by Mars Gravity
As he turned around, a tattoo of a black snake quickly flashed on his left arm… which was the same tattoo that was on the body of the middle-aged man in black he had crippled.
Someone from the Soul Sect!?
Yun Che noticed that after that man in black had entered the store, it took a while for him to come out. After he left the store, he quickly walked away.
Yun Che raised his eyebrow and after a brief hesitation, entered the store.
He was met with a rich, full-bodied aroma—it was actually a spice shop and it reeked of all kinds of odor and fragrances being mixed together.
What was peculiar about this scene was that the owner of this spice shop was a wretched-looking, middle-aged man.
Although Yun Che was modest, his clothes and his body language demonstrated an air of extravagance. The shop owner’s eyes swept over him, smiling instantly and inquired politely, “Young master, our little store has over six hundred kinds of spices and grasses. Something ought to catch your eye. Please take your time, no need to hurry.”
Yun Che leaned forward and lowered his voice, “What did the previous guest purchase?”
As he was speaking, he flashed five thousand purple profound stones in front of the store owner.
The store owner’s eyebrows fiercely jumped, not only did he not accept the profound stones but fear started to show on his face instead, “Young master, you… must be someone from a major merchant guild or a big sect, right? Haah, please do not make it difficult for this little one. If this little one were to sell the Ten Thousand Mile Soul Chasing Incense to someone else and the Soul Sect were to know about this, I would not be able to keep my life.
“Ten Thousand Mile Soul Chasing Incense?” Yun Che creased his brows, “What is that?”
“Huh? You don’t know?” Seeing that Yun Che’s didn’t look like he was lying, the shop owner was surprised.
“I truly don’t know. I’m also not someone from a major merchant guild or a large sect, I am only an ordinary foreign traveler.” Yun Che answered. “I just noticed that the the person who was here previous had an extraordinary aura about him, so I figured that the thing he purchased must be amazing as well. That’s why I came in here to find out, out of curiosity.”
“Oh, I see. Hmmm… You certainly don’t look like you’re from Darkya Realm.” The store owner looked at him in a new light, believing him. At the same time, the fear in his face disappeared and with the speed of lightning, he reached out and pocketed the five thousand purple profound stones. “I’m afraid I’m going to disappoint you. This Ten Thousand Mile Soul Chasing Incense, I cannot and dare not to sell it to anyone else outside of the Soul Sect.”
“This Ten Thousand Mile Soul Chasing Incense that you’re talking about, what exactly is it?” Yun Che asked. He didn’t know why, but he felt a strong feeling of uneasiness in his heart.
“Of course it is something not simple at all.” Pride was displayed on the owner’s face, “The materials it needs are very expensive and in the entire Darkya Realm, currently, I’m the only one who can prepare it. The Soul Sect will bring over the materials regularly and take the Ten Thousand Mile Soul Chasing Incense back in ten days. Although the Soul Sect forbad me to sell it to anyone else, it can also be said that my little shop has also obtained the protection of the Soul Sect, no?”
“What does a Ten Thousand Mile Soul Chasing Incense do exactly?” Yun Che tightened his eyebrows as he asked.
“Of course it is used for tracking,” the shop owner replied. “This Ten Thousand Mile Soul Chasing Incense is colorless and odorless and absolutely no one will be able to notice it. However, there is a mysterious animal called the ‘Red-tailed Mink’ that is highly sensitive to this odor.”
“Thus, the Ten Thousand Mile Soul Chasing Incense is put on precious treasures or on the bodies of prisoners or mysterious beasts. In case they get lost, run away or get kidnapped, they can be tracked immediately with the 'Red-tailed Mink', guaranteeing that absolutely nothing…”
“What did you say… What did you just say??”
The shop owner’s voice did not fall before his whole body was suddenly picked up by his neck. He had cultivation at the Sovereign Profound Realm but under Yun Che’s hands, he could not put up an ounce of resistance. His wide eyes showed signs of deep confusion and fear. “You… What are you doing…”
Yun Che’s aura was completely chaotic; chills ran down his back. The arm he used to hold the shop owner was shaking violently and his pupils dilated and contracted intermittently. “This Ten Thousand Mile Soul Chasing Incense… How long does it last? How far can it be tracked…. Will it exceed one thousand kilometers or not?!”
“Young master... Let’s talk…”
“Answer my questions!!” Yun Che roared.
The shop owner’s mouth opened wide and said painfully, “The name... Ten Thousand Mile Soul Chasing... was not... given for fun… Forget… one thousand kilometers… It takes at least… four days and four nights… before it dissipates...”
Boom!!
The shop owner was cruelly thrown to the floor—it was not known whether he was still alive or not. Yun Che leaped into the sky and rushed south like a madman.
Chapter 1079: Tragedy
Darkya City was previously an absolute place of danger for Yun Che. He was constantly on edge, moving about as if on tenterhooks.
However, as of now, he couldn’t care less. He disregarded whether the Black Feather Merchant Guild would discover his traces. He released his profound energy to the maximum, sending bright bolts of lightning piercing through the skies above Darkya City. Each bolt brought with it an ear-piercing shrill.
