Duncan flashed out of the forest region and saw the beginnings of the barren wasteland. Looking at the familiar sight, Duncan's lips couldn't help but curl up in a smile.
He never expected that he would be glad to see this barren wasteland. After his experience in this region, he never expected to rejoice seeing this familiar landscape.
After giving the slip to that group of cultivators and getting rid of the fragrance by diving into the river, Duncan quickly emptied his last cache and headed straight towards the direction of this valley.
He didn't even waste time trying to recuperate his spent energy. He knew that his pursuers would be enraged and would be searching for him all over by now. So, staying any longer in the forest region was not wise.
He didn't have the strength to take them on. His only advantage was his speed. But, if he was encircled once more, he would never be able to escape them. So, he did the prudent thing and got out of the forest region as soon as possible.
Duncan knew how hard it is to find something in this valley from experience. Even finding the right direction would be a hassle. Last time, the reason he took a lot of time to cross this region was due to how similar every region looked. There were no landmarks or any other distinctive elements here to guide people.
It was all barren wasteland.
And when the night came, this wasteland would become a place that was murderous to the highest extent. If he escaped into this region, even if those people had trackers capable of finding his tracks, they would never be able to find him.
Looking back at the forest filled with shades, Duncan let out a wistful sigh and started walking toward the barren wasteland. Luckily, he knew how the conditions in this region were from first-hand experience. This time, he had prepared adequately to endure this region as much as possible.
If those cultivators chased after him into this region, then they were in for a rude awakening. They would be battling for their lives day in and day out. Let alone finding him, if they were able to escape from here, then can consider themselves lucky.
*****
"What happened?" Han Shindong asked with a gloomy expression looking at his subordinates.
"Forgive us, Young Master," one of his subordinates replied with a bowed head. "We have searched this area completely. We can't find any trace of him. He has most likely fled out of the forest region."
"Trash! Trash! All of you are trash!" Han Shindong raged. "You can't even deal with a single Spirit Sea realm cultivator! What use are you all?"
No one replied to his questions. Rather than placating him, their obeisance only infuriated him further. Han Shindong's face turned ugly looking at them. He really wanted to kill them all. If it was in the outside world, he would have really killed them. But here, killing them would only reduce his strength further.
"Now what? What are we going to do? Are we going to let a single Spirit Sea cultivator humiliate us like this?" Han Shindong asked scowling at his subordinates.
"Young Master, it is hard to find someone if they hide from us deliberately. This Grotto Heaven is truly vast. We can't really search the entire Grotto Heaven. Moreover, there are other experts present as well. If we run afoul of them, things will become a little tricky," one of his subordinates cautioned.
"So, what do you mean? That we will wait for him outside the Grotto Heaven?" Han Shindong asked in irritation.
"That… might not be prudent Young Master," another subordinate said hesitantly.
"What do you mean?" Han Shindong's face turned gloomy.
"From the level of techniques he used, I am suspecting that he is from a great power. We can't expect them to hand over their disciple to us. It would make it very embarrassing for them," the subordinate murmured.
"Heh, then you expect me to let him go, eh?" Han Shindong snorted.
But, the surrounding silence answered him clearly. Han Shindong never expected his subordinates to advise him to let go of that puny Spirit Sea cultivator. When he asked the question, he had meant it sarcastically. But, his subordinate's being silent only enraged him further.
"Ha, good, good, good. You useless trashes let him escape and are even advising me to forget about him, eh? When have I Han Shindong experienced such humiliation? No matter what, I will kill that person with my own hands," Han Shindong said glowering at his subordinates.
"Young Master, we aren't saying anything like that. But, the reality is like this. If we can find him in the Grotto Heaven, then we can eliminate him directly. Outside the Grotto Heaven, we must check about the situation before doing something," one of the subordinates hastily replied trying to calm down his Young Master.
"What do you mean?"
"Young Master, we can check out his background when we go outside first. If it isn't anything impressive, we can just kill him. Even the people backing him would never make a peep if we do that."
