Pursuit of the Truth
chapter-155

"No, I just can’t stand people who hide their identity."

A glint appeared in Xuan Lun’s eyes. He suddenly took a step forward and strolled towards Su Ming.

As he walked over, murderous intent immediately appeared from the old man behind him. He glared at Su Ming and went forward as well.

Su Ming did not move but remained seated in his place. Beside him, Dong Fang Hua gulped, his heart racing. Instinctively, he wanted to retreat and avoid this, but when he saw the calm look on Su Ming’s face, he remembered his decision and gritted his teeth despite his hesitation.

He knew that he could not run away from this. If he did, then it would be impossible for him to become Mo Su’s follower. He might even lose the right to stay in this place.

‘I’ll risk it! I have to risk it!’

Once he made his decision, Dong Fang Hua clenched his fists. The blood veins in his body erupted forth and he stood beside Su Ming without any signs of retreat.

"You want to fight against me?"

Su Ming lifted his head and looked at Xuan Lun walking over. There was a deepness in his eyes, which shone with a strange light as he spoke slowly.

Xuan Lun stopped and his pupils shrank. The moment his gaze met Su Ming’s, a sense of danger rose within him abruptly. This sense of danger came suddenly, but it could still be felt clearly.

That profound look in Su Ming’s eyes was like stars. When Xuan Lun saw it, he was shocked.

If he reacted this way, then it was even more so for the old man behind him. The moment the old man saw Su Ming’s eyes, a thunderous rumble immediately appeared in his head and there was a baffled look on his face, as if he had just lost his consciousness.

"I may have been injured by the tribe leader of Lake of Colors Tribe, but if you want to fight, then so be it," Su Ming said unhurriedly.

His words were spoken slowly, so slowly that it gave people enough time to think about the meaning of his sentence.

"Yan Luan, the tribe leader of Lake of Colors Tribe? She’s here too?" Nan Tian’s expression immediately became serious and he asked with a growl.

"I don’t know whether she is physically here. The people who fought against me were Han Fei Zi, Yan Guang, and the face that was formed by a small part of Yan Luan’s Berserker Mark," Su Ming calmly said and lifted the robes over his chest.

There was a pink picture over his heart. If anyone took a closer look, they would see that the picture formed a vague face of a woman.

The moment they saw the picture, Nan Tian’s pupils shrank while Xuan Lun’s eyes flashed.

"You escaped from the apparition of Yan Luan’s face? Brother Mo… I respect you!" Nan Tian said gravely.

He knew the might of Yan Luan’s Berserker Art and that if he ran into her, even if he escaped from her, he would be gravely wounded. He would not be like Mo Su, who could still fight.

"Brother Xuan, the only people who have the battle power equivalent to that of Transcendence is the three of us. If we fight among ourselves, then we might very well die here. I didn’t think Yan Luan would be here as well. Wasn’t she trying to break into the later stage of the Transcendence Realm?"

Nan Tian’s expression was incredibly sour. He now knew that he had not thought through his previous act of spreading out his presence. When he thought about it, cold sweat broke out on his skin.

Xuan Lun fell silent. He stared at Su Ming for a long moment before he let out a cold harrumph.

"How should I address you?"

"Mo Su," Su Ming said in a dull tone.

Xuan Lun gazed at Su Ming with a scrutinizing look before turning around and going to the other side to sit down. He did not talk about fighting anymore. This place had become dangerous due to Lake of Colors Tribe, and Xuan Lun did not have enough confidence to kill him without getting injured. If it was simply because he was an eyesore, then he would not fight with him under these conditions.

"Brother Xuan, brother Mo, there are still seven days left before this place closes. Unless Yan Luan comes personally from Lake of Colors Tribe, then the three of us will be safe here.

"But I think that Yan Luan must be aiming for something big since she appeared in the grave of Han Mountain’s ancestor. As long as we don’t get involved, she won’t attack us.

"After all, she might be in the middle stage of the Transcendence Realm, but if she fought against all three of us, it would be impossible for her to not be injured. This will put her in a disadvantage if she wants to obtain the legacy of Han Mountain’s ancestor."

Nan Tian fell into pensive silence for a moment before he swept his gaze across Su Ming and Xuan Lun.

"Nan Tian, what are your plans? Just say it," Xuan Lun said with a low voice.

"With our power, it would be impossible for us to join the three tribes for empty fame, common herbs, and Berserker Arts. I won’t hide my thoughts from all of you. I joined Tranquil East for the legacy of Han Mountain’s ancestor. The reputation of Han Mountain’s ancestor was too great in the past. His legacy is highly valued and sought after by the three tribes. I’m not a talented person, that is why I want a portion of his legacy.

"It might be dangerous here, but this might perhaps be our last chance…" Nan Tian’s eyes sparkled as he spoke quietly. "I know of a few secret tunnels… that will lead to the plains. If brother Xuan and brother Mo have the same thoughts as I do, then we can try taking this risk! We can share what we obtain equally."

"Secret tunnel? Yan Luan is definitely at the altar in the plains. If we go there, it’ll be difficult escaping her notice. We might as well be marching to our deaths!"

Xuan Lun frowned.

"I have the confidence to not be discovered by Yan Luan. These tunnels might lead to the plains, but they branch out within. One of these branches lead straight into the tomb of Han Mountain’s ancestor!

"I went there once, but I could not open the seal, that was why I had to give up. This time, Lake of Colors Tribe has definitely obtained the way to open the seal to the tomb, that’s why they’re making the move. When the seal is broken, we can enter the tomb secretly.

"Besides, due to the seal, unless Yan Luan’s level of cultivation reaches the Bone Sacrifice Realm so she can connect with the heavens and earth, then she won’t be able to detect us."

