617: Reclaiming the City

Reclaiming the City

Sharing these last few words, Ming Yue walked back into the city. There was just one more left.1

The Killer. 

It was growing darker as the sun was descending, soon night would come. Wandering the city, Ming Yue looked up at the sky, seeing Xiao Yin flying over the city. The owl circled around a particular area, the northeastern section of the city. 

Making her way there, she found it to be in a worse situation than the rest of the city. The alleys were thin and long and the buildings were in the midst of crumbling away. On top of that, it was emptier than the rest of the city. 

"I suppose a killer would lurk around here" she muttered. 

Peering in, Ming Yue entered one of the alleys and walked forward. Her hand rested on the hilt of Blood Moon as she glanced up at Xiao Yin every now and then. The owl circled around the same place and Ming Yue continued onwards. 

It was faint but she could smell the metallic notes of blood. The closer she came, the stronger the smell was until she happened upon some bodies but they were a mess. The young woman couldn't tell how many bodies there were because they had all been hacked to pieces.

Cut open and slaughtered like livestock, even more concerning was the blood. 

"This... a formation drawn with their blood?" she muttered. 

It was messy and rough but Ming Yue could see it, a bloody circle with crimson symbols within it. She couldn't tell what it was for but it was for a sinister purpose, that she was sure of. 

The skies grew darker as she walked through this maze of alleys and paths. The deeper she went the more tangled it became and something clicked within her, she stopped in her tracks. 

"No, wait, this is a formation, isn't it? No wonder they say the killer was active at night. This entire area was just a way for him to trap people." she realized. 

Although Ming Yue could see Xiao Yin in the skies, she wasn't getting any closer to the owl no matter how much she walked. She had entered a formation without realizing it. 

"Hm, I might be able to break it." 

Her eyes began to glow as she looked down at the ground, peering through and studying the hidden formation. 

"So it spans the entire section of the city, I'd rather not destroy the whole city so..."

She searched the area, looking for any weak points. The formation would be finished if she could find the source of its energy or a position where its power was gathering. 

"Ah, found it." 

Her eyes looked far into the distance on the western side. It wasn't the source of its power but it was where much of its energy was. All she did was look and a bolt of lightning came down, striking that very point and dispersing the power in an instant. 

It was very slight but the scenery shifted just barely. 

Looking around, the alleyways seemed less confusing though it was still dark and windy. 

The cultivator glanced back up to find Xiao Yin, only to see the owl on the move. 

"The last one... are they trying to run away?" she thought to herself. 

Ming Yue unsheathed Blood Moon and burst forward, she sprinted before leaping up and flying above the skies. It didn't take more than a few seconds for her to locate her final target, a feeble old man.

He was hobbling down the path as quickly as he could, looking around fearfully with a dagger in his hand.

"Damn it! To think that there'd be an expert around here! When did they come? Who are they to be able to break my formation?!" 

Beads of sweat formed on top of his head as he tried to run. 

Ming Yue descended and her figure suddenly vanished just as he looked up into the skies. His eyes darted from one spot to the next before noticing Xiao Yin flying above him. They widened as he realized it but it was far too late. 

Before he could turn his attention back to where he was going, a sword went straight through his neck. 

"Agh, heuk."

He couldn't utter another word as the blood welled up in his throat. The old man choked on his own blood before his head was cut off. And then, he fell to the ground, dead and just barely twitching. 

He couldn't even see who killed him. 

Ming Yue stood above the body, looking down just as Xiao Yin landed on her shoulder, nuzzling against her cheek. 

"That's all three of them."

Ming Yue gathered the body before going but she wasn't headed for the exit, rather she went deeper. Having the fresh memory of the shack in her mind, the young woman had to see for herself the sort of evil this killer indulged in. 

Without the formation, reaching the center didn't take more than a few minutes for her. 

On the outside, there was nothing but a cluster of buildings, one of many scattered all around the area. But there was one defining feature that separated this cluster from the others. The thick scent of blood, emanating from within. 

An ominous feeling grew within her as she slowly approached the buildings before entering.

The look in her eyes when she saw the inside was one of disgust and shock. 

"What even is this?" she couldn't help but say it out loud. 

There was blood everywhere, splattered all across the rooms. There were tubs of it, filled to the brim. Some were of a very dark shade of red while others were more vibrant, indicating the freshness of the bloody contents. 

There were bodies piled in different points of the room, each one seemed to be organized by age. There was a pile for the elderly, a pile for grown men and women, and one for the young. 

Her eyes scanned through the room, finding several notebooks and other belongings of the killer. Grabbing them, she quickly read through a few pages before stopping. 

"A method of trying to stay young?" she muttered, "A formation master who wanted to continue his research but was near the end of his lifespan... so he decides to trap people and use them."

Although her face didn't show it, she was practically fuming with anger. 

Turning around, she left and flew off, landing in front of the Jade Dragon Pavilion and walking in. It was the same as ever, outside and in. It was a grand building with a stone signboard above the doors with its name carved deeply. At the front of it was a statue of a five-clawed dragon, facing forward as its guardian. 

It was spacious inside and the counter had two receptionists at the front. The left and right walls were covered in request papers, many of which had remained untouched. 

Walking up to the counter, she placed her identification badge down along with another pouch. 

"I came to report a few things."

Both receptionists nodded as one inspected the badge while the other looked at the pouch. 

"The Three Fiends are dead, along with those whose red tokens are in there", she said. 

Both of them suddenly looked up at her before the receptionist holding the bag opened it. She looked in before pouring out the contents, over a dozen tokens came out including the recent ones she obtained. 

"I don't have the one from the lecher, there was nothing left of her."

Her words came out with a dark tone and the two receptionists, looked back in fear. Without thinking, they both took a step back. 

Ming Yue noticed but she didn't care. 

"If it is possible, I'd like to send a message to one of the Elders, Meng Zhao. Please tell him that Ming Yue is well."

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