Chapter 72 Cave

A/N: Hey Folks,

Before we move ahead with the story, I want to thank each and every one of you who has supported this novel so far.

Last week has been a huge week for this novel. Not just because the novel went premium, but because of the huge increase in the statistics for this novel in the past week.

We have reached several milestones last week and I am excited to share this with you all. We have officially crossed 100K+ Reads, 500+ Collections, and 100K+ Words. The novel has also received its first Golden Ticket and 100+ Powerstone count for the week.

As much as I would like to include the names of people who supported the novel here, I feel the list would be too long to put down. Hence, I take this opportunity to thank everyone who read or supported this novel in some form or way from the bottom of my heart.

On a relative note, this novel will participate in Win-Win Program next month. Hoping to have your support for that too.

With that said, let's move ahead with the novel...

*****

Duncan heard the gates close with a heavy thud.

Duncan felt his heart drop hearing that sound. He didn't know what to do now. He frantically looked in the direction from which he heard the sound of gates closing. All he saw was a thick iron gate that looked locked shut.

Duncan swallowed nervously and looked around the place he had landed. There were bones littered all around the place making Duncan's heart almost shrivel further. He looked around frantically trying to make sense of his surroundings and found them to be filled with bloodstains and filth all over.

Duncan rose up from the ground and let out a heavy sigh. This wasn't how he imagined his meeting with his master to go. He had known that this was a demonic sect and that expecting care and concern should be the last thing. However, he had deluded himself into thinking he was special.

It was the truth. He had let being a direct disciple go to his head. He had relaxed his vigilance and had not taken the fact that he was in a demonic sect seriously. He had heard how demonic cultivators were ruthless and crazy when in Starmist City. But, at that time, he thought all cultivators were like that and hadn't paid much attention.

Now, things were beginning to make sense. If this was a righteous sect, he would be reprimanded and asked to take things seriously instead of half-assing. But, in a demonic sect, a single mistake could lead to danger. And he was experiencing it firsthand now.

Duncan scowled as he realized that this was his own fault. He had let being treated respectfully get to his head. He had relaxed a little and let down his guard. If he had been thinking properly, he would have thought about the words slaughter demon in the cultivation technique.

Not to mention, the fact that <Slaughter Demon Sutra> was supposed to be a demonic cultivation technique in the first place should have made him be wary. He had also read that it was a premier demonic cultivation technique from the booklet. How naïve was he to think such a technique didn't require committing evil deeds?

Now that he thought about it, he had been an utter fool. He had forgotten to delve deeper into the technique because he had been content to learn about cultivation. He was beginning to realize that in order to be a demonic cultivator, you must never be content with anything. Being content was a recipe for disaster in this sect.

Duncan scowled as he got up and unsheathed his sword.

Just because he understood his master's intentions, it didn't mean that he was pissed about it. In fact, Duncan was getting really angry now. He didn't ask to be a member of the Heavenly Demon Sect. They basically forced him to become one. And when his ideas about cultivation differed from what they espoused, they punished him by throwing him into this cave.

He didn't know what kind of cave this was. While he was recovering from his master's kick, he had seen the guard pale at the mention of opening the gates. That definitely meant this place wasn't some safe place. In fact, Duncan was sure that this place was anything but safe.

His instincts were screaming at him to keep moving. Something about this place rubbed him the wrong way. It was not the dull atmosphere, or the bones littering the floor. Something else was bothering him deep down and he didn't know what it was exactly. Ever since he had recovered, he was feeling a bit irritable in this place.

Duncan clutched his sword tightly and scanned the place for any sign of its inhabitants. The darkness inside did no favors to him. While his eyesight has improved a lot in recent days, it still wasn't enough for him to pierce through the darkness inhabiting this cave.

He could barely see a few meters ahead of him.

Duncan raised his sword and slowly took a few steps in the direction away from the gates. He knew that the gates wouldn't open until the specified time. None of the guards would dare to disobey his master. So, there was no sense in waiting here for the allocated time.

He would be a sitting duck in this place. The smart thing would be to find a place and lay low for the week. His master didn't tell him what he should do inside. The only requirement was to survive and be present at the gate when the appointed time came.

Hence, Duncan decided to find a place nearby to lay low and wait out the duration. Taking a few steps, Duncan cursed himself for being not prepared. He should have obtained some fire-making goods and other essentials after he was given free time by his master.

