Immortal Cultivator System

Chapter 26: Troubled Times ( part 2 )

( An outpost of the Raja Sect in the Buddha Free States )

The Buddha Free States were a group of a dozen of countries that had merged into one after the invasion of the Zhao Warrior Tribe that had threatened the survival of the entire continent a century ago. The states were all ruled by different leaders, forming a council that would take decisions for all the states at once. It was a relatively peaceful nation, the collective might of a dozen of countries being too much to handle for all those who had their eyes set on the treasures it contained.

However it being peaceful didn't mean that it's leaders didn't play in the grand game of alliances. Half a century ago Giran the patriarch of the Raja Sect had marched on this land and concluded an alliance with the Free States. The Raja Sect would be able to place a few outposts here and there in the different states to spy on the nation's neighbours, but most importantly to recruit the youth of the states.

Those outposts were always manned with relatively weak members of the sect, but all had some elders from the sect as captains. One of those outposts however was special. Located at the outside of the most important city of the states, it was naturally the outpost that mattered the most to the sect. It was for that reason that the captain of this outpost wasn't some elder, but an elite disciple that showed incredible talent.

Being sent to the outpost was some sort of reward. The rich atmosphere of the location would help the disciple cultivate and they could even train with the Buddha Guards, the elite force of the nation.

This was exactly what was happening two days after the coalition of sects had declared war on the Raja Sect. Due to how far away it was from the Headquarters and the fact that no one in the outpost had any mean to be contacted directly, it was only then that the disciples had learned the news.

" What the hell ?! You guys should've been told as soon as it happened. You have one of the best spies in the continent ! Why are we only told about this now ?!" The captain of the outpost yelled at one of the Buddha Guard who was cowering before him.

Now the Buddha Guards were an elite force, but they were still from a nation that was relatively calm. As such while they were strong, none of them could be compared to one of the most promising disciples of the Raja Sect.

The captain was also quite the imposing figure. A giant of a man, muscles bulging all over his scars littered body. His outfit however was what made him stand out. The Buddha Guards wore fur versions of their usual black iron heavy armours since winter had come for this part of the continent. The captain however wore no top, leaving his tattoed chest out in the open, he also wore black shorts and had sandals. This was actually a common occurence to the disciples here.

It was easy to understand when you were standing in front of the man. His body emitted such heat that the guard wanted to rip off his armor so as to not suffocate. This was due to the captain's rare condition and the sole reason he was so promising.

Dragon's bane. After the Zhao Tribe Invasion, the babies that were born in the 20 years that followed all had a chance to get infected with this dangerous condition. No one knew what the Zhao Tribe did exactly, but the newborns infected with this condition would have their bodies heat up for no reasons.

It was later found out that this wasn't as grave as first believed. The effects could be turned around. Not only would this condition give a free fire attribute to whoever had it, it also allowed them to stock the heat inside their bodies and release it in the form a torrent of fire coming out of their mouths.

It was still believed that the Zhao Tribe's real goal with the Dragon's Bane was to attract dragons on the continent. No one knew if it had succeeded, since no one ever saw any new dragons ever since the invasion. But if it had worked, the Zhao Tribe held an incredible advantage over the entire continent. Dragons were being of destruction that would leave a trail of death wherever they went....And the Zhao Tribe just so happened to have a secret weapon that allowed them to kill Dragons effortlessly.

If it had really been their plan since the start, it would mean that they knew the continent would one day come back for revenge, and so they would prevent it that way.

It was precisely why members of the Zhao Tribe were allowed on the continent. Because no one could dare to provoke them.

Dragon's Bane was still treated as a curse, since not everyone could survive it. However the captain was one of those people. He had always been thankful for that condition that pulled him out of the slums and sent him right in the highest ranks of the Sect.

" C-Captain Hircen...I-I can't provide you an explanation. We ourselves didn't know about that. We were only told a few hours ago and went here to tell you...We think that..." The guard gulped as if whatever he was supposed to say next was something that should never be said.

The captain nodded, while still being angry he understood that it wasn't the guards fault.

" Anyway. I believe that the leaders of the states are already debating whether they should intervene in this conflict or not, right ?"

The captain glared at the guard who let out a meek 'yes '. He then nodded to himself and dismissed the guard.

He stepped outside and took in a deep breath, groaning as the chilly air of winter penetrated his being.

" CAPTAIN !" Fifty disciples or so immediately stopped what they were doing and saluted the captain. He made a lazy hand gesture to dismiss them and they all proceeded to ignore him.

A female disciples suddenly approached him. He shook his head as soon as he saw her, knowing that she meant trouble.

" Captain I request an authorization to take half of the disciples here and go back to the headquarters to help the survivors of the attack. " She said. Hircen knew she was gonna ask this, so it didn't even surprise him. He looked around and saw that the various disciples all knew what this was about and were waiting for his answer.

"Alright, take the strongest disciples and go immediately. However bring back Gatsuga with you...I thought of a way to crush the sects from the Wukong Empire before they can even act. Also I want the rest of the disciples to augment their training regime. I want them ready to tear apart anything that threatens us in a split second." He ordered. The disciple nodded, her eyes becoming a little wet. The captain was a slave driver, but those were the moments he showed the most hidden part of his personnality. He was insanely loyal to the sect and was willing to die for it. For those who offered him a chance at life.

