Bizarre Tower

After half a day of trecking, they finally arrived at the inner region, though night was already approaching fast.

To avoid getting attack, harassed or other stuff that mostly happened at night, the group made a small opening at a side a rocky cliff. The hole was just enough for a four feet tall guy to enter, so most of the time people would bend their knees just to get in. Though little bit hassle but it's also some sort of shabby defense against scarier creatures. They cautiously built a small entranced cave as a little safety precaution against higher level creatures.

Most of the humans have concluded that the more bigger a beast was the powerful they are. That's one of the easiest ways to identify most beasts since the bigger they were the more pure strength they have and there's an intimidation aura when facing smaller creatures.

With vines and leaves one of the team made a little camouflage, though it looks conspicuous in the day time, but in night? Heh. No doubt it blends well since there's also some "decorations" dangling on top of their little hole.

The group rested there, waiting for night time to pass with two shifts of guards. Fearing that they'll attract animals to the small cave there's no fire made and since most of them are masters already the cold wasn't really much of a problem.

After crossing a large river filled with fifteen meters crocs and human eating fishes they finally entered the inner regions though one was injured.

Not that heavy but also not light. Since some green level giant Croc pounce and almost took his life away, if not for the more vigilant Mei he would have become a food for these patient hunters.

With a full strength swing, Mei heavily hurt the crocodile's internal organs making it flee back into the deeper parts of the river.

Though still powerful that five masters coordinated to fend it off. They didn't even dare try to chase it after fleeing. Everyone knew that the more closer they get to the boundary the more dangerous it is. And they saw almost hundred "rocks" calmly within the shallow waters opened their eyes.

Without even a need for a shout almost all of them raced to the banks with full strength. These beasts are the king of the rivers since even if we're just some orange level ones killing then within the water isn't easy even if it's shallow, much less deeper parts of this river.

After safely getting onto the river banks the group again regrouped and continued their journey. Afternoon came and another small hole was made, this time more concealed and there's different kinds of herbs in the ground.

They gave off some kind of sweet, at the same time weird kind of smell which was hard to express. This herbs were mixed by Pooch to ward of any other bugs and some low leveled creatures.

On the floor Pooch and the Earth Bear's chief was chatting idly while the others also formed small groups of people tha they knew. Only miss Mei and Ren are not included.

No one wants to earn the ire of both powers of course except the Pooch and Anthony.

Anthony is the current Silverbird Tribe chief, with the same level of cultivation as Ren, at the middle stage. He is one of the younger leaders but couldn't be underestimated. Since he is one of the few tribe chief's who have became an adept mastery of the Heaven's Cry. A medium tier cultivation technique passed down from their second chief five hundred years ago. It is one of the rarest technique category out there. Because it delves into the soul attack category.

And being injured in the soul was different from just a physical one, the medicine to treat it was very rare and expensive.

Their tribe is also one of the oldest, just next to three older tribes. The Magic Sheep, Blazing Crocodile, and the oldest Misty Tribe.

While waiting for day to come up, most of the master realm guys have already slept as if not caring that their environment is in the wilderness.

Not just wilderness the wilderness of the inner region of Blue Mist Valley. Were you don't even know if a crimson threat level beast appear in the entrance. Though low probability, since the only way for that to happen is turf wars.

Losers kicked out and winners have another territory.

But their sleep really couldn't be called sleep, since their on semi conscious state, were even if a sound of rock hitting the ground many meters away they could immediately pin point its direction.

So even if no one guards its still safe.

Pooch and Anthony were chatting with smiles on their faces. They have known each other for two years and they both traded goods that was needed for their tribe. Like metal and wheat, or fruits and herbs.

Most of the trades they do are common necessities of their tribes. The rarer trades of course were done face to face, and only the two of them with trusted men could come up to the site of transaction.

Just like rare magic ores, magic herbs, and the two most coveted natural resources, spirit stones, and beast cores.

Beast core of course is easy to obtain but very difficult to stay in the hands of people. Since it involves life, not just for the beast being hunted but for the hunters. Most of the beast cores could only be found at the bodies of yellow threat higher. Beast cores could be an alternative spirit stone and be refined for other purposes and they have their own elements.

Like fire, wind, water, metal, wood, darkness, light and the other elements.

If powerful enough to separate some elements the beast cores could also be used just like a spirit stone and last longer with higher efficiency since beast cores were natural heaven and earth qi and elemental accumulation from a beast who absorbs these stuffs.

Of course lucky if it's only at the yellow grade animals and Lone green threat levels. But if somehow a wolf pack smells their comrades smell on your beast core, then you're very unlucky.

Fighting off against wolf at the green level was a headache but fighting against dozens of them is not diffirent from suicide of cour se that's when you're at the same realm.

Blazing Crocodile tribe was one of such example. A pack of Mist Spitting Foxes lived inside the inner regions of the valley, and their chief Abu, the two tailed crocodile secretly killed five orange level foxes and one green level one.

