The Geared Immortal

The Nian clan misfortune Part 7

/*unedited*/

In the innermost part of the Dark Forest lays a cave. Inside that cave, there exists a strange creature they called Dragcue, a creature born from the elements of the mists of the Dark Forest. It is said that the Dragcue has the head of a four-horned lizard, a scaly tough body and limbs of a huge ape, with long razor-sharp retractable claws.

The hideous appearance of the beast is something that the people who barely survived its attack describe. And these people are not just any cultivators but infant soul realm experts. When they faced and fought the creature, only 1% of them were able to return and with heavy wounds.

The Heavenly Crow sect decided to post a hunting mission for it on its board. And many elders of the sect tried to hunt the creature down and discovered that the legends are true. Yet it was already too late for many who have died and never to return.

Shin Jiao's mission is a high-level mission because he needed to retrieve a particular fruit that has been bombarded by the dark elements of the Dark Forest. Just like the Dragcule, the fruit is a mutated fruit that can make a good ingredient for those who practice darkness attributed techniques and cultivation. Since the fruit has stayed inside the dark forest, it contains too many dark elements that its potency is 200% stronger.

As Shin Jiao muses the difficulty of the mission, he already found himself in the borders of the Dark Forest.

Then suddenly he discovered something.

"This woman… why is she following me in the shadows?"

Using his spiritual sense, Shin Jiao noticed a figure hiding from within the bushes. And that young woman is someone that he knows, BeiBei Ji.

Ever since BeiBei Ji saw his back, she already had her doubts. But no matter how hard she thinks about it, the man didn't resemble Shin Jiao.

Although she has no ill-feeling against Shin Jiao, she didn't want to harm him either. But her duty and her loyalty to the clan comes first. Hence she wanted to dissuade the man from committing a mistake in planning to go against the Nian Clan.

However, she also didn't want the Nian clan to get their hands on Shin Jiao because she considered him as her friend. Torn between friendship and the clan who raised her, BeiBei Ji's dilemma could not let her fall asleep even at night.

She could not even cultivate properly. Hence she decided to tail the man named Gu Bu.

"Where are you going?" she muttered to herself.

She tried asking the clan mission department but received a cold shoulder from them. Because missions are confidential, they didn't divulge any of it to just anybody. Hence she didn't have a choice but to follow the young man in the shadows.

Unknown to her, Shin Jiao has already discovered her.

"If she follows me, then I can't guarantee her safety." Shin Jiao thought as he stood unmoving on the ground.

Suddenly, Shin Jiao heard a couple of footsteps from the side.

And from the thick thickets of trees came out the figure of three people. Their haggard appearance and disheveled and tattered robes show that they had encountered something dangerous inside the Dark Forest.

"Help!... help us, please!" the only woman of the group said in a pleading tone.

Shin Jiao saw that the two young men on her arms receive grievous wounds with long and deep claw marks all over their bodies. However, the woman seems fine and only a gash from her back can be seen.

It just shows that the woman barely survives the beast that attacked them while carrying her two companions.

As a core-forming realm cultivator, the woman already has the strength to carry more than 200 kilos. Hence it is easy for her to carry the two men as long as she has Qi in her body.

Shin Jiao didn't hesitate to approach the group and took out three pills and gave them to the three people which they profusely thanked him.

After the three took the pills, their bodies recover in a rate visible to the naked eyes.

"What is happening inside the Dark Forest?" Shin Jiao asked the woman.

"Brother, the Dragcule is on the loose. It has already entered the outer borders of the Dark Forest, killing everyone it sees indiscriminately. Many of our team have been wipeout already." The woman said with a heavy tone and tear-filled eyes.

Shin Jiao can see the gloomy feeling the woman has for the loss of her friends.

With a nod, Shin Jiao thanked her and stood up.

When Shin Jiao walked towards the Dark Forest the woman and her two companions panicked.

