Pursuit of the Truth

A light rumble traveled forth. As the surface of the water before Hu Zi flashed violently and eventually crumbled, his fist struck the air a foot before Beiling, and his fist felt as if he had just landed on cotton, not managing to cause any effect.

Instead, a sharp sword aura spread through his entire body, causing Hu Zi’s body to tremble, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. He took a few steps back. Su Ming was right behind him as he moved back, but Hu Zi would rather be injured even more than move away from the spot where Su Ming was.

”You are a loyal one indeed, but your power is simply too weak…” Beiling averted his gaze from Hu Zi and looked towards Su Ming sitting on the mountain rock cross-legged. A barely noticeable glint appeared in his eyes.

”No wonder I didn’t notice him much earlier, so he has sealed himself off!” Beiling lifted his right hand and positioned his palm straight before moving towards Su Ming. He would have his hand land on Su Ming’s head the moment he closed in.

He wanted to search through this person’s memories, but right when his hand was about to fall on Su Ming’s head, Bai Su turned into a long arc and closed in on him.

Hu Zi also roared as he struggled to his feet and lunged at him once again while flinging all caution to the wind.

Beiling let out a cold harrumph. The sound was like thunder, and when it traveled forward, it turned into a loud bang in Hu Zi’s ears, causing his footsteps to freeze, and he coughed up blood once again, but he did not move back. Instead, he rushed in between Beiling and Su Ming. Standing before his junior brother once again to use his body to protect him!

He let out a roar straight from his soul, his eyes entirely bloodshot.

Bai Su shuddered. As the rumbling sounds echoed in the air, blood trickled down the corners of her lips. Her vision blurred out, and when she could look clearly, she saw an endless desert stretching out before her.

To the others, Beiling’s harrumph had caused a dazed expression to instantly appear on Bai Su’s face. She stood there, unmoving. But Hu Zi had clearly not sunk into that illusion. Instead, with bloodshot eyes, he charged towards Beiling once again in a mad dash.

”If you hurt my junior brother, I will not stop hounding you till I die!” Hu Zi roared furiously, and without caring for the injuries on his body, he lifted his fist and charged forward.

Beiling frowned and looked at the man blocking his path. He had originally admired his loyalty, but once he heard his words, he was visibly moved.

”I see, so he is your junior brother. This is righteousness… Oh well, if you can still stand before me after withstanding three of my sword strikes, then I will forgive your disrespect.”

As Beiling spoke, he lifted his right hand again, and with two of his fingers in the position of a sword, he swung his hand towards the roaring Hu Zi charging towards him. In the process of his hand swinging down, a piercing sword glare abruptly rose into the air and rushed out in the shape of an arc!

Hu Zi roared and lifted his right hand to strike that sword glare. An illusory wave of distortions also spread out from his body, causing the air around him to become indistinct as well, and during that moment, a Berserker Mark appeared on his face!

That Berserker Mark was a mountain, and that mountain… was the ninth summit!

”The ninth summit is my home, and the person behind me is my junior brother. When I’m around, it doesn’t matter whether it is the sky or the earth, it doesn’t matter whether it is any person or any living creature, none of you are allowed to hurt even a hair on my junior brother’s head!” As Hu Zi roared, he hurled his right fist forward, and his punch crashed into Beiling’s sword glare.

Loud booming sounds shook the skies at that instant. Beiling did not move. In fact, his robes did not even flutter, but Hu Zi took three steps back. He would have taken a fourth step, but he could not, because right behind him was his junior brother!

He forced himself to stop and coughed up a mouthful of blood. The flesh on his right hand was torn and bloodied, and there was even a deep sword gash at his chest. Blood was gushing out of it.

There was a dull and lifeless look on his face, but there was a ball of fire burning in his heart. At that moment, he looked as if he would burn everything within him, all for the sake of protecting his junior brother… Su Ming!

Even if he died, he would still be without regrets!

”Again!”

Hu Zi wiped away the blood at the corners of his lips, but since his right hand was already a bloodied mess, when he wiped his lips, even more blood was smeared over there. He shivered. He could already feel death creeping up towards him, but he… still did not withdraw even the tiniest bit!

”We will all eventually die, and if I die for my junior brother, it’s worth it!”

Hu Zi clenched his left hand and struck his chest. More red appeared in his eyes. A dream-like presence abruptly spread out from his body and fused with his Berserker Mark. It actually gave Beiling the false impression that he was looking at a huge mountain.

He looked at Hu Zi and declared slowly, ”You are the second person I’ve met that deserves my respect. But I’d like to see just how long you can last.” Beiling lifted his right hand, but he no longer had two fingers in the position of a sword. This time, he had three fingers!

He looked as if he was forming a seal, and once he made it, he pointed towards the incoming Hu Zi. In that instant, an illusory longsword appeared before Beiling. Once it manifested, it let out a piercing sword whistle, as it charged straight towards Hu Zi!