Apparently it was a really bad decesion for Abu's part. Since a beast cores smell is very easy to different shape especially if the beast core's beast was from the same tribe. It leaves a unique smell lasting a day, and only some special herbs could mask it away for half a day. The same tribe beast couldn't really smell the scent but within five meters away from the core, then it's not the same thing.

And because of Abu's greed, a disaster falls to their tribe. Five male two tailed Spitting Foxes at green threat level with dozens of other orange threat level foxes stormed and caused a slaughter to the one thousand five hundred men tribe.

It was a total massacre, even when they tried to overwhelmed the foxes with numbers, though it look like they are rushing to their deaths. It almost wiped the whole tribe. Only Abu's son and other tribesmen were left. Abu was besiege and killed with seven hundred other warriors on their last stand against a small creek.

What really infuriated the foxes was that the beast cores were never retrieved. Apparently two, three three tailed fox at the crimson threat levels with seventeen other two tailed foxes made their own tribe in the inner regions.

Miss Mei and the other masters of sorrounding area couldn't help. Since a white furred fox completely stopped them from doing so, it emmited the aura of a crimson threat level. At that time Mei was still a beginner master class practitioner, and the ones who led them were three master classes of their tribe.

But the enemy is just overpowering, with just its paws almost five master classes that couldn't dodge immediately were heavily injured. There was thirteen master class warriors that tried to help, seven of those died.

A glorious thousand man tribe was left with hundred men. Though still powerful as Abu's son has step to the masters realm in recent year.

That event also became a lesson for other tribes to not just blatant hunt any other animals. Because of that almost all hunting was ceased for a while. Also a reminder for everyone who's arrogant that there's a bigger player in this valleys and not just you guys.

Of course one elder and fifteen masters of Yellow Court the fourth power of the sorrounding regions went in and "took a look". It was just really asking question why did they the seven other masters and injured almost all the other six. The regional powers of the humans were already accustomed to this incidents where some idiots from their side provoke this clans and demonic tribes.

They get it, since even they themselves would try to avenge their fallen family members, though looks absurb those that will try to help couldn't kill the avenging beasts since the beasts were just avenging their tribesmen and this became a justified action to the whole continent. If one killed the avenging beast then it is already in the hands of the higher threat level dude on what he or she will do.

The human side's higher level dude could only be helpless and let that foolish guy who broke the rule be at the mercy of the other side.

The only thing the helpers could do was drive them away from the attacked tribe. The ruling powers doesn't care even if the children and old were slaughtered, as long as it doesn't escalates to the point of one power needs to be removed for peace of the other.

They would rather sacrifice some tribal people than lose big adn weaken themselves, but there's an exception on that in these regions. The Jade monastery. Since their teaching were always in the righteous path, they tend to become chivalrous and kill demon beasts if passed by the road.

The take a look of yellow court became futile as the conflict escalated and now it really became bad for Yellow Court as some bastards named foxes ambushed their desciples one after another. That's after they destroyed the foxes home.

While the foxes became wanderers with no permanent homes, Yellow Court desciples are also worried upon entering these. The things became more complicated when master level warriors are added into the mix.

It didn't stop until the leader of the Yellow Court himself step out of the mountain and visited the foxes. The battle was so Intense that many martial artist at the Master Realm in the outer layer felt the energy fluctuations.

After a day everything went back to normal, as if nothing happened. Though the destruction that was left after the battle couldn't be hide even after many years. In the radius of three hundred meters, almost all of the things in there were destroyed. Only the soil was left intact, massive trees were snapped or uprooted.

Giant boulders are turned into dust, the whole land within three hundred meters is destroyed. No one really knew what happened but from the circulating rumor, the fight escalated because an elder was killed or a crimson level demon was killed. That's what people hypothesised as it really is unclear in what happened.

More or less the sum of the incident was that within three hundred meters the terrain was destroyed.

....

After another three days walking the group finally got some little clues, though mostly bloodstains still it's already a good news for them. Albeit puzzled on the tracks that could be seen strewn all over the ground. It's just a mess of footsteps.

There's big ones and assuming on the footprints left on the muddy ground. This creature is somewhere between ten meter to eleven. The smallest was just of that a palm. Though if it was with these guys then it couldn't be underestimated.

Since most smaller creatures tend to be agile and faster than its bigger counterparts and just the aura alone left in this area, then these creatures that left the footprints should be at least crimson threat level.

The group started to search on their own on the tracks left behind by these beast. Pooch, Earth Bear chief and another chief search for a three feet animal track. The footprint most likely came from a tiger, Earth Bear chief or Big Bear was the master on hunting animals.

As the Earth Bear Tribe was located within the woods of the outer region of the Misty valley so there's always some tendency of "lost" animals entering the villages. Hunting giant tigers were not bad as tigers and bears in this world are on par with each other.

