Dual Cultivation: Beasts and Women!

Taking turns in the middle of the night, Liam, and his group continued their search, ignoring the shadows and moving on to other areas of the forest.

They had rested long enough earlier and amidst the shadows that made Liam feel empowered, they soon reached the fourth place where they would investigate the plant behind the calamity of City Five.

They overcame the beasts on their way there, freeing themselves from having to deal with creatures from the end of the third realm and the beginning of the fourth realm. Creatures like that wouldn't be enough to get the group into big trouble, but they could hinder them in many ways.

They took care and avoided what could be avoided, with Liam in particular using his Shadowfiend-related powers to mask his movements and draw creatures away from them.

The group's trio of experts worked together once more, ruling out yet another area.

"It seems that none of the locations indicated by the City Five people will be of any use to us in the end," said the female First Officer as she sighed at yet another defeat.

Toby agreed with her. "It's not strange. This must have started with some disciple who died in the forest before they had a chance to report what they saw."

"Let's not be so pessimistic. I hope we find this plant in one of the two places we still have to investigate." Liam said as he looked at the map and searched for the direction they should go in.

"We need to exercise extreme caution in this area," he warned, his eyes scanning the dense foliage around them. "Not far from here, there have been sightings of high-level beasts from the fourth realm."

Jane's eyes widened, a flicker of fear crossing her face. "Such powerful creatures roam these parts?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Toby offered her a reassuring smile, understanding her apprehension. "Indeed," he nodded, "but it's important to remember that beasts affiliated with the sect know better than to venture near cities or roads. Moreover, powerful beasts, much like formidable Spirit Masters, rarely concern themselves with weaker beings. They won't waste their energy on them unless provoked. This makes it relatively safe for most disciples to coexist with such strong creatures nearby."

Liam, however, frowned slightly. "The problem is we're not weak. Our strength might actually put us at greater risk."

"That's precisely the issue," Toby agreed with a bitter laugh. "That's why we must tread carefully. Even I would struggle against the kind of creature mentioned in the reports."

"We need to move swiftly and leave no trace," he instructed, his finger tracing a path on the parchment. "Passing close to the Night's Lair might be our best option to skirt the area of greatest danger."

The group's eyes fell on the symbol of a pit marked on the map—an ancient structure long abandoned by the sect.

The Demon Gate headquarters was a living place, in a way. Throughout the sect's long history, certain parts of its headquarters had been abandoned, others transformed, and new ones had sprung up out of nowhere. In the forest that currently surrounded the sect, there were places with old sect buildings, abandoned areas that were often dangerous, given what they had in them and how the forest animals treated them.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The Night's Lair was one such place.

The group agreed with Liam's directions, and soon they were heading through the forest again.

The path to the next stopping point wasn't difficult in itself. It was only a kilometer long, without many detours, where they had to hide their auras, avoid using their powers, while remaining vigilant.

Just as they thought they were going to get through this dangerous area without any problems, they suddenly heard a thunderous sound coming from the direction of the sightings of this high-level beast from the fourth realm.

The sound lasted not just an instant, but a few seconds, long enough for the whole group to look in that direction and turn pale at the sight of it.

Mere dozens of meters away stood a colossal, red-furred monkey, its massive form easily the size of a house. An oppressive aura of matching crimson enveloped the beast, pulsating with raw, untamed power. The creature's head was tilted skyward, its maw agape as it continued to unleash its earth-shaking roar. The very air above seemed to tear asunder, rent by the sound waves generated from the beast's cavernous throat.

Its hands, each large enough to effortlessly lift a horse as if it were a mere plaything, ended in wickedly curved claws that promised swift and terrible destruction. The group collectively shuddered at the realization that a single punch from this monstrosity could reduce a human to pulp in an instant.

Yet, as shocking as its physical presence was, the beast's aura proved even more terrifying. Stones in its vicinity defied gravity, floating eerily around it, while the ground beneath its feet trembled in apparent submission to its overwhelming presence.

"9-Star Spirit Sky!" Toby's voice cut through the group's stunned silence, all traces of his usual good humor evaporated. His posture shifted dramatically, body tensing as if preparing for imminent combat.

The woman to Liam's right mirrored Toby's stance, fear etched clearly across her features. Only she and Toby stood a chance against this apparently enraged simian colossus.

Even if Liam and the others were good talents with good future prospects, there was nothing they could do against such a strong creature.

"Run!" Toby looked at the group and said the only thing he could advise, while around him appeared four Spirits, similar in situation to the unmasked woman near Liam.

Liam didn't hesitate. Faced with danger, he did exactly what he could to survive. "Good luck. We'll meet up when you get away from it," he said as he turned and left, leading the trio of Officers away from there.

The moment the four individuals moved, the red beast looked at them with an ugly grimace on its face, as if asking them how they dared to try to escape without its permission.

But when the creature moved quickly, the Spirits of Liam's two First Officers did the same, while the two cultivators commanded their Spirits.

Of the eight Spirits summoned by those two, 2 were demons, one a 4-Star and the other a 3-Sta. The other Spirits were of totally unique species, varying in cultivation between 2-Star and 3-Star, a formidable formation for two Spirit Sky cultivators like those two.

This obviously wasn't ideal for facing a beast like that, but the two Spirit Masters used their strategies and skills against the creature, forcing it into a position where it couldn't focus on mere Spirit Earth cultivators.

Jane and the others felt the enemy's pressure and one of its movements missed their group and destroyed a tree, but they didn't stop in shock. It could have killed them if they had been hit, but they carried on while Liam led them.

He felt a shiver run down his spine, running quickly ahead of his people as he heard and felt his companions' movements against the beast.

But as the heat of being attacked so suddenly by a powerful beast subsided and the sound of combat distanced itself from them, Liam began to think the situation through, slowing his steps.

"Chief Porter?" the Alchemist in the group asked as he saw Liam slowly stop and look back.

As his group stopped too, Liam sensed that something was wrong. 'That beast was too violent. It attacked us out of the blue. We did nothing against it! But it seemed outraged... almost as if... as if we had done something to it!'

As he came to this realization, the sound of a blade slicing through the air after leaving its sheath made the hairs on Liam's ears stand up as he shifted his focus backwards, from where he immediately saw the figure of a man in all black materialize.

He instinctively raised one of his arms in defense, as a Fourth Class weapon appeared in his hands.

Liam had no attempt to summon his Spirits or even move to dodge his opponent. The blade of his opponent's sword sliced through him, while his enemy's face revealed his identity and satisfaction at what he was about to conquer.

"Die, Liam Porter!" He shouted as he struck against Liam's heart.

Liam identified William's old master, for a moment being surprised, but then remembering that this was Demon Gate.

What else could he expect? He had killed William and possibly put an end to several plans by this unmasked officer attacking him with hatred.

It was no coincidence that this man sought revenge, to vent his anger at having missed a great opportunity to have someone like William in the inner workings of the sect.

Liam's three subordinates saw the enemy's attack, a 2-Star Spirit Sky, more than any of them could handle. They just watched as their boss was attacked at close range by the enemy's weapon.

At the decisive moment when everyone expected to hear the sound of Liam's body being impaled by the weapon, followed by him falling to his knees and dying at the enemy's feet, something different appeared.

The opponent's sword slid to the side and its blade passed between Liam's torso and left armpit. Simultaneously, as William's master's eyes widened, Liam remembered what his Division Chief uniform was capable of and counterattacked at point-blank range!