The journey to the Forest Tiger Sect took us several weeks. Part of it was the distance involved. The Forest Tiger Sect was located close to the northwestern border of the Sacred Ironwood province, while Clear Basin City was located near the province’s center. We also had to travel at a slower speed, in order to sell the illusion that we were a bunch of rogue cultivators with an early Foundation Establishment cultivator as our leader.

However, the biggest reason why it took us so long to reach the Forest Tiger Sect was because we stopped several times along the way. Several small clans and sects had gone missing over the course of the past year, or so we heard. In order to confirm this for ourselves, we visited the areas where these clans and sects were located. We also wanted to see if there were any survivors that we could talk to.

In the end, we found nothing. Every place we visited was empty and abandoned. We didn’t even find any corpses, though we found traces of blood. These locations hadn’t been abandoned for long, since we found signs of recent habitation, but it was clear that no one lived in them anymore. With each location that we searched, our mood grew grimmer and grimmer. We realized that the chances of us finding anyone alive were slim to none. However, it wasn’t a fruitless endeavor.

We found traces of battle in some of these locations, suggesting that some of the small clans and sects had fought back against their attackers, though it proved futile in the end. Not only that, but we didn’t find any cultivation resources within any of these locations. No pills, no spirit herbs, no magic treasures, no technique manuals, nothing. This meant that the cause of all these disappearances was a group of cultivators. While a spirit beast might take the pills and spirit herbs, they wouldn’t take the technique manuals. Not even an intelligent spirit beast would. Techniques suitable for humans weren’t suitable for spirit beasts.

Along the way, we made sure to keep an eye out for the ones responsible for the disappearances. The whole point of our disguises was to bait them into attacking us by pretending to be weaker than we were. However, no one attacked us during the journey to the Forest Tiger Sect. We faced some trouble from Rank 1 spirit beasts that were too stupid to notice Elliot’s cultivation base, but that was it.

To alleviate my grim mood, I talked with Cultivator Rexanne and Cultivator Albin about magic treasure refinement over the course of our journey. While the former was more proficient with refining traditional magic treasures, the latter wasn’t far behind. After all, puppets were just another kind of magic treasure, albeit ones that required specialized skills in order to create. Talking with both Cultivator Rexanne and Cultivator Albin gave me plenty of insights into the subject.

Whenever our group camped for the night, I used that as an opportunity to practice forming arrays. According to Elliot, the best way to avoid trouble was to hide oneself from potential threats. Obfuscation arrays and other defensive arrays were perfect for this. While I would never become an array master, nor did I want to, knowing more about arrays would help me in the long run.

Of course, I also spent time practicing alchemy and the Heartflame technique. I found my proficiency with the former increasing, though it would be a while before I reached Willow’s level. As for the Heartflame technique, that still proved difficult and dangerous to learn. However, the scroll that I received from Palace Master Golden Lily, the one containing the character for “Fire” proved helpful in this regard. I started studying it since I thought it might help me with the Heartflame technique, and I was right. The insights into Fire that I received from the scroll proved quite beneficial to me.

At the end of our long journey we reached the Forest Tiger Sect, and had our first encounter with the ones responsible for the disappearances.

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As befitting its name, the Forest Tiger Sect was located deep within a forested valley filled with Ironwood Tigers. These were Rank One spirit beasts that were native to the Sacred Ironwood province. They were territorial and vicious creatures, ones adept at ambushing their prey. Unlike mortal tigers, their fur was mottled green with black stripes, to better blend in with the trees. According to what we learned during our time in Clear Basin City, the martial arts and techniques practiced by the Forest Tiger Sect were created after observing these creatures.

Elliot landed his flying boat at the entrance to the valley and we proceeded the rest of the way on foot. We did this at each of the locations we checked, just in case our information was wrong and the clan or sect in question wasn’t missing. That way, we wouldn’t inadvertently offend anyone by flying right into their territory. It proved pointless, since each location we visited was empty, but it didn’t hurt to be cautious.

