Demon Immortal



Just then, a large bang echoed across the region causing Duncan to stand up abruptly.

Duncan used his movement technique to immediately rush up one of the trees and looked into the distance. A large cloud of dust was barely visible in the distance. The distance between that location and the region Duncan was in was too far for him to see even a glimpse. 

Even with Duncan's enhanced senses, he could only barely see the dust cloud. Even that was like a speck. As for what actually caused it or who was involved, Duncan didn't have a clue.

Duncan couldn't believe that the sound traveled this far out. Something huge must have happened at the location of the dust cloud. If not for that, there was no way that such a commotion would have appeared. 

From the looks of it, the sound was audible throughout the Grotto Heaven. Duncan could already see several silhouettes rushing toward the origin of the sound. It looked like the sound had disturbed a lot of people.

For a moment, Duncan entertained the idea of rushing over as well. But, the moment such an idea formed in his mind, an ominous premonition occurred to him. Duncan had never experienced anything like that until now. 

"What was that?" Duncan asked himself as he looked at the distant speck of dust cloud. "Did I somehow feel a warning sensation rush through me? In that case, is it dangerous for me to head over?"

Duncan had no one beside him to enlighten him regarding this. If someone was near, they would have told him that it was natural for cultivators to sometime feel some ominous premonitions. 

As a cultivator progressed through his cultivation, his perception of the world would increase slowly. This perception would sometimes manifest in the form of warnings. Any cultivator would learn to take heed of these warnings as it was their inner subconscious that was telling them that something was wrong.

Duncan had never experienced such a thing. Moreover, he didn't have anyone close to him to advise him on such a thing. His cultivation knowledge was also low. But, Duncan wasn't an idiot.

He already knew some things about the Grotto Heaven that nobody knew. Considering the history and the grudges behind the establishment of Grotto Heaven, Duncan knew it was only prudent to stay away from whatever it was happening over there.

Moreover, he didn't have enough strength even if he wanted to head over. He would only be a fodder if he rushed into that situation. So, Duncan wisely chose to stay away from the commotion.

"Forget about that, I don't think I can gain anything by heading over there. It would be a miracle if I can walk out alive if I got caught up in that stuff. Whatever is happening over there is really not a good stuff," Duncan consoled himself. 

"Anyway, now I have to decide on what to focus on for the next three months. My sword technique is adequate. And my movement technique is also at a good enough stage. But, I don't have any trump cards," Duncan calmly analyzed his situation.

"Until now, I have been battling beasts. Even though demonic beasts are strong, they aren't known for their cunning. And once I get out of the Grotto Heaven, I will have to face humans from the righteous path as well," Duncan squinted.

"Heh, if there is one species that is known for their treachery, then it would be us humans. And quite a lot of people are cunning. I am just an ordinary spirit stone miner before this. My cunning would never be enough to tangle with these men who grew up on schemes," Duncan said self-deprecatingly.

"I can't go on like this. It was fine when I battled beasts, but if I want to take my revenge on the Wang Clan, I will need to have some trump cards with me. This Soul Art that asshole gifted perfectly suits to be my trump card," Duncan said grinning slightly.

"Even in the Heavenly Demon Sect, not many people have cultivated in Soul Arts. No one would expect me to cultivate such a thing. This is perfect for me. If I ever run into a very dangerous situation, I can use this to get out of trouble," Duncan decided after analyzing the pros and cons.

"So, let's check out what kind of miraculous soul art that asshole has given me," Duncan sat down calmly in his spot. "Since that asshole thought it would be enough to tie me with karma, this art couldn't be a lower-level technique. I am curious what a high-level technique in that asshole's eyes looks like."

Duncan closed his eyes and started recalling the soul art he had obtained recently. As the soul art was directly imprinted in his mind, it was easy for Duncan to recall the contents of the technique.

After three long hours, Duncan opened his eyes with a complicated look on his face. Even after pursuing the technique for three hours, Duncan couldn't even understand the basics of the technique.

The technique was so obscure that Duncan felt his head aching just recalling the contents. Duncan was sure that this technique requires high talent to comprehend it completely. This was an absolutely top-notch technique.

