Counterattack

In the Gloomy Forest, where the trees were dense with leaves, figures moved about. The Mo Family Martial Artists spread out in a semicircle, searching the area with solemn expressions.

Mo Yan Yu, her face cold, shouted, "Search thoroughly! As soon as you find any trace of him, immediately fire a Blue Smoke Bomb. Do not engage him!"

"It's been three days, and we still haven't found any trace of him. Yet, he's left behind some clues. I wonder if he doesn't know how to conceal himself, or if he's doing this intentionally..." Kalu said, his face grim, anger rising within him.

During these past few days, the group had been searching the forest. They frequently found traces left by Shi Yan – broken branches and footprints indicated that Shi Yan was lurking nearby. However, every time they sent people to search, they found nothing, not even a glimpse of Shi Yan.

"Expand the search area!" Mo Yan Yu said resolutely, coldly ordering, "Spread out, use this spot as the center, and search thoroughly! As soon as you see him, fire a Blue Smoke Bomb, and I'll be there immediately!"

The Mo Family Martial Artists all agreed.

"Will the Earth Dragon be alright?" Kalu frowned, worriedly asking, "My medicine bottles are all there. If that brat goes over and causes trouble, destroying my medicine bottles, it'll be troublesome."

"Master, please rest assured. The Earth Dragon is being guarded by Qiang Sen and seven Martial Artists. Qiang Sen has already reached the Postnatal Triple Heaven realm. That little thief is no match for him," Mo Yan Yu said proudly.

Kalu nodded and said no more.

The Mo Family's search parties ventured further and further, the distance between individuals increasing. Each Martial Artist carried a Blue Smoke Bomb, so they weren't too worried. As long as they spotted Shi Yan, they could fire the smoke bomb and be at ease.

A Martial Artist, his face stern, cursed inwardly as he walked under a patch of shade. He looked up at the ancient trees above and then at the surrounding bushes.

For three consecutive days of searching, they hadn't seen Shi Yan at all. Moreover, Shi Yan was just a young Martial Artist in the Postnatal Realm. These people didn't believe Shi Yan would dare to linger nearby, assuming he had already left long ago. Therefore, when they came to search, they were all secretly complaining, feeling they were doing a futile task.

As this Martial Artist walked under the dense foliage of an ancient tree and subconsciously looked up, a murderous, icy, and evil aura suddenly descended from above. Shi Yan's figure appeared, lunging like a hungry wolf and slamming his knee into the Martial Artist's face.

"Bang!"

A powerful force surged, and the Martial Artist's face was covered in blood as he fell backward, tears and blood mixing in his eyes, blinding him.

Wielding a dagger, he wildly swung it, shouting, "Here! He's here!"

Just as he was about to release the Blue Smoke Bomb in his left hand, he felt a sharp pain in his wrist. Unable to bear the sting, he loosened his grip, and the Blue Smoke Bomb was snatched away.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Shi Yan's expression was cold, his eyes turning a dark red, filled with killing intent. He moved rapidly around the Martial Artist, dodging the wild swings of the dagger while kicking the man's head repeatedly.

Rolling Essence flowed through his two legs. Each kick was as heavy as a hammer. Under such a vicious assault, after just five kicks, the Martial Artist had no more life in him.

Shi Yan stepped forward, snatched the dagger from the man's limp hand, and calmly swung it, adding a final cut to his neck.

Invisible and intangible streams of air, mixed with emotions of unease, anger, and terror, flowed out of the Martial Artist's body and quickly infused into Shi Yan's acupoints. In just a few dozen seconds, the Martial Artist's Essence was completely drained, leaving him a shriveled corpse.

Shi Yan frowned and stepped forward, rummaging through the corpse. He found only a bag of food and over thirty Purple Crystal Coins. Without hesitation, he took the deceased's belongings. Shi Yan didn't linger, weaving through the forest like a fox and quickly disappearing.