"Oh? If such a tunnel exists, you could go there on your own. Why are you telling us this?"

Xuan Lun’s expression remained passive, but he was moved. He instinctively looked towards Su Ming, who remained silent.

"Brother Xuan, I won’t hide it from you. Even if I couldn’t open the seal, I could still feel a pressure coming from within the tomb. There is a great threat in the tomb belonging to Han Mountain’s ancestor. With my own power, it’ll be difficult for me to walk to the end…

"After all, no matter how great the treasures are, our lives are more important. But if we work together, we can cover each other’s weaknesses. We might even be able to obtain serendipities. I’ve told you the truth of my plans. What will you choose, to stay or to hide? It is up to the two of you whether you want to leave this place safely seven days later or to take a risk," Nan Tian explained unhurriedly.

The valley gradually fell into silence. Xuan Lun was quiet. He had his eyes closed, as if he was thinking about something.

Su Ming lowered his head and a glint appeared briefly in his eyes. He might want to see Han Mountain’s ancestor, but he wanted to see his corpse and where he died, not an ancestor who was alive and kicking.

‘This small virescent sword of mine belongs to Han Mountain’s ancestor, the meadow too… belongs to this person… It would be fine if he died, but if he’s truly not dead… then everything that I do will be useless before him.’

This was the biggest reason for Su Ming’s hesitation. It was also the main reason why he did not choose to use He Feng’s method when he said that he knew of a way to enter the isolation grounds of Han Mountain’s ancestor.

‘But this might be a chance. These two people will be with me, and Lake of Colors Tribe come in force to enter the place. Even if Han Mountain’s ancestor hasn’t died, he’ll be busy taking care of himself.

‘Should I go, or should I not… Nan Tian is saying all these because he saw that Xuan Lun and I are not amicable towards each other…’

Su Ming frowned. He could not make up his mind.

He previously wanted to enter the place because he wanted to find an Art that could allow him to absorb the spiritual aura from the world more quickly. At that time, he had been under the belief that Han Mountain’s ancestor was dead. Yet the moment he stepped in, a lot of things changed, and after experiencing those things, that desire was no longer as strong.

As Su Ming remained silent, Xuan Lun’s gloomy voice traveled into his ears.

"We don’t have to make our decisions immediately. It still won’t be too late for us to choose once we enter that secret tunnel you speak of and see the seal that leads to the grave of Han Mountain’s ancestor."

Nan Tian nodded. All he had was empty words. He could understand why Xuan Lun was being cautious. After all, people would only believe after they saw the truth with their own eyes. He shifted his gaze towards Su Ming.

"Brother Mo, what are your thoughts?"

"I am injured. Even if I want to go, I’m afraid I won’t be of much help."

Su Ming did not reject him. Instead, he spoke slowly in a roundabout manner.

Xuan Lun did not speak, but a chill seeped into his eyes.

Nan Tian fell silent for a moment as he stared at Su Ming. In truth, it was risky for him when he spoke of those words. If everyone went, they would be safe, but if one of them did not, then they would face the risk of being exposed.

"This isn’t a problem. Yan Luan’s Art disturbs the mind and injures the eclectic energy in your heart. Brother Mo, your injury seems to be mainly on your heart’s eclectic energy …"

As Nan Tian spoke, he pointed at the black beast bone floating before him. That bone charged towards Su Ming, stopping before him.

"Brother Mo, I’ll use this bone to heal you. It can reduce the pain you feel in your heart."

Su Ming looked at the beast bone before him for a long while before he nodded. His expression remained passive, but he grew cautious. He focused the Branding Art on the bone.

When Nan Tian saw that Su Ming agreed to it, he lifted his right hand and bit his finger before he pressed it against the center of his brows. The moment his finger touched his skin, the black bone before Su Ming instantly let out a dim light. Wisps of pink mist seeped out of Su Ming’s chest and were absorbed by the bone.

After the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, the black bone turned pink. Nan Tian lowered his right hand from the center of his brows and pointed at the bone. The bone immediately withdrew and flew back to Nan Tian’s side.

Su Ming took in a deep breath. He could distinctly feel that the injury over his heart had become much better and the pain had lessened.

"Brother Mo, can you go now?" Nan Tian asked in a low tone and narrowed his eyes.

Xuan Lun smiled coldly and looked at Su Ming.

"Going there won’t be a problem," Su Ming said calmly, not affected by the proceedings.

"Great!"

Nan Tian smiled. He understood Xuan Lun and knew just how greedy he was. As long as you gave enough incentive to these people, they would be moved.

Yet Nan Tian did not understand Su Ming. Unless he absolutely had to, he did not want to become enemies with him. He only did what he did after he saw that Xuan Lun and Su Ming were not in good terms with each other. That was why that thought appeared in his mind and he said those words. He believed that Su Ming would not reject him once he used such a forceful method.

There were some words that should not be heard. Once you heard them, then you must join.

"We shouldn’t dally. We must leave now! This trip is dangerous. If we want to obtain serendipities, then we must be honest. I will open the path. Brother Xuan, brother Mo, please protect me."

Nan Tian stood up and wrapped his fist in his palm towards Xuan Lun and Su Ming.

"We are not too far away from the tunnel. With our speed, we should be able to arrive in four hours. As for our three followers…"

"Let them follow in case they leak our plans," Xuan Lun stated coldly.

Dong Fang Hua and the other two people did not dare speak up. They merely nodded their heads and obeyed.

The six people left the place in a hurry under Nan Tian’s lead.

In the distance were the plains surrounded by mountain ranges. Fog obscured the building that Han Mountain’s ancestor had chosen for his isolation grounds. It looked like a giant looming mouth that seemed to be waiting for them to arrive…