Chapter 104 Grotto Heaven

Chen Wangjie's pity for that wine-stealing junior brother of his lasted only till he reached the spot he had left his junior brother at. When he reached there and looked for the signs of his junior brother, his eyes couldn't help but twitch in annoyance.

From what he saw, Duncan had turned right in the opposite direction of the sect and had wandered off from there. The most irritating part was that he didn't even turn back and check the surroundings.

"That brat didn't even turn back after going the wrong way. Didn't he stop and wonder where he was? If he had climbed the mountain that way and looked further, he would have seen patrolling disciples," Foodie Chen grumbled.

"Just because of his antics, I was almost scared out of my wits in the presence of his master. Still, I will have to thank this junior brother of mine. If not for his mistake, I would never get a chance to get close to that Blood Blossom Fruit. He he he," Foodie Chen drooled as he imagined munching on that precious fruit that was going to be his reward.

Once he ascertained the direction Duncan went in, Foodie Chen set off from there and traced back Duncan's path. When he came across the site of devastation left behind after the fight, his expression became solemn.

Whoever it was that fought here was way more powerful than he was. If he came across that person and got into a conflict, there was no guarantee that he could escape alive from that person.

As far as Foodie Chen knew, there was no need for such a cultivator or a strong beast like what was slayed here to be in this vicinity. That didn't make any sense. Even demonic beasts had their own rules and territories.

For such a strong beast to appear here and get into a conflict with a powerful cultivator, something unusual might have happened in this vicinity. Unfortunately, the traces of his junior brother ended at this place as well.

"Crap! The devastation that was left behind from the battle was too vast. It had erased any traces of my junior brother. Moreover, these marks that were left behind don't seem to belong to any member of the Heavenly Demon Sect!"

"These marks have the traces of an orthodox cultivator. If they belonged to the righteous path and if my junior brother ran into them, then things would become dire."

"Furthermore, why does a strong orthodox cultivator like this guy is skulking around this region? This region is close to Heavenly Demon Sect and the sect wouldn't allow some righteous cultivator to snoop about this close to the sect," Foodie Chen mumbled as he eyed the site of the battle.

"Looks like something else is happening," Foodie Chen mumbled uneasily. "I better not get caught in whatever is going on. I better find my junior brother first. I can't let him get dragged into this either. If some mistake occurs, then I can forget about staying alive, let alone dreaming about that precious fruit."

Foodie Chen rose from the battle site with a serious look on his face and vanished from the spot.

A minute after Foodie Chen vanished from the spot, two figures in grey cloaks appeared near the spot he was in a minute ago.

"Junior brother, you are right. Shen Wulong has been here. I can clearly see the imprints of his martial arts. He must have gotten into a fight with some strong beast in this region," one of the cloaked figures said in a melodious voice.

"Senior sister, what are we going to do now? I think the Heavenly Demon Sect has also noticed some signs. There was someone else checking this site earlier. His presence was far stronger than the one who left currently. I had to hide my aura carefully to not be discovered by him," the other cloaked figure said anxiously.

"We have been tracking Shen Wulong for months now. Only he has the coordinates for the Grotto Heaven. It is rumored that the Grotto Heaven belonged to an existence that was way above the Nascent Soul stage," desire was evident in the voice of the female as she said that.

"Shen Wulong is crafty. He knows that the Heavenly Demon Sect is near. So, he must be prepared to face them as well. While the Heavenly Demon Sect isn't something we need to be afraid of, the existence of the Grotto Heaven will surely make them hostile to us."

"If we are to fight, I don't have the confidence to win against their elders. So, we must move discreetly just like Shen Wulong does. If worst comes to worst, we can reveal our identity and split some benefits with the Heavenly Demon Sect. But, before that, we must trace Shen Wulong's whereabouts."

The female said in a frosty voice causing the cloaked figure near her to nod along.

"Senior sister is right," the other cloaked figure said gravely. "Shen Wulong is crafty. He actually used the turmoil in the Grasslands a month ago and gave us the slip. We need to find him first."

