You're Su Ming?

There, on the central pentagonal altar in Mud Stone City, stood a middle-aged man in a purple robe, looking up at them with a smile on his face.

In the place where Su Ming and the middle-aged man stood, they were still some distance apart. Yet for some reason, the moment Su Ming heard the man's voice and looked over, the man's appearance appeared right before his eyes, as though he were observing him from close by.

This strange sight shook Su Ming's heart. At the same time, when the man's laughter and words reached him, the power of qi and blood within Su Ming began to circulate faintly, seemingly beyond his control. It was as though a single glance from the man could make all the blood in his body burst forth in an instant, killing him on the spot.

Su Ming was not the only one who felt this way. Lei Chen and Wula felt it too, and even Bei Ling shared the same illusion. Lei Chen's body trembled, disbelief showing in his eyes.

Wula trembled even more. It was as if a mighty force radiated from the middle-aged man, whose features were clear before her, compelling her to kneel and worship him.

Even Bei Ling's father, the Scout Leader of the Wu Mountain Tribe, trembled faintly. As the middle-aged man stepped into the air and approached from the altar below, the Scout Leader slowly lowered his head.

Aside from the Scout Leader, Shan Hen, the leader of the hunting team, was breathing rapidly. A trace of fervor and longing appeared in his eyes—a sight exceedingly rare in someone as taciturn as him.

"Dust Opening Realm!!" Su Ming seemed to cry out inside. In that instant, three words appeared in his mind!

"Dust Opening, stepping through the sky; Barbarian Marks, reaching heaven; words stir Barbarian Blood; strength shatters the firmament!" Those were the sixteen words used to describe the Dust Opening Realm in the Beast Skin Book.

Su Ming stared blankly at the man in purple, who was walking through the air toward them one step at a time. He looked to be around forty, slightly thin, yet exceptionally handsome. There were few signs of the Barbarian Tribe about him; only the forest of bone rings around his ears gave him away.

Su Ming had never seen such beautiful clothes as that purple robe. It was far beyond anything that could be compared with coarse hemp garments, let alone the beast-hide clothes he wore now.

As the man approached, the Fengzhen Tribe behind him seemed to warp. It was as though, in that instant, the heavens and earth had lost their color, and nothing existed but him.

At that very moment, the wind's mournful wail fell silent, and the clouds froze in place!

The middle-aged man's long hair hung loose over his shoulders as he drew nearer with a smile. His smile was like a spring breeze, soothing the qi and blood in Su Ming and the others. Yet as he came closer, a suffocating sensation rose up again, as if they hardly dared to breathe.

His gaze in particular seemed to contain the vault of heaven. One look from him left the mind blank, as though he could see every secret they possessed, leaving them utterly exposed.

The Black Python had also stopped in midair, not daring to move, as if it could sense how terrifying the middle-aged man was. Grandpa slowly rose to his feet, concealing the complicated look that had flashed through his eyes when the man appeared.

"Mo Sang pays his respects to the Fengzhen Upper Barbarian." Grandpa's face was aged. After rising, he bowed to the middle-aged man.

"Mo Sang, you and I needn't stand on ceremony." The middle-aged man's voice was gentle, but he did not stop Grandpa from bowing. Only after Grandpa had bowed did he wave his right hand, as if to help him up from afar.

Grandpa's body trembled, but he did not rise. Instead, under the force pressing against him, he calmly bowed a second time! With that bow, the force around Grandpa seemed to crumble and gradually dissipated. Only then did he straighten up.

The man in purple looked at Grandpa with deep meaning in his eyes. Smiling, he shook his head and pointed at him.

"You... You're still as stubborn as you were when you were young. It's been so many years. What made you think of coming to see me this time?"

"I've considered the request you made back then for all these years, Upper Barbarian. I've made my decision." Grandpa's expression remained calm as he spoke slowly.

At those words, the man in purple's expression immediately turned serious.

Su Ming and the others had already risen and were standing respectfully to one side. Su Ming stood closest to Grandpa. He could faintly sense how Grandpa felt as he faced an old friend from years past, and he could also understand why Grandpa had never come to Fengzhen.

Looking at Grandpa's aged face, then nervously stealing a glance at the middle-aged man in purple, Su Ming's heart pounding, a remark Grandpa had once made to him surfaced in his mind.

"Before he turned twenty, the Barbarian Duke of the Fengzhen Tribe was no match for me. It wasn't until he was thirty-four that he could barely fight me on equal terms. Back then, everyone in the tribes across these lands knew of Grandpa!"

Su Ming's heart seemed to clench. Just as he was about to look away, the man in purple smiled and glanced at him. At that glance, a roar rang through Su Ming's mind. He could clearly feel the concealment Grandpa had placed on him being seen through in an instant.

Just as Su Ming was about to lose his nerve and his body began to tremble, the middle-aged man turned his gaze away and looked at Bei Ling and the others, including Lei Chen, Wula, the hunting team leader Shan Hen, and the Wu Mountain Tribe's Scout Leader.

"Greetings, Fengzhen Upper Barbarian." Shan Hen was the first to bow. The others followed suit.

Lei Chen's heart pounded, and his face paled with nerves. Wula was the same. Even Bei Ling had lost all trace of his usual coldness and stood respectfully.

"I remember you. Your name is Bei Ling, right?" The middle-aged man pointed at Bei Ling.

