Chapter Sixteen: Treasure

Beside the murmuring stream, the earth dragon quietly drank its fill, its massive body draped with countless bottles and jars. Mo Yanyu sat with regal poise in the palanquin atop the earth dragon, idly toying with a blue smoke grenade, lost in thought.

These past days, the shadow of Shi Yan had often surfaced in her mind, refusing to leave. Every time she recalled the possessiveness in Shi Yan’s eyes, she felt restless, unable to eat or sleep, wishing she could capture him and tear him apart to ease her anger. With Karu’s death, the medicine slaves who had followed her were now useless, and she had dismissed them early. Now, only eleven Mo Family martial artists remained at her side, all of the Postnatal Realm; this force was far too weak for her to freely search for Shi Yan’s trail, so she could only await reinforcements from her clan.

Suddenly, a cluster of bluish light surged skyward five miles ahead, enveloped in thick mist that gradually dispersed. “At last, they’ve arrived!” Mo Yanyu’s expression brightened; she hurriedly tossed the blue smoke grenade into the air, and a hazy blue light burst above her head. The martial artists beside the earth dragon all beamed with excitement, flexing their fists, eager for action.

Less than a quarter hour later, three figures sped toward them from a distance. The leader, with a flowing beard and a faintly indifferent smile, quickly reached Mo Yanyu and laughed aloud: “Yanyu, where is Master Karu?”

“Third Uncle, Master Karu is dead,” Mo Yanyu answered stiffly. “We ran into a petty thief on the road. He was only at the Postnatal Realm, but somehow managed to behead Master Karu.”

Mo Chaoge’s face changed, darkening instantly. “Did you get what was on Karu?”

Mo Yanyu shook her head. “That thief took everything.”

“Fool!” Mo Chaoge cursed under his breath, his expression grim. He snorted, “We received word that Karu stole a partial map painted with ‘Heaven’s Gate’ from his master. Now his master, Mu Xun, is searching everywhere for him, just to reclaim that map. It’s said ‘Heaven’s Gate’ leads to the ‘Divine Domain,’ where martial techniques of the Spirit and even Saint level are hidden. I brought two personal guards and rushed here just for that map, and you let him slip away! Truly foolish!”

“What?” Mo Yanyu’s delicate face blanched in shock. “How could this be?”

“If he hadn’t stolen his master’s treasure map, why else would Karu agree to leave the Medicine King Valley with you? You really think he was after the Mo Family’s wealth? Hmph, he was terrified of Mu Xun’s pursuit, so he wanted to hide in our Merchant Alliance.”

Mo Chaoge’s expression was thunderous. He pondered briefly, then barked, “Tell me exactly what happened. That thief must still be in the Dark Forest. We must find him! The map is crucial—our Mo Family must have it!”

Mo Yanyu now realized the gravity of the situation. Leaving out the two times Shi Yan had violated her, she recounted every other detail truthfully, making no omissions.

“Fool!” Mo Chaoge cursed again, furious. “You didn’t pursue him? He’s only at the Postnatal Realm. No matter how he killed Karu, he must have paid dearly—he might be seriously wounded. If you’d chased him, you could’ve easily killed him! Useless!”

“I was afraid of greater losses, so…” Mo Yanyu lowered her head in shame.

“He’s only at the Postnatal Realm, and you’re afraid of him?” Mo Chaoge stamped his foot in anger. “You’ve wasted so many family resources! Quit standing there—show me the way! You, you, you—take the earth dragon back to the Merchant Alliance along the safe route. The rest of you, stay with me and keep searching!”

…

Shi Yan had been chasing for two days, but hadn’t glimpsed even a shadow.

Under the cool moonlight, Shi Yan leaned against an ancient tree, frowning, and decided to halt his pursuit for now.

He took the backpack he’d gotten from Karu from his back, opened it, and stared at its contents in a daze. Inside was a scroll on poisons, several bottles of Karu’s concocted poisons, two basic martial technique manuals titled “Black Light Shield” and “Mysterious Yin Method,” and a wax-yellow fragment of a map depicting two peaks reminiscent of a woman’s breasts. Shi Yan had glanced at it several times these past days but couldn’t make sense of it, so he’d put it aside.

Of the two martial techniques, “Mysterious Yin Method” required gathering Mysterious Yin energy. Shi Yan had pondered for two days, but had no clue where to find such energy, so he ignored it. The “Black Light Shield,” however, required no special conditions; simply channeling essence through the meridian diagram would suffice.

Removing the “Black Light Shield” manual from the backpack, Shi Yan closed his eyes and memorized its training method, determined to give it a try.