"Don't worry, my Icy Nether poison has seeped into his soul. He can't get rid of it that easily. If he hasn't been severely injured this pitiful beast might never be his opponent. I know Shen Wulong very well. Unless it was absolutely necessary, he shouldn't have revealed his tracks to us like this," the female smiled mysteriously.

"I think that Shen Wulong was chased in his wounded state by this beast. Having no other option, he was forced to kill it and reveal his whereabouts. If not for that, we might not have found his tracks at all. It's a pity. Now that I know he is in this region, I can use my soul to sense the Icy Nether poison. He can't escape my senses anymore."

"Ha ha ha… Senior sister sure is mighty. No wonder even the famous Shen Wulong suffered in your hands," the other cloaked figure praised her generously.

"But, be careful. Do not underestimate Shen Wulong. Even after falling into my meticulous trap, he escaped from it successfully. He even killed several of my subordinates during that escape leaving me alone to deal with him."

"So, don't let your arrogance cloud your senses. We will track him and wait till he enters the Grotto Heaven before making our move," the female warned sternly causing the other cloaked figure to nod seriously.

"Come, I am sensing a remnant of my Icy Nether poison in that direction. Let's head there," the female commanded and quickly left with the other cloaked figure.

A few minutes later another figure appeared at the sight. He was wearing the robes of the Heavenly Demon Sect. His face was long and there was a long scar across his jaw, which gave him a sinister look.

If Foodie Chen was there at this time, he would have recognized this figure as the direct disciple who reported to the Vice-Sect Master while he was being interrogated about the condition of his junior brother.

"Visitors from the Central Continent, huh? They sure are arrogant to treat our Heavenly Demon Sect as if we are some small sect. Forget the elders, can you even take me on? You didn't even notice my presence. Still, I would like to see where this Grotto Heaven is," the man murmured with a small smile and looked in the direction that the two cloaked figures have vanished into.

Suddenly, he started coughing blood out of nowhere. His face turned pale and his hands trembled a little. His eyesight became blurry and he felt lightheaded for a moment.

The man looked surprised to see his blood and he immediately concentrated on his body to see what the problem was. His face turned grave as he realized what had happened.

"How insidious! I didn't even know that I was poisoned. She already knew I was there but acted as if she didn't see me to lure me in. She planted her poison in the ground. When I came down, I contacted the poison and it traveled into my bloodstream without me even being aware. She surely has some ways," the man gritted his teeth angrily.

"But, if she thinks that this tiny bit of poison would scare me, she is dead wrong. I will let you go now bitch, but once I take care of this poison, I am gonna hunt you down and pay you back threefold," the man muttered viciously and left the spot.

In the distance, the female turned back and looked at the direction she came from prompting the cloaked figure near her to ask.

"Senior sister, is anything wrong?"

"Nothing, a fly just didn't know its own strength and tried to follow us. I merely poisoned it as a warning. If he doesn't learn, then I will crush him like a bug later."

"Senior sister, from when have you become so merciful?"

"We are in the region of Heavenly Demon Sect. It wouldn't be nice to poison their disciples to death. Furthermore, Shen Wulong is the priority now. I don't want to waste time by dealing with annoying flies," the female said nonchalantly.

"You seem like you are a little wary of the Heavenly Demon Sect, senior sister," the cloaked figure said hesitantly.

"The Heavenly Demon Sect is not simple. You will learn about it when your power reaches a certain level. But, we don't need to be afraid of them either. I just don't want to create an enmity beforehand when we might need their help later on," the female advised the cloaked figure seriously.

"I see," the cloaked figure nodded solemnly.

"Come, the traces I sensed seemed to be getting stronger. I think we have neared Shen Wulong's location," the female said unceremoniously and flew forward bringing the cloaked figure along.

As they passed by above, they didn't notice that below them there was a youngster fighting against a tiger demonic beast in a ferocious manner.

And that youngster was Duncan…

*****

A/N: Hey folks!

Make sure to add this book to your collection and vote with your power stones to show your appreciation for this work.

You can also check out my other book [Booking Glory] and see if it is to your liking.

Reviews and comments are truly appreciated.