Tears Empty

Almost the instant Grandpa of the Wu Mountain Tribe let out that low roar, a massive swarm of Moon Wings came shrieking through the sky, which was already choked with blood-mist and obscured the blood moon. They tore through the haze and descended upon the Wu Mountain Tribe, their sharp, piercing screeches drowning out every other sound in the world, becoming the only thing that existed on this night of the blood moon.

Beasts with hides stained by fresh blood were tossed into the air by the tribesmen. Before they could even fall back to the ground, the countless Moon Wings—looking like a cloud of blood—converged upon them. Amidst shrill, agonizing cries, the beasts were swarmed, their bodies pierced by countless sharp teeth, and in an instant, they were reduced to withered husks, their blood and life force devoured by the Moon Wings.

All that remained were skin-and-bone corpses that hit the ground with dull thuds, usually twitching a few times before dying completely.

On the horizon, countless Moon Wings ignored the beasts being thrown up and instead dove straight toward the tribe below. Their scarlet eyes gleamed with cruelty and bloodlust; their targets were the Barbarian tribesmen themselves.

Screams, wails, and roars intertwined, forming a melody that resonated with the screeching of the Moon Wings, playing out across this eerie, moonlit night.

However, the sea of fire encircling the entire tribe acted as a sturdy barrier. The moment the diving Moon Wings approached, they would shriek and veer away, as if the fire—which could not burn the grass or the huts—inflicted fatal damage upon them.

"Throw more!" Grandpa stood within the sea of fire, watching the sky with a grave expression.

Immediately, more tribesmen below, driven by fear, continuously tossed out the beasts stored for the winter. It was like a feeding, a sacrifice, meant to keep the Moon Wings in the air frenziedly gorging themselves.

Time ticked away. Once all the winter-stored beasts had become food for the Moon Wings and fallen to the ground as dried husks, the Moon Wings in the sky, driven mad by their bloodlust, began to dive in massive waves. They seemed intent on breaking through the fiery barrier to descend upon the tribe and feast on the Barbarian blood that had made their eyes turn red.

Grandpa waved his right hand, and the sea of fire instantly transformed into a massive vortex, rotating with a thunderous roar. With his own strength, he stood against the Moon Wings in the sky. At the same time, arrows flew from the tribe like bolts from a bow, piercing through the sea of fire to engage the Moon Wings in battle.

But for these strange, near-immortal creatures, such injuries had no effect. The sound of flapping wings and piercing screeches left the people of the Wu Mountain Tribe in a state of panic.

Before long, several Moon Wings broke through the sea of fire and shrieked as they swept through the tribe, throwing the Wu Mountain Tribe into chaos.

The same scene was playing out at the Black Dragon Tribe.

Only the Black Mountain Tribe remained eerily silent. All the tribesmen within were prostrate on the ground, not daring to move. Above them, Bi Tu, the Barbarian Duke of the Black Mountain Tribe, stood with his arms outstretched, his face twisted in fanaticism as he chanted a strange incantation toward the sky.

Countless Moon Wings circled him, and many more were latched onto his body, their sharp teeth buried in his flesh, draining his blood.

Yet, Bi Tu seemed to have lost the ability to feel pain. He offered no resistance; instead, his fervor only intensified. As his complexion grew increasingly pale, the strange incantation he chanted grew louder and more high-pitched.

"I sacrifice my blood! Oh, Fire Barbarian tribe from the ages of old, you who attained immortality and became Moon Wings, you who devour my Barbarian Blood, you shall infuse your Fire Barbarian blood into my body!! Di He, Hong La Dong!!" Bi Tu roared at the sky. Suddenly, his body erupted with a blinding black light. As the light spread, all the Moon Wings on his body began to shriek; their bodies rapidly shriveled, the red glow in their eyes dimmed, and within moments, they fell from Bi Tu's body as if they had lost their lives.

But even more Moon Wings descended in a fresh frenzy!

In this repeating cycle, Bi Tu absorbed the blood of a vast number of Moon Wings. His body swelled at a rate visible to the naked eye, and a thick, potent sense of blood-energy erupted from within him.

Driven by this surge of blood-energy, not only did the Moon Wings above the Black Mountain Tribe swarm toward him, but even those that had headed toward the Wu Mountain and Black Dragon Tribes sensed it, dispersed, and changed direction to fly straight toward the Black Mountain Tribe.

Not far from the Black Mountain Tribe stood a figure shrouded in a black robe. His presence was completely out of place among the tribesmen who were all prostrate on the ground. The style of his black robe was something no small tribe in this region could possess. He stood there, watching the Black Mountain Barbarian Duke in the sky, a sinister smile playing on his lips.

"I taught you the method to find those Moon Stones to summon the Fire Barbarian Moon Wings, and I showed you the path to reach the Dust Opening Realm as quickly as possible. As for whether you succeed, that depends on your own fortune..."

Compared to the carnage outside, Su Ming was relatively safe. Inside the cavern, he pushed aside the stone that had covered the entrance and scrambled out. His skin was blistered in several places, his lips were cracked, and his heart was pounding.

