490 Fifteen Years Ago (1/2)
”Fifteen years ago… There wasn’t just one End Shaman in the World of Nine Yin, but three! Besides the powerful Shaman from the God of Shamans Temple who was originally supposed to be here, there were also other powerful Shamans from other tribes.
”Right after the treasure gambling event was over, quite a number of Shamans parted ways to head to the three grounds that would allow them to receive their inheritance...
”The nightmare started at that time…
”I will never forget that day for all eternity. All sorts of changes kept appearing without stop within those one million lis around Shaman City, and those changes were like a strong repelling force that was trying to chase all of us outsiders out from the World of Nine Yin.
”The ground shook and numerous cracks appeared on the land. The Sacred Bats flew out from those cracks, and at that time, the ninth moon in the sky was blood red. The entire ground was dyed in a bloody glow.
”Those forests that spanned endlessly seemed as if they had been revived. The trees started moving, and strange, piercing screeches that sounded like crying sounds echoed in all directions.
”Vortexes that spun rapidly appeared one after another in the sky. As they spun, black rays of light descended from within, and all those who came into contact with them would immediately find that light fusing into their souls, causing their souls to leave their bodies, turning them into a part of one of the three sacred races in this land, the Drifting Roamers.
”A change also happened to the Spirits of Nine Yin at that moment. They no longer complied with the promise made between them and the Shamans in the past. Instead, they started killing and chasing away all the Shamans in the World of Nine Yin.
”The source for all this is because of a plan made by the Shamans, a plan that was made by the God of Shamans Temple and was agreed upon by all the big tribes!
”That plan was to completely open the passages leading to the World of Nine Yin so that all the people from big tribes could come to the World of Nine Yin at the same time and without any sort of restrictions!
”The Catastrophe of the Eastern Wastelands is approaching and we are forced to fight against the Berserkers to snatch their land. As the main instigators, the God of Shamans Temple coordinated with all the big tribes and the Immortals who came to the land of the Shamans to execute the plan, all for the sake of preserving as many lives and obtain the highest levels of protection when the Catastrophe of the Eastern Wastelands fell on the entire Land of South Morning!
”They laid out the structure for a powerful Relocation Rune so that they could turn the World of Nine Yin into a safe haven for the big tribes in the land of the Shamans and the God of Shamans Temple when the Catastrophe of the Eastern Wastelands arrived!
”Perhaps the God of Shamans Temple had been making preparations for this plan since a long time ago. Perhaps they weren’t even thinking about using this place as a safe haven, but were thinking of using it for some other purposes. But at that time, as the Catastrophe of the Eastern Wastelands continued closing in on us, the God of Shamans Temple worked with the big tribes and the Immortals and eventually laid out this Rune in Shaman City!
”If you go to the ruins of Shaman City, you should still be able to see the Rune’s remains.
”The eventual activation of the Rune caused a series of drastic changes in the World of Nine Yin. When we opened the passage and allowed all the people from the big tribes to enter, the Spirits of Nine Yin cast some sort of unknown divine ability, and the head hoisted on the stone pillar that reached the sky in Shaman City was revived…
”His revival marked the beginning of this disaster.
”The Rune collapsed. The passage in the sky that was opened by the Rune was sealed, and Shaman City was destroyed… These are the things I know and saw. Perhaps there are some other secrets that aren’t privy to common people. I don’t know about those things.
”But the Spirits of Nine Yin didn’t expect that there was more than one Rune. The Shamans laid out three Runes in three different spots in the World of Nine Yin. But… the sudden appearance of this terrifying storm caused the Shamans’ plan to fail entirely.
”I still can’t forget that storm. Sandstorms raged through the sky and turned into a gigantic figure. Wherever it went, all the living beings would be reduced to skeletons.
”The other two Runes were destroyed, and most of the Shamans in this place escaped through the last Rune before it was destroyed, but perhaps it was because the races here left us a small path of survival intentionally that they managed to do so…
”There were some people who didn’t manage to escape. When the Rune was destroyed, they were forcefully made to stay in this place, and after going through a cycle of death and elimination among their numbers, these people gathered together. At that time, they numbered to ten thousand people, but now, only several hundreds remain. These people are us.”
The nine moons hung high in the sky and shone brightly. The land was not really dark, but if anyone looked into the distance, they would find that the spots in the distance were still dark and they could not see those places clearly. There were only a few areas illuminated well by the moonlight.
A bonfire burned weakly in the valley. Wisps of green smoke twisted with the wind as they floated into the sky and fused with the darkness.
Nan Gong Hen sat beside the bonfire. His soft words echoed in the sky, and just like the green smoke, they eventually fused with the darkness.
Su Ming sat before him in silence as he listened to Nan Gong Hen describing the events from fifteen years ago. In his mind, he began drawing the scenes that had happened in the past.
He was shocked by the Shamans thinking of using this place as a safe haven. If they had truly succeeded, then when the Catastrophe of the Eastern Wastelands was over, the Shamans’ big tribes would have not suffered even the slightest bit of damage.
”Are these Drifting Roamers you speak a group of souls that drift through the land as if they have no intelligence whatsoever?” When Su Ming recalled seeing Ahu in Shaman City, he sighed.
”Those are Drifting Roamers of the lowest level. They don’t have any sort of will as they did when they were alive. Based on the experience I have fighting against them over these past fifteen years, this is a sacred race that acts as leeches. This is the only way for them to grow.
”They will attach themselves to the souls of the living and absorb their power to grow. The moment that soul is destroyed marks the completion of their growth. Their strength will also differ based on how strong the soul they have attached themselves to was,” Nan Gong Hen said calmly.
”Is there a way to save them?” Su Ming looked towards Nan Gong Hen.
”We tried before, but even after we used everything at our disposal, we had no success. Once these Drifting Roamers attach themselves to the souls, they will be as one, and it’ll be difficult to separate them… But I did hear that you Berserkers have a Phantom Dais Tribe [1]. Rumors have it that they have researched Arts about spirits deeply, perhaps they could save these souls.”
Nan Gong Hen lifted his head and looked towards Su Ming. If he still did not know that Su Ming was a Berserker at this point, then there was no way he could have become the leader of Fated Kin.