It was noon on a bright and sunny day, with clear skies and warm temperatures. However, it was cool and shady within the forested valley since the trees blocked most of the sunlight. Like with the rest of the province, most of them were Sacred Ironwood Trees. They weren’t the only kind of tree in the valley, but they were the most common. The smell of metal and vegetation filled my nose. At this point I was used to it. With my spirit sense, I noticed several Ironwood Tigers stalking our group. However, they left us alone, no doubt because of “Brother Sand Fang’s” early Foundation Establishment cultivation base.

It took us little time to reach the Forest Tiger Sect, or what was left of it. There wasn’t much, just several wooden buildings made from Sacred Ironwood built atop a small hill. When our group noticed this, we grimaced and searched throughout the entire sect. It didn’t take us long. Like the other locations we visited, the place was empty and abandoned. However, we did see traces of battle. Broken walls, toppled trees, etc. It was clear that the Forest Tiger Sect didn’t go down without a fight. In fact, there was more damage here than in the other places.

“It’s like all the others,” Cultivator Isabel said, scowling. “There’s nothing here. The only thing we know is that someone attacked this place, kidnapped its inhabitants, and looted everything of value.”

“Not quite,” I said, frowning. “There is more damage here than in the other places. It seems that the Forest Tiger Sect put up more of a fight than the other clans and sects we checked out.”

Cultivator Isabel snorted.

“So what?” she asked. “That just meant they were either more stubborn or more powerful than the rest.” She gestured to the abandoned buildings. “Not that it did them much good in the end.”

I kept frowning and didn’t answer her. For some reason, I felt like it was important that the Forest Tiger Sect put up more resistance than the other clans and sects we visited. I just didn’t know why it was important. Was it because they were more powerful? Or was it because they were trying to defend something? Maybe figuring out the answer to that question would help us find the ones who were responsible for the disappearances.

“What do we do now, Brother Sand Fang?” Cultivator Albin asked.

He wore a grim expression on his face. Seeing the empty and abandoned locations had had an effect on him. Cultivator Albin was no longer as cheerful and flippant as before. He was more somber now, though he was far from dour. Though, to be fair, he wasn’t the only one.

I was affected as well. Before this, I knew that the world of cultivation could be brutal. However, there was a difference between knowing something and seeing the results for myself.

“I don’t know,” Elliot said, frowning. “Given our attire, I thought that whoever was responsible would target us, since they attacked other rogue cultivators.”

“Should we search through the other marked locations and see if we can find leads there?” Willow asked. “We haven’t so far, but maybe we’ll get lucky.”

Elliot opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped and looked to the north. I cast my spirit sense in that direction and felt fluctuations that suggested there was a battle going on over in that direction. From the expressions on their faces, the others felt the fluctuations as well.

Elliot pulled his flying boat out of his storage pouch. Without a word, we all boarded it. Once everyone was on board, Elliot piloted the boat north. Soon, the source of the fluctuations came within range of my spirit sense. There we found three people battling in the air near the forest valley: two men and a woman. All three were in Foundation Establishment and flew atop flying swords.

The men wore blood red robes. However, the coloration of their robes wasn’t uniform. Instead, their robes were various shades of red. On the back of their robes was a crest which depicted a fanged human skull with a drop of blood on the glabella. Like Willow, the two men had bloody auras, which meant they were demonic cultivators that practiced blood techniques. However, unlike Willow, their auras felt rank and rotten.

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The woman wore green robes with black stripes. On the back was a crest that depicted a snarling Ironwood Tiger. She had a ferocious aura, similar to that of an Ironwood Tiger. From these clues, it was clear that this woman was a disciple of the Forest Tiger Sect. Or so it appeared.

Beneath the ferocious aura she projected, I detected a hint of rotting blood. I narrowed my eyes at the woman in suspicion. If I took a closer look with my spirit sense, perhaps I would be able to learn more. However, if I did so, she would notice it. I didn’t want to tip my hand just yet, so I refrained.

The two men attacked the woman with blood mystic arts. The woman fought back using a claw based fighting style, but to no avail. The two men were in mid Foundation Establishment, while the woman was only in early Foundation Establishment. Not only did they outnumber her, but both were also more powerful than her. The woman also already sustained several injuries. Unless an outside force intervened, she had no chance of victory.

