Chapter 7: The Beast in the Mist

Roar!

The forest shuddered.

Leaves were shaken off the ancient trees and a flock of black-plumed birds flew out from the woods in panic. Deep within the forest, several beasts cried in fright before going silent.

The six cultivators were stunned.

The old man spoke first,

"Leave."

Without any hesitation.

"Now."

Ao Kuiba looked at the old man,

"You know what it is?"

The old man gulped, "A Core Formation beast."

The faces of the young cultivators changed.

One of them whispered, "Here?"

"That shouldn’t be this close to the outside region!"

The old man’s gaze was on the mist ahead,

"The Black Mist Forest has been changing these days. Something has driven the stronger beasts to the outside regions."

Another roar sounded, and this time it was closer.

The earth trembled.

Ao Kuiba’s gaze fell on the trees.

"How strong?"

The old man looked at Ao Kuiba as if he had asked a ridiculous question,

"Strong enough to kill all of us."

Ao Kuiba nodded,

"Then you should leave."

The old man looked at Ao Kuiba,

"What about you?"

"I’ll stay."

Ao Kuiba was only Foundation Establishment.

The old man frowned,

"So what?"

The old man opened his mouth but could not think of a reason.

Then the mist stirred.

A giant fist of black smoke shot out from the trees, grabbing an ancient tree and tearing it out of the ground.

The cultivators all took a step back.

A huge shadow loomed out from the mist, revealing the figure of an ape.

However, this was not an ordinary ape.

It was nearly fifteen meters tall, with a body covered in thick black fur and two huge fists at its sides, also covered in black scales. Spiritual markings of pale color ran across its chest and upper arms.

Its eyes were crimson and two short horns protruded from its forehead.

Most importantly, a Core Formation beast aura was rolling off of its body.

The six cultivators went pale.

The old man’s grip tightened on his sword,

"Run."

Nobody argued.

They turned to leave, but the beast roared.

A wave of spiritual pressure blasted out, making several of the young cultivators collapse. Ao Kuiba stood his ground.

The beast’s crimson eyes locked onto Ao Kuiba.

For a long moment, both stared each other down.

Then the old man suddenly turned his head,

His pupils constricted as he realized something.

Since the moment Ao Kuiba appeared, there were things that had been bothering him.

The eyes, the horns, the faint golden scales under his skin.

And now, as Ao Kuiba slowly curled his fingers, golden claws shot out from his fingertips.

The old man’s expression changed,

"You’re not human."

Ao Kuiba looked at the old man,

"No."

The old man’s breathing became heavy,

"Beast race?"

"Dragon."

Ao Kuiba said softly.

The old man’s heart pounded.

Dragons!

Even in the Lower Realm, they were not something one saw every day!

Ao Kuiba turned his attention back to the Core Formation beast.

The giant ape roared and charged forward, swinging its fist.

Ao Kuiba moved.

BOOM!

The ground exploded as the fist shot past him.

Ao Kuiba had already appeared several meters to the side. The ape turned and swung its other fist, but Ao Kuiba ducked.

The fist shot past his head and he moved in, striking the beast in the ribs.

BANG!

It was the sound of iron colliding with stone.

The ape staggered as Ao Kuiba looked at his hand.

The power difference was obvious. Ao Kuiba’s body could withstand the power of the beast, but he could not casually beat a Core Formation beast with the strength of his own Foundation Establishment cultivation.

Interesting.

The ape attacked again, but Ao Kuiba moved.

One step, two steps, three steps...

He dodged each swing by the thinnest margin.

The six cultivators were stunned.

Ao Kuiba was not faster than the beast, but he had anticipated every move!

The old man’s eyes narrowed.

This was not a fight between cultivators.

Ao Kuiba was not stronger than the beast, but he was smarter!

A claw shot towards Ao Kuiba’s chest, but Ao Kuiba twisted his body and the claw shot past him.

His right hand shot out and golden claws pierced into the ape’s shoulder. The beast roared in pain as Ao Kuiba withdrew his hand.

Blood splattered to the ground and the ape’s eyes burned with fury.

Its spiritual energy exploded outwards, shaking the forest.

Ao Kuiba’s silver hair whipped around his face, but his golden eyes remained calm.

The left shoulder.

