by Fang Xiang
Even though this presence of life was very weak, but it was truly life force!
Zuo Mo looked uncertainly at the skeleton. Was this a joke? A skeleton tens of thousands of years old suddenly coming back to life … … this was ridiculous!
Fortunately, the skeleton did not change any further. Its light gradually dimmed.
The mist people that had been prostrated on the ground stood up. Several mist people that seemed to be of advanced age carefully went forward, picked up the skeleton, and disappeared into the ice mist.
A middle-aged mist person walked in front of Zuo Mo and made a strange bow to Zuo Mo's group. "Respected Guests, all future generations of Mist People will remember what you have done for the Mist People Tribe! No matter when, you are our friends!"
Even though Zuo Mo felt slight pain that the ink jade bones had been carried away by the mist people, this also resolved a possible calamity. He hurriedly said, "You are too polite! This was just a coincidence!"
"Speech is unable to express the gratefulness of our clan. Everyone, please, no matter what, come to be guests at our tribe for a few days so that we can act as hosts!" the middle-aged mist person said sincerely.
Zuo Mo was slightly conflicted, "Apologies, we need to search for a water cloud embryo … …"
The middle-aged mist person looked at A Gui and understood. He then showed a smile and said, "Sire, do not worry. We know many places where water cloud embryos grow." Finishing, he spoke in a low tone to a mist person beside him. The language they spoke was strange and Zuo Mo's group could not understand.
The mist person nodded as he listened and after he bowed respectfully to Zuo Mo's group, he turned and disappeared into the ice mist.
"I have ordered him to harvest water cloud embryos. Water cloud embryos are not rare in this area of the Cloud Sea, but there needs to be great care taken with the method of harvesting that few know off. Although the effects of the water cloud embryo are best when they are just harvested, our clan has some special methods that can maintain its efficacy after being harvested," the middle-aged mist person said to Zuo Mo.
Zuo Mo instantly had a joyful expression on his face as he thanked the other person, "Many thanks! Many thanks!" Wei Sheng and Zong Ru also had happy expressions. They had travelled for so long and expended such effort, but obtaining their target did not take any effort!
The middle-aged mist person waved his hand and said, "Compared to the boon that Sir has given our clan, this minor matter is nothing."
He ushered Zuo Mo to the side, "Guests, please!"
Zuo Mo's expression suddenly became slightly strange. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "That … …"
The middle-aged mist person had a puzzled expression. "Sir, please voice any matters you have!"
Zuo Mo's old face was slightly red as he pointed at the mist person tears on the ground. "That … … can I first pick those up?"
———
Zuo Mo did not notice that when he said this, the female mist person who had cried suddenly had a slight blush.
The middle-aged person roared with laughter. His hand moved, and those mist person tears flew into his hand. He handed them to Zuo Mo.
Zuo Mo carefully took them with a wide smile. These mist person tears were good treasures! Things that could receive a judgment of "good treasure" from Pu Yao were definitely unordinary treasures.
Following behind the middle-aged mist person, the bone-achingly cold ice mist seemed to recognize them. It became a serene coolness that was comfortable.
The middle-aged mist person was extremely amiable and conversed while he continuously introduced the mist tribe to their guests. It was fine for Zuo Mo who already knew the history of the mist people, but Wei Sheng and Zong Ru gaped as they listened. The descendants of an ancient tribe that were isolated from the world?
"Then the skeleton is … …" Zuo Mo asked carefully and curiously. He was slightly worried that this would be a forbidden topic but he could not resist his curiosity.
"It is the totem of our tribe, called Lan!" The middle-aged mist person's eyes flashed with excitement and happiness. He then sighed, "Ever since our clan has moved to this jie tens of thousands of years ago, the totem of our tribe had vanished suddenly soon after. We lost all sense of where it was. Ever since then, the shen power of the mist people weakened gradually so we are only able to live in the depths of the Cloud Sea isolated from the world."
"Totem!" Zuo Mo finally realized. He had many guesses about the skeleton but he had not imagined it was a totem of a tribe.
