Blood Fire Stacking!!

"Blood Fire Stacking—nine is the extreme, one is the method. Burn the Barbarian Fire and bow nine times; then the Fire Worship Technique will be complete!" Su Ming murmured unconsciously. The words kept echoing through his mind, growing louder and louder until they became a rumble like thunder, roaring and circling within his head.

The faint shadow of a Blood Moon in Su Ming's eyes grew clearer, glittering with an eerie light as if it were burning without end. A dull pain began to stir in his eyes.

At first, the pain was barely noticeable. But as time passed, and the bright moon in the night sky shone down upon him, it grew more and more intense. In the end, the pain made Su Ming tremble all over, as if he could no longer bear it.

He wanted to close his eyes and stop looking at the moon. It seemed that the source of his pain was not fire, but the moonlight itself. Yet at the same time, he felt with utter certainty that these changes were the key moment in his cultivation of this strange Barbarian Art.

If he closed his eyes, it would be the same as giving up on his cultivation. He even had a premonition that if he gave up now, he might never be able to cultivate this art again.

"Blood Fire Stacking... How do I stack the flames!!" Su Ming's eyes were webbed with blood vessels. A red moon, entwined among those blood vessels, had replaced his pupils. At that moment, he looked terrifying.

The burning shadow of the Blood Moon in his eyes seemed to have dried up every trace of moisture. As blood-red lines spread across his eyes, they began to show signs of withering, as if they would soon shrivel up completely.

Su Ming threw back his head and let out a roar. His face twisted as blood coursed through his body, but no matter how it flowed, it could not ease the dryness in his eyes. Instead, the withered feeling only grew stronger.

Gradually, the moon began to blur before Su Ming's eyes.

If anyone else had been beside him at that moment, they would have clearly seen red flames rising from Su Ming's eyes. The firelight was like blood, blazing fiercely.

"How do I stack the flames!! How on earth can I make the blood fire burn in layers!!" Su Ming struggled, unable to grasp the meaning of the words containing the strange Barbarian Art. As everything before him blurred, he slowly began to close his eyes. He knew that if he did not shut them soon, he might never see the light again.

But just as his eyelids closed until only a narrow slit remained, a flash of lightning crossed Su Ming's mind, and a strange image appeared. In it, he was saving Bai Ling in the tribe deep within the lava cave, and he saw the Moon Wings on the red tree trunk, their faces contorted with pain and sorrow.

The Moon Wings kept repeating the same action: biting into their claws, then smearing the blood over their eyes...

Su Ming's body jolted. It was as if he had suddenly understood something. Before his eyes had fully closed, he snapped them open again. At the same time, he abruptly raised his right hand and bit down hard on his fingertip.

Blood immediately welled from his fingertip, staining it red. He raised his hand and smeared the blood into his eyes.

Su Ming smeared a streak of blood across his eyes. The instant it touched them, a rumble seemed to sound in his brow, and a cool sensation arose within his eyes. At that very moment, all of Black Flame Peak seemed to shudder faintly, yet not a single snowflake stirred. It was as if it was not the mountain that trembled, but its soul.

At the same time, wisps of invisible energy suddenly rose from within Black Flame Peak and surged toward the place where Su Ming sat cross-legged.

Su Ming did not know what it was, but he could feel the wisps of energy rushing toward him in an instant and pouring into his eyes. His eyes seemed to have become a vortex, sucking the energy inside.

The energy pouring into him was like a fine rain that snuffed out flames. As it kept streaming in, the blur before Su Ming's eyes rapidly faded, replaced by clarity. Yet within that clarity was a blood-red glow. From time to time, Su Ming's world turned crimson!

In the same instant, the burning dryness in his eyes became a cool sensation and vanished. The pain in his body likewise disappeared without a trace.

Then, as the strange wisps of energy poured into Su Ming's eyes, they spread through his body and merged with his blood, circulating everywhere along with it.

Twenty-two blood lines shone across Su Ming's body. As they spread over him, a twenty-third line suddenly appeared!

And just after the twenty-third blood line appeared, a flash of blood-red light shone in Su Ming's eyes, and a twenty-fourth blood line emerged!

After a long while, the sky outside began to brighten. The moon grew faint, about to be replaced by the rising sun. Su Ming abruptly rose and dashed toward the exit, then stepped outside in a flash. The mountain wind howled, whipping his long hair into the air. Twenty-four savage blood lines covered his body, making him look utterly eerie.

He stood there, gazing up at the bright moon as it began to fade. Then he suddenly drew a deep breath toward it.

Just then, Su Ming saw the moon seem to jolt. A streak of red moonlight descended and fell straight into his eyes, appearing for an instant before vanishing!

Su Ming's body shuddered, and a twenty-fifth blood line burst to life along his neck!

Blood Condensation Realm, fourth layer!!

In almost every small tribe, anyone who reached the fourth layer of the Blood Condensation Realm was highly valued. It meant that they could join the hunting party. It meant that from then on, they would become one of the tribe's main forces in battle and defense!

The fourth layer also marked the peak of the early stage of the Blood Condensation Realm. One more step, into the fifth layer, and he would become a middle-stage Blood Condensation Barbarian Warrior! More importantly, once Su Ming reached the middle stage of Blood Condensation, he would have a chance to use a new Barbarian Art!

For the first time, Su Ming felt a surge of power. His expression was calm as he watched the fading moon and the sky growing bright. As his blood flowed through his body, wisps of icy energy welled up from his eyes. All around him, great quantities of the same energy surged in from the mountain.

At that moment, he even had a strange feeling that he could control...the moonlight!

With that strange sensation, Su Ming slowly raised his hand. The instant the moon disappeared, he gave a gentle wave.