Chapter 551: Freedom!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The appearance of the fire caused Su Ming’s pupils to constrict.
Right before his eyes, as He Feng continued roaring in his unwillingness to admit defeat, and madness filled his entire heart, and as flames appeared on his body, they started burning stronger. They increased in volume until they eventually covered his entire body.
"I am the Fire Berserker!
"I am the only Fire Berserker in this world!
"I am the most devout to the fire Berserker in this world!
He Feng shouted. As more flames appeared on his body, the feeling that he was in control of fire appeared in his heart once more. Moreover, once the flames on his body appeared, a wave of heat that was even stronger than before started spreading through the area, as if it wanted to melt everything.
Su Ming watched He Feng, and a brilliant light gradually appeared in his eyes.
‘This is a sign of Life… It might not be the presence of Life Cultivation, but it is born due to great willpower, and it is a power that can tamper the forces in the world so that He Feng can control his own fate.
‘Due to his obsession with fire, his will fused with it, and that’s why… he can control it!
‘The fire on He Feng’s body no longer belongs to the Fire Berserker that came from the line of the third God of Berserkers. It belongs to He Feng himself…’
Understanding dawned on Su Ming as he looked at He Feng. The realization that Life Matrix might possibly have an incredibly huge connection to willpower suddenly came upon him like a light suddenly shining in darkness.
Su Ming did not interrupt He Feng’s transformation. He wanted to gain an even greater epiphany from him.
At that moment, as the flames on He Feng’s body surged into the sky, the world became much hotter. After a moment, he opened his eyes and lifted his head to roar at the sky before he charged towards Su Ming.
"I am the Fire Berserker!"
With a low roar, he closed in on Su Ming. A wave of hot air crashed into his face and he clenched his right hand into a fist before hurling it towards Su Ming. That punch contained all the power of fire in He Feng’s body, and for the first time in his life, He Feng managed to truly have total control over his own fire.
Flames charged out of his fist, turning into a fire wolf that closed in on Su Ming with a roar.
Su Ming did not retreat. Instead, he too, lifted his right hand, but his fist did not contain any flames, only the power of the Berserker Bones in his body, along with a hint of the presence of Life Cultivation.
A loud boom that shook the sky rang in the air. He Feng coughed up blood, and the fire wolf shattered into mere embers. He Feng was sent tumbling back nearly a thousand feet, and when he coughed up blood again, he looked even more crazed than before.
"I offer my life to the flames of the world and am willing to become the servant of fire. Please grant the power of fire! Give me even stronger flames!" He Feng roared loudly, and the flames on his body exploded once again, burning even stronger than before.
However, his body also started showing signs of being destroyed by this blast of even stronger flames. His flesh and blood began drying up, as if they could no longer withstand the fire, and a large amount of his blood evaporated, turning into red fog that left his body. His eyes turned a crimson red, his madness growing even greater.
"I am the Fire Berserker… I am the Fire Berserker!" These were the words he kept repeating. Once he turned into flames again, He Feng roared and rushed towards Su Ming once more.
The instant he closed in, Su Ming lifted his right hand calmly and threw a punch again.
That punch sent He Feng back, just as it did last time. It also made the flames on his body become duller, made him cough up a large amount of blood, and even made his right arm explode and shatter.
But Su Ming was also forced to take a step back!
"What powerful will!"
A glint appeared in Su Ming’s eyes as he watched He Feng. That man was, at that moment, completely overcome by his madness, and as he was sent backwards, he roared, and the flames on his body rose once again.
‘This is a condition… A condition where he lost his rationale after being overcome by his madness. In this condition, he obtained his own fire, or perhaps more accurately, he obtained his own Life!
‘Everyone has their own Life Matrix, and every single one of them is different… Could it be that going through this sort of transformation is necessary to understand what Life Matrix truly means and to arrive in the Realm of Life Cultivation?
‘Will I have to go through what is currently happening to He Feng now?’
Su Ming looked at He Feng and a long string of thoughts went through his head.
The man before him now had opened up a huge gate for Su Ming’s thoughts and allowed him to understand many things.
He Feng’s retreat caused him to stand in the sky. As he roared again, the flames on his body increased explosively once more, and at that instant, his legs broke down and shattered into pieces, burnt to ashes. However, he did not know pain. Instead, in his madness, he continued desiring even stronger flames!
And he received them. The flames around his body were so hot that even the sky looked as if it could no longer withstand them and was churning about as if it was melting. The instant those flames reached their strongest state, He Feng looked towards Su Ming, and with his remaining left arm, he flew towards him and hurled his fist forward!
"Die!" He Feng shouted furiously.
When he threw his punch forward, Su Ming narrowed his eyes and clenched his right hand into a fist again before ramming straight against He Feng’s punch. A loud bang that bellowed in the skies reverberated through the air. Su Ming was forced several steps back and the Qi within his body churned.
As for He Feng, he no longer had any blood in his body. As he fell backwards, his left arm exploded, leaving him with only half his body remaining. The moment his body touched the sky, he let out the strongest roar in his life.
"I offer my soul to the flames of the world! Give me… Give me even stronger flames!"
The instant these words escaped his mouth, white flames appeared on his body, and when that happened, He Feng’s body started rapidly burning away. He glared at Su Ming.
"Su Ming, I am the true Fire Berserker!"
