Chapter 254 Han Shindong Arrives!
Chapter 254 Han Shindong Arrives!
After hacking off Envoy Ming's left arm and kicking him in the gut, Duncan tried to follow it up with a slash with his sword.
Just then an attack arrived from distance blocking his way. Duncan squinted into the distance and found a group hastily making their way toward the battlefield. Duncan didn't know who this was, but he knew that his chance of killing Envoy Ming was now gone.
Duncan debated for a moment whether to continue with this confrontation. It was clear that he had spent a lot of time in the same location where he had slaughtered countless young talents from the nearby sects. It was high time he moved from here.
While Duncan was confident in escaping from the encirclement of the approaching people, he didn't know if he would be able to kill any of them. There is a power in numbers. These men didn't seem to be like those young talents who were eager to make a name.
Taking a deep look at the approaching cultivators, Duncan recognized a few of them. These men were the ones who had followed after him in the Grotto Heaven. He had slipped their net at that time. He didn't know why they were coming after him, but this gave Duncan a new headache.
By now, several sects would have learned about the demise of their prized younger generation. The uproar this would cause can only be imagined. They would surely send out people to hunt him down. Lingering in the same place where he killed their younger talents would be akin to walking up to their doors and slapping their faces.
While Duncan wanted to do that and see how they reacted, he was sensible enough to not court death in stupid ways like that. If not for the required slaughter qi, he wouldn't have blatantly killed off all the young generations of various sects. Moreover, they provoked him by issuing that hunt.
That's why Duncan slaughtered them all and used them to advance to the next level.
But, it didn't mean that he would mindlessly stay and fight everyone who came. By now, the sects would already have some idea of his fighting power. The people they send out will surely be those who they believe will be able to kill him.
Moreover, among the young talents that died, there must be one or two of the younger generation present in their numbers. Surely, the older generation wouldn't sit back and watch him strut. Staying at this place was akin to killing their offspring and dancing on said offspring's graves.
Even the most even-tempered and principled cultivator wouldn't tolerate such behavior. So, Duncan knew that he must vacate this spot sooner rather than later. But, he had already delayed and people had come knocking on his door. To delay further will only make things worse.
Just like how he didn't expect this group of cultivators to come knocking, who knew what other group would join in the hunt as well? Duncan looked at Envoy Ming who was busy trying to stabilize his blood flow after he chopped off his hand and at the approaching cultivators and came to a decision immediately.
Duncan turned around and vanished from the spot without any hesitation.
*****
Envoy Ming watched Duncan vanish with a fire burning in his eyes.
As much as he wanted to stop Duncan, he didn't know if such an action would be beneficial to him. It was already a miracle that he didn't lose his life here. If the fight had continued for another five minutes, he was sure that he would have lost his life here.
Initially, he only thought of Duncan as a stepping stone for future prosperity. But now, he absolutely hated Duncan. Watching him leave after chopping his hand off felt like someone digging out his heart while he was conscious.
A few moments after Duncan vanished from the spot, two cultivators rushed toward the location with serious faces. Looking at Envoy Ming's state, the expressions on their faces changed drastically.
Envoy Ming wasn't an unknown figure to them. To be the Envoy of a first-rate sect like the Iron Mountain Sect, one needs to have the required strength. Even though Envoy Ming was only at the late stage of the Violet Palace realm, it was widely rumored that he could fight against peak-stage Violet Palace realm cultivators.
Seeing someone who was well-known in the cultivation community end up in such a state against the person whom they were hunting was shocking for them to witness. While they were prepared to see Envoy Ming having a tough time, they never expected him to lose so badly.
The change in their reactions naturally fell into Envoy Ming's eyes as well. This only furthered the hatred in his heart. He felt embarrassed and angry to be seen in such a situation. He looked at the duo and snorted in a dissatisfied manner.
"What are you two gawking at? Quick, go chase him down. We can't let someone like him live even for a day," Envoy Ming said in a dissatisfied manner.