It was obvious he was going to the city to have a talk with the leaders, so she didn't even blink when he suddenly dashed out of the outpost and ran at full speed towards the city.

She turned around and looked at her fellow disciples, a sense of pride welling inside of her when she saw just how motivated those usually lazy bums were.

" Men ! We are departing to help out the sect now ! I want half of you to come with me, the strongest there is ! "

***************

( Raja Sect's Headquarters )

Agent Wood Shadow and Agent Mercury hadn't really tried to slaughter as much disciples as possible. They just followed their orders and disappeared as soon as they came. However they had still dealt a massive amount of damage to the sect.

The survivors were running around, taking care of the burning buildings and helping their fellow sect members. The Elders were all sitting around the meeting table of the sect, located inside a secret room of the Patriarch's mansion.

"So this is the meeting room, huh ? First time I came here. The patriarch really went out all with all those protective arrays. " An elder said as he examined the glowing symbols on the walls the room.

"Everyone, I think you know by who exactly we have been attacked. The organisation is relatively well known on the continent, even though they are believed to be unknown in other parts of the world. I already explained to all of you what that is. The Void had no choice but to intervene when the Zhao Tribe attacked us. They are the sole reason we are still standing to this day. And I want to make this clear. The Void will NEVER be our ennemy." Giran said while striking the table with his fist. Most of the Elders erupted, demanding an explanation.

"Yes...That was the missing part of my explanation...." Giran said while chuckling as he ran his hand over an wound he had on his shoulder. He would never forget how this happened, even he who knew just how strong the Void was, never expected a random member like Wood Shadow to be so powerful.

He had seen Mercury vanish and thought that he decided to run seeing as the agent couldn't fight him while on Mantra Mode. However this proved to be just a ruse. Mercury had actually teleported to the treasure hall and fought against the Treasure Elder.

Giran had quite naively went out of his transformed state, right before Wood Shadow came back to fight him.

****************

( Before Wei Feng talked to Mercury )

Giran was about to go back to check on Sun Lin, when he heard a frightening noise, it was as if.....

'Trees are growing...Oh no !'

Giran used his arm to block an incoming growing tree. The tree passed right by him, slicing up his arm in the process, before hitting the mountain. That's when Giran understood why the second agent was called Wood Shadow.

' I thought agents who joined the Shadow Clan were all specialized in stealth...HOW IS THIS STEALTH ?!' He thought as he saw the agent running on another fast approaching tree that was about to hit him. Giran threw ann uppercut at the tree, breaking it before jumping right in front of Wood Shadow who glared at him.

" I never quite liked to fight an ennemy directly. That's why I joined the shadow clan and became Mokukage. However for you I'll make an exception...Golden Child. " Wood Shadow exclaimed, striking a pose with his hands extended as they suddenly turned to a dark wood.

"Mokukage, huh ? Yeah, I forgot that you were the only clan that translated the names. Not really surprising since your boss is a man proud in his origins. At least that's what I heard. You won't mind me saying it in my language though, right ? Well not like I care." Giran said, grinning before his veins turned golden and glowed through his skin once again.

Mokukage grit his teeth and extended his arm, before lifting them slowly as they trembled.

" Time for you to understand why it's a grave mistake to fight me in a forest !" The agent yelled before pointing both his arms at Giran. All the trees in the forest suddenly had their branches sharpen and extend to shoot towards Giran.

'All of them ?! In an instant ?!' He started to panic. He had brute force yes, he had technique, but he lacked the speed to dodge such an attack. He could only.....

"ARGHHHHH !" He screamed as he began to punch each branches that came his way. His body overheated, and began to shine so much only his glowing eyes could be seen through the light.

'So he can actually withstand such an attack. This is just a bit less dangerous than my ultimate attack. This man...Damn it. I'll have to play it like I was taught I guess. ' Mokukage thought.

Giran began to grow confident as he punched the last branches. Nothing else was being thrown at him, so he thought that he had seen the end of it. Which was good, the golden veins were supposed to be used for one superpowered attack. A one shot attack so to speak, not a flurry of punches. It had exhausted him.

'Huh ? Where is that brat ?!' Giran looked around in panic. But he couldn't find Mokukage anywhere. He closed his eyes and used his enhanced senses to locate the agent. He picked up a small pulse and then....

"Guh !"

Giran looked behind him in shock as his shoulder began to bleed heavily. Mokukage was standing there, a wooden soaked in blood as he smiled.

" A shadow, remember that. " Mokukage said before he lifted his hand once again.

"PATRIARCH !" The voice of Sun Lin resounded in the distance as the sect head came rushing. Mokukage frowned before looking at Giran.

" Well I guess I can be happy I wasn't blown to pieces in an instant. You are a little too easy to counter though, patriarch giran. You are considered difficult to beat, because your ennemies don't know that your golden veins are made only for a short impulse, so you can surprise them with an attack that contains all of your power. However we know you, and you know why, don't you ?" Mokukage said, his face inches apart from Giran's as the patriarch flinched. Mokukage tilted his head to show the tattoo he had on his neck, before a smile that threatened to split his face erupted.

" We know you, because we know everything. We are everything. Eslem Finim, patriarch. HAHAHAHAH !"

The demented laugh was the last thing Giran heard before his golden veins deactivated and he passed out.