Every mercenary knew that proper equipment would save lives nine out of ten times. He had forgotten that lesson learned from experience in his joy for cultivation. He had forgotten to save up essentials like food, ropes, and other stuff that he usually needed.

His old tools were now rotting somewhere in the Grasslands. He had lost them along with his gold while being chased by the wild beasts. There was no use bemoaning about them currently.

Gritting his teeth, Duncan readied himself for any sudden attacks and made his way inside slowly. He used his experience from hunting wild beasts in the forest and moved cautiously not making any sound. He didn't want whatever that was lurking in here to have a free go at him.

Soon, Duncan came across what seemed like a common tunnel splitting into different directions. Duncan realized that this cave was littered with several tunnels and it would be hard for him to find the exit once he left this place.

This caused a dilemma in him.

As far as he knew, there wasn't anything near the tunnel that led toward the gates. This place was safe for the moment. That couldn't be said for the other tunnels. Who knows what was hiding in there? It would be smart to stay here and not venture further.

It also gave him the added benefit of knowing where the tunnel that led toward the gates where. If he went exploring and lost his way around here, then he would be losing his only opportunity of getting out of here. He didn't think that his master would care if he lived or died, if he didn't walk out of this cave at the appointed time.

But, staying here also meant that he would be not doing anything for a week. Even that is not certain. Who knows when the danger here would appear? If he didn't explore and know the lay of the land beforehand, he might end up disadvantaged when the time comes.

That would make him incredibly passive if danger arises.

Duncan knew that being passive in a dangerous situation was a recipe for disaster. So, he wasn't keen on being passive. Moreover, it wasn't his style. He always met the danger head-on.

Furthermore, Duncan didn't have any supplies with him. He hadn't seen anything that could be used around this place either. There wasn't even a place for him to hide in this tunnel. He would be both exposed and vulnerable here.

Whether it be food or other essentials, Duncan was devoid of all those things. The fasting pills would have been a great addition to have right at this moment. Too bad, he had already consumed them all when he could have gone out and eaten a hearty meal, like an idiot.

As for the remaining Qi Gathering pills and the three booklets in his bag, they weren't going to be of much help to him if he wanted to survive this week. The only things that were even remotely helpful were the two swords he had on him at this moment.

Duncan knew that his body would get weaker as the days progressed and it would be hard for him to find sustenance at that time. On the contrary, he was currently in full health and it was the right time for him to check out the surroundings, forage for some kind of food that could be present in this cave, and find shelter and some supplies for him to lay low for the week.

As these thoughts ran through his mind, Duncan knew what he must do now. This wasn't the time to be timid or cautious. He needed to be bold here. If not, he wouldn't survive the danger present in this cave. The first order of business was to find some food and shelter.

But, before he went about it, he needed to make sure he would be able to identify the tunnel that led towards the gate when he got back. Otherwise, all his efforts will be moot. Even if he survived the week, if he wasn't able to get away from this place when the time came, it would be disastrous.

So, Duncan started looking around in a bid to find something that could be used as a visible marker in this dark atmosphere. As this place was likely to be filled with danger, Duncan was sure that his stay here wouldn't be peaceful. If he was running from danger, he wouldn't have time to check every tunnel carefully. So, he wanted it to be something easily recognizable, even from a distance.

Duncan looked around for a while and found a rock a small distance away from the entrance to the tunnel. The rock wasn't big but had a unique shape to it. It was tall, and wide enough for someone to hide behind it, with jagged edges at the top.

Duncan figured that it would do for now. He was sure that he would be able to notice it if it was near the entrance. It would also serve as a temporary safe place if he wanted to hide urgently.

He sheathed his sword and neared the rock, intending to move it to the entrance. He bent down and picked the rock up. He didn't want to move it on the ground and create noise. Noise in closed places would attract unwanted things easily. It was already a miracle that the opening of the door hadn't brought in any unsavory surprises.

Duncan slowly moved the rock near the entrance and let out a sigh. The rock was heavy, but it was something he could have lifted easily with his natural strength. Let alone now that he was a cultivator. So, it didn't pose much of a difficulty. Duncan wiped his hands on his clothes and smiled brightly.

He turned to take one last look at the route that led to the gates before going further in, and came face to face with someone who was looking at him hungrily with wide eyes…

*****

A/N: Hey folks!

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