When he had taken He Lin back to the wood spirit secret grounds, he had carefully scanned He Lin’s body for any tracking imprints...
But who would have thought that there was such a thing as the “Ten Thousand Mile Chasing Soul Incense”!
It had to be fake... How could such a thing exist!? It definitely couldn’t!
He sped away as Darkya City slowly disappeared into the distance. He clenched his teeth hard, nearly shattering some in the process.
He had stayed in the secret grounds for about half an hour. From the time he left until now, only three to four hours had passed. If all that had happened was true, then within this time frame...
This had better not be real!
Yun Che charged out of Darkya City like thunder, his speed several times that of when he had taken He Lin back home. He frantically flew southeast heading straight for the thick jungle without stopping for a moment.
Entering the dense jungle Yun Che didn’t lower his speed, he tore through the foliage like a raging tornado, sending wood, grass, and flowers spinning through the sky. One by one, ancient trees, that were tens of thousands years old, were reduced to splinters and dust.
Having already memorized the spot, Yun Che finally arrived at where the secret entrance lay. The row of ancient trees stood before him. He descended immediately and his pupils shrank.
The illusory formation that enshrouded the area was utterly broken. The greenish black vines looked as if a hurricane had swept through and torn them apart. Bits and pieces of vine littered the ground.
The world ahead was a picture of silence, a silence which chilled the bones.
Yun Che’s heart stopped beating for a moment. He fixed his gaze ahead as he felt a cold surround him. He stood there in a daze before slowly advancing forward. The sound of each step he took treading on the broken vines underfoot pierced at his soul.
After stepping through the vine crushed clearing, he came to a halt. His body shook and his face paled as a pained expression swept across his face. It felt as if all the blood had instantly been drained from his body.
What was originally a vast land of emerald and jade flora was now a scene of destruction and despair. Ancient trees were toppled over, wooden houses were collapsed and everything bore the scars of fierce combat. What remained of the picturesque land was now only dried gr
een blood stains and a deathly silence.
One lifeless body after another of the wood spirits were strewn across the blood dyed ground. One particular body closest to Yun Che still had his eyes wide open. The emerald green light had already faded from his eyes, what remained was a look of fear and hopelessness... Even in death, his resentment never left.
“Ah… AHHH…”
Yun Che’s lips were shaking and his pupils dilated in shock, nearly covering the whites of his eyes. Yun Che couldn’t move, as if both his feet were nailed to the ground. His vision started going blurry and the sky around him started to spin.
He grasped his head with both hands, his fingers shaking like that of an old man at the end of his life.
Dead…
They’re all dead...
Because of me…
I caused their deaths… because of me...
“Huff… huff..”
Yun Che took dozens of deep, heavy breaths before both his mind and eyes finally regained clarity.
He slowly stepped forward. Everything was still slightly blurry, but each body, each drop of fresh green blood were imprinted clearly in his soul... Each sight was like a piercing cold dagger, stabbing straight through his soul.
Every now and then, there were traces of the red blood of humans. They stood out like bloody dirty stains which desecrated this now ruined sanctuary.
Huuu…
He took in another deep breath. Color returned to his face and his eyes grew steady once more. He took a step forward, carefully walking across this now ruined world.
Bang!!
A heavily damaged tree suddenly toppled over, revealing a lifeless wood spirit… She was thin and small, her old and wrinkled face bore an expression of eternal calm.
“Granny Qing Ye…” Yun Che whispered. He lifted his head and slowly closed his eyes. He Lin respected her the most. She was the most senior and respected wood spirit in this little world. Just hours before, he had even personally received the Wood Spirit Miracle Dew.
“I’m sorry. I brought this disaster upon you all… Please rest in peace,” Yun Che softly whispered.
The die had been cast for this tragedy and all he could do now was offer a simple apology.
He had calmed down but unease still weighed heavily on his chest. Yun Che flew up into the air and released his spirit perception in the hopes of finding a survivor… hopefully there were fortunate wood spirits… even if there was only one, that was enough.
In front of a ruined hut Yun Che saw a well built middle aged wood spirit. He no longer had life in him. His hand was holding onto a broken spear. The spear was coated in a mixture of green and red blood.
On his back was a large and bloody hole... Because he had fought until the end, he didn’t even have a chance to self destruct his Wood Spirit Orb. Without a doubt, his Wood Spirit Orb had been forcefully taken away after his death.
“Senior Qing Mu…”
Yun Che gently mouthed his name, both of his hands trembling, fists clenched.
All around him lay the larger portion of the middle aged wood spirits. Each body was filled with signs of bloody battle and battle scars. All of their eyes were wide open, filled with expressions of fear, hopelessness, and hate... None of them were shut.
Yun Che continued flying silently. Further ahead in this little world, he saw one wood spirit child after another. Some were hugging each other, some were hugging the old… and the youngest, his soft little body was run through… A long black bladed knife was lodged in his body.
Yun Che found it harder and harder to breathe. He struggled to move his gaze, when he caught sight of the large garden where he had spent the most of his time on his first journey here.
Thousands of flowers were scattered roughly on the ground. There were no more butterflies...