When the mist people lost their connection to Lan was definitely when the Sun Shen Temple had imprisoned Lan in the Burning Shen Realm.
The Sun Shen Tribe had declined and its last shen temple turned to dust. Yet Lan who they had captured managed to barely survive.
When Zuo Mo spoke of this, everyone couldn't help but sigh.
The middle-aged mist person nodded. "So it was the Sun Shen Tribe, no wonder! Even though we are isolated from the world, there are always one or two of our number that are sent into the ice mist to collect information. I heard that the bloodlines of the ancients have all died out on the outside?"
Looking at the middle-aged mist person's unresigned expression, Zuo Mo didn't know how to comfort him and could only nod.
The middle-aged mist person was silent. As this news was confirmed, the last bit of hope he had was extinguished. A moment later, he said in puzzlement, "Why have they died out?"
Zuo Mo shook his head. "I don't know, there are probably many reasons." For some reason, he did not want to tell the other about the thousands of years of pursuit and killing Four Realm Heavens did to the descendants of the ancients.
He saw the depressed expression on the face of the middle-aged mist person and comforted, "Now that Lan has been found, the Mist Clan can resume its previous strength, that is just a matter of time."
Hearing this, the middle-aged mist person finally showed a smile. "Yes! As long as Lan is present, our clan can continue!"
He was full of confidence in Lan!
They quickly approached the public gathering area of the mist tribe.
Along the way, an area appeared in front of Zuo Mo's group, it contained blue pools of various sizes. The sizes of these pools were all different and the water was deep blue. Looking around, it seemed like thousands of mirrors. There were blue balls of mist floating on top of some ponds. It was possible to faintly discern the figures of mist people within the mist.
"These are the mist pools of our clan." Seeing Zuo Mo's group show curiosity, the middle-aged mist person explained, "Lan disappeared, we lost our totem and our belief had no place to go, and we were unable to produce shen power. The ancestors spent great effort to create this Mist Pool body cultivation method to help our clan survive until now."
"Powerful!" Zuo Mo praised sincerely. No matter what, any person that could create their own method were very able.
Seeing Zuo Mo and the others, the mist people along the way bowed.
Walking out of the mist pool area, large sections of blue building appeared in everyone's view. These buildings were completely blue as though they were constructed from crystal and gave off the feeling of transparency. The walls flickered with light. It was this layer of light that blocked off the gazes of people outside and prevented them from seeing inside.
Each building was not large and could only be called a small house. Other than the material that were exquisite in feeling, the style of the buildings were simple and basic. Occasionally, they could see faint wall paintings sketched in faint grey strokes.
There were more mist people here than in the mist pools but Zuo Mo and the others found to their surprise that the strength of the mist people here seemed to be much weaker than the mist people they had originally met.
Zuo Mo suddenly saw an altar out of the corner of his eyes. The skeleton was on top of it.
The sacrificial altar was surrounded by mist people as they worshiped it devoutly.<
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Zuo Mo found to his shock that the shen power of the skeleton was stronger than just moments ago!
"It is a pity that we have lost Lan for too long. There is no priest in the clan. We can only worship daily and hope that Lan can recover as soon, and is able to protect the clan!" the middle-aged mist person said emotionally.
"It will be very fast." Zuo Mo strangely followed up.
The middle-aged mist person paused and then smiled.
When he finished saying this, Zuo Mo suddenly seemed to feel something. The skeleton on the sacrificial altar seemed to be looking at him! This discovery caused his heart to jump but when he looked closely, the feeling had disappeared.
Zuo Mo smiled. It seemed that he was really too nervous. Lan didn't even have a skull, and no eyes, how could Lan be looking at him?
Shaking his head and smiling, he followed the middle-aged mist person to walk towards the largest building.
"This is the conference room of the clan." The middle-aged mist person was apologetic. "We have been isolated from the outside word for too long and do not have any buildings to receive guests. Everyone, you will have to make do. Please forgive us for our shortcomings!"
