As he was traveling back with Hongyu, Cao Yun was thinking on what he intended to do. For now, he had almost everything he needed. With Boss Gui, he had a powerful ally who could literally give him an army of exceptional slave warriors. As much as he despised the idea of using them, especially the way Boss Gui had broken them in order to get their undying loyalty, he absolutely needed them. Now, he also had a strong force with some of the local tribes. Of course, they were not as well trained, but in the Desolate Dune Desert, they were very good since they knew the place and how to use it against their enemies.
Besides, the name Tie Po they had given him had served to galvanize the tribes to the point where some were quite literally worshiping him. Once again, Cao Yun didn't like it very much but this could be useful if he could get the help of the chieftains. Hopefully, Chieftain Sha Chai Ren would be very helpful in that regard. At the very least, Cao Yun had some trust in him.
Honestly, there were many things Cao Yun didn't like. And yet, he had need of those. It was having a real impact on both his Unclean Evil that was related to shame and the Stinking Lungs that was related to corruption. He really despised his own weakness. If he had been strong enough, he could have done what he wanted without using people like that. In fact, he was starting to doubt his own sincerity. As much as he was telling himself that he wanted to abolish the slave trade, he was making use of it for his own ends. And even if he claimed that his goal was ultimately good for the demons of the Desolate Sepulcher, he wasn't so sure about that.
Peace between the Nalupu Kingdom and the tribes of the Desolate Dune Desert was almost impossible at that point. To be fair, the Nalupu Kingdom had been enslaving nomads by the thousands in the recent years, to feed the conquests of the Empyrean Asura Theocracy and line their own pockets. At the moment, Cao Yun was painfully aware that his plans could cause a gigantic war between the Nalupu Kingdom and the tribes. A war the tribes would clearly lose. Right now, he could envision a near future of total civil war and massacre.
First of all, he didn't want to be responsible for that and he had no intention of assuming any political function to stabilize the continent. After all, he had things to do on the main continent and he couldn't abandon his own sister. Besides, dealing with politics would slow down his cultivation and restrain his own freedom. That really was a headache for Cao Yun. Although his plans might work, the consequences were not something he wanted. Despite the history between humans and demons on the Piaolu planet, he didn't have any animosity against their kind. In fact, he had grown close to some of the demons, Xixue for example. Moreover, the Desolate Sepulcher had never threatened the Hongchen Kingdom, nor would it in the future.
After much reflection, Cao Yun could only see one force that could potentially calm things down. However, he had not enough information on them to make clear plans. Like Matriarch Ying Hua, he wondered if the Sisters of the Abyss could help negotiate between the tribes and the Nalupu Kingdom. Technically, the current slave trade was illegal, even though Lord Wanghuo was looking away.
It took Cao Yun a few days to finally reach the Sand Wolves Tribe again. Hopefully, Sha Chai Ren and Xixue had been able to cover for his absence. It wasn't too difficult since he had mostly stayed confined in his room. But he had to admit that he had been gone longer than he had initially planned.
When he was close to the settlement, he caught the scent of blood in the air. It wasn't that rare in the Desolate Dune Desert as demonic beasts were killing each other as much as they were attacking wandering demons. However, it shouldn't be the case this close to the settlement. Besides, he also smelled something different about this blood. At first he wasn't too sure but his expertise told him that there were toxins in the blood.
Immediately, he circulated his 'Ashen Feather Seal' and also concealed Hongyu's presence as best as he could. They also rose higher in the sky to increase their stealth while flying closer to the settlement. With all of his senses at the ready, he focused his mind on the Sand Wolves Tribe, trying to get any clue he could find. There was no more doubt in his mind. Some kind of poison was mixed in with the blood he could smell. Of course, the scent was very faint. Unfortunately, he could barely make out what kind of poison had been used but it was certainly there.
Soon enough, he saw the corpses of a couple dozen demons. They had been impaled, probably a few days ago. Looking at them, Cao Yun determined that they were no tribesmen. However, they seemed to be soldiers from the Nalupu Kingdom. Among them, he didn't recognize anyone as their skin had been burned by some kind of poison. The corrosion of said poison even prevented him from recognizing their blood. Otherwise, he would have recognized some of the soldiers who had fled the previous battle to go to Weiji Nian.
What Cao Yun quickly noticed was that among those corpses, a few had no more blood in them. Those had several holes in their chest and back. Getting closer to them in order to inspect the corpses, the young alchemist noticed traces of necrosis around those holes. Considering that those demons had been Golden Blood Children, it didn't make sense that their bodies would already show such signs. Those had been done while they were still alive.
There was something else that was intriguing. Impaling demons like that was a form of post-mortem punishment. Leaving their bodies out in the open would attract various demonic beasts that would devour their flesh and their blood. However, it was very clear from their overall condition that they had been like that for a few days. And yet, the bodies were mostly intact. In fact, the only wounds Cao Yun could notice were the result of a fight. Thus, even demonic beasts had not devoured them, although most of them had still some Golden Blood in them. Even after death, it would take a few months for their blood to completely dry up and a few years for their bodies to start decomposing. It was said that Spirit Warriors could conserve an intact corpse for decades, to the point where it was sometimes difficult to know whether they were dead, sleeping or meditating.
Cao Yun carefully examined the corpses with those strange marks. From his spatial ring, he even took out a few alchemical tools. There was no doubt, those marks had been caused by a poison of some kind. And this was precisely the poison he could smell in the air. They were the cause of this ominous scent. Using his spiritual senses, Cao Yun even dissected their bodies with his mind. His soul could penetrate their flesh without disturbing the bodies. Within their veins and arteries, he saw many signs of necrosis as well. But those signs were older. Those demons had been poisoned for quite some time before their death, probably three or even four months. Considering where they were, they had probably been poisoned after leaving the Desolate Dune Desert and before coming back in.