"This place... it's actually a nesting ground for Moon Wings!" Su Ming stared intently into the depths of the cavern. He had heard many legends about Moon Wings since he was a child and knew well the terror of these strange beasts, especially the rumors of their near-immortality, which made his eyes narrow.

After a moment of contemplation, he crawled slowly toward the exit. Near the opening, he poked his head out for a quick look. At that one glance, he gasped. The sky outside was filled with red mist, and the air was thick with the sound of screeching as countless Moon Wings swarmed about.

Su Ming quickly pulled his head back, hesitated, and slowly retreated, returning to the depths of the cavern, where he began to pace in indecision.

"I don't know how the tribe is doing... I can't go out now. If I do, those Moon Wings will spot me immediately." Su Ming frowned, his heart heavy with anxiety and worry for the state of his tribe.

But he knew he had no way to resolve the situation. His gaze flickered as he stared into the depths of the cavern, and a light gradually appeared in his eyes.

"The number of Moon Wings this time is clearly much higher than usual, and looking at this, it seems the depths of this cavern should be empty..." After a brief hesitation, he began to walk forward. He passed the area where he had been refining his energy and looked into the depths of the cave, his eyes hardening with resolve.

"I might as well go and see what exactly is in here that would cause Moon Wing beasts to nest here year after year. Perhaps I can find their secret; if I can take that back to Grandpa, it might be of some help." Su Ming shifted his body and dashed toward the depths of the cavern, a place he had never explored before.

Strangely, while the cavern had always been sweltering, with waves of unbearable heat rushing to meet him, as Su Ming ventured deeper, he felt no heat at all. Instead, a chilling sensation emanated from the depths of the cave.

As Su Ming walked deeper into the cavern, the three tribes beneath Wu Mountain were facing a new crisis.

At the Wu Mountain Tribe, over a hundred Moon Wing beasts had already breached the sea of fire and were pouncing on the tribesmen. The Barbarian Warriors of the tribe fought back with all their might. Bei Ling's eyes flashed with cold light as he guarded Chen Xin behind him. Cold energy radiated from his right hand, forming sharp ice flowers as it spread outward. He had several wounds on his body, and blood was seeping out. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened. He glanced into the distance and, without a second thought, reached behind his back to grab his bow.

The moment Bei Ling gripped the bow, a murderous aura erupted from him, shaking the heavens. His left hand pulled the bowstring taut, and the arrow tip shimmered. The surrounding ice flowers rapidly converged, and he fired an arrow toward the spot he was watching!

In the distance, Lei Chen fought with bloodthirsty intent. Several Moon Wings were latched onto him, but he didn't care. Instead, acting like a madman, he grabbed one of the Moon Wings on his body and bit down on it.

"You dare suck the blood of your Grandpa Lei? Then I'll suck yours too!"

But the moment he bit into the Moon Wing, he noticed dozens of Moon Wings diving straight toward him. With his current cultivation, he had no way to fight off so many.

At that critical moment, a blast of cold air whistled through the air. Following the cold air was an arrow tipped with swirling ice flowers. It exploded with a boom above Lei Chen, sending the dozens of Moon Wings reeling and saving him.

Lei Chen was stunned. He looked back at Bei Ling, who was coldly putting away his bow, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

The Chief of the Wu Mountain Tribe was also fighting with his blood-energy surging. He held a silver spear, and every time he threw it, a thunderous roar echoed, sending waves of air crashing back and forcing the Moon Wings to scatter.

Even so, the number of Moon Wings diving down was simply too great. Some of the ordinary tribesmen were already being snatched up by the Moon Wings, their shrill screams echoing as they were dragged into the air.

Just then, Grandpa made his move. He waved his bone staff, and the entire tribe seemed to tremble. A massive Barbarian Statue manifested out of thin air. The statue's eyes glowed with cruelty, and once it appeared, it seemed to come alive. In particular, the long dragon clutched in its hand let out a roar toward the heavens, manifesting fully and sweeping across the surroundings.

As time passed, the night of the blood moon was slowly coming to an end, but the battle within the tribe grew even more intense. By the end, the Moon Wings were no longer just draining blood; they were capturing living Barbarians, seemingly intent on dragging them back to their nests as food.

As the sky in the distance began to brighten, a sharp, piercing shriek echoed from the distant Black Dragon Tribe. Among the many Moon Wing beasts, a white-clad figure with a beautiful but pale face and eyes filled with despair was seen being snatched up by the Moon Wings along with several other tribesmen, and carried toward Wu Mountain.

Behind them, an old woman in coarse clothing chased after them, her expression filled with anxiety.

But before she could pursue for long, as screams erupted from within the Black Dragon Tribe, the old woman's eyes turned bloodshot with grief. She abruptly turned back, abandoning the pursuit to protect her own tribe.

The white-clad figure in the distance watched this scene, tears streaming down her face...

Yet those tears simply fell into the sky, their destination unknown, and no one saw them.

When the sky finally turned completely bright and the blood moon began to fade, a massive swarm of Moon Wings shrieked as they flew from all directions toward Wu Mountain. Among them, one group of Moon Wings, clutching several tribesmen from various tribes—including the woman in white—headed straight for Black Flame Peak, diving into one of the many entrances along the mountain.