Section 12: Cloudwing Tiger of the Endless Forest
Author: Gu Zhenren
February 9, 2013
Section 12: Cloudwing Tiger of the Endless Forest
As time passed, the dense white fog of the Endless Forest began to gradually dissipate. This phenomenon was even more pronounced in the last two days.
After two days, the shadows of tall trees began to appear within the originally white and vast expanse of fog. It was impossible for the mist to completely disappear. Now, the fog had been reduced to its lowest density, allowing for deep exploration.
“Let’s go!”
“The inheritance of the Ten Thousand Beasts King will surely be ours!”
“I hope the gains this time will be greater than the losses…”
Within two days, the outer reaches of the Endless Forest had welcomed its largest influx of people. Various factions and all sorts of Beast Masters appeared in a colorful display, sharpening their skills.
Under these circumstances, the third-rate faction, the Rouge Women, became a minor character that everyone subconsciously overlooked. Although Chu Yun’s combat strength was not weak, in such a mixed and chaotic situation, he kept a low profile and rarely appeared in public.
However, his battle with Bei Guangguang was not hidden from those well-informed. His existence, in turn, had become a trump card for the Rouge Women. As a result, even though the Rouge Women were stationed at the closest point to the Endless Forest, no one dared to provoke this third-rate faction.
Still, too much success invites trouble, and problems were always inevitable.
“You’re Chu Yun? You’ve been quite the sensation lately! Daring to come here alone, you’ve got some nerve. I am Li Zheng of the Ironclad Alliance. Be careful not to get in my way.” A young man with bronze skin and an extremely fierce appearance walked up to Chu Yun. He was tall and lean, scrutinizing Chu Yun with a condescending gaze, his words were very impolite.
“I heard you defeated Bei Guangguang? Truly impressive. I look forward to a battle with you.” Another young man, about Chu Yun’s age. His appearance was ordinary, but his eyes sparkled with starlight, clearly possessing a peculiar spirit monster that had nourished his eyes with spiritual energy.
“Heh heh heh, Little Tyrant, is it? You’ve overstepped your bounds; this isn’t the Archipelago. Remember my advice and be careful at all times.” The third young man exuded an invisible chill and was even more arrogant.
“Those three are Li Zheng, Xiao Xing, and Tang Jinghan, all outstanding young talents from our Xingzhou Wanderer community. Young Master Chu, you must be careful; they all possess Spirit Monster combat power and are being cultivated as heirs or pillars of their respective factions. Their combat strength should not be underestimated,” Hua Mei said kindly, approaching Chu Yun after they had left.
Chu Yun looked forward intently, “Compared to them, I’m more curious about the forces behind them. I’m not alone; they wouldn’t have provoked me without the instigation of their backing forces.”
“Li Zheng is the Ironclad Alliance’s youngest military banner bearer, Xiao Xing is the sole heir of the Dream-Reversal Pavilion, and Tang Jinghan, while outwardly a lone cultivator, is actually the illegitimate son of the Heavenly Fiend Gang’s leader. This is an open secret in the Wanderer community,” Hua Mei explained in detail.
“Ironclad Alliance, Dream-Reversal Pavilion, Heavenly Fiend Gang – these are all first-rate factions, renowned behemoths far and wide!” Chu Yun couldn’t help but give a bitter smile. These three major forces were even more powerful than the Shu Family. Their various branches were established in numerous Island Countries, forming a network of strongholds across Xingzhou.
Chu Yun’s gaze sharpened. The retinues of these three major factions were incredibly imposing. The three young men who had been quite unfriendly to Chu Yun were not even the leaders within their respective groups.
Each of the three major factions had its own leader. They were all vigorous and spirited, exuding an aura that made it clear they were not to be trifled with.
“These people’s auras are no weaker than Bei Guangguang’s! The Teng List is indeed only representative, not universal. There are simply too many hidden dragons and powerful figures among the common folk. How can a single Teng List accurately measure them?” Chu Yun felt immense pressure. His battle with Bei Guangguang had shown him his limits. To contend with these elite figures of the Wanderer community in individual combat, he was still lacking with just his two Spirit Monsters.
“Besides them, the three young masters who came to provoke me also cannot be underestimated. The Archipelago is too small. My talent, if placed in Xingzhou, wouldn’t be considered particularly outstanding. This time, strategy is key,” Chu Yun mused after observing them for a while, quietly making his decision.
“Fifty-five steps, southeast direction, water and mountains complement each other, great fortune and auspiciousness!”
Under Yi Yan’s divination, the Rouge Women did not follow the crowd but chose a specific direction and officially entered the Endless Forest. This was also a deliberate attempt to avoid some conflicts.
Even when the sun was high in the sky, the fog in the Endless Forest did not dissipate. Visibility was zero beyond five hundred steps, and even within five hundred steps, things were somewhat blurry.
“Scout team, go ahead and survey the terrain.”
“Adopt the third formation and advance slowly.”
“Logistics team, pay attention to sketching maps and leaving our unique markers for our withdrawal in half a month.”
“Medicine team, pay attention to investigating the surrounding medicinal herbs. The Endless Forest is a fertile ground for precious Demonic Plants. Much of the harvest from this expedition will depend on your performance!”
