Pursuit of the Truth
chapter-177

Su Ming looked at the illusionary gigantic nine-headed beast in the sky and saw the person in green robes in the eyes of two of the three heads. Their cold and arrogant gaze seemed to have connected with Su Ming’s gaze for the first time even though they were separated by a great distance.

A faint smile appeared on the lips of the person in green robes. There was a hint of disdain in his smile. He gradually disappeared along with the nine-headed beast in the sky. As it disappeared, the dark clouds returned and rain fell once again.

‘That might not be the case, might it..?’

Su Ming’s expression was calm. He suddenly understood the meaning of the gaze that belonged to the person in green robes.

He did not know who that person was, but Su Ming knew that Han Mountain Bell was still without an owner. That person had not managed to completely obtain the bell either. He had only managed to obtain two of the nine heads!

When the illusionary beast in the sky completely faded out and disappeared into thin air, the people on the ground snapped out of their daze and opened their eyes, no matter how strong or weak they were. Even Yan Luan, the Elder, and the others from the three tribes also opened their eyes at that moment.

Very few knew what had happened. The sky was covered by dark clouds, as if nothing unusual had occured. The crowd fell into a brief period of silence before they burst into an uproar.

"What… happened just now?"

"I felt my mind go blank, and I can only remember the bell chime echoing in my head…"

"That’s not right, something must have happened just now, or else it’s impossible for all of us to react the same way!"

The sounds of discussions became louder. The crowd’s gazes all turned to Su Ming under the bell. They only saw his back. Su Ming had his head lowered, and the black robes covered his head so neither his face nor expression could be seen clearly. The watchers could only feel an indescribable presence coming from his back as he walked towards the stone gate leading to the second layer.

By the stone gate, Nan Tian and the others stood with shocked expressions on their faces. They looked at Su Ming walking over. Even if they were all powerful Transcended Berserkers, their minds had been blank during the span of the few breaths. They did not know what had happened, but Ke Jiu Si still instinctively took a few steps back when Su Ming approached them. A respectful look appeared on his face.

The others might not know what had happened, but Ke Jiu Si had seen Si Mi Xin sounding the bell in the past. It might have only been three chimes, but the same situation where all of their minds turned blank had happened. He still remembered it. That year, when he woke up, he saw Si Ma Xin’s back as he looked at the bell quietly. That memory had just overlapped with the mysterious person before him!

Nan Tian’s breathing became rapid. He might not know as much as Ke Jiu Si, but he still knew that the bell belonged to Si Ma Xin. However, when the strange blank moment in his memories appeared, it still made him feel respectful towards the person walking towards him.

‘He’s fighting against Sir Si Ma for this bell… This person…’

Nan Tian lowered his head.

Xuan Lun was silent. There was a conflicted look on his face. He had recognized Su Ming. At that moment, Su Ming had just become a tad more mysterious in his eyes. This mysteriousness was so thick it made Xuan Lun instinctively choose to move back.

‘Mo Su’s power is not as great as mine, but he still makes me feel dread… He dared to fight against Sir Si Ma for this treasure, and… Mo Su seemed to have gained something… just what other secret does this person hold? Is he really just challenging the Chains of Han Mountain to obtain the right to enter Freezing Sky Clan..? Thank goodness he’s not the Berserker who attained completion for the Blood Solidification Realm a few months ago…’

Xuan Lun hesitated for a moment. He became slightly uncertain of his thoughts.

Su Ming walked over calmly right under these people’s gazes. He did not stop for even a moment at the stone gate leading to the second layer. With one step, he crossed over.

The stone gate suddenly let out a bright flash. At the same time, the three plates Su Ming had on his body also let out bright lights. With a flash, he disappeared into the stone gate.

When Su Ming stepped into the stone gate, an old woman appeared behind Yan Luan on Lake of Colors Mountain. That old woman coughed as she walked. Her face was filled with wrinkles. As she coughed, a sickly red parlor appeared on her face.

Two girls supported the old woman on both of her sides. Their faces were filled with worry.

Yan Luan turned around, shifting her gaze to the old woman. She immediately took a few steps forward and personally held the old woman’s arm.

"Tribe leader, the Elder insisted on coming… we…" one of the girls immediately said.

"It’s fine. You can both leave now."

Yan Luan nodded and carried the old woman to the edge of the mountain. That spot allowed them to have a better view of Han Mountain City.

"Luan Er, someone obtained a part of Han Mountain Bell’s inheritance just now, yes..?"

There was a dull light in the old woman’s eyes. Her voice was hoarse and held a hint of weakness. If she did not have Yan Luan’s support, she would surely fall.

"Yes," Yan Luan was silent for a moment before she answered softly.

"That bell has been in Han Mountain for too long… Han Mountain Tribe was even named after that bell. Han Moutain’s ancestor was the one who gave the bell its name – Han Mountain Bell. But in truth, no one knows where it came from, and what its true name is.

"It’s better if it’s taken away. If it continues staying here, then some day, it’ll bring about a catastrophe… It doesn’t matter whether it’s Si Ma Xin or that person just now, let whoever can take it away do so. Don’t interfere."

"But Fei Er still needs to enter Freezing Sky…"

Before Yan Luan could finish speaking, the old woman turned her weak body around and looked at the beautiful woman before her. She did not speak, but only looked.

After a long while, Yan Luan lowered her head.

"Elder, I’ll remember it."

"Luan Er, Lake of Colors Tribe is only a small middle-sized tribe. Si Ma Xin is not someone we can provoke, but is the person who dared to fight against Si Ma Xin for the bell someone we can provoke?"

