if he was a dead man talking.

The instant he lowered his head, a maggot crawled out and fell onto the ground from his four parted lips. That man… His body was filled with maggots... He… was a dead man!

烛九阴 (Zhu Jiu Ying) is also known as 燭龍 (Zhu Long), and 烛阴 (Zhu Ying). It is a Chinese mythological creature with the body of a snake and the head of a dragon, and it is recorded in Shan Hai Jing. It controls day and night by opening and closing its eyes, and when it breathes, it changes the seasons.

The word 烛 is torch, and 阴/龍 is dragon. So it’s literally “Torch Dragon”, but the official Chinese translation for this is Candle Dragon, so Candle Dragon it is.

(Even though I think Torch Dragon sounds cooler than Candle Dragon.)