Hearing Envoy Ming's harsh words, the faces of the duo changed a bit. But, they didn't dare to speak back harshly. They could only swallow their dissatisfaction. After helping Envoy Ming fend off his attacker, it was fine if Envoy Ming didn't thank them, but he rather ordered them in such a harsh manner. The duo didn't like such a thing naturally.
However, they knew Envoy Ming's status. And their status as retainers was not obviously a match for it. If their Young Master was here, they could mouth off. But, picking a fight while being on an errand can only have bad consequences for them. So, they could only swallow their dissatisfaction and look at Envoy Ming in an unkind manner.
Envoy Ming didn't take the reactions of these clowns to heart. He was actually wondering which of the sects had responded so fast. By his estimation, it would take at least another day for the other sects to react. But, from the attitude of these Violet Palace realm cultivators, it was clear that some power had already gotten wind of the events and was hot on the trail of Duncan.
He knew that Violet Palace realm cultivators would not be dispatched for things of this significance by the sects. So, there must be a Golden Hall realm cultivator behind these men. Hence, he knew that these people must be the ones doing the legwork for the Golden Hall cultivator. So, he didn't think that his order to them was an issue at all.
After all, if they miss Duncan, then they would be the ones at fault. In fact, in his mind, Envoy Ming felt that he was giving pertinent advice. Seeing these cultivators not reacting as he expected, Envoy Ming became a little dissatisfied with them.
"Chase after him, you buffoons! Will you be able to answer whoever sent you over if you lose his trail?" Envoy Ming shouted at the duo.
The pain from his hand was already making him irritable. And things not going as per his expectations only furthered his frustrations with the recent turn of events. Envoy Ming glared at the duo seeing them still not moving.
"We are here on our Young Master's orders. We are to scout the location and wait for him to arrive. We don't take orders from you, Envoy Ming. So, mind your words when you speak to us," one of the duo couldn't hold back anymore and replied snidely.
"And a thank you would be good as well," the other snorted from the side eyeing Envoy Ming with disgust written plainly on his face.
Envoy Ming's face flushed scarlet.
"Who is your Young Master? I will speak to him. You go and track that damned demon down first," Envoy Ming spoke urgently not willing to be deterred.
"Our Young Master is on the way. We will wait here for him just like how he instructed. If Envoy Ming feels that strongly about hunting down the person who chopped off his arm, then we won't prevent you from doing so," one of the cultivators spoke snidely again causing Envoy Ming to grit his teeth in anger.
Don't make him laugh. His earlier hunt was the reason he was in such a situation. Even if he ate leopard's guts, he wouldn't track down Duncan alone after this. So, Envoy Ming could only look at the duo balefully and sit down. Not willing to watch the duo's faces, Envoy Ming used the time to meditate and stabilize his injury by taking medicinal pills.
The duo watched Envoy Ming recuperate with scornful smiles on their faces. However, inside their heart, they too were alarmed by the recent turn of events. They obviously had more experience in dealing with Duncan and knew how slippery he could be once he entered the wilderness. They still vividly remembered their experience in the Grotto Heaven.
What surprised them the most was how Duncan was able to injure Envoy Ming to this extent. They knew Duncan's cultivation realm very well. They had enquired about Duncan from multiple sources as well. They know how powerful he was. At least, they thought so.
But, it looked like there was a gross miscalculation when it came to their estimation of Duncan's power. Elder Long had already thought so. That's why, he only asked them to check out the location first and wait for him.
It was fortunate that Elder Long had already thought about it. If not, they wouldn't have known how they died if they had chased after Duncan. After all, their strength was below Envoy Ming. Seeing even Envoy Ming end up in such a state, they were naturally apprehensive about hunting Duncan after this.
Luckily, they didn't need to wait with such thoughts for long. Han Shindong arrived with Elder Long and two other retainers within a few minutes. The moment they arrived, all four of them were surprised to see Envoy Ming recuperating from his injuries.
*****
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