Chapter 117: The Spectral Path of the Soul, Abyss Trail of Blood
Missing cases usually happened to children, young masters and ladies, kidnapped to blackmail their families.
It rarely happened to grown , adult men, especially these handicapped veterans who had nothing and lived in poverty, barely able to get their daily meals. Even if they were kidnapped, how much could be gained from their ransom?
What was outrageous was that nine people had been kidnapped in nine consecutive days!
What kind of situation was this?
Yun Yang's train of thoughts halted suddenly as enlightenment struck; his face drained of color.
Nine.
Nine days.
Nine people.
Why nine days?
Why nine people?
Yun Yang suddenly realized a terrifying possibility.
He thought hard and said, "Go home, all of you. If my guess is correct, there won't be any more of these happening in the future."
Chen San asked, "What does Young Master mean?"
Yun Yang heaved a long and worried sigh. "There is another reason behind this. Perhaps it involves a wicked mystique method that can only be activated with nine people. I think I already know the reason behind this. I honestly hope I'm wrong... otherwise, the consequences are severe!"
He took a package out from his robe, opening it with some difficulty. Shimmering gold laid inside but Yun Yang had never realized that the color was so blindingly unpleasant to the eyes!
He said softly, "The families of those nine brothers shall be under your care. Please send these gold ingots over for me."
The men bowed at the same time. "Thank you, young master! We thank young master's saving grace on behalf of our missing brothers!"
"Saving grace?" Yun Yang's smiled was devoid of humor, his face full of despair.
Can mere ingots of gold really replace the life of a hero who had sacrificed his life for the country and for its people? If it can, I'm willing to exhaust all my wealth, robbing homes and the world from now on to acquire more gold!
It could not, though.
How could these golden things ever be equal to the lives of heroes?
It could at most only make up for his guilt.
It was only the smallest of tokens!
...
Yun Yang walked out of the deserted alley, feeling his rage rocketing.
He then took out the Nine Heavens Dictum out without any hesitation.
Yun Yang was using the real Nine Heavens Dictum this time!
It was not the medallion that each of the brothers had owned, it was the sole principal medallion in the Residence of Nine Supremes.
A faint purple radiance illuminated the medallion, lending it an ethereal cast.
Yun Yang gave it some thought before he took seventh brother Supreme Blood's medallion and attached it to the Nine Heavens Dictum. He then held the Pearl of Blood in his hand and sent out a dictum directly.
Streaks of blood-red rays shot out from the Nine Heavens Dictum.
"Investigate if any veterans or serving militants around the city have gone missing. If there are, did they go missing, one a day and for nine consecutive days? Are there any other sets of nine people missing? Report back immediately if there is any news! There must be no delay!"
The crimson colored beams were gone in a flash.
It was during this night when countless people hidden in countless secret places had tears streaming down their faces.
Looking at the Nine Heavens Dictum that gleamed a bright scintillating red, a host of people were speechless from the intense emotions they were going through.
"Supreme Blood boss has finally reappeared!"
"This is... the real Nine Heavens Dictum!"
Countless men sprung up and charged over to check the contents of the Nine Heavens Dictum with a speed rarely seen in recent times.
"Quickly, everyone spread out and investigate!"
"Delve deeply! The quicker the better! We must produce the most detailed results in the shortest amount of time!"
"Quick, quick, quick!"
"This is the first order after Supreme Blood's return. If we don't investigate this meticulously, we can die of shame, for having embarrassed Supreme Blood!"
"Quick! Hurry! Everyone is doing their job. We're under the Dictum of Blood, we are the direct force of the lord Supreme Blood. If we fall behind, we can commit mass suicide already!"
...
After Yun Yang returned, the Nine Heavens Dictum was placed on his chest all the way back.
He could faintly feel the incoming surge of messages.
From these messages, he could see the intense emotions and feelings of these people who sent them.
"Boss! Boss, you're back!"
"Supreme Blood lord, our boss... when will he be back?"
"Supreme Blood boss, our Water lord..."
"Supreme Blood sir... our Cloud sir..."
...
Looking at the anxious yet anticipatory messages, Yun Yang could emphatically feel the senders' anxiousness, desperation, and caution.
He was helpless and brokenhearted, facing such messages.
For a moment, his heart clenched in pain, having no words to answer them.
"Do your job well!"
Yun Yang's reply was generic and non-committal.
Looking at the deep, dark night, he wanted nothing but to let it all out in a roar, to vent hysterically.
However, he just gazed afar for a long, long time. Finally, he heaved a long sigh.
...
It was only after dawn when the Nine Heavens Dictum flashed with the news.
Concentrated around the borders of Tiantang City, veterans who had been through countless battles hard started to go missing regularly since one and a half years ago. There was a total of three instances where nine men went missing each time.
