In such a place, the possibility he would run across another cultivator was exceptionally high. But, what Ryu was more interested in was the source of this place. There was most definitely something more than what met the eye when it came to this pocket space.
"Hm?"
Ryu quickly dodged.
Across his face, less than a single inch from his nose, a sharp red tongue broke the sound barrier as it pierced by him and into the tree to his side.
The tree's bark shattered, leaving a forceful impact that shook the forest floor.
Ryu reacted quickly, his fingers piercing forward with sharp spear qi as he sliced the savage tongue in half, only for his actions to be met with the enraged roars of a beast. Or rather, the deep croaks of what was a foul looking, brown-green skinned toad.
'Sixth Order Beast? They've developed to this extent in this small pocket space?'
Ryu couldn't help but be surprised. But now he was even more certain that there was something special about this space.
Judging by the turbulent qi in the atmosphere, it was very difficult to take even one step forward in one's realms here. To reach the Sixth Order here was as impressive as reaching the Eighth Order on the main six Planes. This of course meant that the beasts here were definitely stronger than their Realms denoted.
'However, everything has a tradeoff.' Ryu's gaze sharpened.
His body flashed forward, his fists cocking backward as he steadied himself beneath the underbelly of the toad in an instant.
His aura surged, sending his fist cutting upward.
The bombardment sent the toad flying, only for it lay in excruciating pain in the distance.
'As expected… Their attainments in their Bloodline Talents should be exceptional, but the weak gravity has weakened their bodies… Their qi control is high, but their bodies are lacking.'
Ryu only partially applied concepts of [Monumental Pierce], one of the Higher Black Grade techniques he had taken from the Awoken Moon Sect, to his fist strike just now yet the beast hadn't been able to withstand a single blow.
Still, this didn't make Ryu relax. The beasts here were obviously not used to interacting with humans, and as such, didn't expect the disparity in bodily strength. Even Ryu himself was always used to beasts having stronger bodies than he did. Not everyone could adjust to a new environment as quickly as he did.
The crux of the matter was that this toad had underestimated Ryu, but another beast might not. That tongue attack had almost decapitated him, yet Ryu was certain that hadn't been the toad's full strength.
With a frown, Ryu leapt into the tried and disappeared deeper into the forest, his nerves on high alert.
Not long later, Ryu found the oddity he was looking for: signs of human existence. Except, these signs were much older than they should have been.
Ryu and the experts who chased him should have only just entered this pocket space, yet these traces were clearly here for months if not years.
Ryu felt a sudden wave of enlightenment. Could it be that the hidden treasure of the Zu Elder everyone was searching for was actually here? Could it be that that elder's true fortuitous encounter was actually finding a method of freely entering and exiting this place?
There was no point in speculating any longer, so Ryu cautiously took a step forward.
His eyes swept the entrance of the cave and nearly couldn't hide his disdain. To him, the formations here were already too pitiful. To the current Ryu, even a Seventh Order Formation – categorized as Lower Heaven Grade Formations – would no longer cause him much trouble despite the fact they were meant to stop and even kill Immortal Ring Experts.
Of course, this didn't mean Ryu's strength was at this level. Rather, his Heavenly Pupils in combination with his strength made their abilities useless. So, obviously, the formations laid by the Zu Elder to protect his treasures weren't much to Ryu.
But, who knew that before he could take a step forward, a few uninvited guests would make their presences known.
Ryu paused his footsteps and slipped into the shadows, watching on with a glint in his eyes.
Ryu's body was immediately draped by his cloak. Though he felt bad that his impurities had thoroughly sullied its inside lining by now, there wasn't much he could do about it. He wasn't confident enough in his own concealment abilities as he had never practiced in such an unorthodox path.
Surprisingly, the two that appeared were both of the Ember Clan. It seemed that this Fuoco and the overseer of The Selection had managed to find each other quite quickly.
This wasn't much of a surprise, though. High level Clans most definitely had special hidden methods for their members to contact each other covertly. As long as they stumbled upon the massive network of cyclones within that odd world he just exited, finding each other in such a small pocket space wasn't difficult at all.
"Twelfth Elder, it seems that our luck is quite good." Fuoco said with a meaningful smile.
"For there to be such a place in this world… Definitely means that we're one step late still. But, there may be some faint hope. This place has been abandoned for the better part of a year already, so there are only two possibilities… Either this place has already been cleaned out by that person, or we really are lucky."
In a tacit silence, the two made their way forward toward.
Just as they were about to cross the threshold into the cave, the so-called Twelfth Elder's expression change.
"Young master Fuoco, stop!"
Fuoco, who had been about to take the final step, tensed, managing to stop himself in the final moment.
"There's an array formation laid here." The elder said with a stern expression. "I actually almost didn't notice… This was laid by an Earth Grade Formation Master at worst."
Fuoco's expression changed. Earth Grade Formations were precisely most effective against Divine Vessel and Connecting Heaven Realm experts like them. If Fuoco truly crossed that final barrier unprepared, he would most definitely have suffered greatly.