From where he was standing, Austin could see the old man pacing on the furthest hill. He looked like an ant, scurrying this way and that, climbing towards the top of the hill. Austin activated the Dragon Lightness, and a few seconds later, he landed at the bottom of the hill, below the old man.
The hill looked like a bowl which had been placed upside-down on the ground. It was wide and tall with fallen trees and shallow holes in the ground to trip over. Austin was cognizant of these as he meandered up the hill.
The old man, who he recognized as the owner of a stall, was already halfway up the hill. His eyes were trained on the ground and he was murmuring something. It appeared he was searching for something among the sand at his feet.
"What are you doing, old man?" Austin asked as he reached him.
The old man startled and spun to look at Austin who was standing casually with his hands behind his back.
"It's you, brat! Why are you here?"
The old man cast Austin an annoyed glance. Then he resumed searching for a treasure or something Austin couldn't even imagine.
"You recognized me? How?" Austin asked with his eye wide open in surprise. He paused to look down at his body.
From what he could see, he was still disguised. He had changed his looks using the human-skin mask and was pretending to be a middle-aged man that looked nothing like himself. This was a clever and advanced trick and the old man shouldn't have been able to identify him so easily.
The only explanation there could be was that the old man was a powerful cultivator.
'He must be very advanced. Not even a master of the Divine Bridge Realm could have recognized me so quickly, ' Austin thought.
"Your little trick won't fool me,"
the old man commented, rolling his eyes at Austin as he
will have to if you want me to leave. This hill isn't your property, and you have no right to kick me out,"
Austin said assertively but he still took a step backward.
'This mysterious, old man might be a top master, ' he thought. 'I can't risk him getting the jump on me.'
"You're assuming wrong. I'm not interested in fighting a brat. I have more important things to deal with.
But I don't want you to follow me. I'm going to a dangerous place. If you come with me, you might lose your life there. Now leave if you don't want to die down there,"
the old man responded as he gave Austin a glance filled with warning.
He didn't wait for Austin to answer or leave before he turned back to face the tomb. The old man took out an old dagger and held it on top of his palm. As he pointed at the weapon with his other hand, it transformed into a light and hit the tombstone.
The tombstone emitted brilliant, white light and released a wave of energy, causing all the dirt and debris that had been on it to fall away.
'Wow. It looks like there was a powerful array in the tombstone, ' Austin realized.
He stood silently as the old man's dagger continued to pummel the tombstone.