The difference is only that Tigers leans on agility while bears are strength and endurance type creatures. Their attacks were also different as tigers usually have a very sustainable and burst attacks. Bears on the other hand also has the burst but because of the strength they don't need to hunt for long so with just full swing and bite bears could really cripple any creature.

Bears and tigers within this mountains are sworn enemies with a long history of tragic fights that ended in one party losing and other winning. It's everytime they met, just like fire and water or darkness and light.

The two apex predators fights always end with the other party dying or a mutual destruction. And as a bear cultivator that actually had a green threat level earth bear at his backyard backyard, Sword Haven felt that it's his opportunity to show case his bear offensive techniques to the two.

With three powerful master class warriors all at the middle stage they still couldn't really be confident that they are out of danger even in the outer layer much less in the inner valleys.

Another hour passed before they saw some blood trails going the same direction, judging from the footprints they are that of boar, tiger and and a huge insect.

Insects in this valley could be deadly sometimes as the blue fog takeover the place. These huge insects with sharp body parts could become the best assassins in the fog.

A snapped tree was blocking their route so they cautiously made a slight rotation and they saw a very shocking and bloody scene.

A huge dome like clearing, filled with tree stomps that looks to have been violently done. The grassland that should have covered this hundred meter forest area was now left with only barren soil. Almost as if the life of this part was uprooted by an unknown yet powerful force.

There's also no sounds of the bugs in like the forest they are standing onto. Instead it's just total silence and nothing else. There's also lonh circular stone thingy that extended at least at seven meter height. ( if it's unclear then remember the wizard tower from coc)

After deliberate consideration they decided to not enter the perfect clearing as they don't know if a very powerful demonic being is hiding within the land. They should go back and fetch the others to look at this bizarre thing.

Only miss Mei or Ren should know about this As even Pooch who have seen many bizzare things up north, doesn't really know what it is and haven't seen one.

So they remembered this place while silently going back to the meeting place. After an hour, of waiting miss Mei with three others came back, miss Mei shook her head.

After another three hours almost all of the search parties came back. Then Pooch told what they found, and with almost all votes they went back to explore that place.

After they found the place Pooch warned them still to not immediately cross the line as the dangers within are still unknown.

Ren volunteered to catch a beast for their Guinea pig. After catching a initial yellow threat level they sent it towards the clearing.

Seeing that nothing happened to it, they secretly sigh in relief before one by one entering the place. Pooch's group was the last to enter.

Upon entering Pooch felt some energy vibration and what was the eerie place now replaced with a more weird, bloody and terrifying sight.

The tower thing was filled with blood and on top of it lay an egg that's as huge as a two feet long chair. On the bottom almost all kinds of animals that still have their Savage auras even till death.

There's every kind, birds, tigers, bears and many more. Their blood kept flowing towards the egg on top though as if being sucked by an unknown force.

This what made Pooch and the others curious as they never seen that one, they aren't really that bothered with this scene as they have grown in war. But none the less its terrifying sight to behold even for them.

Pooch was the first to think of something before he tap the shoulders of the others. Seeing their unmoving expression he knew something was bad, without even saying anything he punch sword haven first and seeing that the daze expression was gone he immediately sigh in relief.

Sword haven had disbelieving and puzzled look in his face before he could question pooch he saw pooch pointing at the others. There he saw a weird and bizzade scene as almost every one aside from the two were dazed.

With a tacit understanding they punched everyone till those guys woke up from extreme pain. Sword haven who doesn't know what gentleman is was the one who punched miss Mei awake.

Upon turning his head he saw the gaping look on the other men's faces. As if saying 'really?'

Seeing that everybody had awoken from their daze pooch immediately led them out of this wierd place.

Seeing the questioning looks directed to him Pooch could only smile. " We should get out of here as fast as possible. There's someone evil to his or her core that laid a very high grade concealment formation and illusion one. And those animals near that stone thing is definitely the ones who amde a mess within that place."

As if the mystery was answered almost all of them back off and wanted to go home as much as possible. This can only be called for the powerhouses of the regions.

Miss Mei volunteered to personally ask for assistance on solving this matter, making the other heads sigh in relief. Miss Mei had a very high reputation in the sects circles as she with her father was the first one to find out about the silent sanctuary and earth pavilion's evil plan on the valleys and the sects.

Because of her reporting that plan and places where the hidden camps of the two powers a successful ambush didn't happen and instead a fatal blow was dealt to the two powers driving them out of these lands for many years.

Now though these two powers desciples are becoming more active within this valleys but miss Mei wasn't scared as she could deal with any master level figures.

And as an active defender of this valley she was well known within the powerhouses and there's more success in meeting the leaders of the three powerhouses within these regions to deal with this bizarre stone thing.

The other Chieftains secretly go back to their own tribes. Pooch wave goodbye to the other chieftains and went back with Swordhaven.