Pursuit of the Truth

This was a crazed battle. Compared to the Shamans who had always been low on medicinal herbs during the past fifteen years, who had been at a loss for what they should do, and who did not know where their future lay, the Sacred Bats were all incredibly powerful.

During these fifteen years, too many of the Shamans’ own had died as they fought against these Sacred Bats. Most of their powerful warriors had already fallen, and the only ones who were left were the old and the young. They did not have much power to form their core battle strength.

The wearing down of willpower had also caused fear to root itself deeply within the Shamans’ hearts towards the races residing in the World of Nine Yin, especially a Golden Thread Sacred Bats that had appeared this time. This was the second time during these past fifteen years that a Golden Thread Sacred Bat had appeared, but it was clear that the current one was much stronger than the one around ten years ago.

Nan Gong Hen’s words and actions only managed to stir up the Shamans’ ardor for a moment. Once the slaughter started, this energy did not manage to last long.

Shrill screams of pain filled the air. In the face of the tall Sacred Bats, the Shamans could only resist in vain. Even if they struggled and fought back, the Sacred Bats had bodies that were as sturdy as a Berserker’s and had divine abilities that surpassed the might of the Shamans. Their numbers were great as well, and to the Shamans, this battle could only end in devastation and nothing else.

It was especially so since the dozen something Violet Thread Sacred Bats possessed a power equivalent to a Latter Shaman and the body that was as sturdy and powerful as a Berserker in the Berserker Soul Realm. Wherever they went to, cruel laughter would reverberate in the air, and all the Shamans who tried to block their paths would be torn apart alive.

These bats did not even cast any divine abilities. Their strong arms were enough to replace everything. The Shamans’ heads were separated from their bodies, their limbs torn off, and their flesh and blood gushed everywhere, turning into a picture that would last for eternity in the sky.

Nan Gong Hen coughed out a mouthful of blood, and with a low growl, the long spear in his hand pierced through the center of one of the Sacred Bats’ brows. He lifted his left hand, and with a swing, a large amount of aura of death immediately gathered together, turning into a vortex around him. A large amount of dead souls appeared from within the vortex and charged into the area.

He was a Spirit Medium, but even if he was one, and even if most Spirit Mediums pitied the dead and were cold towards the living, this was different for Nan Gong Hen. Even becoming a Spirit Medium could not suppress his boisterous nature, and this was the key reason why he could not become a Latter Shaman.

As his tribesmen died continuously behind him and their numbers decreased rapidly, as the booming sounds that came from self-destruction reverberated in the air, the intensity of this massacre reached its peak.

Those who self-destructed were the old tribesmen. The destruction they caused before their deaths served as a driving force for all the Shamans.

”Fight, even if we die!” Nan Gong Hen roared.

”Fight for ourselves! Fight for our people! Change our own fate in this battle! In the midst of our madness, seize our future!”

All the Shamans’ eyes were already filled with red. If a single one of them could not handle these Sacred Bats, then two of them would fight together, and if two were not enough, three would fight together!

Yet even so, in this situation where the Sacred Bats’ numbers were no less than the Shamans’, and the number of deaths among the Shamans continued rising, blood filled the air and earth. Shrill cries of pain echoed around.

Nan Gong Hen, to his right, saw another one of his tribesmen’s heads ripped off its neck. Blood gushed out from the wound, and even a few drops fell on Nan Gong Hen’s face.

It was just a brief clash, and there were already fewer than three of the Shamans left from the five hundred they had in the beginning. They could no longer rush forward and were continuously forced backwards as the Sacred Bats descended on them oppressively from the sky. They continued moving back until they stood next to the protective screen of light.

Nan Gong Hen was filled with despair. He watched his tribesmen die, watched the faces that had grown familiar to him during the fifteen years shattering right before his eyes, watched all of this, and could do nothing to change it.

However, when they were forced back to the side of the screen, suddenly, a gigantic hand appeared in the sky, and with an astonishing speed, charged towards Nan Gong Hen and the other Shamans.

From the distance, that palm looked monstrously huge. It was several thousands of feet big, and as it descended on them, rumbling sounds spread through the air. Right on top of the palm was the Sacred Bat with the golden thread in the center of his brows. He had his right hand lifted and was pressing downwards slowly. Disdain and contempt appeared at the corners of his lips in the form of a sneer. To him, these outsiders were all so weak they could not even put up a fight!

With a roar, veins popped up on Nan Gong Hen’s face. All his tribesmen behind him started circulating all their power in a frenzy to fight against that huge palm!

Their deaths were of secondary concern, because if they could not resist this, then it was going to be difficult for the protective light screen to endure it. And once that protective light screen shattered, the children in the valley and all their injured tribesmen would have to go through a brutal genocide where they could absolutely not fight back!

The hand was already less than five hundred feet away, when a roar shot forth from the valley. Right before everyone’s eyes, an old man with a pale face and a head full of white hair shot out from the valley. He traveled so quickly that he pierced through the screen of light in the blink of an eye, passed by Nan Gong Hen and the rest, and stopped right above them, alone against that hand. He lifted his right hand, clenched his fist, and rammed it against the gigantic hand pressing downwards.