Zuo Mo and the others hurriedly said that he was too courteous.
Walking into the conference hall, they found that the inside had clearly been just cleaned. There was a layer of pure white grass laid out on the ground. The table was piled up with all kinds of fruits and foods. Even though it was simple, it made people feel very comfortable.
Stepping on the white carpet, everyone felt a wave of coolness seep into the body and their minds clear up. Their nervousness instantly eased and their tiredness swept away. It was unspeakably comfortable.
A good thing!
Zuo Mo's eyes lit up.
Translator Ramblings: Lan means Mist. Creepy skeleton without a head, Zuo Mo is a magnet for Halloween costumes.
Chapter 532: Bie Han
Xuan Kong Temple.
In the hall, Bie Han was prostrated on the ground. He was not of tall height, his figure thin with hallow cheeks and an ordinary appearance.
"Bie Han, how many years have you been in the temple?" A warm and thick voice came from behind the thick cloth curtains.
"Seventeen years," Bie Han answered after a long moment of silence.
"Seventeen years, time has passed so quickly," the sect leader sighed emotionally. "You are good, I have seen your improvement in these years and is very comforted."
Bie Han was silent.
"In the younger generation, other than Little Zhe, only you are able to become a gold battle general." Heard from behind the cloth, the sect leader's voice seemed to have a strange power and was so warm it permeated the heart.
"Little Zhe has done well in Bloody Sky Metropolis Jie. I know you can also do well."
Bie Han was silent.
"Your killing energy is too heavy, I am worried about you." The sect leader's words were full of concern. "Having you chant sutras every day was in the hopes that your violent energies can be dissipated. I had always hoped that you would not be required to go into battle, and hadn't expected … …"
The sect leader sighed.
A moment later, he said serenely.
"Go, your Ding Zhen Shishu will encounter danger in Cloud Sea Jie. Take the battalion to reinforce him. Ask Ding Guang for information. You may leave."
Bie Han was silent. After kowtowing three times, he turned and left.
The large doors of the hall closed without any wind. The hall was pitch black.
A voice suddenly sounded, "Sect Leader, do we really need to send Bie Han? He is a dangerous person!"
"This matter is very important, we cannot be careless."
"Cloud Sea Jie might be an intermediate jie, I've never heard of any powerful factions … …"
"Tian Huan was just tripped up there. Shen Wu Hai is not among the top powers of of Tian Huan but he had yuanying cultivation."
"But Bie Han … …"
"He is a knife, a vicious knife. We have to be careful his tendencies do not harm our people, but now that troubled times have come, it is time to use this knife!" the sect leader said peacefully.
———
The middle-aged mist person noticed that Zuo Mo was interested in the white grass carpet. He introduced, "These are cloud carpets woven from cloud silk grass. Cloud silk grass mostly grown in the deep of the cloud sea and it takes great effort to harvest. But the most difficult step is processing it. It takes several months of effort to process each strand of cloud silk grass."
The trio gaped.
Just now on the road, Zuo Mo finally learned the name of the middle-aged mist person. He was Bing Yao, the clan leader of the mist people. The female mist person who had first encountered Zuo Mo was Bing Yao's daughter, Bing Yue.
Finished speaking, he waved his hand. The cloud carpet instantly shrank to the size of his hand and flew into his palm. He handed the cloud carpet to Zuo Mo and said vigorously, "I was troubled over what gift to give to Little Zuo. Since Little Zuo likes this, then this cloud carpet is Little Zuo's!"
Zuo Mo jumped in fright and waved his hand to refuse it. "No no no ! This one is already grateful that your clan is helping us search for water cloud embryos … …"
Zuo Mo had just learned the value of this cloud carpet from Bing Yao's description. If one strand of cloud silk grass needed that much effort to process. Zuo Mo didn't dare to accept such a valuable gift.
Pu Yao suddenly shouted urgently from the sea of consciousness, "This is very good, accept it!"
"I know it is good," Zuo Mo responded unconcernedly.
