Chapter 100 Pivotal Moment

A/N: Hi folks,

This chapter marks the 100th chapter of this novel.

I thought it would be a nice moment to take some time to thank you all for your love and support for this novel.

This novel has amassed over 250K reads, 1K collections, and 150K words as of now. I consider this to be a huge achievement and we are just getting started with this novel.

A shoutout is in order for [Velliolx] and [jomenvist] for their kind hearts and unflinching support of this novel. Your gifts made my day :)

I would also like to thank [cullen_c], [TJ_Crux], [Ali_Alnajar95], [David_Reed_0727], [Tony_Meras], [Tk22], [matthieu_catherine], [AlfansoCorrleon], [LazyCant], [KrisHK], and countless others for their support for this novel.

A big thank you to [Kuro_tepes], [omeroford], and[KrisHK] for being the Top 3 Golden Ticker contributors as of this writing.

And a special thank you to [SwordCreator] for taking the time to comment on each and every one of my updates. Your love always makes me smile :)

As much as I would like to continue this, I feel that I have tarried for too long.  Let's head into the chapter.

This chapter is kinda special in how it turned out overall. I swear I never planned for this, but I am also glad that this chapter made a pretty impressive checkpoint both literally and figuratively as well.

*****

Duncan hastily escaped from the place he watching the fight from, as the battle slowly started moving towards him.

He knew that if he was caught in the aftermath of this fight, then his body would be torn to shreds just like those unwitting trees. So, Duncan ran with all his might not paying attention to where he was going.

As he ran for his life, Duncan remembered that his town was destroyed just like this. The aftermath of the attacks from several strong fighters had blown up the mine and destroyed his town. While he could run away from this battle, his fellow townsmen didn't even have the time to do so.

He now understood why the cultivators present in the mine escaped without paying any mind to the safety of the mortals like Granny Jiao. He knew that the cultivators that were guarding the mine couldn't be any higher than the Spirit Sea realm. So, if they came across a peak battle like this, the only thing they could do was run for their lives.

While he understood their actions now, it didn't mean that he wasn't angry with them. Just imagining Granny Jiao standing and looking at her doom approaching made his heartache.

"This is the power I need to possess. No, I need to be even stronger than this if I want to take revenge for Granny Jiao. Right now, I am nothing but an ant for people like them," Duncan muttered to himself as he ran for his life.

"My sword must be able to cut through those palms, fists, and paws if I want to take revenge. As of now, I can't even stand still in front of such terrifying power. I need to grow stronger," Duncan's eyes flashed with resolve as he turned to look back at the battle that was raging.

Just then, Duncan felt danger approaching him from the side. With a smooth tug, Duncan's sword came free off its scabbard and Duncan slashed without even looking in that direction.

A snake's head was cut from its body and fell to the side.

As much as Duncan wanted to stay and harvest the snake, he knew this wasn't the time for that. So, he controlled his desires and fled further. Beside him, several demonic beasts were running away as well.

The entire region had turned chaotic as both beasts and men ran for their life.

Duncan ran for a long while before stopping to take a breather. Looking into the distance, he saw that the battle was still raging on. While he couldn't make out much from the distance he was in, he still saw the terrifying destruction that was being dealt out.

Even at this distance, he could feel the terrifying waves of power emanating from that battle. Duncan etched the scene in his mind as he knew that this was the goal he was striving towards. In order to accomplish his goals, he needed to be stronger than this. His sword needs to be sharp enough to cut this.

The battle raged on for hours before it ended with a pitiful whimper from the beast. The man's victorious roar shook Duncan to the core and made an indescribable impact in his heart.

Right now, there was a kind of hunger in Duncan's eyes. A hunger to be as strong as that man there. No, a hunger to be even stronger than that man who slayed that beast.

Duncan clenched his hands in determination as he stared at the same direction for a long time.

*****

Duncan cautiously made his way toward the site of destruction once the sun came up.

During the battle, he had seen several demonic beasts running in the same direction as he was. Before that, he didn't know that there were so many demonic beasts in this locality.

Ever since he woke up, he had only come across a few demonic beasts. While he evaded them mostly, the few he dared to face had run off after clashing with him once. Duncan didn't know if it was because he was strong or were they wary of other beasts.

So, he had always been cautious and looking out for signs of demonic beasts yesterday after he woke up. But, he hadn't known that there were so many beasts in the area surrounding his camp.

