Chapter 16 - Treasure
Beside the small gentle stream, the Ground Dragon was drinking water quietly, its robust body covered with scales.
Mo Yanyu was sitting upright in a sedan high on the dragon and playing with a blue smoke bomb in her hand, lost in thought.
Recently, she was haunted by Shi Yan. Every time she remembered the cold decisiveness in Shi Yan’s eyes, she became restless. How she wished she could catch him and ruin his veins and bones.
Given Master Karu’s death, she had already released the medicine slaves who were of no use now.
With her were eleven warriors from the Mo family who were only of the Elementary Realm. Their power was insufficient to help Mo Yanyu search for Shi Yan. As such, she could only wait for the relief troops from the family.
All of a sudden, a pale blue light shot up across the sky some five miles ahead.
“They have arrived!” Mo Yanyu’s spirit rose. She immediately threw the blue smoke bomb up into the sky, and thus the same pale blue light was seen above her.
The warriors around the Ground Dragon rejoiced with a lively outburst of happiness as if they were getting ready for a fight.
In less than a quarter of an hour, three dark shadows showed up from afar and flew in their direction. The first of them had a graceful beard and wore an indifferent smile. He approached near Mo Yanyu and laughed loudly. “Yanyu, where is Master Karu?”
“Third uncle, Master Karu is dead.” Mo Yanyu explained in a very unwilling manner, “We met a thief mid-way. He was only Elementary ranked, but he still was able to kill Master Karu. I just can’t figure it out.”
Mo Chaoge’s smile disappeared at once and his face turned pale: “Have you got the thing that was on Karu?”
Mo Yan Yu shook her head, “It was taken by that thief.”
“Stupid!”
Mo Chaoge cursed in a low voice. With a cold face, he observed: “We received information that Karu had stolen an incomplete picture of the ‘Gate of Heaven’ from his teacher. His teacher, Mu Xun, is looking for him everywhere for that incomplete picture. It is said, in the God Area where the Gate of Heaven leads to, are Martial Skills of the Spirit and even Sacred level! I came here in a hurry with two escorts just for that incomplete picture! But you let him die! How stupid!”
“What!” Mo Yan Yu was shocked, “How could that be!”
“Why would Karu leave Medicine Valley with you if he hadn’t stolen that valuable map from his teacher? You think he was attracted by the wealth of Mo family? Humph. He was attempting to get shelter in the Merchant Union, so that his teacher Mu Xun couldn’t kill him. ”
Mo Chaoge thought for a second seriously and reproached, “Tell me the details. That man must be still in the Dark Forest. We have to find him! The picture means a lot. We, the Mo family, have to get it! ”
Mo Yanyu started to realize how bad the situation was. She told him all the details, except that she was violated by Shi Yan twice.
“Dumbass!” Mo Chaoge scolded again. He flew into a rage, “You didn’t keep tracking him? That bastard is only of the Elementary Realm! No matter how he killed Karu, he must have paid a significant price. He might have been hurt too. If you had chased him you could have killed him easily! Too dumb!”
“I was afraid that we would lose more, so...”Mo Yanyu lowered her head in shame.
“An Elementary Realm guy, and you were afraid of him?” Mo Chaoge was annoyed, “You wasted so many resources of our Mo family! What are you doing now? Show me the way! You! You! You! Bring the Ground Dragon back to the Merchant Union through the secure route. Others! Follow me and search!”
---
They looked for Shi Yan for two days but still found nothing.
Under the moonlight, Shi Yan was leaning against an ancient tree and deep in thought. He had decided to stop the chase for the time being.
He took off Karu’s bag from his back and opened it to look into the contents.
Inside the bag was a volume on poisons, several bottles of poison refined by Karu, and two Mortal level Martial Skill books: [Dark Light Shield] and [Black Formula].
Apart from those things, there a dark yellow, incomplete picture, on which were painted two hills. Shi Yan studied it for two days but found nothing, so he didn’t take it seriously.
Of the two Martial Skills, to train [Black Formula], required a collection of Black Qi first. Thinking hard for two days, Shi Yan didn’t come up with any idea of where he could find Black Qi, and so he soon forgot about it.
Fortunately, the other Martial Skill, [Dark Light Shield], didn’t require anything special. One simply needed to operate his Profound Qi according to the meridian map.
Shi Yan took out the book on [Dark Light Shield] from the bag and started to train in it. He was determined to learn that skill and thus made every effort in remembering the mnemonics of the skill.
[Dark Light Shield] was a defensive Martial Skill. It used Profound Qi to form a layer of dark light around one’s body in order to defend from an enemy’s assault. It was just a Mortal level Martial Skill and needed no requirements but one; the flow of Profound Qi.