“Surrender, Cultivator Davina!” one of the men yelled. “If you do, my brother and I may be merciful and let you live.”

“Never!” the woman snarled. “You killed my master and destroyed my sect! I would rather die than surrender to you!”

The other man cackled.

“Then we shall grant your wish!”

The two men attacked the woman, Cultivator Davina, with even greater ferocity. I glanced at the others to gauge their reactions. Elliot wore an indifferent expression on his face, though I detected a faint hint of derision in his eyes. I only saw it because of how long we’ve known each other. A stranger wouldn’t have noticed anything amiss. Cultivator Rexanne and Cultivator Albin both studied the battle with cold expressions on their faces, while Cultivator Isabel looked suspicious.

Meanwhile, Willow narrowed her eyes at Cultivator Davina. I knew that Willow also practiced the Song of Dusk and Dawn mental refinement technique, so her spirit sense was as powerful as mine, if not more so. She also practiced a blood qi refinement technique. She must have sensed the hint of rotting blood beneath Cultivator Davina’s aura.

Taken all together, it was clear that everyone realized that something strange was going on. This battle was most likely a trap. The question was, what kind?

“Brother Sand Fang, are you going to help that woman?” I asked, giving him a knowing look.

Elliot turned to me and nodded.

“Yes,” he said. “That woman is a disciple of the Forest Tiger Sect. Maybe she knows what happened to my sister.” He glanced at the rest of us. “Stay here.”

At the same time, he spoke to us through telepathy.

‘Get ready to intervene if necessary,’ he said.

Aha. So we were going to play along and see what happened. Elliot summoned a flying sword from his storage pouch and flew towards the battle, leaving us behind. Even without him piloting it, the flying boat would continue to hover in the air for a little while.

When he neared the battle, Elliot drew a yellow saber from his storage pouch. It was a mid-grade Foundation Establishment magic treasure with Earth attributes. Elliot swung the saber and countless motes of yellow light flew out of it. They looked like grains of sand. The motes of yellow lights then fused together to form a projection of a massive yellow serpent. The serpent hissed and flew towards the two demonic cultivators.

One of the two demonic cultivators stopped attacking Cultivator Davina and turned to deal with the yellow serpent. He performed a series of hand seals, before he spat out a mouthful of blood. The blood glowed with red light, before it expanded and transformed into a projection of a giant red skull. The skull cackled and flew towards the serpent. The two projections collided and started fighting one another. The skull kept trying to bite the serpent, while the serpent kept trying to wrap its body around the skull.

Meanwhile, Cultivator Davina wore an elated expression when she realized that someone had come to save her. She pulled a small jade statue of a tiger out of her storage ring and spoke an incantation.

“Go!” she yelled, before throwing the statue at the man still attacking her.

The statue grew in size until it was as big as a house. It also emitted the aura of a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator. A puppet, I realized. The tiger puppet roared and flew towards the demonic cultivator attacking Cultivator Davina. His expression faltered when he saw this and he retreated backwards. The tiger puppet chased after him.

“I need to get my hands on that puppet,” Cultivator Albin muttered under his breath.

I resisted the urge to smile at that and wore a worried expression on my face, as if I was afraid that something might happen to “Brother Sand Fang”.

Speaking of whom, Elliot closed in on his opponent while the yellow serpent clashed with the red skull. The demonic cultivator grimaced at this and pulled a red spear out of his storage ring. Like the yellow saber, it was a mid-grade Foundation Establishment magic treasure. With a roar, the demonic cultivator hurled the red spear at Elliot. As it flew through the air, the spear’s tip glowed with a sickly red light. My eyes widened when I saw it. Elliot was at late Foundation Establishment, but even he would suffer serious injury if that spear hit him.

My worries were unfounded, however. With a calm expression on his face, Elliot pulled a second yellow saber out of his storage ring. It had an identical aura to the first one, and I realized that the two of them formed a set. The sabers’ aura increased, until they were a high-grade magic treasure instead of a mid-grade one. When the demonic cultivator saw this, his eyes widened. Elliot smirked, before swinging both sabers at the red spear. They connected with a clang and the air around them rippled as a shock wave rang out.

