Mo Yan Yu suddenly stopped.
Four Martial Artists from the Mo Family came panting out of the woods and halted beside Mo Yan Yu, their expressions grave.
Kalu's headless corpse was still dripping fresh blood, but his body had shriveled as if every drop of moisture had been drained from it. Not a trace of his vital essence remained.
The four Martial Artists gathered around Mo Yan Yu, their eyes full of shock. One of them hesitated, then stepped forward. "Miss..."
Mo Yan Yu's brows knitted tightly, and her delicate body trembled slightly. After a long pause, she finally said, "Don't pursue him."
"Miss..." The Martial Artist still wanted to say more.
"Kalu was at the Xiantian Second Heaven, the same realm as me, and he had more experience fighting than I did." Mo Yan Yu shook her head helplessly. "No matter how he killed Kalu, it means he's capable of killing any one of us. If we keep chasing him, none of us may make it back to the Merchant Alliance."
"So we're just letting him go? Miss, we paid dearly to bring Master Kalu back." The Martial Artist stammered.
"Other than giving up, Li Tian, do you have any better way to deal with him?"
The Martial Artist fell silent.
Mo Yan Yu crouched down and searched Kalu's body, then cursed through gritted teeth. "Damn it. He took all of Kalu's medicines and medical texts. This trip was for nothing."
The four Martial Artists fell silent together.
"Return to Qiang Sen's group. From now on, no one is to split up!" Mo Yan Yu took a deep breath, rose, and turned back the way they had come. She hated Shi Yan to the bone.
Shi Yan stumbled blindly through the Gloomy Forest.
The frenzied bloodlust inside him was like a flood beast, slowly devouring his reason. Violent, murderous madness galloped through his mind like a wild horse. His vision grew blurry, and he could feel the negative power in his body slipping beyond his control.
Yet his body was utterly exhausted. It seemed he couldn't gather any strength in his hands or feet. If he got into a fight now, he was as good as dead.
He had no idea how much longer he could hold on. He had never expected his body to react this way, and he had no way to deal with it.
"Boom!"
The bloodlust in his heart finally erupted completely. Shi Yan panted heavily, unable to see anything, while a voice in his mind repeated over and over: "Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Shi Yan knew he would soon lose all reason, becoming a bloodthirsty beast that knew nothing but slaughter.
A melodious, gentle tune suddenly drifted over from afar. The notes rang like pearls dropping onto a jade plate, like jade pendants chiming together. They flowed smoothly, like a bird lightly beating its wings, or a spring tinkling through a silent forest. The music was beautiful and captivating, its artistry reaching perfection.
The elegant, gentle melody was like a slender jade hand, soft as boneless flesh, caressing his heart and soothing his frenzied bloodlust. His reason, on the verge of collapse, slowly cleared.
Under the music's influence, Shi Yan, who had nearly gone mad, gradually regained his senses. Enraptured, he slowly walked toward the sound, as though the entire world around him had become a realm of flowing music. The bloodlust within him faded away, little by little, into nothing...
In a small valley carpeted with exotic flowers and plants, a graceful figure sat cross-legged among the blossoms, her hands resting on an ancient zither. Head bowed slightly, she played with total absorption, unaware that Shi Yan was slowly approaching.
Shi Yan stopped a hundred meters away and gazed at the beautiful figure with her back to him. He slowly closed his eyes, letting his mind sink into the lovely music.
After a long, long while, the tune gradually softened, until at last the notes ceased.
Shi Yan abruptly snapped out of his reverie. The frenzied bloodlust in his body had vanished completely, as if it had never appeared at all!
Yet his body still felt heavy, and his chest hurt terribly. Kalu's blow had clearly left him badly injured. He carefully sensed his condition and discovered that the cyclones in his acupoints were still spinning persistently, continuing to digest all of Kalu's vital essence.
The graceful figure in the distance held her ancient zither and slowly turned around. Frowning slightly, she met Shi Yan's gaze.
Shi Yan's body trembled slightly. His eyes shone as he stared at her without blinking, and the word escaped his lips. "Beautiful!"
The beauty wore a white dress and looked about eighteen or nineteen. Her bright eyes and pearly teeth, her skin like snow and bones like jade—her ethereal and sweetly innocent qualities blended perfectly. She was, astonishingly, a beauty on the same level as Mo Yan Yu.
The beauty glanced at Shi Yan, then silently turned away. Holding her ancient zither, she walked with graceful steps toward the small river a hundred meters ahead.