"Elder, I’m worried about Freezing Sky Clan. Si Ma Xin is the disciple they value the most in Freezing Sky Clan… Fei Er still needs to join Freezing Sky Clan, if I don’t do anything now, I…"

"You’re still too young…"

The old woman lifted a trembling hand and patted Yan Luan’s shoulder. The intelligence left behind by time could be seen in her dull eyes.

"You can say that Si Ma Xin is Freezing Sky Clan’s disciple, but can you say that Si Ma Xin is the only disciple in Freezing Sky Clan?"

The old woman turned her head and looked at Han Mountain with a profound gaze.

"This…"

Yan Luan was stunned. There was a slightly confused look on her face.

The old woman sighed softly. She did not look at Yan Luan as she whispered, "Let’s change a perspective, you can say that Lake of Colors Tribe is a tribe in the Land of South Morning, but can you say that Lake of Colors Tribe is the only tribe in the Land of South Morning..? Do you understand now?"

Yan Luan fell silent for a moment before she nodded.

"I’ve already given up too much for Freezing Sky Clan. The four dimensional layer Relocation Art can protect our tribe from not dwindling for 1,000 years. Don’t provoke this person. If he wants to challenge the Chains of Han Mountain, then we will support him." As the old woman spoke, a tired look appeared on her face.

At the same time, the eyes of Tranquil East’s Elder sparkled at the top of the mountain of Tranquil East Tribe. His expressions changed repeatedly, as if he was uncertain. He would even occasionally cast a look at the Lake of Colors Mountain. When he saw that Lake of Colors Mountain remained still, resolution appeared in his eyes.

"Among the three tribes in Han Mountain, I respect the Elder of Lake of Colors the most. This old woman may not be incredibly calculative, but her intelligence can occasionally be very useful in major events. If she doesn’t take action, neither will we!

"Han Mountain Bell will belong to whoever takes it away. This bell never belonged to the three tribes to begin with. Once we understand this, we can be at ease," the Elder of Tranquil East said in a voice as if he was mumbling to himself, but he also seemed to be talking to the tribe leader of Tranquil East, the Chief of War, and the others standing behind him.

Puqiang Tribe was also silent. The three tribes had adopted a strikingly similar attitude towards this. They chose to ignore it.

There was only a little time left before the afternoon, but the rain was still heavy. It poured down mountain ranges and flowed down the rocks, causing the floor to be incredibly slippery.

This was Su Ming’s first time being in the second layer of Han Mountain City. Behind him was the stone gate that blocked the path to the third layer. Before him, the first layer of Han Mountain City was located high above. It was also the top of Han Mountain. That place was not too far from where he was. There was nothing above the first layer. Only the three Chains stretched out and connected the mountains of the three tribes over there.

"The Chains of Han Mountain…"

A brilliant glint appeared in Su Ming’s eyes. He lifted his feet and moved through the quiet second layer at a moderate pace. He walked along the winding mountain path, and after the times it takes to burn half an incense stick, he stood at the highest point of Han Mountain City!

At this place, the mountain breeze whistled in the air and rushed madly at his face. It caused Su Ming’s robes to dance in the air, but the wind did not manage to lift the robes covering his face. The three Chains connected to the summit swayed in the wind. The canyons that spanned hundreds upon thousands of feet were right underneath them.

The wind was piercing cold. There were even droplets of rain in it.

Su Ming stood right there at the top and took a deep breath.

He did not know whether powerful Transcended Berserkers would die once they failed the challenge and fell into the canyons. However, if the Chains of Han Mountain had existed for so many years, then it would definitely not be easy to challenge them. Even if those who had Transcended could walk in the sky, they would still only have a slim chance of surviving.

Su Ming stood at the summit and looked into the distance. As far as he could see it was filled with dark clouds. The sky and earth seemed to have connected together and there was no difference between them. The rain was like a curtain that caused everything in sight to be blurred and indistinct.

Sometimes, thunder would rumble in the sky. Bolts of lightning that could not be seen clearly would also flash. Sometimes, a part of the bolt of lightning would appear among the layers of clouds. If someone kept their eyes towards the sky for a long time, they would feel as if their eyes were flickering.

"He’s going to start the challenge of the Chains of Han Mountain!"

"Which tribe’s Chain will this person choose? I think it’s going to be Lake of Colors!"

"No matter which tribe’s Chain he chooses, I just want to know whether he’ll be successful. There’re nine sections to the Chain, how many sections will he be able to walk? If he walks past the seventh section, then he can already be considered to have made it!"

"In the past, the standard was for the challenger to walk up to the eighth section of the Chain for Freezing Sky Clan to take that person in as a disciple. The criterion for each person is still different, but there’re just too few who manage to walk up to the ninth section of the Chain."

"The ninth section is nothing. From what I know, the nine sections that are open to public now are only the first section of the true Chains of Han Mountain! The true Chains of Han Mountain are connected to eight mountains. Up till now, the complete chain had only appeared twice thousands of years ago!"

The rain may have been heavy, but it did not stop the people from paying attention to what was happening.

Su Ming stood at the top of the mountain. Before him was the Chain connecting to Lake of Colors Tribe. The Chain to his right was connected to the mountain belonging to Tranquil East Tribe in the distance. To his left was the Chain that connected to Puqiang Mountain, dripping wet with water as it bathed in the rain.

Three Chains, and three different mountains.

Su Ming stood at the peak, and he could not help but recall the first time he came to Han Mountain City a few years ago. He had been standing at the third layer and had his head lifted to look at He Feng standing at the top of the mountain.

That scene had remained in his head for a long time.

"A few years have passed since then. Time flies…" Su Ming mumbled.

He took a deep breath and looked towards the Chain connecting to Puqiang Mountain. A bright glint appeared in his eyes and he took one step towards the Chain to his left!