Treasure

Beside a babbling stream, an Earth Dragon quietly drank water, its massive body laden with bottles and jars.

Mo Yan Yu sat regally in the sedan chair atop the Earth Dragon, idly playing with a Blue Smoke Bomb in her hand, lost in thought.

For the past two days, Shi Yan's image had frequently appeared in her mind, impossible to shake. The moment she recalled the naked possessiveness in Shi Yan's eyes, she became restless, wishing she could capture Shi Yan and dismember him for her satisfaction.

Because of Kalu's death, the Medicine Slaves who had followed her all this way were no longer useful and had been released long ago.

Now, the only ones accompanying her were eleven Martial Artists of the Mo Family from the Postnatal Realm. This force alone was insufficient for her to act freely and continue searching for Shi Yan's whereabouts; she could only await reinforcements from the family.

A patch of ethereal blue light suddenly shot up into the sky five li ahead, shrouded in mist before slowly dissipating.

"Finally!" Mo Yan Yu's expression became excited. She hurriedly threw the Blue Smoke Bomb in her hand into the air, and a similar hazy blue light exploded above her head.

The Martial Artists beside the Earth Dragon were all beaming with joy, flexing their fists and ready for a fierce battle.

In less than fifteen minutes, three figures flew in from a distance. The person at the forefront had a long, flowing beard and a faint smile on his lips. He quickly arrived beside Mo Yan Yu and said with a loud laugh, "Yu'er, where is Master Kalu?"

"Third Uncle, Master Kalu is already dead," Mo Yan Yu explained, gritting her teeth. "We encountered a petty thief on the way. That thief, despite only being in the Postnatal Realm, somehow managed to decapitate Master Kalu."

Mo Chao Ge's expression changed, and his demeanor suddenly turned grim. "Did you get what Kalu had on him?"

Mo Yan Yu shook her head. "That brat took it all."

"Idiot!"

Mo Chao Ge cursed under his breath, his face dark. He snorted, "We received word that Kalu stole a fragment of a map depicting the 'Heavenly Gate' from his master. Now his master, Mu Xun, is searching everywhere for him to retrieve that fragment. It's said that the 'Divine Realm' the 'Heavenly Gate' leads to contains Spirit Grade or even Saint Grade Martial Skills. That's why I rushed here with two escorts, just to obtain that fragment. You failed to keep an eye on him! Truly an idiot!"

"What?" Mo Yan Yu's pretty face was filled with shock. "How could something like this happen?"

"If he hadn't stolen the treasure map from his master, why would Kalu have agreed to leave Medicine King Valley with you? Did you really think Kalu was after the Mo Family's wealth? Humph, he was just afraid of Mu Xun hunting him down, so he wanted to flee to our Merchant Alliance for refuge."

Mo Chao Ge's face was grim. After a moment of thought, he called out, "Tell me the details of what happened. That brat should still be in the Gloomy Forest; we must find him! The treasure map is of utmost importance; our Mo Family must obtain it!"

Mo Yan Yu also realized the seriousness of the situation. Excluding the two instances where Shi Yan had violated her, she recounted the other details truthfully, without any omissions.

"Idiot!" Mo Chao Ge cursed again, enraged. "You didn't pursue him? That brat is only in the Postnatal Realm. No matter what method he used to kill Kalu, he must have paid a considerable price. He might even be severely injured. If you had pursued him, you could have easily killed him! Truly an idiot!"

"I was afraid of greater losses, so..." Mo Yan Yu lowered her head in shame.

"That brat is only in the Postnatal Realm, and you were afraid of him?" Mo Chao Ge stomped his foot in anger. "You've truly wasted so many of the family's resources! What are you waiting for? Hurry up and show me the way! You! You! You! Drive the Earth Dragon back to the Merchant Alliance via the safe route. The rest of you, follow me and continue the search!"

Shi Yan had pursued for two days but hadn't seen a single trace of anyone.

Under the cool moonlight, Shi Yan leaned against an ancient tree, his brow furrowed. He temporarily dismissed the idea of continuing his pursuit.

He took the backpack he had obtained from Kalu from behind him and opened it, staring blankly at its contents.

Inside the backpack were a copy of the Poison Scripture, several bottles of poison concocted by Kalu, and two Mortal Grade Martial Skills: "Dark Light Shield" and "Mysterious Yin Art."

Besides these, there was only a yellowed, tattered map depicting two mountain peaks resembling a woman's breasts. Shi Yan had looked at it for the past two days but couldn't decipher anything, so he hadn't paid it much mind.

Of the two Martial Skills, "Mysterious Yin Art" required the collection of mysterious yin energy for cultivation. Shi Yan had pondered for two days but had no idea where to find this energy, so he hadn't paid it much attention either.

However, the cultivation of "Dark Light Shield" required no other aids; one only needed to circulate Essence according to the meridian diagram.

Taking out the "Dark Light Shield" Martial Skill from the backpack, Shi Yan closed his eyes and memorized it, forcing the cultivation method into his mind. He decided to try practicing it.

"Dark Light Shield" was a purely defensive Martial Skill that used the body's Essence to form a layer of dark light on the surface of the body to resist an opponent's attacks. "Dark Light Shield" was only a Mortal Grade Martial Skill, and its cultivation had no prerequisites, as long as Essence flowed within the body.