These were his final words, because when he finished saying them, only his head remained, and the flesh and blood on it were rapidly turning to ashes. As the white flames burned, his life and his soul disappeared without a trace in an instant.
As the white flames continued burning, they exploded abruptly, and the sky finally crumbled under that explosion. A gigantic hole leading straight to the fifth layer appeared!
Those flames swept through the fifth layer, and shrill screams of pain traveled through the hole there. The members of the tribe there had already made preparations and were ready to fight for their freedom, but they all turned into the sacrifices for the white sea of fire, and as the flames spread out, the people disappeared without a trace.
"You are the Fire Berserker."
Su Ming stood there and closed his eyes, only reopening them after a long time had passed. Understanding could be seen in his eyes. He Feng died, but he did not die by Su Ming’s hands. He died from the sea of fire.
Because… he did not lack fire in his Life. His Life Matrix could not contain too much fire. That was why he could not withstand the pinnacle of fire. If he absorbed it forcefully, he would only die.
‘The path to Life Cultivation is dangerous, and each step taken is an enigma shrouded in great mystery…’ In silence, Su Ming walked towards the fifth layer.
Right up till his death, He Feng did not understand why he would be burnt by his own flames. Only Su Ming had been able to see through some part of it and understand a little of what was happening, and the epiphany he had gained served as an experience for him towards the path of Life Cultivation.
‘He Feng didn’t know what Life Cultivation is. Perhaps there are people who are already practicing Life Cultivation in this world, but there aren’t many of them… There must also be quite a number of those in the Berserker Soul Realm who have tried to break into that Realm, but had died in this way.
‘Because a lead is missing. They are lacking the lead for them to step into Life Cultivation from the Berserker Soul Realm. If they want to find that lead, then they must understand what Life Matrix is, and from there… truly step into that Realm.
‘He Feng unknowingly found that lead, and it due to his madness… but in the end, he died because of his madness. Then, what would my lead be…?
‘He sank into madness due to his obsession, due to his obsession…’
In silence, Su Ming stepped into the fifth layer. The flames in there had already disappeared, but there were thick and dense smoke clouds in the air. The ground was charred. There were no mountains in this layer, and smoke filled the sky. No sign of life could be found here.
Once Su Ming swept his gaze across the area, he looked towards the sky. He lifted his right hand, and the violet armor appeared on his body once again. The Undertaker’s of Evil Spear appeared in his hand and a hint of the presence of Life Cultivation surrounded the spear. This was the strongest power Su Ming could muster before he turned into Destiny!
With the long spear in hand, Su Ming took a step towards the sky. Then, like a long violet arc, he charged upwards with a loud howl and thrust the spear forward.
All of Su Ming’s power erupted from his body when he thrust forward, and the wind of the Wind Berserker stirred in the air. The power of the Lightning Berserker burst forth as well, and as lightning rumbled in the sky, that hint of the presence of Life Cultivation also fused with the spear, causing the sky to start trembling the instant the spear touched it while slicing through the air with a howl. The instant a large crack appeared, Su Ming moved his feet and stepped into the crack!
The sixth layer!
The moment Su Ming stepped there, a light immediately shone in his eyes. He saw thousands of people kneeling on the sixth layer’s ground, as if they were waiting for his arrival.
The person in the lead was an old man. He had an incredibly long braid behind his head that he had wrapped around his body. The old man knelt on the ground silently, and all the members of his tribe behind him possessed incredibly long hair as well.
This… was Phantom Dais Tribe!
Su Ming had seen the old man before in the past. It was the tribe leader of Phantom Dais Tribe!
"The seventh layer is the Southern Frontier Tribe under Freezing Sky’s jurisdiction. This tribe defended the southern front and there are five hundred people in that tribe, but even if there are only five hundred of them, they are one of the sharp blades of the Great Tribe of Freezing Sky!
"The eighth layer is where the Great Tribe of Freezing Sky is located. Over the years, not a single piece of news had come from there. It’s as if they had been cut off from us.
"The ninth layer… is Si Ma Xin’s isolation grounds." The tribe leader of Phantom Dais lifted his head and looked at Su Ming calmly as he spoke slowly.
Su Ming did not speak. Once he sized up the old man, he looked towards the other members of Phantom Dais Tribe. All of them were kneeling on the ground silently, and their faces were filled with apathy.
"Su Ming, we, the Phantom Dais Tribe, would like to offer a deal with you. I can tell you where Lei Chen is, and we can even give you the Phantom Lead to help you search for our next Phantom Equal. With this item, you can sense Lei Chen’s whereabouts and find him!
"You don’t need to give up too much. We only ask for your left arm…" The old Phantom Dais tribe leader spoke in a low voice.
"You can also choose not to agree to this, but without our Art, you will not be able to obtain the Phantom Lead! I don’t want to participate in this feud between you and Si Ma Xin. We only want freedom!
"Please, give us our freedom!"
The old man’s expression was a little complicated. He knelt there and kowtowed towards Su Ming. All the Phantom Dais tribe members behind him did the same. Among them were the elderly, women, and children.
A hint of desire towards freedom lay within their apathetic expressions, and the children were looking at Su Ming with fear in their eyes. All of these things, along with the entire Phantom Dais Tribe kowtowing towards him, made Su Ming’s words die in his mouth.