Even someone who has never cultivated soul arts before like him could tell how extraordinary this technique was. No wonder that man had thought that this would be enough to tie him down with karma strings. Duncan felt that with this technique alone, someone could establish a medium-tier sect.

Normally, obtaining such a technique should have made Duncan jump with joy. But, in fact, Duncan's reaction was the opposite. While he did feel happy that he got such a technique as a reward, the consequences that came with it made him feel a headache. Furthermore, he didn't even know whether he could cultivate this technique properly.

This scenario only frustrated Duncan further. 

But, Duncan was never one to give up. He was someone who endured the hardship of being a spirit stone miner. Compared to that, this bit of difficulty was nothing to him. 

"If I can't understand this technique immediately, I will take as much time as I need to. I will cultivate this technique without fail. I have already paid a lot for this and I am not going to stop because of a small difficulty," Duncan muttered in a determined tone and closed his eyes to meditate on the technique again.

*****

Duncan wasn't the only one who was shocked by the commotion. 

Shen Wulong stood in front of the main hall of the Grotto Heaven with a wry smile on his face. He too was obviously shocked by the commotion that occurred a few hours prior.

But, his reason was entirely different.

While Duncan didn't know what caused the commotion, Shen Wulong knew exactly what or who caused it. The commotion happened because he broke through the restriction of the main hall. 

But what he didn't expect was the level of commotion it would cause. When the restriction broke, the sound it generated reverberated throughout the Grotto Heaven. This was a very abnormal behavior.

Especially, for a Grotto Heaven that has been sealed for centuries. Usually, restrictions like this faded over time or became weaker. But, the restriction present in the main hall defied normal behavior and rather became strengthened.

Shen Wulong didn't know this. He was rather perplexed due to the commotion it caused. It was the reason for his surprise. As the person who opened this Grotto Heaven, it took Shen Wulong a lot of time to break through the restriction. 

He originally thought that he had succeeded without anyone being aware of the fact. But, who knew that this would cause such a huge commotion? Currently, not only his location was exposed and everyone else was running into the main hall as well.

"It looks like I can't defy fate. Mu-er our fated encounter is sure to happen in this main hall. I wonder how you would treat me when you see me," Shen Wulong whispered to himself thinking of his former fiancé.

It took him a lot of time to solve the Icy Nether poison that was gifted by his former fiancé Qing Mu. The poison had seeped into his soul. Only his vigorous cultivation was able to suppress it.

Luckily, he knew the effects and remedies related to this poison very well. In fact, he had once put his life at risk to get a major resource required to cultivate this poison. He had done this to help Qing Mu when they were betrothed.

At that time, he had researched about this poison quite well to understand it. He had been a little bit confused to see his gentle fiancé cultivate such a ruthless poison then. But, now that he knew her true face, he wasn't that surprised.

The poison fit her well. It was too insidious. Just like her. If not for her betraying him and leading him into an ambush, how could a Heaven's Chosen like him end up in such a state? Furthermore, she even weakened him by poisoning him while he had let his guard down.

But, the Heavens indeed have eyes. He not only escaped the encirclement but also escaped to the distant Dragon Scale Continent. But, this woman was really relentless. She even followed him here. 

Normally, she should have been able to kill him in his weakened state. He had always wondered why she didn't do so. He had deluded himself into thinking that she still had some feelings for him. 

But, only later did he realize that he had once talked about this secret realm to her. Now that he had opened this, he was of no use to her at all. But, luckily he had entered before anyone and hid himself well.

He had even found a few precious herbs to treat the poison in this Grotto Heaven. It took him some time to regain his former strength. Following that, he was busy breaking the restriction of the main hall. He had never truly spared a thought about her presence until now.

But now, things have come to a head. The main hall will be the location they would meet once more. And when they do, it was time for him to take his revenge on her.

"Qing Mu, prepare yourself. No one betrays me and lives," Shen Wulong muttered as a vicious light flickered across his eyes.

*****

A/N: Check out my other works and let me know your thoughts...

Support me at patreon.com/kkephemeral