The exchange forced Elliot back a little, but he otherwise remained unaffected. The red spear, on the other hand, was flung back several hundred feet. Its aura was diminished, indicating that it suffered some damage. The demonic cultivator’s face paled, and it was clear that the exchange had affected him as well.

Elliot chose that moment to reveal his true cultivation base, though he maintained his human appearance. At the same time, the yellow serpent wrapped its body around the red skull and crushed it. The demonic cultivator’s face paled even further and he threw up a mouthful of blood.

“He’s at late Foundation Establishment!” the man cried out. “Brother, we need to flee!”

The other demonic cultivator, who was being chased by the tiger puppet, nodded. The two demonic cultivators retrieved their weapons, before they each pulled out a talisman from their storage rings and slapped them on their arms. Afterwards, the two of them turned around and fled. They moved much faster than what should have been possible at their cultivation base. Those talismans must have increased their speed.

Elliot let out a derisive snort.

“Don’t think you can get away!” he shouted.

Elliot put the yellow sabers away and dismissed the yellow serpent, before he pulled an azure bow out of his storage pouch. It was another high-grade Foundation Establishment magic treasure, this one with Wood attributes. How many high-grade magic treasures did Elliot have? Wait a moment. Was he wealthier than me? Was I poorer than my own servant?

Before I could ponder this further, Elliot drew back the azure bow’s string and formed an arrow out of qi. When he let go, the arrow shot forward before transforming into an azure eagle. The eagle let out a cry, before flying towards the pair of demonic cultivators. Despite their speed, the eagle caught up to them in seconds. They tried to evade, to no avail. The eagle hit one of them, causing blood to spray from the man’s mouth. He survived, but it was clear that he suffered a serious injury.

Elliot started to draw back the bow’s string again, but then Cultivator Davina let out a pained groan and coughed up a mouthful of blood. The tiger puppet’s aura disappeared and it shrank into a small statue again. Cultivator Davina stumbled, before falling from her flying sword. To catch her, Elliot would have to stop shooting at the fleeing demonic cultivators.

Clever. If I hadn’t detected the hints of rotten blood beneath Cultivator Davina’s aura, I would have believed her act.

With a sigh, Elliot put the azure bow away before flying over to catch Cultivator Davina. Afterwards, he flew over to retrieve her flying sword as well as the tiger statue, both of which had fallen to the ground. By this point, the pair of demonic cultivators had fled far into the distance. Soon, they would be out of sight. Elliot shook his head, before flying back over to us.

Once he reached the flying boat, which was starting to sink towards the ground, Elliot laid Cultivator Davina down. She looked pale. Elliot pulled a mid-grade Healing Pill out of his storage bag and fed it to her. This restored her complexion, though she remained unconscious.

“Is she going to be all right, Brother Sand Fang?” I asked in an anxious voice.

Elliot wore a grim expression on his face.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Her external injuries don’t seem that serious, but she may be suffering from internal damage.” He shook his head. “Something is blocking my spirit sense from examining her, so I can’t tell. All we can do is hope for the best.”

Cultivator Isabel scoffed.

“Why did you even bother saving her, Brother Sand Fang?” she asked with an annoyed expression on her face. I didn’t know if that reflected her true feelings, or if it was part of our impromptu performance. “She’s a stranger.”

“She’s a disciple of the Forest Tiger Sect,” Elliot said. “Maybe she knows what happened to my sister.”

Cultivator Isabel sighed at that.

“It doesn’t matter,” Willow said. “What’s done is done. What should we do now, Brother Sand Fang? What if those two demonic cultivators come back? You can hold your own against them, but the rest of us can’t.”

Elliot looked thoughtful for a moment, before he started piloting the flying boat away from the area.

“First of all, let us get out of here and find a good place to camp for the night,” he said. “We’ll figure out what to do afterwards.”

With that, our group flew off with our new…friend.