You are Su Ming? (Seeking recommendation votes!)

On the five-cornered altar in the center of Mud Stone City, a middle-aged man in purple robes stood looking up toward them, a smile gracing his face.

Though Su Ming and the middle-aged man were originally some distance apart, for some reason, the moment he heard the man's voice and looked over, the man's image appeared before his eyes as if he were observing him from up close.

This strange sight sent a jolt through Su Ming's mind. At the same time, as the man's laughter and words reached him, the power of his Barbarian Blood began to churn faintly, as if beyond his control. It felt as though a single glance from the man could cause all the blood in his body to erupt and lead to his instant death.

It was not only Su Ming who felt this; Lei Chen, Wula, and even Bei Ling were all gripped by the same illusion. Lei Chen's body trembled, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Wula was shaking even more violently, as if the middle-aged man clearly visible before her possessed a power that compelled her to kneel and worship.

Even Bei Ling's father, the Scout Leader of the Wu Mountain Tribe, trembled slightly, slowly lowering his head toward the middle-aged man who had stepped off the altar below and was walking through the air.

Aside from the Scout Leader, the hunting party leader Shan Hen breathed rapidly, his eyes revealing a trace of fanaticism and longing—a look extremely rare for someone as taciturn as he.

Dust Opening Realm!! Su Ming's heart seemed to scream; these three words flashed through his mind in that instant.

"Dust Opening steps on air, Barbarian Marks manifest in the sky, words stir Barbarian Blood, spirit shatters the firmament!" These were the sixteen words used to describe the Dust Opening Realm in the Beast Skin Book.

Su Ming stared blankly at the purple-robed man walking step by step through the void. The man appeared to be around forty, slightly lean but strikingly handsome. There were few traces of the Barbarian Tribe on him, save for the eerie bone rings in his ears, which revealed a hint of his origin.

Su Ming had never seen such beautiful clothing as those purple robes; they were far beyond the reach of coarse hempen cloth, let alone his own beast-skin garments.

As the man approached, the Fengzhen Tribe behind him seemed to distort. It was as if the world had lost its color in that instant, and nothing existed but him.

In that same moment, the wailing of the wind ceased, and the shifting of the clouds froze in place!

The middle-aged man, with his long hair draped over his shoulders, approached slowly with a smile. His smile was like a spring breeze, causing the churning blood within Su Ming and the others to settle, yet as he drew nearer, a suffocating illusion returned, making them afraid to even draw a full breath.

The man's gaze, in particular, seemed to contain the very heavens. To look into it was to have one's mind go blank, as if every secret were being laid bare to him, leaving one feeling stripped naked.

The Black Python, too, hung suspended in mid-air, not daring to move, as if it could sense the middle-aged man's terror. Grandpa slowly stood up, hiding the complexity that had flashed in his eyes when the man first appeared.

"Mo Sang pays respects to the Fengzhen Upper Barbarian." Grandpa's face was aged; he stood and bowed to the middle-aged man.

"Mo Sang, there is no need for this between us." The middle-aged man's voice was gentle, yet he did not stop Grandpa's bow. Only after Grandpa had bowed did he wave his right hand, as if to lift him up from afar.

Grandpa's body shuddered, but he did not rise. Instead, under the force of that power, he calmly bowed once more! Under this second bow, the power outside Grandpa's body seemed to collapse and gradually dissipate, and only then did Grandpa stand straight.

The purple-robed man gave Grandpa a meaningful look, smiled, and shook his head while pointing at him.

"You, still the same temper you had in your youth. How many years has it been? What made you think to come find me this time?"

"The request the Upper Barbarian made back then—Mo Sang has considered it until now and has reached a decision." Grandpa's expression remained unchanged as he spoke slowly.

Upon hearing this, the purple-robed man's expression tightened.

Su Ming and the others had long since stood up and were waiting respectfully to the side. Su Ming was closest to Grandpa and could faintly sense his feelings toward this old friend, as well as understand why Grandpa had never come to Fengzhen.

Looking at Grandpa's aged face, then glancing at the purple-robed middle-aged man with a heart pounding in nervousness, a passage Grandpa had once told him surfaced in Su Ming's mind.

"The Barbarian Duke of the Fengzhen Tribe was not as good as me before he was twenty. It wasn't until he was thirty-four that he could barely fight me. Back then, Grandpa was known by every tribe in the surrounding eight directions!"

Su Ming's heart felt knotted. Just as he was about to withdraw his gaze, the purple-robed man smiled and looked at him. Under that glance, a roar seemed to erupt in Su Ming's mind. He could clearly feel that the concealment Grandpa had placed upon him was instantly seen through by the middle-aged man.

Just as Su Ming was about to collapse under the strain, his body trembling, the man withdrew his gaze and looked toward Bei Ling and the others—Lei Chen, Wula, the hunting leader Shan Hen, and the Wu Mountain Tribe's Scout Leader.

"We pay respects to the Fengzhen Upper Barbarian." Shan Hen was the first to bow, followed by the rest.

Lei Chen's heart hammered, his face turning pale with tension. Wula was the same, and even Bei Ling had shed all his coldness, standing respectfully.

"I remember you. You are Bei Ling, aren't you?" The middle-aged man pointed at Bei Ling.

Bei Ling froze for a moment, then his eyes filled with wild joy. His voice trembled as he hurriedly and respectfully replied.

