Ominous Orb
Meanwhile, the cultivator moved swiftly, his dark robes billowing with every step. His expression was grim, and his eyes flickered with unease.
I need to finish this mission and return before the real Autumn Dragon Sect disciples realize what's happening.
He stole a glance at the massive wolf beside him.
The Fury Wolf.
A terrifying spirit beast, its fur was thick and bristling, but unlike the Fury Wolf that Wei Long saw earlier, this one was different.
Darker.
Oozing with ominous energy.
The same sinister aura that surrounded him. The cultivator gave a low whistle.
The wolf's ears twitched. It turned to him with glowing red eyes.
"Scout and inspect the area," the man ordered, his voice barely above a whisper.
The Fury Wolf bared its fangs. It needed no further instruction. Like a violent gust of wind, it disappeared into the shadows.
The cultivator exhaled.
Then—
He reached into his robes and pulled out a dark object.
It pulsed with twisted energy. Like a breathing heart made of shadows.
He made a series of intricate hand seals, and suddenly—
The dark energy shifted. Transformed. It turned into a black powder, swirling ominously in the air.
The cultivator's eyes gleamed.
He reached out with both hands to collect it.
But then—
SNAP!
Pain.
Agonizing, searing pain.
His world exploded in agony as something clamped onto his wrist—And ripped his hand clean off.
Blood splattered.
The cultivator's scream died in his throat.
"What is going o-"
Because before he could even react—
A clawed hand slammed into his throat.
His breath vanished. His eyes bulged. And then, he saw it.
A beast.
A monster.
No—
A Dragon Beast.
Standing on two massive legs.
Thick, muscular arms covered in dark green, scaly skin.
A hulking frame.
Deadly, curved claws. Glowing predatory eyes. A long tail that flicked behind it.
The cultivator trembled. What— what is this!?
His mind screamed.
His lungs burned as he struggled to breathe.
And then—
SLAM!
The beast threw him down. His body crashed against the ground. Pain exploded through his back.
His vision blurred.
His ears rang. He coughed, blood splattering his chin.
The shadow of the massive reptilian being loomed over him.
And the cultivator finally realized—he was going to die.
Wei Long's claws pressed harder against the cultivator's chest, pinning him like an insect beneath his massive foot.
The man twitched in pain, his breath coming out in ragged gasps. His wrist, still bleeding from the bite, trembled as he tried to raise his uninjured arm.
Wei Long leaned in, his sharp teeth inches from the man's face.
"I'm not a dragon."
His voice was low, guttural, and filled with quiet menace.
The cultivator flinched.
Wei Long's piercing, golden eyes glowed in the dim moonlight.
"I'm a Dinosaur."
A deep silence followed.
The cultivator's eyes widened in shock.
Then, panic.
Wei Long watched as his expression twisted into a mix of fear and confusion.
The man swallowed hard and tried to push himself up, but Wei Long's claws dug deeper, stopping him instantly.
It would be so easy to kill him right now.
One snap of his jaws.
One crush of his claws.
Wei Long exhaled.
"Tch."
His slitted pupils flicked toward the dark powder that still lingered in the air.
Then, to the strange black orb near the cultivator's broken wrist.
A thought crossed his mind.
Killing him now means losing information.
Wei Long sighed.
"What a pity. I cannot interrogate this human."
But just as he was about to end it anyway—
"P-Please!"
The cultivator's voice came out shaky, desperate.
"Young Lord Dragon, interrogate me but please spare me! Please!"
Wei Long froze.
His golden eyes narrowed.
Did this guy just—?
The man was looking up at him with terror in his eyes.
"I—I will answer anything you want to know!"
For a moment, Wei Long didn't react.
Then—
His expression darkened.
"How the hell do you understand me?"
The cultivator gasped for breath before answering,
"I—I am a Tamer of the Autumn Dragon Sect! Tamers can communicate with any beast of dragon bloodline!"
