Chapter Fourteen: The Celestial Melody

Mo Yanyu came to an abrupt halt.

Four warriors from the Mo family emerged from the forest, panting heavily. They gathered around Mo Yanyu, their expressions grave.

The blood from Karu's decapitated corpse had not yet dried, but his body was shriveled, as though every drop of moisture had been drained away, all his vital essence utterly gone.

The four warriors clustered close to Mo Yanyu, eyes filled with terror. One of them hesitated, then stepped forward and said, “Miss…”

Mo Yanyu’s elegant brows were tightly knit, her delicate body trembling ever so slightly. After a moment, she made a resolute decision: “Stop the pursuit.”

“But Miss…” the warrior seemed to want to protest.

“Karu was at the second level of the Innate Realm, the same as me, and he had far more combat experience than I do,” Mo Yanyu said weakly, shaking her head. “No matter what method was used to kill Karu, it means the killer has the ability to kill any one of us. If we keep chasing, none of us may make it back to the Trade Alliance.”

“So we’re just going to let him go? Miss, we spent a fortune just to bring Master Karu back,” the warrior muttered reluctantly.

“If you have a better way to deal with him than giving up, Li Tian, I’d like to hear it,” Mo Yanyu shot back.

The warrior fell silent.

Mo Yanyu crouched down, searching Karu’s body, and cursed through gritted teeth: “Damn it, all his potions and medical manuscripts are gone. That bastard took everything. This whole trip was for nothing.”

The four warriors fell silent, heavy with disappointment.

“We’re going back to Johnson’s group. From now on, no one is to separate!” Mo Yanyu took a deep breath, stood up, and turned back the way they came. Her hatred for Shi Yan had sunk to the marrow of her bones.

…

Shi Yan fled through the shadowy forest in a blind panic.

A violent, bloodthirsty urge surged within him, threatening to devour his sanity like a rampaging beast. Brutality, a thirst for blood, and madness galloped through his mind like wild horses, his vision growing hazy as he sensed the dark power inside slipping beyond his control.

To make matters worse, his body was utterly exhausted, his limbs heavy and powerless. Any further confrontation at this moment would mean certain death.

He had no idea how much longer he could endure, nor had he foreseen such a strange shift in his body, leaving him unprepared.

Boom!

At last, the bloodlust in his heart burst forth. Shi Yan gasped for breath, his eyes blind to the world, his mind echoing with a single, relentless command: “Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!”

He knew, deep down, that he was about to lose all reason and become a mindless beast, driven solely by the urge to slaughter.

…

Suddenly, a clear and melodious sound of a zither drifted from afar. The music was like pearls cascading onto a jade plate, like tinkling jewelry, gentle and flowing. It resembled the light flutter of a bird’s wings, or the delicate tinkling of a spring in a tranquil forest—so beautiful, so enchanting, the skill of the player beyond compare.

The graceful zither music seemed like soft, boneless hands gently stroking his heart, soothing the raging bloodlust within him, slowly restoring his crumbling reason.

Under the influence of that music, the near-mad Shi Yan gradually regained his senses. Enchanted, he found himself moving toward the source of the music, as if his whole being were bathed in its harmonious world. The bloodthirsty urges within him faded away, dissolving into nothingness…

In a small valley lush with strange and vibrant flowers, a graceful figure sat cross-legged amidst the blossoms, hands dancing over an ancient zither. Her head was bowed, utterly absorbed in her playing, oblivious to Shi Yan’s slow approach.

Shi Yan stopped a hundred meters away, gazing at the beautiful figure’s back, closing his eyes to immerse himself in the exquisite melody.

Time drifted by. The music gradually grew softer, finally drawing to a close.

Shi Yan awoke abruptly from his trance, realizing that the violent bloodlust within him had vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.

Yet his body still felt heavy, his chest aching unbearably. Clearly, Karu’s attack had left him with severe injuries. Focusing inward, he sensed the cyclone in his acupoint still revolving tirelessly, digesting the essence he had absorbed from Karu.

The distant beauty turned, zither in hand, her brows slightly furrowed as she met Shi Yan’s gaze.

Shi Yan started, eyes blazing. He stared at her without blinking, blurting out, “Beautiful!”

She wore a pure white dress, appearing to be in her mid-teens, her spirit bright, her teeth like jade, skin as fair as snow and flawless as carved ivory. Her aura was both ethereal and sweetly innocent, a rare blend that put her on par with Mo Yanyu in beauty.