”Senior Tie Mu!”

”It’s senior Tie Mu!”

Cries filled with cheer spread out from the crowd. That old man was the person who had been injured during the previous battle and had been in a coma since then because he could not heal properly - Tie Mu!

When such a crisis fell upon the entire valley, he woke up, and without care for himself, he attacked. The instant his fist came into contact with that gigantic palm, Tie Mu coughed out a large mouthful of blood. Blood mist burst forth from his entire body, and like a kite with a broken thread, he was sent tumbling back.

”Is this the most powerful force from the outsiders in this place? So weak, you cannot even put up a fight… All of you outsiders, die!”

An indifferent voice traveled forth from the sky, and the Sacred Bats started floating in the air all around the valley, their faces filled with only scorn. The dozen something Violet Thread Sacred Bats mostly laughed coldly as they looked at the scene beneath them.

The person who said those words was the Golden Thread Sacred Bat that had brought forth that gigantic palm from the highest point in the sky.

Nan Gong Hen sank into despair. He immediately went up to support Tie Mu. Tie Mu’s face was already bloodless and his eyes were shut tight. He was injured heavily to begin with, and after forcing himself to attack, he was injured badly once again. At that moment, his life was in peril.

The gigantic hand rushed towards them with loud, booming sounds. Right when it was about to touch Nan Gong Hen and the others, Nan Gong Hen let out a roar, and all the Shamans retreated into the screen of light. Then, right before their eyes, they watched that palm crash into the screen of light. A huge rumble that shook the sky and earth reverberated in the air, and the screen of light exploded, turning into numerous shards that scattered in all directions.

At that moment, the entire valley no longer had any form of protection!

After the gigantic hand shattered the screen of light, it did not disappear. Instead, it pressed down against all the Shamans in the valley in a manner that screamed with the intention of destroying everything!

The mountain crumbled. A large amount of shattered stones fell down and turned into dust. Because the ground could not withstand the power of that strike, cracks formed, as if the land was about to shatter.

There were no corpses within the Rune in the valley, only layers upon layers of ashes. During that moment just now, all the people crumbled into ashes as the Rune disintegrated.

As the stones shattered and fell from the mountains, the children hugged their mothers in fear within the trembling cave abodes. They closed their eyes and waited for death to take them.

Nan Gong Hen laughed brokenly, then lifted his head to look at the hand, and despair appeared on his face.

”There, that is our future… So be it, let us all die…”

Right at that moment, the Golden Thread Sacred Bat’s indifferent voice was still echoing all around the area, and the disdain in his words was as plain as day.

”... All outsiders, die!”

Yet right at the instant the gigantic palm was less than three hundred feet away from Nan Gong Hen and the others, at the point where all of them fell into despair—

A similarly aloof voice traveled forth like a thunderclap between the sky and earth, with a force that overwhelmed that of the Golden Thread Sacred Bat!

”I…” That was the first word from that voice. As that word traveled forth, all the Sacred Bats in the sky felt a violent gust of wind charging towards them from the distance. The strength of that wind was like a furious roar of heaven itself, and it actually managed to push them back against their will.

”Am…” This was the second word. When that first word traveled forth, it gave the others the impression that it was still far away, but when the second word reached them, they had a feeling as if the word was said right beside their ears. It was like a huge clap of thunder roaring in the sky, causing all the Sacred Bats who heard it to feel booming sounds going off in their heads and souls.

With an indescribable speed, a flash of golden light appeared within the valley, and right under that gigantic palm, that golden light turned into a person. His face could not be seen clearly, the only thing in sight being him lifting his right hand and stretching out a finger. Then, seemingly casually, he tapped at the center of that gigantic palm.

”Also…” This was the third word. It was calm, but it gave others the impression that it held some sort of universal law within that replaced all the sounds in the area!

That person was incredibly tiny compared to the palm, but the instant his finger touched that gigantic hand, an astonishing boom reverberated violently in the air and spread in several hundreds of lis. A huge wave of impact also spread out in all directions as the boom echoed in the air, and it traveled forth like a violent gust of wind, like raging waves sweeping through the sea.

As the booming sound echoed in the air, the gigantic hand trembled and started cracking up inch by inch, exploding eventually, turning into a wave of impact that was sent charging backwards into the sky.

”... An outsider!” The two final words in the sentence were uttered slowly as that hand crumbled apart and was sent reeling backwards.

At that moment, as violent gusts of wind blew around the area with furious howls, the figure stood in midair. His long hair danced in the wind and his robes were as white as snow. He was a handsome man, and there was a diamond-shaped brand at the center of his brows. On his shoulders was a small snake who had its head lifted and was hissing with its forked tongue out of its mouth at that moment. The man stood there, and he seized everyone’s attention onto himself!

His gaze was profound, as if it contained all of heaven. Waves of golden light spread from all over his body, causing him to look as if he was wearing a layer of golden armor!

Apart from that profound gaze, there was also a look within his eyes that would strike fear in other people’s hearts, and all the Sacred Bats who came into contact with that gaze felt booming sounds going off in their minds. It was as if with just one glance into his eyes, their bodies would disintegrate.

This was a form strength, a strength that surpassed all forms of power in this place!