“Black Light Shield” was a purely defensive technique, using the practitioner’s essence to form a layer of black light on the body’s surface to repel attacks. It was a basic martial skill, with no requirements other than circulating essence.

After putting away the backpack, Shi Yan surveyed his surroundings, then quietly climbed the ancient tree behind him, hiding within its dense branches and leaves before beginning his cultivation.

Now that he’d entered the Innate Realm, his meridians ran unobstructed; as soon as he willed it, essence flowed swiftly through them.

Closing his eyes and calming his breath, Shi Yan followed the meridian flow diagram for “Black Light Shield,” silently gathering his essence. Streams of essence coursed through his body like a creek; Shi Yan carefully controlled it, then abruptly sped up the flow.

“Boom!”

A haze of black light suddenly emerged from his body. The black light was tangible, with remarkable flexibility, slowly pushing aside the branches and leaves around him and forming a membrane thin as cicada wings, enveloping his entire body.

Shi Yan felt reassured, knowing he was on the right track, and sped up essence circulation again.

The black light radiating from him gradually increased—from half a meter, then to a full meter, exactly as Karu had demonstrated with “Black Light Shield.”

After a long while, Shi Yan exhaled deeply. His essence had circulated through six major cycles; he slowly opened his eyes.

It was a success!

Shi Yan smiled, realizing that cultivating “Black Light Shield” was not at all difficult. In just one night, he’d grasped the essentials. As his essence grew, he could simply circulate it faster to strengthen the shield’s defense.

He looked up and saw the moon fading, dawn approaching.

Not eager to leave, Shi Yan calmed his mind, summoned his essence again, and directed it to his left arm. When the essence touched the first acupoint, his thoughts shifted, and the essence spun rapidly within the acupoint’s vortex.

Three breaths later, Shi Yan shifted his thoughts again, and the essence reversed its flow. A tearing, stabbing pain suddenly shot through his left arm’s meridian!

This was the unique sensation of cultivating “Rampage.”

Gritting his teeth, Shi Yan endured the pain, continuing to channel essence as he had for his right arm.

His left arm’s muscles contracted, gradually shriveling. A faint white mist seeped out of his left arm…

Within the mist lurked negative emotions—fear, violence, despair—imbued with a strange power that could beguile the mind. These emotions originated from the acupoints in his left arm, temporarily trapped within the mist, ready to be unleashed in combat.

The sun climbed high.

Amid the tree’s branches and leaves, Shi Yan was drenched in sweat, his gaze sharp as a blade, fixed fiercely on his left arm. Under his scrutiny, the arm was shrouded in mist, strands of sinister power winding around it like a spirit, stirring an unbearable urge for release.

“Hu hu!” He gasped heavily, controlling the turmoil in his heart. Shi Yan slowly withdrew essence from his arm, bit by bit, returning it to his abdomen. The arm gradually returned to normal; the mist re-entered the acupoints along his meridians, until it vanished completely.

Slumped against the trunk, Shi Yan’s face was pale, his feelings conflicted.

This “Rampage” technique could unleash a host of negative powers stored in his acupoints, but these same powers disturbed his mind. It was a double-edged sword; while it could kill enemies, it might also drive him into madness. “Rampage” was formidable, but extremely dangerous.

Yet, recalling how this technique had shattered Karu’s “Black Light Shield” with overwhelming force, and how the negative power had invaded Karu’s mind, Shi Yan resolved to fully cultivate this sinister skill throughout his body. He wanted to see what would happen if all his acupoints unleashed their negative powers at once.

He sensed that once he mastered the first stage of “Rampage,” his body would undergo profound change, and his strength might surge by one or twofold.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!” The sound of bodies tearing through the air suddenly came from afar.

Shi Yan frowned, quietly restraining his aura, even stopping the flow of essence within, and silently watched below.

Soon, seven figures dressed in gray robes and pale masks stopped beneath the ancient tree, as if waiting for something.

On the shoulders of six of them was a silver star insignia; one bore a silver crescent moon.

A strange soundwave echoed from the woods ahead, as if transmitting a message.

Beneath the tree, the tall, thin figure with the silver crescent moon on his shoulder had cold, sinister light flickering in his eyes behind the mask. He listened quietly for five seconds, then spoke icily: “In the small valley twenty miles away, the shadow agent has them in sight. Follow me!”

The seven hurried on.

Ten breaths after they’d gone, Shi Yan finally poked his head from the leaves, face dark with hesitation. He leapt down from the tree and stealthily followed.

…

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