At the end of the flowerbed, two girls were hugging each other tightly. Though their bodies bore no scars or wounds, they held no life within them.
Death by self destruction of their spirit orbs.
Yun Che landed and stared blankly at them, “Fei Yan… Qing He…”
Outside the flowerbed lay a fallen youth. His body was full of scars, evidence of the brutal wounds he had suffered in battle trying to protect the two girls behind him.
“Qing… Zhu…”
The strong sense of suffocation which was finally receding came back full force once more, flooding his entire soul, stronger than before.
“...I wish I could see the outside world for myself…”
“I always thought that humans were scary. I never would have thought that Big Brother Yun Che would be such a strong and likable human!”
“This is a charm I made with my own hands, it will keep you safe…”
“Big Brother Yun Che… Will you come back often to visit us...”
“……”
Qing Zhu… Fei Yan… Qing He...
One hand clutching his head, the other over his heart, he slowly crouched down. His heart felt as if it were pierced by thousands of poisonous needles. His body trembled in pain uncontrollably.
Just hours before they had looked at him in wonder, with such pure and eager eyes. They held onto every word that he’d said, as if they feared missing out on even a single one of his words. He had clearly felt a deep desire of hope and yearning in every one of their souls.
Fate had been far too cruel to them. What was the norm for others at a similar age, was but a dream for them. They were in the prime of their youth, but now...
“The… the one… who… caused all this...”
“Was... was me...”
His heart was convulsing and his teeth were chattering. He dug into his head with all five fingers, digging into his flesh, yet he felt not an ounce of pain.
This was the second time in his life he had felt like this.
The first time was when he was in the Azure Cloud Continent. He had lost his master, he had lost Ling’er. He no longer had anyone to hold onto him nor anyone to hold onto. Under his rage and anguished madness, he had utilized the Sky Poison Pearl and took all the lives within an entire city...
After his rash act, an immediate endless and unbearable amount of guilt descended upon him, driving him to the brink of despair...
At that time, he had killed millions of people, most of whom were innocent and had neither hatred for nor ties to him.
This time round, one hundred wood spirits had perished. Although not by his hands, he still felt the same strong surging pain as back then.
Why did this have to happen...
What were these innocent wood spirits guilty of!?
Was it only because they were too kind and weak?
No… It was because of me. If not for me… this cursed jinx, how would they have met with such a disaster?
It’s all because of me!!
If it wasn’t because I just had to look for a Wood Spirit Orb, if it wasn’t because I showed mercy and brought He Lin back here, this wouldn’t have…
…………
Wait a minute… He Lin!?
As if a cold bucket of water was poured over him, Yun Che lifted his head and immediately stood up. What about He Lin? He Lin wasn’t among these dead bodies. Where had He Lin gone?
Yun Che started flying and once more released his spirit perception as fast as possible, covering the entire wood spirit secret grounds. He scanned every inch of soil, every blade of grass, every wood spirit corpse.
He didn’t detect He Lin at all.
His mind rapidly cleared up. He expanded his spirit sense to the furthest he could spread it to and still he didn’t find the corpse of He Lin. He Lin could still be alive… No, this was definite. He Lin was definitely alive!
Those people knew that He Lin was a royal wood spirit, they definitely wanted him captured alive. And He Lin being the only wood spirit that had a royal bloodline, even if he stepped into the most dire and desperate circumstance, he would never allow himself to die! Yes, he was definitely still alive!
> The highest possibility right now was that he had been captured and taken away.
The blood on the ground hasn’t dried yet, they couldn’t have gone far.
Yun Che flew higher into the air and closed his eyes. He gathered every bit of concentration he could master… I have to find him. I must find him!!
Towards the east, he sensed traces of footsteps making a path through the jungle. He closed his eyes and explosively released his profound energy, streaking towards the east like lightning.
Chapter 1080: Massacre
The storm brought forth by Yun Che’s frightening speed tore apart the trees below.
He had weathered countless dangerous and stormy situations and was always able to regain his composure within moments but this time around it was different. His heart was an utter mess and no matter how he tried, it couldn’t be stilled.
It was as if his soul was being tightly locked onto by an unknown entity as it trembled in a cycle of never ending pain.
Following the traces left, he continued eastward. Eventually, an aura belonging to a human appeared within his spirit perception and it wasn’t just one person. Yun Che focused, then expanded his spirit sense to its limit and found seventeen strong auras no more than five kilometers ahead of him
Including an additional weaker aura belonging to that of a wood spirit.
He Lin!?
Going at a pace which had still yet to slow, Yun Che concealed his presence as he descended into the jungle, gradually approaching the auras up front. Upon reaching the vicinity, Hidden Flowing Lightning had already been mobilized and not a single person detected him.
All seventeen of them were in black robes. A black serpent’s emblem could be seen at different but conspicuous spots on each of their clothing. Among these individuals, sixteen of them had auras at the Divine Soul Realm, while the one right at the front was in the Divine Tribulation Realm. However, the man in front should have just stepped into the Divine Tribulation Realm not too long ago; the strength of his aura was slightly inferior to the middle aged person in black that Yun Che had heavily injured the night before.