"Wait… wait, brother… Don't go in there. We must tell the elders of the clan about this. You must not enter and challenge that beast." She shouted with worry in her tone.

She never would have expected that her savior would go to that damnable place.

"Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself. Just go and tell the clan about what happened there." Shin Jiao said as the turnaround and continue walking until his figure vanished through the thick dark thickets.

When Shin Jiao disappears, the three showed a dejected look on their faces. But nothing they can do can change anything.

Suddenly, they noticed a figure.

"Senior Ji!" one of the men shouted.

BeiBei Ji is a small celebrity in the Nian clan. Although her looks are average, her temperament and righteous disposition make her the ally of every low-level cultivator in the clan.

"What is happening inside?" BeiBei Ji asked the three who are sitting on the ground.

As their wounds are not yet fully healed, they could not move just yet and just continuously tried to recover faster.

"Senior, the Dark Forest is in a dangerous situation. The myth, the Dragcule is loose inside it. Please warn the clan about this." one of the men replied although still in pain.

"What!"

Upon hearing the young man, BeiBei Ji's complexion changed. She knew the danger that the Dragcule possesses is true. And the myths only exist to those who are in the lower realms of cultivation. Those in the higher ones are aware of its presence yet could not act upon it.

The Dragcule is a wise creature when it knows that it could not beat its opponent, it would use the dark mist to hide and disappear. Hence it is proficient in ambushes and sneak attacks.

BeiBei Ji became worried about the young man who went inside, yet she could not neglect her duty. So she immediately assisted the three and ran back to the clan.

The information about the Dragcule rampaging was known throughout the clan, it even reached the Heavenly Crow sect.

But the thing that confuses everyone is that the Nian clan didn't act, while the other clans in Crow town prepare to hunt the beast.

The Heavenly Crow sect's cold reaction also confuses the other clans. But they could not pass this opportunity to get the Dragcule.

Although the beast is said to be dangerous, yet within its body is a great treasure which is very important to those in the infant soul realm. With the temptation of gaining greater power at hand, the cultivator clans in the town sent out their elites to hunt the beast.

Hence the town became busier as many cultivators started to appear on the second day after the announcement and the news was spread.

Meanwhile, inside the Dark Forest, the figure of Shin Jiao can be seen silently dashing from above the trees. Once in a while, he would vanish, and then after some time, he would appear. This is the second day after he enters the Dark Forest in search of the Darkness Fruit.

"The mist is affecting the cloaking mechanism of my camouflage cloak."

"Well, from this rough map, I guess I'm still around 20 kilometers away from the possible location of the Darkness Fruit." Shin Jiao thought.

Then suddenly from the corner of his eyes, he saw some movements.

Shin Jiao immediately stops and hid inside the groove of the tree.

Although his spiritual sense is heavily affected inside the innermost part of the Dark Forest, Shin Jiao can use his absolute sense without a hitch.

As he concentrated, he saw a gruesome figure hiding from the mist.

"So this is the Dragcule." Shin Jiao thought.

"I guess the legends and myths of that thing are true. According to the mission information, no matter what happens I must face it, as its strength is almost comparable to a primary stage nascent realm cultivator. That means it's almost a Devil Born level beast."

As Shin Jiao observes, he noticed that the demon beast is currently trying to look around its surroundings as if it is trying to find something. It doesn't look like a mindless demon beast as from the looks of its eyes, the Dragcule has a hint of intelligence in them.

"This thing looks like a half dragon and half ape. I'm guessing that if it stood up, it would be roughly around 5 to 6 meters in height. It would be hard facing that thing if the information is true. But if its speed is slow, then I might have a chance in taking it down… However, this is just my assumption. How can I test that thing's combat proficiency without getting into trouble?" Shin Jiao thought while trying to scan for the creature's weakness.

However, when his absolute sense saw the thing on its hand, his heart skipped a beat and was astounded.

"That's what I'm looking for.." Shin Jiao muttered with a smile.