It was really an eye-opener for him to see how many demonic beasts were present in the vicinity. This made him extra cautious as he approached the battle site. Strangely enough, the demonic beasts hadn't taken the opportunity to fight each other once the battle was finished.

When the battle ended, he had been prepared to fight with his life on the line. But, the surrounding beasts hadn't paid any attention to him and had started to return.  They split off and went back to their dwellings once the battle was done.

However, Duncan didn't follow them last night. He had found yet another tree and meditated for a bit, waiting for the sun to rise. Duncan knew that even if a demonic beast wasn't nocturnal, their eyesight during night trumped his. This was a lesson he had learned during his mercenary days.

So, he stayed put and waited for the sun to rise.

When the sun rose, Duncan made his way back to the battleground hoping to see whoever it was that killed the demonic beast. However, his luck wasn't that good. When he reached the battleground, he found devastated landscape and broken trees. Apart from that, there was nothing else to see.

It seemed as if the cultivator who battled the beast had left a long time ago. Most probably, after the battle. Still, looking at the devastated landscape, Duncan's heart couldn't help but tremble a little.

The devastation was truly massive. There were gouges all over the ground and large holes that seemed akin to fingertips were littered all around. Countless trees were destroyed in the surrounding. There was even a large valley in the shape of a fist print.

Hearing about cultivators having the power to topple cities was one thing, to see the evidence of one such clash was entirely another thing. It made Duncan's scalp tingle a bit. The devastation extended for miles showing how ferocious the battle truly was.

After taking in the devastation for a bit, Duncan composed himself. He realized that he had a long way to go if he wanted to be this powerful. Duncan didn't even know the cultivation levels after the Spirit Sea realm, but he realized that the cultivator who dished out this damage must be above the Spirit Sea realm.

It made him realize how weak he was currently.

Duncan looked around the site of devastation and found the wilderness had come back to its usual state. It was as if the battle that happened in this place last night was really a common occurrence. The demonic beasts didn't pay much attention to this devastated land.

Duncan knew that if he wanted to become stronger, the only option he had was to fight with his life on the line. The technique he was cultivating was geared toward slaughter. When he had engaged in slaughter, his cultivation seemed to rise non-stop.

He had seen the evidence of it in the cave. Before last week, he had been struggling to break through the first level of the Qi Gathering realm. After engaging in continuous fights and killings for the last week, his cultivation had soured to the fourth level of the Qi Gathering realm at tremendous speed.

This told him that this was the ideal way to cultivate the <Slaughter Demon Sutra>. And right now, he was in a location where fights to the death were commonplace. He hadn't paid much attention when clashing with demonic beasts yesterday, but deep down he knew that he could kill them if he chased after them.

Only his cautious nature had prevented him from doing so.

But, after seeing the kind of power higher-level cultivators possessed, there was a fire burning in Duncan's heart. He wanted to be like them. Roaming freely and killing whoever opposed his path. That was the way he wanted to live his life.

Being cautious and avoiding fights were all well and good, but it didn't help him to become powerful. Even when his master told him that he didn't have the right mindset to be in the sect and threw him into the cave filled with cannibals, Duncan only fought out of desperation.

He hadn't actually embraced the way of life that involved fighting and killing non-stop. But, the current Duncan who had seen what powerful cultivators and demonic beasts could do was different.

He realized that he didn't want to be normal anymore. He wanted to be like them. Powerful beyond belief. Swatting mountains and demolishing opposition with ease. It was the way he wanted to live from now on. Once he saw what a truly powerful cultivator could do with his eyes, Duncan wasn't willing to be ordinary anymore.

Deep within his heart, a yearning to be as powerful as them bloomed slowly.

Taking a deep breath, Duncan took one last look at the devastation left behind after the fight. Determination flooded him as he stepped into the wilderness with the goal to become as powerful as possible.

If it took putting his life on the line and battling constantly, then that is what he would do. He would either become powerful or die trying. There was no middle ground for Duncan anymore.

Years later, when others asked Duncan when he realized that he wanted to be a powerful cultivator, he would recount this day and the burning fire that was born in his heart after watching the devastation a powerful cultivator could leave behind.

*****

A/N: Hey folks!

Make sure to add this book to your collection and vote with your power stones to show your appreciation for this work.

You can also check out my other book [Booking Glory] and see if it is to your liking.

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