Duncan was lucky that he was off the road. If not, the other party would have definitely seen him by now. Regardless of whoever it was, nothing good would come out of it.
With the knee-high grasses as cover, Duncan easily spotted a knoll of grass that was both bushy and high. He made his way over there with urgency and hid inside it, just as the horses came into sight.
As he watched the horses rush by, Duncan once again thanked his lucky stars that he hid without any hesitation. From their looks, Duncan was sure that it was not a merchant group that passed him by.
As the group passed by him in a rush without concealing any of their passage, Duncan noted that they all had either sabers or swords as weapons. A few even had bows slung across their shoulders.
With their menacing expressions and hungry looks, Duncan decided that they were definitely not merchants and their guards. That left, only one possibility for Duncan to come realistically.
These were the bandits he had slipped by earlier.
And now, they were ahead of him and would probably be waiting for him somewhere. Duncan also realized that unless they knew where he was going, they wouldn't be able to regroup and chase after him this soon.
Now, Duncan was left in an untenable position. He could not proceed onward as he didn't know where the bandits would be laying in wait for him. As for going back, that was even more difficult as he didn't have his horse with him now.
He was back to square one. And he needed to come up with something sooner rather than later. The night was falling in and he was all alone without much provision in his pack.
Camping in the Grasslands was a viable option, but the problem was how long he could camp there. He knew with his experience in the forest, he would be able to hunt a few wild animals and sustain himself.
But, the problem was how he was going to go back to Starsinger Town. It would be easier if he followed the road as he didn't have much information regarding the other possible routes he could take.
Even if he spent a few weeks here in the Grasslands, unless he could indefinitely avoid the bandits, he would be caught up by them sooner or later. Not to mention the troubles lugging this much gold along with him would bring him.
Duncan was currently in a dilemma. He didn't know how to proceed after this. He had never experienced such a situation and had no idea how to react.
Did he need to ditch the gold and find a way to slip past the bandits? If so, how long would it take for him to earn this gold back? If he hid it here in the Grasslands, would someone else stumble over it while he was away?
If he doesn't ditch the gold, can he slip past the bandits with such large luggage with him? Even then, can he fight off the bandits while also protecting the gold?
Countless questions rolled around his mind as Duncan worriedly looked at the direction the bandits have gone towards.
Little did he know that all the questions that were running around his mind would not matter much. There were events happening far away from him that would change the course of the next few days inside the Grasslands.
And the only question he would need to ask himself at that time would be, can he survive?
*****
Liu Kong blasted away a tiger demon with one punch and walked onward with purpose. He was so close to his goal that nothing would be able to stop him at this moment.
The Seven Colored Soul Lotus was just a few steps away. However, making those few steps and harvesting it would not be such a simple matter. His very life was in peril at every moment.
He glanced around to see if anyone else was close enough to the lotus. Peng Xiaoli was in a fierce fight with three demonic beasts to the side. That stupid brat didn't even pay attention to the situation here as he immersed himself in battle.
Bai Qingling was soon becoming a non-factor as she was close to being overwhelmed by the tide of the demonic beasts. Even if she wanted to, there was nothing she could do.
Yang Dangli might prove to be trouble. He was holding his own against the demonic beasts in an able manner with the use of his Wind Dao. His speed which was enhanced by the Wind Dao was really proving to be more trouble than Liu Kong had first thought.
But, the biggest issue was the Level 7 beast which had defeated all its opponents and was bounding towards the treasure. If Liu Kong had been a little late, the Level 7 beast would have become the final winner of this melee for the treasure.
The difference between demonic beasts and cultivators was that cultivators need to harvest the treasure in a careful manner and then process it slowly to bring out its best effects.
On the other hand, the demonic beasts could merely swallow the treasure and let their body do the work for them. So, if the Level 7 beast was the first to reach the treasure, then his efforts would be all in vain.