The first time was one and a half years ago - it was the second month when nine veterans went missing in the west of Tiantang City. There was no news of them at all as if sand had been thrown into the ocean.
The second time was after last year's ninth day of the third month. From the fifteenth of the third month onwards, nine handicapped veterans had gone missing for nine consecutive days in the north of Tiantang City.
The third time was this current instance, at the south of Tiantang City.
All three missing cases had a similarity - the nine missing men were very close to each other. They had something in common with each other as well - they were all veterans of countless battles, experienced militants who had taken at least three lives.
"It' has indeed happened because of the Nine Supremes. It is indeed Spectral Path of the Soul, the Abyss Trail of Blood." Yun Yang inhaled deeply and sent another order. "Focus on the east of Tiantang from today onwards. Report immediately if any cases of missing veterans are discovered. There must be no delay in this."
Once the dictum was sent, Yun Yang fell silent.
The Four Seasons Tower had actually used such a vicious method.
"Spectral Path of the Soul, Abyss Trail of Blood" was an extremely vile and immoral yet inefficient mystical tracking method.
Such an extreme yet ineffective method was only used when one could not find the target and was not even sure of its approximate location.
The method's efficiency was low yet the conditions to execute it was terribly harsh.
The first condition was to find nine people who were very close to each other; they had to be immensely loyal to the person you were looking for as well.
Next, these nine souls had to possess the spirit of war.
The spirit of war was the soul of the battlefield. It meant that they had to have been through the real agony of war. In addition, they had to be fearless in the battlefield in order to have such spirit of war within them.
Not only did they have to possess the spirit of war, they had to possess bloodlust.
A person who was savage could possess some degree of bloodlust, so could people who robbed and snatched; even people who slaughtered pigs and cows for a living could have some form of it.
However, the bloodlust on the battlefield was different - it was the madness of slaughter after having lived through countless battles.
Killing one's enemy would rid one of nervousness and fear; killing two enemies would make one fearless and increase one's courage; killing three enemies would raise one's aura and bloodlust.
This was also why people dared not approach and be close when some warriors who had fought so many battles greeted them with smiles upon returning home after retirement. It was a genuine fear that came from the heart.
This was bloodlust!
Its existence was undoubtedly true and could only be washed away with time spent peacefully.
Only when all these conditions were fulfilled could the Spectral Path of the Soul, Abyss Trail of Blood be executed!
In other words, the core of the so-called "Spectral Path of the Soul, Abyss Trail of Blood" was to toss the souls of such men onto the sacrificial altar and use an extremely inhumane method to find the location of people they wanted to search for.
The method was mystical but it was also utterly vicious and inefficient. Yun Yang had only thought it to be a myth. He despised and held the mystical method in contempt, yet he had never expected that such sadistic and heartless deed would happen in his lifetime - and it was to find him!
"Kinship is forged in life and death, troops are formed through bloodlust and war; the spectral path of the soul, abyss trail of blood."
"The Four Seasons Tower!"
Yun Yang uttered these words in clear diction, his tone sharp and chilling like the icicle from an iceberg.
...
"Emmie, I am entering closed-door cultivation!" Yun Yang was raging. "Lift all the suppressed energy from before I come out. I intend to charge to the fifth peak!"
Yun Yang no longer cared about stabilizing each stage of the levels, about fortifying his foundation.
He only wanted stronger abilities.
As long as his cultivation base went through the fifth peak of mystical Qi, he could charge for the fourth stage of Mystique Wind Conjuration, the fifth stage of Fog of Cloud Conjuration, the fourth stage of Fiery Charm, and also Supreme Blood and Supreme Thunder's cultivation skills.
By then, his maneuvering ability and manipulation skills would increase by leaps and bounds. He would have more confidence and tactics when going against the Four Seasons Tower!
"It doesn't matter how you fools plot against me or the Nine Supremes. We'll go head on with our abilities!" Yun Yang was seething with rage. "But why do you harm the veterans who had gone through so many wars and battles?"
"They're the empire's heroes, the people's heroes! They went to war for the country. Even when they were handicapped, they never forgot to repay the nation. Each and every one of them is a real man of valor!"
"Each of them is worth your shame for three lifetimes! You fools were crazed enough to kill these heroic men just to achieve your goal. Very well, I shall grant your wish."
"When I appear before you, I shall not be held accountable for any cruelty you will experience in my hands!"
Yun Yang's eyes were bloodthirsty, his murderous aura was strong and intense.
Perhaps the Four Seasons Tower did not expect the hysterical decision Yun Yang had made, driven to action because of their inhumane methods.
Perhaps it had fulfilled the saying - God is watching your every move; you shall reap what you sow!