There was a wound beneath the fur that had not healed completely.

Ao Kuiba struck again.

The ape raised its arm, but Ao Kuiba vanished beneath it.

His claws dug into the same spot,

CRACK!

The beast staggered. Ao Kuiba placed his hand on its chest and his Qi surged outwards.

A dragon-shaped explosion of power shot out from his palm.

BOOM!

The Core Formation beast was sent flying, crashing through several trees before landing with a heavy thud.

The six cultivators looked on in amazement as Ao Kuiba stood his ground, his breathing slightly labored.

The beast slowly rose to its feet.

Then Ao Kuiba realized something.

It was not running away.

It was looking back.

The beast turned its head, staring into a section of the forest.

Ao Kuiba turned his head to follow its gaze.

There was something there.

Ao Kuiba walked forward and the beast let out a low growl.

Ao Kuiba stopped,

"You aren’t protecting yourself."

The beast’s crimson eyes remained on Ao Kuiba,

"You’re protecting something."

Ao Kuiba sidestepped the beast. It moved to block him, but Ao Kuiba looked it in the eyes,

"If I wanted to kill you, you wouldn’t still be standing."

The beast hesitated.

Ao Kuiba walked past it.

Behind the beast was a small glade, at the center of which was a single flower.

The petals were a dark shade of purple, but a faint golden light shimmered within its veins.

Ao Kuiba’s eyes narrowed,

"Purple Heart Soul Lotus."

Even after tens of thousands of years, he still recognized it.

It was a valuable spiritual treasure.

The flower contained spiritual energy that could strengthen the soul of anyone who consumed it. Ao Kuiba knew that in the Upper Realm, this kind of treasure would have drawn thousands of monsters to this spot, but here, it grew beneath the protection of a Core Formation beast.

Ao Kuiba looked at the flower, then at the beast.

He understood.

The monster was not guarding treasure for its own sake. It had likely been waiting for the flower to mature.

Ao Kuiba turned away.

He did not take the flower.

The old man finally approached cautiously,

"You aren’t taking it?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because it belongs to him."

The old man looked at the monster before returning his gaze to Ao Kuiba.

He could not understand.

Ao Kuiba approached the beast.

The ape tensed up.

Ao Kuiba raised his hand.

The Supreme Yin-Yang System responded, revealing a translucent interface before Ao Kuiba’s eyes.

[Target identified.]

[Core Formation Beast.]

[Compliant with Mini World.]

Ao Kuiba’s eyes narrowed.

The Mini World was another function of the Supreme Yin-Yang System.

It was not just a storage space.

Ao Kuiba looked at the beast and it suddenly became anxious.

Before it could react, the space around its body twisted.

A black and gold vortex appeared and the beast let out a roar.

Ao Kuiba raised his hand and the beast vanished, the vortex closing up behind it.

The forest fell silent.

The six cultivators were stunned.

The old man looked at the spot where the beast had been,

"What did you do?"

Ao Kuiba looked at his hand,

"I gave it somewhere safe to live."

Ao Kuiba opened the Mini World and the Core Formation beast appeared inside, landing beside the Purple Heart Soul Lotus, completely unharmed.

The beast looked around in confusion and Ao Kuiba closed the interface.

The old man looked at Ao Kuiba in a new light.

A dragon beast, a Foundation Establishment cultivator who had fought a Core Formation beast, a formation master who could hide an entire spiritual vein and now a mysterious technique that could send a living creature into an unknown space.

The old man suddenly discovered something.

They had not encountered a wandering cultivator.

They had encountered something much worse.

Ao Kuiba turned to the six cultivators,

"You mentioned a city."

The old man pulled himself together,

"Azure Cloud City."

"How far?"

"Two days."

Ao Kuiba nodded,

"Then lead the way."

The old man hesitated,

"Why?"

Ao Kuiba turned to look at the endless Black Mist Forest,

"Because I need information."

Ao Kuiba walked away and the six cultivators followed.

None of them realized that the faint golden scales on Ao Kuiba’s skin were slowly vanishing, or that the dragon claws had retracted into normal hands.

Only the old man seemed to sense that letting this dragon beast reach Azure Cloud City would shake the foundations of his region.

And deep within the Black Mist Forest, something ancient opened its eyes.