Putting the backpack away, Shi Yan observed his surroundings and quietly climbed the ancient tree behind him, hiding himself among its dense branches and leaves before beginning to cultivate "Dark Light Shield."

After entering the Innate Realm, his meridians were unblocked, and Essence could circulate rapidly within them with just a thought.

Closing his eyes and concentrating, Shi Yan silently gathered Essence according to the meridian circulation diagram of "Dark Light Shield."

Streams of Essence flowed through his body like a gentle current. Shi Yan carefully controlled them, then suddenly increased the speed of their circulation.

"Bang!"

A hazy dark light suddenly emanated from his body. The dark light seemed substantial, possessing great flexibility. It slowly pushed aside the surrounding leaves, forming a thin, cicada-wing-like membrane that completely enveloped him.

Shi Yan felt reassured, knowing his cultivation was on the right track. He once again increased the speed of Essence circulation.

The dark light emanating from him gradually grew, from half a meter initially to a full meter, exactly like when Kalu had used "Dark Light Shield."

After a long while, Shi Yan gently exhaled a breath of turbid air. Essence had circulated six major cycles within his body. He slowly opened his eyes.

It was a success!

Shi Yan smiled, finding that the "Dark Light Shield" Martial Skill was not difficult to cultivate.

In just one night, he had grasped the key points. In the future, as his Essence increased, he only needed to accelerate the circulation speed to make the defensive power of "Dark Light Shield" stronger and stronger.

He looked up at the sky and saw that the moon had disappeared, and it seemed dawn was approaching.

Without rushing to leave immediately, Shi Yan calmed himself and once again stimulated the Essence within his body, directing it towards his left arm. When the Essence touched the first acupoint, Shi Yan's thoughts suddenly shifted, and the Essence began to swirl with the vortex in the acupoint.

Three breaths later, Shi Yan's thoughts changed again. The Essence suddenly flowed in the opposite direction, and a tearing pain shot through that meridian!

This was a unique phenomenon that occurred when cultivating "Berserk."

Enduring the pain in his arm, Shi Yan gritted his teeth and continued to stimulate the Essence, exerting force in the same way he had with his right arm.

The muscles in his left arm contracted, gradually becoming thinner. A hazy white mist slowly began to seep out from his left arm...

The white mist contained negative emotions such as fear, violence, and despair, possessing a strange power to bewitch the mind. These negative emotions originated from the acupoints within his left arm and were temporarily bound within the white mist. Once he engaged in combat, they could directly fly out from his arm.

The sun hung high in the sky.

Amidst the leaves of an ancient tree, Shi Yan was drenched in sweat. His eyes, sharp as knives, were fixed on his left arm. Under his gaze, his left arm shimmered with mist, strands of evil power coiling around his hand like spirits, stirring in him a restless urge to lash out.

"Hoo hoo!"

Panting heavily, Shi Yan controlled the desires within him and slowly withdrew the Essence from that arm. The Essence retreated bit by bit into his lower abdomen, and his arm gradually returned to normal. The misty white vapor that had clung to his arm flowed back into his acupoints along his meridians until it vanished completely.

Leaning powerlessly against the tree trunk, Shi Yan's face was pale, his heart a complex mix of emotions.

This "Berserk" Martial Skill could unleash the various negative powers hidden within his acupoints. However, those negative powers also disturbed his mind. This Martial Skill was a double-edged sword; while it could kill enemies, it could also drive him into a state of irrationality. "Berserk" was astonishingly powerful, but also extremely dangerous.

Yet, the moment he recalled how this Martial Skill had forcefully shattered Kalu's "Dark Light Shield" with overwhelming might, and the abnormality that occurred when negative power surged into Kalu's mind, Shi Yan made up his mind. He resolved to cultivate this evil Martial Skill throughout his entire body as quickly as possible. He wanted to see what changes would occur in his body when the negative powers from all his acupoints were unleashed simultaneously.

He had a faint premonition that once he fully grasped the first level of "Berserk," his body would undergo a massive transformation, potentially increasing his strength twofold or even threefold in an instant.

"Swoosh swoosh swoosh!" The sound of bodies breaking through the air suddenly came from afar.

Shi Yan frowned, quietly concealing his aura. He even stopped the flow of Essence within his body, silently observing from above.

Before long, seven figures clad in grey robes and wearing pale masks abruptly stopped by the ancient tree below him, seemingly waiting for something.

On the shoulders of these seven figures in grey robes, six had embroidered silver star emblems, and one had an embroidered silver crescent moon emblem.

"Buzz buzz buzz!" Strange sound waves emanated from the forest ahead, like a form of communication signal.

Beneath the ancient tree, the tall, thin grey-robed figure with the silver crescent moon emblem on his shoulder had eyes that flickered with icy, sinister light beneath his mask. After listening for five seconds, he said coldly, "In the small valley twenty miles away, the Dark Envoy has already targeted them. Follow me!"

The group of seven hurried past.

After they had been gone for ten breaths, Shi Yan poked his head out from the leaves. His expression was grim, and after a moment of hesitation, he leaped from the tree and quietly crept after them.

ps: It's very difficult for a new book to climb the charts. Little Ni sincerely hopes everyone can help out. Please give me your recommendation votes and member clicks. Thank you!!