Shining Duos

A group of nineteen people was all flowing fast across a grassy plain and in the front of the whole group was two people were distinctly leading them. As this group was traveling farther down the plains they all started to take notice in the decreasing amount of humans traversing the plains.

This group was also wearing black cloaks masking their presences allowing them to have no interruptions while moving. Although it was getting easier to move freely as they were getting more isolated

This group, of course, was the Great Cloud sect being led by Elder Wayne and Elder Michi. They departed as soon as the sun was setting in the evening, wanting to make as little noise as possible on their travels and use the night for their advantage. It will fit perfectly for them as they had some distance to cross before arriving at Ashes Mountain.

"Was it just me or did you guys also sense someone trying to track us?" Kuzumi had to ask while they were traveling, she was sticking close to Kazami, Lun Yuo, and Brenda.

"I felt it too but whoever it was isn't that remarkably of an issue since we got Heaven Realm cultivators here and they took no issue with it. And besides, I vaguely sense they were only newly Ruler Transformation cultivations and whoever they were gave up some time ago." Lun Yuo answered her while recalling the strange feeling she did felt before.

"Most likely some foolish bandits thinking they were lucky as they couldn't sense our aura." Brenda snorted not putting whoever was following them in her eyes.

"Still keep your guard up as of now we don't look like we're from the Great Cloud Sect, we more look like assassins with these cloaks." Kazami reminded them thinking of the attempted tracker.

While they were talking abruptly the two elders in front stopped once they arrived at the border of a colorful forest, making the rest halt as well.

At the entrance of this forest, it was now completely devoid of any humans besides them and they all could feel a strange atmosphere coming from the forest.

Elder Wayne turned around to them saying;

"Alright from here on out we will be discreet as possible, this is the edge of how far we can go before having the possibility of being discovered white slaughtering tiger territory. Here on out were going to avoid as many beasts as possible for now."

"Huh? I thought the white slaughtering tiger only stayed up in the mountains?" Muji asked confused who this one beast has so much land.

"Yes but in this forest through scouts and retelling, the tiger seemed to have his goons patrolling the forest and working together with the random beasts that natural lives here. It's why there no humans here anymore and how we won't see any humans from here on out."

Going in the forest there auras was masked even more and they ran at a slower pace than before. The leaves on the trees was a weird sight to take in as all of their leaves would differ in color and even the trees themselves would different from its ordinary brown color.

There were also spotty colorful bushes and vines making this whole forest seems like a colorful wonderland. Although the thing that got them all cautious was the general pressure the forest will emit. The pressure wasn't too bad that it negatively affected them but it still got them on their toes.

Things were going smoothly until they heard,

"Aaagh!"

A fearsome groan was heard and halting the group Elder Wayne went up and sneaked behind a tree seeing a large vicious looking white ape with blinding white fur.

"Tch, to think that tiger would even have Ruler Transformations patrolling in this forest." Going back to the group he started to explain the situation,

"Seems like this forest gotten stronger than from what our latest information told us, at first we were taking the fastest route possible to get to Ashes Mountains but now we need to take a detour that can be more dangerous but we will still be hidden."

Directing them left they sneaked down there for a while until they all gazed up a wide lake that had a light mist surrounding it, but on the other side of the lake seemed like a clear path to the mountains.

"This looks very suspicious, isn't there another way Elder Wayne?" Muji asked as the mist was giving not only her a bad omen from it.

All the while Elder Wayne and Elder Michi shared meaningful glances and Elder Michi started with,

"This mist huh I'm still not sure on the full detail but going ar-"

"Scaww!"

"Shit! No time now run to the mist immediately!" Elder Wayne shouted to them as a heavy aura was slowly descending on the forest and everyone shot forward with their fastest speed making it in the mist before the aura got to them.

"What in the hell was that noise and that suffocating aura?!" Myla exclaimed as when they heard that beast scream, it was like their eardrums was shattering.

"A night watcher hawk and it's powerful as well. This hawk is primarily used to signal out certain types of people if you train and kill whatever it finds." Elder Michi explained to them.

"This is going to be more dangerous than I thought but hey why did the aura suddenly stop coming now?" Ju Jia asked cause right now they can't even hear the beast anymore much less feel it's aura.

"It's because of this weird mist but from our sources, we barely have any information on this mist since every person we sent in died for unknown reasons. Some were near-death and somehow managed to get out of the mist and send info but it would be short as they, I assume quickly died anyways. But crucial details we did get was the people who would always die was our Ruler Transformation cultivators and even when we send in a Heaven Realm person they died, the near-deaths ones told us they were Origin Formation cultivators."