Wei Long stared.
Then—
He laughed.
A low, guttural laugh that rumbled from deep within his chest.
"You really think I'm some dragon beast?"
The cultivator frantically nodded.
"Yes! You must be a— a high-ranked dragon beast! No— an ancient dragon!"
Wei Long snorted.
"You're lying."
His tail lashed against the ground.
"You're not from the Autumn Dragon Sect."
The cultivator shook his head violently.
"N-no! I swear! I am a disciple—"
"BULLSHIT."
Wei Long's patience snapped.
His jaws parted, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth.
"I don't care who you are."
His voice was cold, emotionless.
"I just want the truth."
But instead of the truth—
He got more begging.
"Please! Please, I swear! I—I am from the Autumn Dragon Sect!"
Wei Long sighed.
His claws tightened their grip.
"Annoying."
CRACK.
The man's neck snapped.
His body went limp.
Wei Long let out a slow exhale.
His golden eyes flickered toward the dark orb on the ground.
And then, the black powder.
Whatever this stuff is, it's dangerous.
He didn't trust it, but he would study it.
For now—Wei Long's body shimmered.
The air around him rippled.
And in an instant—He vanished.
He remained still, his golden eyes unblinking as he observed the ominous Fury Wolf.
The beast had returned, its powerful nose twitching as it sniffed the air, searching for something—someone.
Its gaze then locked onto its fallen master.
The wolf's ears flattened, and its body stiffened in panic.
Then—
A low, guttural whimper escaped its throat.
Wei Long watched carefully from his hidden spot, his Bio-engineered Camouflage rendering him invisible to all senses—sight, sound, and even smell.
It won't find me.
He had tested his ability before and he trusted the information he read about it. As long as the creature is a Mortal Beast, he won't be found with it.
It was that flawless—he believed.
But then—
A chilling howl tore through the night.
Wei Long's muscles tensed.
There was something unnatural about that sound.
Something is wrong.
The howl wasn't just sorrow.
He could feel there was something far worse to it.
Something dreadful.
Right in front of Wei Long's unbelieving eyes, the Fury Wolf began to change.
It started with its fur.
The thick, black fur covering its body peeled away, falling in clumps like dead leaves in the wind.
Then came the flesh.
Wei Long stiffened.
What… the hell…?
The wolf's muscles twisted, rotted, and sloughed off its bones as if it were decomposing at an unnatural speed.
Next were its internal organs—
They liquefied and seeped into the ground, turning into a dark, putrid mist.
The creature didn't even scream.
It simply crumbled.
Piece by piece.
Until only bones remained.
Then—
Even the bones collapsed into dust.
Wei Long barely had time to process what he was seeing when—
The cultivator's corpse disintegrated too.
His flesh burned away like embers in the wind.
His robes, his bones—everything turned to ash.
Even the blood he had spilled earlier was gone, erased as if he had never existed in the first place.
Only one thing remained.
The dark orb.
It sat there, untouched, in the middle of the eerie silence.
Wei Long stared.
A deep, instinctual warning clawed at the back of his mind.
His Bio-engineered Predatory Senses screamed at him—
Dangerous.
Unnatural.
But at the same time—
Intriguing.
Wei Long's golden eyes narrowed.
He grabbed a stick from the ground, carefully extending it toward the orb.
The tip of the stick nudged the orb slightly.
Nothing happened.
No explosion.
No eerie glow.
No vanishing act.
Wei Long waited.
Still, nothing.
A slow grin crept onto his reptilian face.
Interesting.
He extended his clawed hand—
But he didn't touch it directly.
Instead, he grasped it with only his claws, making sure that no part of his actual flesh made contact.
The orb was cold.
Not just in temperature—
But empty.
Like it wasn't a physical thing, but rather… a void.
Wei Long's tail flicked.
His mind whirled with questions.
What the hell was this thing?
Was it what caused the wolf and the cultivator to disappear?