The young woman only spared Shi Yan a single glance before turning away in silence. Cradling her zither, she walked gracefully toward a little river a hundred meters ahead.

Shi Yan couldn’t help but marvel at the extraordinary beauty of this world. So far, he had only encountered two women here, and both were breathtaking, surpassing all others.

“Miss, thank you for your music just now. Could I—” Shi Yan called out as he saw the young woman walking farther away.

“Kid, that’s enough.”

A burly figure suddenly dropped from an ancient tree ahead of Shi Yan. It was a swarthy, middle-aged man with a bushy beard, dressed in brownish-grey martial robes. He had a broad waist and a robust frame, lazily resting a broadsword on his shoulder as he blocked Shi Yan’s path, regarding him with a half-smile.

Shi Yan’s heart skipped a beat, his whole body tensing. He sensed a terrifying aura radiating from the man.

He needed no further clues—this man was clearly a martial artist of a far higher realm. The man exerted no deliberate pressure, yet Shi Yan felt as though he stood before an immovable mountain.

He took a step back, signaling that he meant no harm, and forced a laugh. “The young lady’s music was truly unforgettable. I only hoped to hear a little more, that’s all.”

This girl’s music was divine, clearly able to suppress the bloodlust within him. He couldn’t be sure it wouldn’t erupt again, so he was eager to find some way to control it.

“I know your intentions are purely lustful, nothing else. Otherwise, you wouldn’t still be alive,” the bearded man chuckled. “But this isn’t the place to indulge such desires. I suggest you stay far away from us, unless you’re looking for trouble.”

“Understood,” Shi Yan raised his hand in acknowledgment, not pressing the matter. He gave one last lingering look at the graceful figure in the distance, then turned and left.

…

“Uncle Luo, that man carried a heavy aura of killing intent. He was practically feral a moment ago, nearly losing his mind, yet after regaining his senses he dared to show himself, and his gaze was… so brazen. I doubt he’s from the Dark Nether,” Mu Yudie said, feeling a twinge of discomfort as she recalled the naked desire in Shi Yan’s eyes.

He never tried to hide his lust. Others might have designs on her as well, but at least they tried to conceal it, sneaking glances and never daring to reveal their true thoughts. But that man’s gaze was utterly undisguised, as if he wished to devour her on the spot—a pure, unvarnished urge to possess.

“He’s definitely not with the Dark Nether. Anyone sent by them would at least be Innate Realm, and that kid is still lingering at the Postnatal Realm,” Luo Hao said with a chuckle. “Still, he’s a curious one—daring to covet our little fairy, who’s in the third level of the Human Realm, despite not even being Innate himself. Quite bold, that one.”

“I don’t know when I’ll recover. Right now I can’t use any strength at all,” Mu Yudie sighed, anxiety filling her heart. “Uncle Luo, if things get truly desperate, don’t worry about me. I’m prepared.”

“Nonsense,” Luo Hao’s face darkened. “We’re not far from the Trade Alliance. If we hang on for another ten days or so, we’ll be through the Dark Forest. Once we reach the Trade Alliance, Dark Nether’s reach will be broken.”

Coos echoed from afar, and soon three young mercenaries—two men and a woman—emerged from the forest. The leader’s face was stern as he reported, “Uncle Luo, we didn’t catch up to the Dark Nether pursuers.”

Luo Hao nodded, frowning. “We move now. We need to find a new place to camp, or the Dark Nether will soon surround us.”

The group of five quickly packed up and hurried away.

…

No sooner had Shi Yan parted from them than the bloodlust within him began to rise again.

This urge was connected to the essence he’d absorbed from Karu, who, as an Innate Realm expert, carried a vast store of negative emotions. As Shi Yan’s acupoint refined Karu’s power, those negative emotions would occasionally seep out, triggering the bloodthirst within him.

The girl’s music had forcibly suppressed that urge, preventing him from descending into madness. Yet his acupoint continued to process Karu’s power, and until it finished, he could fall into a frenzy at any moment.

Until Karu’s essence was fully purified, that beautiful girl was his only anchor to sanity.

Feeling that bloodlust rising once more, Shi Yan’s heart sank. After a moment’s hesitation, he set off again in pursuit of the girl.

Only by following her could he hope to hear that exquisite music again, and find a measure of peace.

…