"Whew! I didn't expect the valley to be this big,"
Duncan mumbled as he stepped into the first shade he came across after crossing the barren wasteland he had been in for the past two weeks.
Looking around, he saw a very different scene from what he has been experiencing for the past two weeks. Duncan's eyes couldn't help but twitch looking at the scenery around him.
"First a hilly region, then a valley, followed by a forest," Duncan said letting out a huge sigh. "The geography of this place makes no sense. Looks like that bastard Huo Teng had a lot of fun setting up this Grotto Heaven."
Still, the sight that greeted him gave some reassurance to Duncan. Compared to the barren wasteland of a valley he had spent the last two weeks in, Duncan felt comfortable looking at the surrounding trees.
There was a reason for it as well.
Duncan was someone who was very familiar with the forest. His days as a mercenary were spent in forests where he hunted wild beasts. He learned a lot about navigating inside a forest even as a mortal during that time.
He also knew what kind of dangers infested forests like these. This gave him some confidence in surviving this region. The biggest worry he had when walking out of the valley he was in was his ability to survive in the next region.
Duncan knew clearly that he was the weakest existence who entered the Grotto Heaven this time. If not for those lower-tier Level 2 scorpions he came across, he would have never been able to advance further inside this Grotto Heaven.
In order for him to advance in his cultivation, he needed the slaughter qi. And he could only obtain them by engaging in slaughter. So, he was truly in a pickle when he first entered this place.
Even now, he wasn't completely clear of his predicament. He still hadn't entered the Spirit Sea realm. From the words of his senior brother, Level 2 beasts were the weakest existence in this Grotto Heaven.
That meant he had to at least kill one more Level 2 beast before he could enter the next major level in his cultivation. He could manage if it was a lower-tier beast. But, if it was a higher tier or middle tier Level 2 beast, then he would be in trouble.
This created a scenario where Duncan has to skulk around keeping a low profile until finding the right demonic beast and kill it. And a forest was the perfect region for him to do that.
Sure, the dangers in the forest were higher than the dangers in the valley. The trees and overgrown vegetation would prevent Duncan from seeing his enemies from afar. But, it also aided him in hiding himself better.
He had hunted in a forest region while he had no cultivation. Compared to other cultivators, he knew how to move around in a forest region. This may be the trump card he needed to eliminate his sorry situation.
If he could skulk around this region and slowly increase his cultivation level, he wouldn't need to worry about becoming fodder for others in this Grotto Heaven. As for finding opportunities or treasures, Duncan didn't care about them much.
Duncan understood the truth that wealth is the precursor of disaster in the cultivation world. One needed to look at one's strength before deciding to fight for any treasures. If they aren't sober, they would end up dead easily.
The same went for opportunities. Only those with strength could grab hold of the opportunities presented to them. If not, they wouldn't even know how they died. Duncan didn't want to lose his life fighting for something he could never grab onto.
He was sensible and clearheaded regarding this matter.
Sporting a big smile, Duncan moved inwards into the forest region. Within moments, his figure vanished into the shrubbery that was present everywhere in this region.
*****
Duncan crouched low as he stalked his prey.
His prey was a boar demon that was at the lower tier of Level 2. And it felt far more powerful than the scorpions he had dealt with before. Duncan assumed that it was on the verge of advancing. This made him a bit nervous.
The boar was currently munching on a spirit fruit oblivious to his existence. Its concentration was completely on the spirit fruit. Duncan was very careful as he observed the boar.
He emptied his mind and didn't have any malicious thoughts toward the boar. He knew that demonic beasts were capable of detecting bloodlust. He didn't want to tip it off.
Normally, Duncan wouldn't have chosen this boar as his prey. He would have preferred to find something that was weaker than this boar and attack it. A lower-tier Level 2 beast on the verge of advancing to the middle tier was not his ideal target.
Unfortunately, it had been three complete days since he entered the forest region and this was the weakest beast he had come across. Most of the beasts he ran into were far stronger than this boar demon.
Only then did Duncan realize the dire predicament he was in. The abundant spiritual energy in this Grotto Heaven had an impact on most of the demonic beasts living inside it.
Their cultivation was higher than the demonic beasts present outside on average. The chances of him running into some beast that had just been promoted to Level 2 were really low.
Even those Level 2 beasts that came in with him would have advanced further in the short time the Grotto Heaven had been opened. With the abundant spiritual energy and a large number of spirit fruits present inside, there was no doubt regarding their advancement.
That left him in a big dilemma. He can give up on this boar demon. But, the chances of running into a weaker demonic beast were not that great. And with each passing day, the demonic beasts would only grow stronger inside this Grotto Heaven.
Duncan even felt that within a month or two, most of the beasts would advance to Level 3. Not to mention the other cultivators whose cultivation would advance rapidly in this rich environment. If that happened, his life would become miserable. The chances of him living out six months would be nonexistent in that case.
So, the only thing he could do now was to advance rapidly in his cultivation. That was the only way to at least survive this situation. However, unlike others, his cultivation technique required him to engage in slaughter. That made it both easy and hard for him to advance.
Gritting his teeth, Duncan readied his sword.
This might turn into a bitter fight. But, if he could kill this boar demon and use the slaughter qi he obtained to advance, he would have taken the first step to change his predicament.
Without uttering any sound, Duncan unleashed a sword cut from where he was hidden. Duncan didn't play around. His aim was truly insidious at the moment. The moment he unleashed the attack, he aimed for the neck of the boar demon hoping to kill it with a single blow.
Unfortunately, the qi fluctuations caused by Duncan's attack alerted the boar. The boar looked up to see the attack near it. It hastily evaded. But, it wasn't able to completely evade the attack.
Duncan's luck extended as far as injuring the boar demon. It wasn't a shallow injury either. Duncan's sword cuts had unusual power for his cultivation level. As a result, a long gaping wound was left on the boar's side.
But, the unfortunate thing was that it didn't hit any vital spots. While the boar was injured, it was also enraged by the attack. The moment it laid its eyes on Duncan, it roared angrily and charged toward him with murder in its eyes.
Duncan was already prepared for it. He didn't hesitate. He unleashed another sword cut. The boar evaded the attack and tried to close in. Duncan used <Wind Chasing Steps> to maintain the distance and once more attacked the boar.
The boar somehow dodged the attack and neared Duncan. It used its head as a weapon and attacked Duncan. The smart thing at the moment would have been to evade the attack of the boar.
However, Duncan didn't do that.
By now, Duncan knew his situation was truly dire. He could evade. He could escape the boar demon. He could run away to fight another day. But, then what? The overall situation demanded Duncan increase his strength as quickly as possible.
So, he knew that he must kill this boar today. Regardless of the price he paid, he must obtain enough slaughter qi to advance to the Spirit Sea realm. He felt that he was currently running out of time.
If he didn't advance soon, he would never leave this Grotto Heaven alive. When he was in the valley or the hilly region, he hadn't felt like that. There were no truly powerful demonic beasts roaming in that region.
However, after stepping into this forest region, he had come across several demonic beasts. He had no hope of fighting them at all. So, it was imperative that he increased his strength.
As for retreating to the valley or the hilly region, Duncan felt a little uneasy about that. While it was true that no other cultivator had ventured there yet, as time progresses and other opportunities dwindle, some stubborn cultivators might go into that region.
And when they found those tests, there will be more cultivators and demonic beasts gathering there. So, the idea of using that region as a retreat didn't sit well with Duncan at all.
That meant he must increase his strength quickly. And the only way to do it is to engage in killing. So, this beast must die today. There are no two ways about it.
With a determined gaze, Duncan met the head of the boar with his sword…
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