Tears in the Void

Almost the instant the Wu Mountain Tribe's Grandpa let out that low growl, countless Moon Wings came shrieking through the blood-mist-shrouded sky, which had hidden the Blood Moon. They raced through the fog and descended upon the Wu Mountain Tribe. Their sharp cries drowned out every other sound in the world, becoming the only song of this Blood Moon night.

Beasts with blood-soaked fur were hurled into the air by the tribe's people. Before they could fall back down, the countless Moon Wings, like a blood-red cloud, swiftly converged on them. Amid their shrill, miserable cries, the beasts were covered by Moon Wings, their bodies pierced by countless sharp teeth. In an instant, they became withered corpses; their blood and lives were devoured along with them.

All that remained were skin-and-bone husks. They hit the ground with thuds and, after a few spasms, lay dead.

Many of the Moon Wings in the sky ignored the beasts thrown upward and instead dived straight toward the tribe below. Their scarlet eyes gleamed with cruelty and bloodlust. Their target was the Barbarian Tribe people in the settlement.

Screams, weeping, and roars mingled in that moment, forming a melody that echoed the Moon Wings' shrill cries and rang out beneath the eerie moon.

But the sea of fire surrounding the entire settlement was now like a sturdy barrier. The moment the oncoming Moon Wings drew near, they shrieked and darted back into the sky. The flames could not burn the grass or the houses, yet they were deadly to the creatures.

"Throw more!" Grandpa called from within the sea of fire, his gaze fixed on the sky.

At once, more tribespeople below began hurling out the beasts they had stored for winter, trembling with fear. It was as if they were feeding the Moon Wings, or offering them a sacrifice, and the creatures in the air devoured the animals in a frenzy.

Time passed little by little. Once every beast stored for winter had become food for the Moon Wings and fallen to the ground as a dry husk, the creatures in the sky, maddened by their bloodlust, began diving down in droves. They seemed determined to break through the fiery barrier and descend upon the settlement, to feast on the Barbarian Blood that had made their eyes blaze red.

Grandpa waved his right hand. The sea of fire immediately became a vast whirlpool, roaring as it spun. With his own strength, he fought against the Moon Wings in the sky. At the same time, arrow after arrow shot up from the settlement, piercing through the flames to engage the creatures.

But against the Moon Wings, beings with strange lives that were almost impossible to kill, such injuries could do nothing. The beat of their wings and their piercing cries left the people of the Wu Mountain Tribe terrified.

Not long afterward, several Moon Wings broke through the sea of fire and howled through the settlement, throwing the Wu Mountain Tribe into chaos.

The same scene was unfolding in the Black Dragon Tribe.

Only the Black Mountain Tribe was strangely different. Every tribesperson in the settlement was prostrate on the ground, not daring to move. Above them, the Black Mountain Tribe's Barbarian Duke, Bi Tu, stood with his arms spread wide, his face alight with fervor as he chanted strange words toward the sky.

Countless Moon Wings circled around him. Many clung to his body, their sharp teeth piercing his flesh as they sucked his blood.

But Bi Tu seemed to have lost all sense of pain. He offered no resistance; instead, his fervor only grew stronger. As his face gradually paled, the strange chant in his mouth rose in volume.

"Sacrifice my blood! O Fire Barbarian Tribe of ages past! You gained immortality and became Moon Wings. You devour my Barbarian Blood, so let your Fire Barbarian Blood merge into my body!

"Di He, Hong La Dong!" Bi Tu roared at the sky. Instantly, dazzling black light burst from his body. As it spread, all the Moon Wings clinging to him shrieked. Their bodies rapidly shrank, the red glow in their eyes dimmed, and moments later they seemed to lose their lives, tumbling from Bi Tu's body.

But even more Moon Wings came swarming in again!

As the cycle repeated, Bi Tu absorbed the blood of countless Moon Wings. His body visibly swelled, and an overwhelmingly powerful surge of vitality and blood burst from within him.

Drawn by that surge, not only did the Moon Wings above the Black Mountain Tribe swarm toward him, but even those heading for the Wu Mountain Tribe and the Black Dragon Tribe sensed it. They scattered, changed course, and raced toward the Black Mountain Tribe.

Not far away within the Black Mountain Tribe stood a figure cloaked from head to toe in black. His presence stood out sharply among the tribespeople prostrate on the ground. The style of his black robe was clearly beyond anything a nearby small tribe could possess. Watching the Black Mountain Tribe's Barbarian Duke in the sky, he wore a sinister smile.

"I taught you how to find Moon Stones and use them to summon the Fire Barbarian Moon Wings. I showed you the fastest path to the Dust Opening Realm. Whether you succeed is up to your own fortune..."

Compared with the carnage outside, Su Ming was relatively safe. Inside the cave, he pushed aside the stone covering the entrance and hurried out. Several patches of skin had blistered from the heat. His lips were cracked, and his heart pounded.