This was his first kill, yet he felt no fear. From beginning to end, he was exceptionally calm. As he repeatedly stomped on the Martial Artist's head, he felt exhilarated, a sense of satisfaction from fulfilling a desire, an indescribable sense of freedom, as if he were born to be a warrior, destined to harvest lives in battle.

The thrill of killing brought him immense enjoyment. He felt that moment was incredibly beautiful. The accumulated repression of days felt like it was suddenly released when he cut the man's throat.

Shi Yan knew this was wrong. He understood that something must be wrong with his body. A normal person would never be as calm and composed as him during their first kill, let alone feel such a rush, like an addict.

The airflow from the man surged into his acupoints, and a killing intent rekindled in his heart. Soon, after swirling wildly within his acupoints, a strange energy infused his Essence, refining and strengthening it further.

This was a tangible benefit!

For five consecutive days, Shi Yan was like a ghost in the forest, appearing and disappearing, committing atrocities in various corners. Each strike was clean and swift, killing the Martial Artists instantly with a surprise attack before they could even release a Blue Smoke Bomb.

In five days, three more Martial Artists were killed. Each time Mo Yan Yu and the others discovered a body, it was shriveled, its Essence and blood seemingly drained dry.

Mo Yan Yu grew increasingly anxious. She and Kalu searched the forest everywhere, hoping to find Shi Yan, and they gradually began to feel a sense of crisis.

The first Martial Artist killed had a face mangled with blood and flesh, his head severely injured, with signs of a struggle.

The second and third Martial Artists were ambushed from behind, stabbed multiple times in the chest, but there were also signs of a brief struggle.

The fourth Martial Artist was killed with a clean slice across the throat, no signs of a struggle at all.

From the four dead Martial Artists, it was evident that Shi Yan's killing skills were becoming more proficient. This forest seemed to have become a stage for him to display his talent. He skillfully utilized the terrain to hide his tracks, like a seasoned hunter, carrying out a hunt against them.

The deaths of the four Martial Artists caused unease among the others. Mo Yan Yu and Kalu also began to treat the matter with caution, ordering the other Martial Artists not to act alone, but to pair up. This way, if one was ambushed, the other could immediately assist, preventing one person from being killed silently.

In the dense Gloomy Forest, on an ancient tree dozens of meters tall, Shi Yan sat cross-legged amidst the layers of leaves, gazing at the distant figures moving about through the gaps in the foliage.

They're getting smarter, Shi Yan sneered inwardly, knowing that a surprise attack to kill in one blow would no longer be easy.

He didn't rush to act immediately. After observing for a while, he realized that after losing four Martial Artists, they now had to travel in pairs. Their search coverage could no longer be comprehensive. At this moment, they were not heading in his direction but were delving deeper into three other areas.

Confirming they wouldn't be coming over anytime soon, Shi Yan gently closed his eyes and circulated his Essence. The Essence of those he had killed in recent days, which hadn't dispersed into the world after their deaths, had been absorbed by his acupoints. After purification by the swirling energy in his acupoints, it was fed back to his body, more than doubling his Essence.

With a thought, the flow of Essence accelerated dramatically. The significantly strengthened Essence coursed through his meridians like lightning, rushing from his lower abdomen to his right arm. As Essence surged into his arm, he suddenly held his breath, focused his attention, and exerted force!

The Essence in his arm suddenly became chaotic, like a wild horse running amok, rushing madly towards his index finger!

"Chh! Chh!"

A faint, silvery-white mist suddenly emerged from his index finger, emitting a strange sound in the air. The mist was not condensed and only lasted for a moment before dissipating.

Shi Yan's eyes suddenly snapped open. His dark pupils glinted with a strange light, and his face was filled with surprise.

Essence Emission!

This was a sign of the Postnatal Triple Heaven realm. After this period of tempering and hard cultivation, he had finally, with the help of the strange power fed back by his acupoints, entered a new realm!

Although the emitted Essence was not condensed and couldn't form a rainbow-like radiance, from now on, he could infuse Essence into weapons and directly damage an enemy's internal organs with the emitted Essence. This indicated that his mastery of Essence had gradually reached a new level.