Despite his analysis, the alchemist was unable to determine what poison had been used. Indeed, there was just a faint scent left, caused by the remaining wounds. The poison itself was completely gone from their systems. As a matter of fact, those specific demons had not even a single drop of blood left. However, the other corpses had. So he began to observe and analyze them. It didn't take him long to find traces of poison, even in their Golden Blood. But they had not been killed by it. They had clearly been killed during fights. However, the poison was still active and Cao Yun could finally get some answers.
This poison was even mentioned in 'Tree of Death'. According to the manual, this was a 3-star Heaven poison, the Bloodfire Vermilion Haze. Luckily, this version was not as potent as the real deal. Indeed, the real poison would literally increase the temperature of the blood so much that the blood itself would burn through the victim's flesh. It truly was a horrible way to go. But what Cao Yun had in front of him was a watered down version mixed with a bit of Salt of the White Turtle and several other toxins. In fact, there were also components meant to keep the victim alive for some time. And it made perfect sense now.
The first corpses he had examined were carriers. It was even possible that they had not known themselves. Looking once again at their corpses, it was now apparent that they had been fed other pills beforehand in order for their bodies to sustain the poison long enough. In fact, it was possible they had simply thought of the first symptoms as consequences of their exposure to the Desolate Dune Desert. But hidden in their flesh, there were clear signs of seals. Someone had used them to carry the poison in their flesh until they reached their destination. Then, that meant that...
Without a moment's delay, Cao Yun had Hongyu fly straight forward.
In a matter of minutes, he reached the settlement of the Sand Wolves Tribe. Sure enough, this was pure chaos. The tents were now full of makeshift beds. Many demons seemed sick. There were even screams and moans all over the place. With his senses, Cao Yun picked on the scent of death and decay. Around one demon out of thirty in the settlement had already died from the poison. It had spread like a disease and infected a large part of the demons. Not everyone was poisoned thankfully, but almost a third. Furthermore, those affected were mostly warriors.
Most likely, they had been sent against those soldiers Cao Yun had found dead. During the fight, the carriers had used their martial arts and their blood cultivation. No doubt was this the trigger the poison had been waiting for. From their bodies, the Bloodfire Vermilion Haze erupted as a red mist. As no one was expecting poison, no one had prepared for it. Among humans, the use of poison was not common but it was a real possibility. As such, it was harder to poison a human cultivator during a fight. On the other hand, demons considered poison as the worst taboo possible so no demon would ever expect such a thing while fighting their own kind. Unprepared against such a dangerous poison, they had almost no chance.
As soon as Cao Yun arrived, several demons noticed him. After all, he wasn't trying to hide at all. However, their attitude toward him had completely changed. There was a strong hostility in the air. If looks could kill, Cao Yun would have died here and there. Most likely, they resented him for not helping them and even being away during the attack. But he could deal with that later. First of all, he had to make sure of the situation. So he spread his spiritual senses all over the place, ignoring the resentment below. Try as he might, he couldn't find any trace of neither Chieftain Sha Chai Ren nor Xixue.
Before he could ask anything, Sha Chai Gan got to him. The woman was wearing a pure white outfit which told him everything he needed to know. There was no doubt on the matter. Her father was dead. In her eyes, he was seeing disdain and hatred. Even during their first encounter, she had been more open.
"Venerable Mo Yun." Her words were full of derision. "To what do we owe your gracious presence?"
"Lady Sha Chai Gan, I've seen the bodies impaled in the west. The poison they carried is a variation of Bloodfire Vermilion Haze. I'll need to examine a few victims first, but I might be able to refine some antidote. There is no time to lose."
"Ha ha ha! So this is your angle!"
Behind the mourning woman, Patriarch Liang Lisheng had arrived with the other Chieftains. Most of them had traces of the poison as their veins were apparent here and there. Thankfully, they were powerful enough to resist it. They had probably been close to Chieftain Sha Chai Ren during the attack. But the poor man was too old and weak to do anything against the Bloodfire Vermilion Haze.
"After sending us this plague, you want to keep playing the savior?!" Finally, Cao Yun understood what was happening, but he wasn't sure what had convinced the chieftains. "Look, brothers and sisters! Look! Our savior Tie Po is back with promises of an antidote! What do we say to his most gracious offer?"
"Die a traitor's death! May your corpse feed the scavengers! May your blood rot in their entrails!"
The entire tribe was now up in arms, ready to kill Cao Yun if they had the chance.
"Mo Yun, despite your attempt to hide it, we discovered the signet of Boss Gui. You only helped the Sand Wolves Tribe to thwart City Lord Sihe. Your goal was probably to make us gather so that traitorous bitch could kill all the chieftains with her poison. Thankfully, my Sun Scorpion Clan is used to dealing with such monstrosities. So, Mo Yun, we won't need your so-called help. Boss Gui thought she could pin that on City Lord Sihe and that we would become your docile slaves. Well think again!"
"Chieftains, it doesn't make any sense. No matter what you think..."
Before he could articulate any intelligent answer, a powerful clamor resounded throughout the settlement. It was useless to try to defend himself. They had already made up their minds. They hated him as much as they had worshiped him, or even more. But at the very least, he had to know what had happened to Xixue. Was she dead too?
While he was talking to the chieftains, ready to fly away at any moment, his spiritual senses were exploring the tent in which he had stayed with the young girl all this time. He simply found a letter.