Bei Ling froze for a moment, then his eyes filled with delight. His voice trembling, he hurriedly answered with respect.

"U-Upper Barbarian, I'm Bei Ling."

The man in purple smiled and nodded. Then, just as he was about to speak to Grandpa, his expression suddenly shifted and he looked into the distance. Grandpa had remained silent all along, but seemed to notice something as well. He looked that way after the middle-aged man did.

In the distant sky, fierce winds seemed to howl. A huge black line raced toward them. Before long, as it drew closer, they could clearly see that the black line was a colossal Black Dragon, more than ten zhang long.

The Black Dragon had countless legs and looked terrifyingly vicious. Black mist swirled around it as it advanced, and six people stood on its back!

Su Ming watched the approaching Black Dragon and the white-clad figure among the six atop it. A smile appeared on his face.

At the front stood a silver-haired old woman in a black robe. Though she looked old, it was clear that she must have been extraordinarily beautiful in her youth. Her expression, however, was cold as ice, making anyone who looked at her feel a chill.

Su Ming noticed that Grandpa's gaze toward the old woman from the Black Dragon Tribe seemed different somehow.

Behind the old woman stood a man as burly as an iron tower. He was extremely tall and just as cold in expression. The qi and blood in his body were so powerful that they seemed to surpass even Shan Hen and the Scout Leader by a hair.

Beside the old woman stood a young woman dressed in white. Her beautiful eyes were bright and lively, and though she was exceptionally beautiful, sorrow lingered thickly in her gaze. But the moment she saw Su Ming, that sorrow vanished, replaced by surprise and delight.

She even winked at Su Ming.

Among the other three, Su Ming recognized one: Sikong. Standing on the Black Dragon's back, he glared at Su Ming with open hatred.

The remaining two were young, around Su Ming's age—a man and a woman who looked like siblings. Both were silent. The woman was very sturdy and full-figured, yet her features were lovely.

As the Black Dragon drew near, the old woman and the others atop it bowed to the man in purple, their expressions full of respect. Even the Black Dragon beneath them trembled, as if it greatly feared the man in purple.

The man in purple wore a smile as always. After nodding and accepting the Black Dragon Tribe's greetings, another figure sped over from the Fengzhen Tribe below. Purple mist curled around his feet as he appeared in midair and bowed respectfully to the man in purple.

It was an old man in white robes—the very Shi Hai who had taken Su Ming's Medicine Stone that day!

"Shi Hai, see to our guests," the man in purple said. After Shi Hai respectfully acknowledged the order, the man turned to Mo Sang, Grandpa of the Wu Mountain Tribe.

"Mo Sang, one of the tribes paid tribute with some Mulberry Cloud Leaf. I know how much you liked it back then, so I've been waiting for you to come see me so we could taste it together."

Grandpa of the Wu Mountain Tribe nodded faintly. After turning back to give the Scout Leader a few instructions, he rose and took a step forward. To Su Ming's astonishment, Grandpa stepped into the air just as the man in purple had, walking toward him before flying with him toward Mud Stone City.

Watching the man in purple's back, Su Ming's eyes held a trace of yearning.

"Dust Opening Realm... I wonder when I'll be able to reach such a realm!"

As Su Ming secretly yearned for it, Shi Hai smiled and looked at everyone.

"Except for the youngsters, you're all old friends. You arrived early, and the other tribes haven't come yet. This old man will be your host for now. Please, enter Fengzhen City!" Shi Hai had other matters on his mind, but he put them aside, offered a smiling round of pleasantries, and led everyone toward Mud Stone City.

Along the way, Lei Chen came over to Su Ming's side. Perhaps seeing Bai Ling had reminded him of what had happened at the Tribal Market, making him feel guilty. It was as if standing beside Su Ming meant he could pin the whole matter on him.

Su Ming kept glancing at Bai Ling. She smiled too, and from time to time their eyes met. The instant their gazes crossed, Su Ming heard his heartbeat quicken.

Soon, the people from the two tribes entered Fengzhen City and landed in a vast plaza. The Black Dragon dispersed into black mist and quickly sank into the old woman from the Black Dragon Tribe.

As for the Black Python, it turned into wisps of white cloud, rose into the sky, and vanished without a trace.

Members of the Fengzhen Tribe were already waiting in the vast plaza. Under Shi Hai's arrangements, people came forward to guide the visitors very courteously, showing them where they would stay during their visit.

But that courtesy was only on the surface. Beneath their manner, there was still an air of arrogance.

With Shan Hen and the Scout Leader leading them, Su Ming and the others were about to follow them away when a voice came from within the Black Dragon Tribe.

"So you're Su Ming?"

Su Ming stopped and turned around. He saw the old woman from the Black Dragon Tribe staring at him with a dark expression.

Friends, brothers, sisters, if you've seen the heartfelt words Er Gen shared earlier, then starting now, starting this week, please log in to your Shanda account and vote for Seeking Demon as a member, cast your recommendation votes for Er Gen, and give it a Sanjiang vote! Er Gen is being greedy. Please let me be greedy just this once—for the new-book period that has only three weeks left!

I need help. I need everyone's help. At this critical moment, are you willing, are you daring, to join me—burn the vault of heaven with demonic fire, and raise our swords together?

Raise your swords!!!

Raise your swords!!!

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