Hey folks,
I am happy to announce that this novel has been picked up by Webnovel as a contracted work. It will most probably go premium from next week.
Your relentless support of this novel has been the reason that it has reached such a stage. This wouldn't be possible without your love and support. So, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart sincerely.
After due consideration, I have decided to keep whatever I have updated till the end of this week as free chapters and will only put chapters after this week into premium as a show of my appreciation to you all.
I am incredibly proud and happy to announce this to all my loyal supporters.
Once more, thank you all for your love and support.
Kirupakaran
*****
"I have read about such occurrences in the scrolls on the sixth floor of the Scripture Repository, but they seem to always correlate with demons," Bai Qingling said a little embarrassedly.
"Oh those old stories," the old man said thinking a little hard. "It does seem like there are mentions there. But, as you pointed out, it always refers to identifying True Demons. A mortal couldn't become a True Demon anymore than you could become a Demoness. They are both inherently different."
"Such a thing is not impossible, however, but those things have only appeared in legends. What I find most plausible is that the mortal might have stumbled upon a demonic treasure and it might have activated during a struggle of life and death."
"If that is the case, then he might have already died. Even if he didn't die from the demonic treasure's usage, the Heavenly Demon Sect would have killed him by now and harvested the treasure for themselves."
"The Wind Demon might have recognized it and it was probably why he interfered. Such a thing is useless to you, so don't fret much about it," the old man said smiling softly.
"So, there wasn't anything special about that mortal?" Bai Qingling asked a little disappointedly.
"No, if he didn't fulfill the prerequisites, the demonic treasure might have never activated in the first place. And demonic treasures are notorious for that particular reason. So, I am sure that the mortal had some potential. But, even if he had, it is now useless to think about it as he is already in the clutches of the Heavenly Demon Sect," the old man stated causing Bai Qingling to relax a little.
"If you were able to save him, then he might have been of use to you and our faction. But, that time has passed, don't worry your head about it. You need to concentrate on the Five Continent Summit happening soon. I have information that those who get selected will have an incredible opportunity," the old man guided Bai Qingling seriously.
"An incredible opportunity?"
"Indeed so," the old man said seriously. "I won't say what it is now. But, know that this is indeed a rare opportunity that you would do well to not miss. It can shorten your cultivation path tremendously and help you improve leaps and bounds. So, you put these silly thoughts aside and better concentrate on shoring up your strength."
"I will, Master," Bai Qingling said earnestly.
"If that is all, you may take your leave."
The old man dismissed Bai Qingling amicably and turned towards the tea he was brewing when Bai Qingling arrived.
"Can it be true? Are the legends walking this world again? And that information I had received from the central continent is also something I had not thought to see in my life."
"If this is true, then this world is in for interesting times soon. The lass is far too curious for her own good. If she went poking into such things without proper strength, she will die without even knowing why."
"Looks like the Heavenly Demon Sect has gained another piece on the board. It is clear they are biding their time. To think that such a bunch of demons could be contained by three mere Nascent Soul cultivators, what foolishness!!!"
The old man shook his head in exasperation.
"Let's see how things fall in the Five Continent Summit. I can make a decision based on the situation at that time. If needed, I can use the lass's curiosity as a proper bait to stir the pond."
The old man hummed to himself as he once more indulged in brewing the tea.
*****
Duncan woke with a splitting headache. It was as if he had indulged himself too much last night with some cheap wine. His head felt like someone was beating drums right next to his ears.
He slowly tried to open his eyes, but the sunlight streaming in from the window somewhere irritated his eyes as well. So, he gave up that act and tried to get his mind to work.
Slowly, the events that happened before he passed out started trickling back into his memory. When he recalled the fight he had with the wild beasts, Duncan didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He had never intended to confront the wild beasts head-on. Taking on such a horde was suicidal. Only an idiot would actually do it. And he had been one such idiot. The mere fact that he is still able to think after performing such an act was indeed a miracle in itself.
He was both amazed and dumbfounded to recall how he had moved through the wild beast horde as if they were nothing. He knew that if he had been in the right mind, he would have turned tail and run instead of fighting like that.
Still, it felt vaguely satisfying to recall how he had killed a lot of wild beasts as if they were mere animals on the chopping block. He lamented the fact that he didn't have the time to collect their carcasses as they would have fetched a great price in the market.
But when the memories about his fight with the demonic beast trickled in, Duncan paled in fright. What the hell was he thinking running towards a demonic beast like that? Had he truly gone around the bend last night?
What he did was something suicidal. Not to mention the sheer stupidity of that act. He never knew he could act in such a stupid way. Just the mere thought of the demonic beast sent shivers down his spine.
He wondered if he had drunk too much of that cultivator wine and was currently hallucinating. There seemed to be no other explanations for his actions last night. He would never do such a reckless thing.
Especially after fighting wild beasts with a team behind him for the past few months. Even then, it had been a very demanding job. One small mistake could have ended his life. So, he knew how crazy what he did was.
"It must be a hallucination. For fuck's sake, a demonic beast? Really? A demonic beast? My dreams are getting weirder and weirder. I should have never drunk that cultivator wine. Looks like the stuff is too strong for me to handle. It might also explain this killer headache I have," Duncan mumbled to himself trying to open his eyes.
He was sure that he was currently in that cave back in the wilderness.
"I don't think what you remember is a hallucination," a voice interrupted his attempt to open his eyes, surprising him.
Duncan's eyes shot open in an instant. He jumped up in panic searching for his sword as his eyes roved to find the owner of the voice. A lean man was looking at him with an unimpressed expression on his face.
The moment Duncan's eyes landed on that man's face, the rest of the memories of last night slammed into his mind with a ton of force. Duncan clutched his head in pain and groaned as his mind processed the new memories in the next few seconds.
"You!" Duncan said with obvious feat in his voice.
If his memories are real then this was a man that sent two people flying with a wave of his hand. This was a man who was a genuine cultivator like in the legends.
"You are real?" Duncan croaked unable to believe his memories.
"Yes,"
"Then, I really fought against the beast tide and killed countless wild beasts?" Duncan said in obvious surprise.
"I wouldn't call that fighting against the beast tide and I don't actually know about it either. I came only at the end of your fight."
"I really ran towards a demonic beast!!!" Duncan paled as he voiced his next thought not actually listening to the man's words.
"Yes," the man's voice had an obvious hint of amusement to it now.
"I really fought a fucking demonic beast and killed it," Duncan whispered plopping down hard on his bed unable to even believe himself.
"Yes," the man's voice had mirth in it.
"And… and… a female tried to kill me?" Duncan said in confusion.
He was sure he had never even seen that female before that moment. Why would she want to kill him? He couldn't find an answer to it.
"…and you saved me; before some other guy came and knocked me out…" Duncan mumbled confusedly.
Duncan really didn't know what to believe anymore. The man's presence was enough to indicate that his memories were real and he had indeed killed a demonic beast in a valiant battle.
But, the things that happened after that made no sense to him. Why would that female try to kill him? Why would this man save him? And who was the other guy who knocked him out with such ease? Was he a cultivator too? He wasn't able to even react to that.
"And you kidnapped me," Duncan stated, finally calming his mind down, and looked at the man in front of him.
*****
A/N: Hey folks!
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