"Up... Upper Barbarian, I am Bei Ling."

The purple-robed man nodded with a smile, then looked toward Grandpa. Just as he was about to speak, his expression shifted, and he looked into the distance. Grandpa, who had been standing there in silence, seemed to sense it as well and looked over after the middle-aged man.

In the distant sky, a gale seemed to howl as a massive black line approached at high speed. Before long, as the line drew near, it became clear that it was a giant Black Dragon, over ten zhang in size.

The Black Dragon had dozens of legs and a hideous, terrifying appearance. As it moved, black mist swirled around it, and six people stood upon its back!

Su Ming watched the approaching Black Dragon and saw a white-clad figure among the six, a smile appearing on his face.

Leading them was an old woman with silver hair. She wore black robes, and though she looked quite aged, one could tell she must have been extremely beautiful in her youth. Her expression, however, was icy, enough to make one feel a chill just by looking at her.

Su Ming noticed that the look Grandpa gave the old woman from the Black Dragon Tribe was somewhat different.

Behind the old woman stood a man as large as an iron tower. He was exceptionally tall with an equally cold expression, and the strength of his blood was so potent that it seemed slightly higher than that of Shan Hen and the Scout Leader.

Beside the old woman was a young girl in white robes. Her beautiful eyes darted about, and while she was stunning, a lingering sorrow remained in her gaze. Yet, the moment she saw Su Ming, that sorrow vanished instantly, replaced by surprise and joy.

She even winked at Su Ming.

Among the remaining three, there was someone Su Ming recognized: Sikong. He stood on the back of the Black Dragon, glaring at Su Ming with intense hatred.

The last two were young, around Su Ming's age—a boy and a girl. They appeared to be siblings and were both silent, though the girl was quite robust and full-figured, yet her features were delicate.

After the Black Dragon drew near, the old woman and the others bowed to the purple-robed man, their expressions filled with respect. Even the Black Dragon beneath them trembled, seemingly quite fearful of the man.

The purple-robed man remained smiling, nodding to accept the Black Dragon Tribe's respects. A figure then sped over from the Fengzhen Tribe below; purple mist swirled beneath his feet as he appeared in mid-air and bowed respectfully to the purple-robed man.

The figure was an old man in white robes—it was Shi Hai, the one who had taken Su Ming's Medicine Stone that day!

"Shi Hai, see to our guests." After the purple-robed man finished speaking and Shi Hai respectfully acknowledged, he looked at Grandpa Mo Sang of the Wu Mountain Tribe.

"Mo Sang, some tribes have offered up some Mulberry Cloud Leaves. I know you've always loved them best, so I've been waiting for you to come see me so we could enjoy them together."

Grandpa of the Wu Mountain Tribe nodded slightly. After turning back to give the Scout Leader a few instructions, he stood up and began to walk. To Su Ming's astonishment, he saw Grandpa stepping through the air just like the man in the purple robe, flying toward Mud Stone City alongside him.

Watching the back of that purple-robed man, a trace of yearning appeared in Su Ming's eyes.

Dust Opening Realm... I wonder when I will be able to reach such a realm!

While Su Ming was secretly anticipating this, Shi Hai looked toward the crowd with a smile on his face.

"Aside from these juniors, you are all old friends. Since you arrived early and the other tribes have yet to appear, I shall be your host this time. Please, enter Fengzhen City!" Shi Hai had other matters on his mind, but he suppressed them, wore a polite smile, and led the group as they flew toward Mud Stone City.

During this time, Lei Chen came to Su Ming's side. It seemed that after encountering Bai Ling, he remembered the incident at the Tribal Market and felt a bit guilty, as if standing next to Su Ming would allow him to shift all the blame onto him.

Su Ming looked at Bai Ling from time to time, and Bai Ling also wore a smile, occasionally meeting his gaze. In the instant their eyes locked, Su Ming heard his own heart beating faster.

Soon, the people from these two tribes entered Fengzhen City and landed on a massive plaza. The Black Dragon dispersed, turning into black mist that quickly merged into the body of the old woman from the Black Dragon Tribe.

As for the Black Python, it transformed into patches of white clouds that rose into the sky and vanished without a trace.

On this vast plaza, members of the Fengzhen Tribe were already waiting. Under Shi Hai's arrangements, people came forward to politely lead them away and assign them places to stay for the coming days.

However, this politeness was merely superficial; hidden beneath that attitude was still a sense of arrogance.

Led by Shan Hen and the Scout Leader, Su Ming and the others were just about to leave when a voice suddenly called out from within the Black Dragon Tribe.

"You are Su Ming?"

Su Ming paused his steps and turned around to see the old woman from the Black Dragon Tribe staring at him with a gloomy expression.

Fellow Daoists, brothers, and sisters, if you have read the heartfelt words Er Gen shared earlier, then starting now, starting this week, please log in to your Shanda accounts and give Seeking Demon your member clicks, give Er Gen your recommendation votes, and give a Sanjiang vote!! Er Gen is being greedy; please allow me to be greedy just this once, greedy for the final three weeks of this new book period!!!!

I need help, I need everyone's help. At this critical moment, are you willing, do you dare, to join me—to burn the firmament with demonic fire, to join me—and draw your swords!!!!

Draw your swords!!!

Draw your swords!!!

Charge up the recommendation charts, charge up the member click charts, charge up there!!