"What if he has some heavy background? You said his techniques were advanced right? Not everyone can learn such things," Han Shindong frowned.
"Then, we look for a suitable opportunity and deal with him. Anyone who angers our Young Master can't be let off. But, we aren't in Wei Kingdom now. So, we need to be a little prudent in our actions," the subordinate explained.
"Moreover, we can send for more powerful experts once we exit the Grotto Heaven," another subordinate piped in. "This way, even if his backing interferes, we can have the confidence to deal with him."
"Hah, so all your advice is to swallow my anger, is it?" Han Shindong sneered. "You bunch of useless trash! To think you all would dare give such advice to me," Han Shindong grit his teeth.
None of his subordinates spoke up hearing his words. Han Shindong felt incredibly uncomfortable seeing all their expressions. In fact, he too realized what they said was right. With no option to track down that cultivator, they really couldn't do anything more. But, he felt unresigned to do such a thing.
"Right, you said that he had probably escaped this region, right?" Han Shindong asked causing his subordinates to nod. "Then, what is the region near to this area."
"There is a barren valley to the west of this region, Young Master. Most people think that it is likely to be the end of the Grotto Heaven," one of the subordinates reported.
"End of Grotto Heaven… Hah, a rat like him will probably hide in such a region. Then, it's decided. We will hunt him to the end of this Grotto Heaven. We can see if he can evade us. If he can, then we will deal with him outside. If not…" Han Shindong laughed cruelly.
"Young Master, are we to leave this lush forest region for that barren wasteland?" one of the subordinates asked uneasily.
To them, leaving this resource-rich region to hunt down a Spirit Sea cultivator inside a barren valley seemed really a waste of time. With the main hall now open, no one knows when the Grotto Heaven would close. This was the time to plunder all the leftover resources in this lush forest.
"He he he… How can I swallow my anger that easily? Furthermore, if we can catch him, wouldn't all his belongings become ours? He had more than four caches we personally saw him excavate. Who knows how many he excavated before we noticed him? Wouldn't all that wealth fall into our hands?" Han Shindong sneered.
"Instead of fighting with other experts for the pitiful leftovers, hunting him down is rather profitable in my eyes. I can also vent my anger. This is a really good option. Moreover, every region in the Grotto Heaven had some ancient ruins and legacies. Why would that barren valley be different?"
"Since so many people consider it to be the end of Grotto Heaven, not many will be willing to go there. This way, we can avoid competing with other cultivators and also hunt down that guy. Talk no more. It is decided. We are going to the barren valley," Han Shindong spoke with finality in his tone.
""Yes, Young Master""
*****
Heavenly Demon Sect…
"Sect Master, why have you invited all of us here?" one of the elders asked suspiciously looking at the assembled men.
They were all the elites present in the sect at the moment. Outer Elders, Inner Elders, Hall Masters, Grand Elders, and other important people, all were present. None of them were missing. Such a grand lineup made them feel that something momentous was going to happen.
"It is naturally for a reason," the Sect Master replied cordially. "For the past few months, our Heavenly Demon Sect has been disrespected by the righteous faction too much."
Hearing the Sect Master speak, all the elders' faces turned ugly. When have they been restrained in this Dragon Scale continent? It was others who usually restrained themselves in front of them.
These past few months were however different. They had been asked by the Sect Master not to create too much fuss and had to repeatedly give way to the righteous sect. Even the standing of the Heavenly Demon Sect has been significantly reduced among other demonic sects recently.
There were even rumors that other demonic sects were very dissatisfied with their attitude and were intending to replace them as the top hegemon of demonic sects in this continent. How can they feel good hearing about such a sore topic?
"I endured it until now because I was at a critical moment in my breakthrough," the Sect Master smiled. "Now, there is no need for that. I called you all today to tell you to prepare yourself. Soon, we will let this world once more know what the true strength of the Heavenly Demon Sect is."
"Sect Master, you mean…" one of the elders asked in a voice that was barely containing his happiness.
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