And there was also someone else in the distance making his way over to the location of the treasure in a hurried manner. The speed of their approach was faster than anyone else apart from him.
It was enough to indicate that the person would indeed be a formidable adversary. If Liu Kong fought him, their fight would last a while giving others the opportunity to obtain the treasure.
Liu Kong frowned as he realized that even if he approached the treasure, there wasn't enough time to harvest it. It only left him with only one option – to delay the Level 7 beast until his reinforcements arrived.
Without any hesitation, Liu Kong threw a punch in the direction of the Level 7 beast. A fiery dragon formed around his fist and pounced on the Level 7 beast. The punch landed right in the face of the Level 7 beast pushing it back a few yards.
Liu Kong cracked his knuckled and geared up for the important fight. The Level 7 beast was a monkey-type demon. It had rippling muscles chiseled all over its body. And Liu Kong's punch which was enough to shatter the heads of ordinary Level 6 beasts was nothing but a light tap to it.
The Level 7 beast sized up Liu Kong as well. It didn't expect that the human would be bold enough to attack it first. Hence it was surprising when the punch landed. However, with its thick hide and strong muscles, the punch was nothing like a child tapping it.
The Monkey Demon roared in anger. Its visage twisted into one of menace and bloodlust as it eyed its challenger. The surrounding beasts tried to move past it, only for it to smash them angrily and throw them away nonchalantly. It looked at Liu Kong provocatively as if taunting him for being foolish enough to challenge it.
Liu Kong smirked in return.
"What are you showing off for? Did you think I am some mindless beast like them?" Liu Kong snorted.
The Monkey Demon roared once more. This time it didn't stop there. It pounced on Liu Kong with a savage gleam in its eyes. Its palm slapped down on Liu Kong's location as if it wanted to smash him into a pulp.
The speed of the Monkey Demon was way higher compared to when it attacked the other beasts. To many present there it was akin to a blur. But, Liu Kong vanished from the spot and threw back a punch at the Monkey Demon.
The punch landed and the smash missed.
The Monkey Demon roared in frustration and turned to look at Liu Kong. This time, it didn't rush forward. Although it was a demonic beast, being a Level 7 beast gave it enough wisdom to understand that this wouldn't be an easy fight.
Just then, another figure appeared beside them and looked at the duo with a strange smile on his face.
"Ke ke ke… looks like I am on time for the final fight," Hui Wanren said licking his lips.
Liu Kong narrowed his eyes at the sight of him.
"Hui Wanren, Heavenly Demon Sect," Hui Wanren mock saluted Liu Kong and introduced himself. "The Sect Master sends his regards to Liu Kong, the Holy Son of the Seven Clouds Sect."
The Monkey Demon roared angrily at this apparent dismissal of its presence. It pounded its fists on its chest in a show of its anger and attacked both Liu Kong and Hui Wanren at the same time.
The duo retaliated with their own moves. Liu Kong with a fist, this one had twin dragons coming out instead of a single dragon, and Hui Wanren with a claw attack. Unfortunately, their strength was no match for the enraged Monkey Demon.
They both were sent flying off by the Monkey Demon's power.
"Tch," Hui Wanren said dusting off some dirt, "looks like this will be a tough one."
"What did you expect? This is a Level 7 beast," Liu Kong snorted getting up from where he had fallen.
The Monkey Demon responded with a resounding roar to their banter. It didn't waste any time. It bound forward immediately closing on them.
"Let's take this beast out before deciding who gets the treasure," Liu Kong said.
Hui Wanren merely nodded before both of them went ahead to engage the Level 7 beast.
Just as the trio was ready to engage in fighting, a strange fragrance wafted from distance. The fighting all around stopped as both demonic beasts and cultivators turned to look in the direction of the lotus.
The Seven Colored Soul Lotus finally bloomed at this moment.
*****
A/N: Hey folks!
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You can also check out my other book [Booking Glory] and see if it is to your liking.
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