"This place... is actually a Moon Wing roost!" Su Ming stared into the depths of the cave. He had heard many tales of Moon Wings since childhood and knew how terrifying these strange beasts were. The rumors that they were almost impossible to kill made his gaze tighten.

After a moment's thought, he slowly crawled toward the exit. Near the outside, he poked his head out and took a quick look. At the sight, he immediately sucked in a breath. The sky outside was shrouded in red mist, filled with echoing roars and countless Moon Wings.

Su Ming hurriedly drew back and slowly retreated, hesitating as he returned into the cave. He was at a loss.

"I wonder how the tribe is doing... I can't go out right now. The moment I do, the Moon Wings will notice me." Su Ming frowned, deeply anxious and worried about the tribe's situation.

But he knew there was nothing he could do to fix things. His gaze flickered, then settled on the depths of the cave. Slowly, a light appeared in his eyes.

"There are clearly far more Moon Wings this time than usual. And from the look of it, the depths of this cave should be empty..." After a brief hesitation, Su Ming gradually walked forward. He passed the place where he had refined powder, looked toward the cave's depths, and his eyes hardened with resolve.

"I might as well take a look and see what's in here that makes the Moon Wings roost here year after year. Maybe I can discover their secret. If I go back and tell Grandpa, perhaps I can help him." Su Ming's body blurred as he raced toward the unexplored depths of the cave.

Strangely, the cave had always been scorching hot, with waves of heat that were almost unbearable. But as Su Ming ventured deeper, he felt no heat at all. Instead, a chill seemed to seep out from the depths.

As Su Ming made his way into the depths of the cave, the three tribes beneath Wu Mountain were once again thrown into turmoil.

More than a hundred Moon Wings had now broken through the Wu Mountain Tribe's sea of fire and pounced on its people. The tribe's Barbarian Warriors fought back with all their strength. Cold light flickered in Bei Ling's eyes as he guarded Chen Xin behind him. Chilling air spread from his right hand, filling the area with sharp ice flowers. Several wounds marked his body, and blood seeped from them. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened as he looked into the distance. Without hesitation, he reached behind himself with his right hand and seized his bow.

The instant Bei Ling gripped the bow, a murderous aura soared from him. He pulled the bowstring taut with his left hand. The arrowhead gleamed as ice flowers rapidly gathered around it. Then he loosed the arrow toward the place he was watching.

In the distance, Lei Chen was filled with bloodlust. Several Moon Wings clung to him, but he paid them no mind. Instead, he grabbed one off his body and lunged at it, mouth wide open.

"Dare to suck Grandpa Lei's blood? Then I'll suck yours!"

But just as he bit down on the Moon Wing, he noticed dozens of them rushing toward him from the sky. With his level of cultivation, he had no chance of fighting so many.

At that perilous moment, a blast of icy air came howling in, followed by a sharp arrow wreathed in ice flowers. It exploded overhead with a boom, sending the dozens of Moon Wings tumbling backward and saving Lei Chen.

Lei Chen froze, then looked back at Bei Ling, who had coldly lowered his bow. A complicated look flickered in Lei Chen's eyes.

The Wu Mountain Tribe's chief was also awash with surging vitality and blood. He held a long silver spear, and every time he hurled it, a thunderous boom rang out. Waves of air rolled back, forcing the Moon Wings to scatter.

Even so, there were simply too many Moon Wings diving down. Some ordinary tribespeople were already being seized by the creatures, their shrill screams rising as they were dragged toward the sky.

Just then, Grandpa struck. He swept his bone staff, and the entire settlement seemed to shake. A gigantic Barbarian Statue materialized from thin air. Its eyes gleamed with cruelty, and it seemed to come alive the moment it appeared. The long dragon clutched in its hands was especially striking: it roared toward the sky, sprang to life, and swept around in every direction.

As time passed, the Blood Moon night slowly drew to a close. But the fighting in the settlements grew even fiercer. In the end, the Moon Wings stopped sucking blood and began seizing living members of the Barbarian Tribe, as though they meant to carry them back to their nest for food.

When the distant sky began to brighten, a piercing shriek rang out from the Black Dragon Tribe. Among the many Moon Wings, a white figure appeared, her exquisite face pale with despair. She and several tribespeople had been seized by the creatures and were being carried swiftly toward Wu Mountain.

Behind them, an old woman in coarse clothes pursued them relentlessly, her face tense with worry.

But she had not gone far when the screams from the Black Dragon Tribe rang out. Bloodshot eyes full of grief, the old woman abruptly turned and gave up the chase, choosing instead to protect her tribe.

In the distance, the white-robed figure watched this happen, tears streaming from her eyes...

The tears fell through the sky, vanishing without a trace. No one could see them.

As the sky grew fully bright and the Blood Moon faded, countless Moon Wings shrieked as they raced toward Wu Mountain from every direction. One swarm carried several tribespeople from different tribes, including the white-robed woman, straight toward Black Flame Peak. They slipped inside through one of its many entrances.