Shi Yan sighed inwardly at the caliber of beauties in this world. He had seen only two women here, and both had been utterly captivating, both peerless beauties.
"Miss, thank you for playing just now. Could I..." Seeing the beauty move farther and farther away, Shi Yan called out loudly.
"Kid, know when to stop."
A burly figure suddenly leaped down from an ancient tree in front of Shi Yan. He was a yellow-faced, middle-aged man with a full beard, dressed in gray-brown Martial Artist's clothes. Broad-waisted and powerfully built, he carried a greatsword lazily over his shoulder and blocked Shi Yan's path, looking at him with a faintly amused smile.
Shi Yan's heart skipped. He tensed all over. From the yellow-faced man, he sensed an utterly terrifying aura.
Without needing to think, Shi Yan immediately realized that the yellow-faced man was a Martial Artist whose realm was far above his own. The man wasn't deliberately releasing any pressure, yet Shi Yan still felt as if he were an immovable mountain.
Shi Yan stepped back, first signaling that he meant no harm. He gave a dry laugh, then said, "That beautiful young lady's music is unforgettable. I only wanted to hear her play a few more times. I don't mean anything else."
This captivating young woman had mastery of the zither, and her gentle music could clearly suppress the bloodlust inside him. He wasn't sure whether his bloodlust would erupt again, so he wanted to find someone he could rely on to keep it under control.
"I know you're just a lecher, and don't mean anything else. Otherwise, you wouldn't still be alive." The yellow-faced man smiled and said casually, "But this isn't the place for you to indulge your lust. I suggest you keep well away from us, unless you want to invite trouble."
"Fine." Shi Yan raised a hand and didn't argue. He took one last long look at the graceful figure in the distance, then turned and left.
"Uncle Luo, that man has a powerful Killing Intent. Just now, he was murderous all over and nearly lost his reason. But after he came to, he still dared to show his face, and his gaze was so... brazen. He probably wasn't sent by Dark Nether." Whenever Mu Yu Die recalled Shi Yan's undisguised stare, she felt uncomfortable.
It seemed he never hid the desires in his heart.
Others might have designs on her too, but at least they tried to conceal them when they looked at her. They would sneak glances, afraid to reveal what they truly thought. But that guy's gaze was completely unrestrained, as if he wouldn't be satisfied until he swallowed her whole. His desire to possess her was utterly pure.
"Definitely not one of Dark Nether's people. The ones Dark Nether sends are at least in the Innate Realm. That kid is still struggling in the Postnatal Realm." Luo Hao smiled. "Still, that guy's kind of interesting. He hasn't even reached the Innate Realm, yet he dares covet the beauty of our little fairy, who's at the Human Position Triple Heaven. He's got some nerve, ha ha."
"Ah, who knows when I'll recover? I can't use even a bit of my strength right now." Mu Yu Die sighed softly, her heart full of worry. "Uncle Luo, if things really become hopeless, don't worry about me. I... I've been prepared for this for a long time."
"What are you saying?" Luo Hao's expression darkened as he scolded her. "We're not far from the Merchant Alliance. If we can hold out another ten days or half a month, we'll make it through the Gloomy Forest. Once we reach the Merchant Alliance, Dark Nether won't be able to reach us."
"Coo-coo! Coo-coo!"
A strange whistle came from afar. Before long, three young people dressed like mercenaries—two men and a woman—emerged from the woods. The leader looked grave. As soon as he arrived, he said, "Uncle Luo, we didn't catch up with Dark Nether's trackers."
Luo Hao nodded and frowned. "We're leaving at once. We have to find another place to camp, or Dark Nether's people will soon surround this place."
The five of them packed up and left in a hurry, not lingering.
As soon as he had left them behind, the bloodlust in Shi Yan's heart began to rise again.
This bloodlust was connected to Kalu's vital essence. Kalu had been at the Innate Realm, and his vital essence was mixed with too many negative emotions. As Shi Yan's acupoints purified that power, the troublesome negative emotions would occasionally spill out, stirring the bloodlust within him.
The young woman's music had forcefully suppressed that bloodlust, keeping him from losing his reason and plunging into madness. However, his acupoints were still purifying Kalu's power. Until the process was complete, he could fall into madness again at any moment.
Until Kalu's vital essence had been purified, the beautiful young woman was his one source of support for staying sane!
Feeling that bloodlust slowly rising in his heart again, Shi Yan's heart sank. He hesitated, then turned and pursued the young woman once more.
The young woman's zither music, as heavenly as the sounds of nature, could calm him for a while. Only by following her would he have the chance to hear that lovely, flowing music again.
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