Order after order was issued by Hua Mei. The entire Rouge Women’s team moved in an orderly and methodical fashion, earning Chu Yun’s admiration.
Although he had spent some time with them in his past life, it was after they had left the Endless Forest. He had not witnessed such rigorous teamwork then.
Despite being all women, the members of the Rouge Women were highly disciplined. Their coordination was seamless, without any obstruction. They were like components, assembled into a precise and rigorous instrument. Each person was part of the collective, finding their role and cooperating.
“All of this should largely be attributed to the leaders of the Rouge Women. They have a solid foundation; even without the Ten Thousand Beasts King’s inheritance, they could rise,” Chu Yun became engrossed. This teamwork reminded him of military formations from his memory.
In comparison, the coordination between armies was somewhat rough. Teamwork among wanderers, however, was more refined and focused on tactics and formations.
In large-scale warfare, battalions numbering in the tens of thousands focused more on strategic schemes. Chu Yun’s surprise attack was an example of such a scheme.
When a scheme succeeded, he had defeated a coalition army of tens of thousands single-handedly. This was due to the sheer number of people, which made leadership difficult. Otherwise, why do they say, “An army of ten thousand is easily found, but a good general is hard to come by”?
However, a wanderer team was different. Such teams were generally smaller, with groups numbering at most in the thousands. Leaders could meticulously attend to and command them. Excellent leaders could even know the strengths, advantages, and personalities of every member of the team, assigning them tasks based on their specialties and the specific situation.
Without a doubt, Hua Mei was such a wanderer leader, earning Chu Yun’s newfound respect.
“Report! A Great Demonic Beast, a Cloudwing Tiger, has been discovered ahead, with a cultivation of approximately 900 years.” At this moment, someone returned from the reconnaissance team and reported concisely.
“The Cloudwing Tiger is a mutated water-elemental Demonic Beast, a Cloud-type. A cultivation of 900 years is already close to the Spirit Monster level. Generally, these wild Demonic Beasts comprehend basic Cultivation Methods such as Cloud Illusion Body, Tiger Roar Mountain Forest, and Cloud-Piercing Step…”
Yi Yan pondered for a moment before speaking. As expected of the renowned Abacus Master of Xingzhou in the future, she not only recounted the Cloudwing Tiger’s information in detail but also thoroughly explained a classic slaying tactic.
An Abacus Master often served as the strategist in a wanderer team.
“The team has just arrived, and a battle is indeed needed to get everyone truly into the zone. The Cloudwing Tiger is quite a suitable target.” Hua Mei was moved, her bright eyes scanning the entire troop. She then asked Yi Yan, “The first battle significantly impacts morale and is very important. May I trouble you, sister, to divine the outcome of this battle.”
Yi Yan nodded, unfurled the River-Luo Diagram, and divined, “It’s ordinary, with no risks. However, to be safe, it might be best to have another Abacus Master in the team perform a divination as well.”
The so-called other Abacus Master was none other than Chu Yun.
“Hmm? She still doesn’t intend to let me off easily.” Chu Yun was taken aback, having thought he had passed Yi Yan’s scrutiny that night. He hadn’t expected Yi Yan to be so persistent.
Seeing dozens of beautiful eyes turning to him, Chu Yun hurriedly shook his head, “It’s not that I’m unwilling to perform the divination, but my school of thought is different from others, and I have my own difficulties. I’ve already explained this to Miss Yi Yan last night.”
“What? Young Master Chu, do you have no heartfelt enthusiasm?” Yi Yan’s eyes lit up, and she stared directly at Chu Yun, her tone subtly pressuring.
Hua Mei looked at Chu Yun, then at Yi Yan, and suddenly stepped forward, blocking between them. She said to Yi Yan, “Young Master Chu is Fei Yan’s savior; we should treat him with courtesy. Since you know he has difficulties, why didn’t you say so earlier?”
“Even I, an outsider, know that Abacus Masters are mysterious. Sister Yi Yan, you can’t bully Chu Yun Brother.” Little Fly Yan also poked her small head out from the side, protesting on Chu Yun’s behalf.
“Alright, this battle is mainly for warming up. Sisters, get ready to fight!” Hua Mei turned around, unwilling to dwell on the matter. With her command, all the women of the Rouge Women responded, their eyes shining with battle intent. They advanced along the scouted path.
After about fifteen minutes of walking, the team finally made contact with the Cloudwing Tiger.
First, the agile members, commanding their respective spirit monsters, engaged in harassment, drawing the angered Cloudwing Tiger towards them.
“Team One, move up and hold the line.” At the command of the Rouge Women’s leader, three members, each holding a great demon soldier shield, advanced to block the Cloudwing Tiger’s pouncing attacks.
“Team Two, execute earth-elemental Dao techniques.” The Cloud-type, being a variation of the water-element, was still restrained by the earth-element. Various earth-elemental techniques were hurled, making the Cloudwing Tiger roar in pain and fury.
The fierce tiger let out an angry roar and activated its self-learned “Tiger Roar Mountain Forest” Dao technique. The entire team was impacted, and many felt dizzy and disoriented.
[ . b . m ]
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