The man and sword crashed into each other during that instant. Hu Zi let out a muffled groan, and the illusory version of the ninth summit before him collapsed while twisting in the air. The dream-like presence spreading out from his body also scattered away.

His left hand shattered with a bang. When he coughed up blood, his body began swaying and his face turned pale, but he forced his falling body to stop. Blood filled his mouth, his eyes were red, and his breathing gradually weakened.

The sword continued floating in midair, but it had shattered and was no longer in the form of a sword.

”You still have to endure one more strike. I will tell you this. I’ve only used two tenths of my strength previously. Now… I will use an eighth of my strength to show my respect towards you. Tell me your name. You have the right for me to ask you that question.” Beiling lifted his right hand, and this time he had his entire palm positioned in the form of a sword!

A sword glare spread out from Beiling’s right hand. That sword was seven feet long and did not look like an illusion, but instead looked incredibly real.

”I’m your grandpa!”

Hu Zi gave a weak, vicious grin. With his torn and bloodied right hand, he seized at the air in the direction of his bosom, and a pot of wine appeared in his hand. It had been a long time since he drank, but now, as death loomed over his head, he brought that pot of wine to his lips and took a big swig from it.

Beiling frowned and swung his right hand towards Hu Zi. Immediately, the illusory long sword in his hand spun into the air, and with an astonishing, sharp presence, it tore through the air, forming a crack in space, and charged straight towards his opponent.

Hu Zi’s expression was calm. He stood his ground, protecting Su Ming behind him, and he closed his eyes. However, there was a ball of fire burning within him at that moment.

He was burning his own life so that he could use it to withstand this slash and protect his junior brother!

”Youngest junior brother, farewell…”

The sword came charging towards him with a howl, while invisible flames engulfed Hu Zi’s body. Right at that moment, a hand pressed against his back.

When that palm touched him, an abundant amount of life force surged into Hu Zi’s body like a flowing stream, extinguishing the flames burning in him and replenishing the life force he’d lost, even recovering the injuries he’d sustained slightly.

All of this happened within an instant. Just as Hu Zi was taken aback by this, the long sword closed in, and during that moment, Su Ming, who had been sitting behind Hu Zi while meditating, stood up with a dark look on his face. He took a step forward, and at the same moment he exchanged places with Hu Zi, he lifted his right hand and pointed towards the incoming longsword.

All of this might seem to have happen over a long period of time, but in truth, only an instant had passed since the moment Su Ming woke up to the moment he pointed forward. That finger touched the long sword, and an indescribably loud bang exploded into the air.

Because of it, Beiling withdrew for the first time ever, and this time, he even took a dozen something steps backwards. With each step, a deep footprint would be left behind on the ground, and it even made the entire mountain tremble. When he took his final step, he coughed up a huge mouthful of blood with a pale face. He lifted his head swiftly, with shock evident on his face.

Su Ming was not forced to take even a step backwards. He stood right where he was, and behind him was Hu Zi, his senior brother, the senior brother who had used his life to protect and defend him just moments ago!

This senior brother of his might like laughing and grinning foolishly, might think of himself as an incredibly intelligent person, might be so straightforward in his actions that he would at times cause others to not know how to deal with him, but he was his senior brother, the man who had used everything within him to protect his junior brother!

This was Hu Zi!

Su Ming’s third senior brother!

”Senior brother, I’m here.”

Su Ming did not look at Beiling. He looked instead at Hu Zi, and as he spoke gently, he pressed his left hand on his chest, and immediately, a vast amount of life force surged into his body once again.

Hu Zi grinned foolishly and looked back at him. That honest expression made Su Ming’s heart clench in pain, because the injuries on Hu Zi’s chest were incredibly grievous at the moment. His hands were also torn into bloody ribbons. His pale face, his honest, straightforward smile, and his mountain-like build were things that Su Ming would never forget in his life.

”Junior brother, am I going to die…? If I’m going to die, then let me die... I’m not afraid… Remember, you have to look for Master…” It was becoming hard for Hu Zi to breather, and his voice was disjointed.

”You won’t die!” Su Ming stated stubbornly!

At that moment, Beiling, who was forced back a dozen something steps, stared at Su Ming. An incredibly grim look appeared on his face. He swiftly lifted his right hand, and a large amount of sword shadows appeared around him, and they looked as if they numbered to nearly a hundred. As he pointed forward with his right hand, those sword shadows whistled in the air, tore through space, and rushed towards Su Ming.

”You won’t die. If anyone dares to take your life, I will search for them throughout heaven and earth, and I will destroy their clans, wipe their sects, and eradicate their families!” Su Ming declared through gritted teeth, and when he lifted his left hand from Hu Zi’s chest, a blue glow appeared in his eyes. He formed a strange seal with his hand, and that seal looked like the word ‘Life’.

”You won’t die, because I will seize Life for you!”

Su Ming swiftly pressed his left hand on the center of Hu Zi’s brows, and at the same time, he lifted his right hand and pushed in the direction towards the near a hundred sword shadows charging towards him.

With that one push, a power of time reversal swiftly erupted from his right hand.