Dawning a grave look Elder Wayne stated and now everyone was extremely tense hearing this glooming news as they were now stuck in the mist.

"We have no other choice but to move forward now and deal with whatever comes. Kazami, for now, can freeze us a path across? Trying to swim on or walk on it won't buy us any time." Elder Michi assured the group and asked him. Nodding he went over to the lake and hover his hand over it.

The mist at least for him didn't affect him that much and was only weirded out by it.

Soon the whole lake turned into a red ice walkway for them making it accessible to walk across.

"Good job Kazami, now everyone stays on your guard we will be very limited on the power we can use now." Elder Wayne praised him and said. As they were carefully treading the ice the mist suddenly intensified making it harder to see through.

"Shit! What with this mist?" Hu Tou cursed out loud having trouble walking around now. Then Hiles stopped for a second and got the attention of everyone as he felt something.

"Hey do anyone else feel like a vibration from under us?" Hiles said out loud and this got everyone to stop and concentrate and felt that slight tremor below them which now started to pick up more until ten beasts crashed up through the ice in front of them!

These beats were able to stand on two legs and have two arms but their appearance was all shark-like even going so far to have a shark tail. They were also all blue and had weird markings on them. And in their hands were a silver trident.

"Well would you look at this now guys 19 fresh meaty humans came wandering in our park of the forest." The tallest and strongest looking one said while in the center of the shark beasts.

"Oh hey, not only that there also one of those humans that wear those clothes to mask their presences. What fools!" The shark beasts all started to laugh hard at them and one of the smaller went up to say,

"Go ahead humans see how far your powers can even damage us!" These sharks being arrogantly challenged and waiting patiently for the humans to perform for them.

The Great Cloud group were all confused besides the two elders who looked deadly severe now.

"What's with these f.u.c.kers? They're acting like we're fat sheep!" Eran said starting to get pissed off from their attitudes.

"Yea and they're not even that strong too!" Azus also commented and was ready to smash these sharks as eight of them were only in peak Spirit Formation, one was in the 7th level of Origin Formation and the last was peak Origin Formation.

"Wait! We've got a little bit of intel on these exotic sharks beings, their called Blue Obvilion Sharks and they I think are the controllers of this mist! I know for sure if we two use our power we'll enter a hopeless situation and if you guys try to overpower them were dead!" This greatly shocks the seventeen as they were starting to understand things are not so simple.

"What do you mean by that Elder Wayne," Muji asked him not getting her around why these sharks are so dangerous.

"We-"

"Ah shut up! Do you honestly think we're that arrogant to let you fresh meat stand there and plan! Men split them up and feast to your heart d.e.s.i.r.e!." The strongest one said and immediately their trident shinned up a bit and the mist in a flash wrapped around the two elders making sure they can't use their powers.

Even if they did try to forcefully break out if they knew it will only spell death.

"Elders!!" They wanted to help but they were forced to react when a trident came down crashing on them. It was only a peak Spirit Formation beast coming at them but when the trident glowed silver a heavy pressure affected them and made their movement sluggish when dodging.

'BANG!'

It made a hole in the ice and cracked it all over but the ice was still standing strong.

The other eight shark beast came rushing at them, their trident all glowing silver, once they were split up and unleashed waves of blue shark Qi forcing all of them to dodge and weave around their attack.

When trying to counter-attack the Qi they notice all of the shark's attack was as powerful as late-stage Origin Formation attacks and their own attacks was being weakened! Even the Spirit Formation sharks could unleash an attack on par with a late-stage Origin Formation which greatly shook the group.

Not even Kazami could stop the effect of their tridents or the mist but for a second he activated his divine power feeling more comfortable in it but unlike before his energy was draining fast using it now.

But he quickly thought of an idea and sped over to Brenda the closet to him as she was also dodging the shark's relentless attacks.

"Brenda I'm going to try something, for a second charge a strong attack by activating your bloodline and when I say go unleash it!" Nodding her eyes went golden and a single strand of golden sword Qi came on her hand.

Kazami locked on a peak level Spirit Formation shark and when it released another blue shark Qi attack, he said;

"Go!"

As told Brenda unleashed her attack as it quickly sped to the shark and Kazami at the same time activated his divine powers rushing to the shark and matching Brenda attack speed. Simultaneously the attack and Kazami reached the shark momentarily surprising it and,

'BANG!'

He clashed with the glowing trident while the shark beast was forced to using his other hand to negate Brenda attack scaring his hand in the process.

Smiling he jumped backward while screaming;

"Listen up everyone I'll make this extremely quick I know how we can win!."