Shi Yan packed the bag and observed the surroundings for a while. Assured that it was safe, he quietly climbed up a tree behind him, hid himself in the thickets, and started to train the [Dark Light Shield].
After reaching the Nascent Realm, his veins were as smooth as silk. Once he thought of moving his Profound Qi, it would immediately flow into the veins.
Sitting in meditation, Shi Yan operated his Profound Qi quietly and trained according to the meridian map for [Dark Light Shield].
The Profound Qi flew around his body like a gentle stream in a controlled manner. At once, Shi Yan sped up the circulation of his Profound Qi.
“Pump!”
Suddenly a hazy black light started emitting from Shi Yan. It gradually started forming a layer over his whole body. Shi Yan was quite sure that he was training in the correct way, so he once again accelerated the Profound Qi.
The black light emitting his body began to grow in intensity. At first it was only half a metre, then it formed a one metre thick layer, exactly the same as Karu’s.
A long time passed. Shi Yan exhaled a mixed breath and opened his eyes leisurely. The Profound Qi in him had already finished six big circulations.
Success!
Shi Yan smiled. He found that it was very easy to train in the [Dark Light Shield].
In merely one night, he had grasped the essential part of this Martial Skill. With his Profound Qi growing, he only needed to accelerate its circulation and his defense would increase greatly.
Up in the sky. The moon had disappeared. Dawn was coming near.
Shi Yan was not in a hurry to leave. He calmed his mind and tried to operate the Profound Qi for a second time. The Profound Qi flew toward his left arm. Once it arrived at the first meridian, Shi Yan had another thought and his Profound Qi promptly started rotating in that meridian.
After three breaths, Shi Yan changed his mind again. Immediately, the Profound Qi flew backwards and he felt a splitting pain in that vein!
It’s was the phenomenon that occurred while training [Rampage].
Enduring the pain in his arm, Shi Yan continued to circulate his Profound Qi. He tried again as he according the process he previously followed in his right arm.
The muscles in the left arm began to contract, and slowly became dry and thin. Thin white fog was coming out of his left arm...
In the white fog was a mix of negative feelings such as fear, cruelty and despair, which had the weird power of bewildering people’s minds. The negative feelings sourced from the meridians in the left arm and were temporarily bound by the fog. Once he fought with others, they would leak out of his arm directly.
The sun was hanging high in the sky.
Shi Yan was sweating all over while fully concentrating on his left arm. His left arm was covered with a heavy fog which was sending out a putrid smell. Shi Yan was then filled with a desire for murder.
“Hooo, hooo...”
Shi Yan was trying very hard to control his desire. He withdrew the Profound Qi in his arm little by little, back into his abdomen. Therefore, his arm gradually went back to normal, and the white fog around it began to drift back into his meridians through his veins, till none of it remained around his arm.
Shi Yan leaned against the tree trunk with a deathly pale face. Exhausted, he was drowned in mixed feelings.
This Martial Skill [Rampage] was able to induce all the negative energy in his meridians, though the negative energy would also disturb his mind. This Martial Skill was a double-edged sword in battle, which would make him lose his mind. It did bring a warrior enormous power, but it was at the same time very dangerous.
Nevertheless, Shi Yan remembered when [Rampage] broke Karu’s [Dark Light Shield], and the odd state of Karu when his brain was invaded by the negative energy. Shi Yan thus made up his mind to train this vicious Martial Skill with his whole body. He wanted to know what would happen to his body when all the negative power within his all meridians was induced.
He had this vague thought that as long as he finished training the first sky of [Rampage], his body would have a major shift and that his strength would surge by two times.
“Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!” There came a sound of someone approaching from afar.
Shi Yan frowned, and slowed his breathing. He then started observing his surroundings.
Not before long, seven shadows, each of whom were wearing a grey gown and a pale mask, stopped under the ancient tree, seeming to be waiting for something.
On the shoulders of six of those seven men, were signs of silver stars, while on the last one’s shoulder, was a sign of silver crescent.
“Wooon! Woon!” A weird sound came from the grove ahead, sounding like a communication signal.
Under the ancient tree, the tall, thin man with the crescent on his shoulder had a cold look in his eyes. He listened to the surroundings for five seconds and remarked, “According to the secret message, they have been spotted in a valley twenty miles away. Now chase after them!”
The troop of seven people passed rapidly.
Ten seconds after they left, Shi Yan stuck his head out of the leaves. After thinking for a while, he jumped down the tree and followed after them secretly.