"You know my ass!" Pu Yao couldn't stop himself from cursing. "This can be used to pass tribulations!"
Tribulations?
Zuo Mo's mind shifted but before he could inquire further, he heard Bing Yao say with a smile, "Brother Zuo, do not refuse. This cloud carpet can calm the mind and remove mental barriers. We mist people are born with cold minds, and this is useless to use. Processing the cloud silk grass are what our younger ones use to cultivate Ice Mist. We feel that it is a pity to throw it away so we have woven it into carpets. Also, Brother Zuo has returned Lan back to us, and A Yue has offended you just now, it really is … …"
Bing Yao's speech caused Bing Yue to blush from behind him.
"This cloud carpet is just a token. No matter what, Brother Zuo has to accept it!" Bing Yao's expression was serious.
Seeing this, Zuo Mo knew that he could not refuse and accepted it. Xiao Mo Ge was usually shamelessly greedy but that was against outsiders. If the other really thought of him as a friend, he couldn't do things so shamelessly.
He was not black-hearted enough … …
Zuo Mo mockingly self-reflected as he took out the copper mask from the ring. He handed it to Bing Yao. "I found this mask beside Lan. I do not know if this is also something belonging to Big Brother Bing's clan."
Bing Yao took the copper mask and examined it closely for a while. He shook his head and said, "The style does not look like an object of my clan. We will have to ask Lan for sure. If it is of my clan, I will have a thick face and accept it. If it is not, Lan will definitely know its origins and I will return it to Brother Zuo at that time."
Zuo Mo said with a smile, "No matter if it is or not, this is given to Big Brother Bing."
Bing Yao smiled slightly and put away the mask.
Right after, Bing Yao started inquiring to the outside world. They knew some, but what they knew was very general. Zuo Mo spoke of the wars between xiuzhe and yaomo, and then the Sky-Splitting Calamity, and also the fact that he had taken over Cloud Sea Jie.
Bing Yao listened with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. He had never expected the change in the outside world would be so drastic!
However, when he learned that Zuo Mo was the master of Cloud Sea Jie, he had a happy expression. With this, they, the mist people, were in much better circumstances.
Bing Yao patted his chest and said, "If
Brother Zuo needs the mist people in the future, do not be courteous!"
Zuo Mo felt very good about this open and generous mist clan leader. He said with a smile, "I only hope that Big Brother Bing does not find me troublesome in the future."
Bing Yao roared with laughter. "I think that Lan would not forgive me."
The two sides chatted for awhile more before Bing Yao bid his leave for Zuo Mo and the others to rest.
"Shidi, what you are cultivating is shen power?" Wei Sheng suddenly asked.
Zuo Mo knew that he could not conceal this any longer and nodded. "En, it is called Sun shen power, an inheritance from the ancient Sun Tribe."
"So you were the one behind the Sun Shen Temple matter!" Wei Sheng was not stupid and instantly understood. He then asked curiously, "Come, let me try your shen power, I have never seen shen power before."
Zong Ru's face was also turned over. He clearly was also extremely curious as well.
Zuo Mo suddenly moved into a strange posture, his two hands crossing and twisted together, his body leaning slightly towards the right as the tip of his right foot was just touching the ground. An extremely hard and yang power suddenly spread in all directions with him as the epicenter.
Wei Sheng's pupils suddenly contracted. Threads of black energy suddenly floated out of the black sword in his hand as he swung the sword repeatedly in the air. Pia pia pia, explosions occurred at the tip of his sword.
Zong Ru's expression changed and he spun the Crossed Prayer Wheel. The sutra characters that were shrouded in wish power shielded him from the front.
Bam bam bam!
Three sutra characters exploded before they managed to stop this wave of shen power.
Resting his sword, Wei Sheng thought back and said after a moment, "Such a strange power! As expected, it is different than anything else."
Zong Ru was also savouring it. He followed, "Normal spells would have a difficult time stopping it."
Zuo Mo thought and then stated his conclusion. "Shen power can be seen as the product of combining three powers together."
