Chapter 126 Huo Teng's Masterstroke

After bowing to the statue, Duncan started reading the words carved below it.

[As a Heavenly Teacher of the Radiant Sun Empire, I received the order from the Celestial Court to head down to this barren wasteland and seal the descending Aghori Path.

I was sent as support by the Radiant One himself to aid the Seven Primes to finish the task. However, things weren't easy. The Demons, who descended through the Aghori Path, were stronger than we anticipated.

After an arduous struggle, we finally established the Seven Primes Hexagonal Formation at the cost of near decimation at the hands of Demons that descended. I sincerely doubt that this barren world was worth sacrificing so many immortals. But, the order from the Celestial Court must be seen through no matter the cost.

I can already see that the Radiant One is going to be displeased with the losses. What makes my heart bleed is that for this formation to hold back the Aghori Path, the Seven Primes need to sacrifice their life as well. When can our Radiant Sun Empire recover from this loss?

After all, Primes aren't that easy to groom. It would take millennia for the Radiant Sun Empire to recover from this. That is if our enemies let us recover. I advised the Radiant One to not be involved with the Heavenly Tribulation.

Alas, the Radiant One didn't heed my warning and here we are.

The thing that pains me is that the Demons had anticipated our strategy and have prepared six tokens with the power to damage the formation outer circle. If the formation only has the inner circle left, it wouldn't be able to hold back the Aghori Path for long.

While I couldn't destroy the tokens in my weakened state, I tore open the space and sent these tokens to different locations to prevent the possibility of these tokens ever being found. I even sundered this world to prevent any possibility of the Demons figuring out the location of tokens through destroyed space.

I further erected Grotto Heavens to make sure that the formation wouldn't degrade. This way, even if it is a millennia later, the formations will hold. Let no one besmirch the name of the glorious Radiant Sun Empire. If we take up a duty, we will give our all to fulfill it.

Still, my heart doesn't rest easy.

Something within me tells me that all our efforts will be in vain. I can see fate laughing in my face. I may have delayed the inevitability, but it will definitely come true one day. I can feel that in me.

So, I left this monument with a small test behind, in a remote corner of one of the Grotto Heavens.

If you are reading this, then I am afraid that my fears have come true. The tokens that were refined by the Demons have been found and at least one of the Grotto Heavens has been broken through.

If you are someone who has passed any of the tests I left behind, for I know you won't be able to read this without acquiring an inheritance after passing one of my tests, then, I hereby bind you by karma to make sure that the Aghori Path never descends in this world.

You might wonder what binding by karma would entail. If the Aghori Path descends and you fail to withhold your end, you will be burned alive by karmic flames. Even your soul wouldn't escape from their scorching heat.

Thus, there are only three ways to ensure that you don't die miserably. One, you finish the mission I have assigned to you. Two, if you are a powerful cultivator who is just a level below me, then you might be able to break it. If not, you will be bound by the karmic flames for eternity.

Lastly, if you ever ascend from this barren land, you can go to Radiant Sun Empire and find me to report the current situation of these Grotto Heavens. If you do so, I may take pity on you and free you from the binding.

Honestly, I feel that option one is your most promising path to not dying miserably. I have even made some preparations to make it easy for you.

Fear not, considering how barren this land is, I know that your puny strength wouldn't be enough to accomplish it. I have taken that into account and refined a master token that could reactivate the formation and restore it to its full strength.

When you exit this Grotto Heaven, the token would appear in your soul preventing the Demons or their servants from being aware of it. This was once more done to protect you from being targeted by them. Am I not magnanimous?

All you need to do is to reach the center hall of any of the six Grotto Heavens when the Aghori Path descends, and use this token to activate the hidden formation I have laid out. Then, your mission would be complete and you will be free of this karma.

Take heart, righteous warrior, this is not a thankless job either. Each of the arts I have given you is a top-tier art that can reign supreme in this barren world. Moreover, if you prevent the Aghori Path from descending, Heaven's Will of this world will also give you a huge merit.

With how barren this land is, you might even be able to break through and become an Immortal with the aid of that merit. This is a great opportunity for you. So, don't hesitate to act when the time comes.

Sincerely,

Huo Teng,

Heavenly Teacher of the Radiant Sun Empire.]

Duncan felt like puking blood when he read the contents that were carved below the statue. He never expected to fall into such a trap in this remote region.

Seriously, for almost a month, Duncan had not even seen a single demonic beast in this region. Now he realized that this was by design. Most probably this black-hearted senior Huo Teng must have laid out a restriction to only allow cultivators to enter.

And it was his rotten luck that he was the one who ended up arriving at this place and passing this madman's test.

With an angry growl, Duncan unsheathed his sword and swung at the statue, decapitating its head. Duncan wasn't satisfied with that, he performed another slash and blasted apart those offending words into smithereens.

Breathing heavily in anger, Duncan raged at the remains of the statue for a bit, before calming down.

"Fuck, why is my luck so rotten? How did I end up in such a position? Goddamn, I feel like throttling the guy if only his real body came here," Duncan huffed angrily and looked at the remains of the statue and sneered.

"This old thing is so crafty. He knew that there is a high chance a demonic cultivator might also receive his inheritance, so he bound anyone who passes the test with karma and made them unwilling participants in his plan."

"I don't think that the binding would take effect if he didn't pass on any cultivation technique or art. Fuck, why do I run into these insidious bastards again and again? Isn't the Grotto Heaven supposed to be left behind by cultivators after they break through for gaining karma? Can karma be even used like this? Whom should I ask about this?"

Duncan felt his head exploding as he realized that he was now embroiled in something way over his head. He knew any other practitioner in his place would be feeling the same currently.

The first person he thought of asking for clarification was his master. However, he immediately ruled that out after thinking about it for a moment. The Heavenly Demon Sect was the topmost demonic sect on this continent. They qualified to be the perfect servant of the so-called Demons.

Asking his master about this would be akin to gifting his life away. His master would kill him to ensure that the plan progressed smoothly if the Heavenly Demon Sect was involved in this.

Moreover, he didn't understand the situation entirely. Was this the first Grotto Heaven that formed the Seven Primes Hexagonal Formation that was breached? If not, how many of these so-called Grotto Heavens were already breached? He needed to know more about this before doing something in haste.

Right now, his biggest ace was that no one would expect a mere Qi Gathering cultivator like himself to pose a threat. That too he would be immediately ruled out of any suspicion based on his identity as a demonic cultivator.

He couldn't squander it willy-nilly. He needed to lie low and increase his strength. If he was asked to enter the Grotto Heaven and reach the central hall, then he would absolutely fail with his current strength. Without sufficient strength accomplishing this mission would be an impossibility.

Above all, he only had the words carved here to base his knowledge on. It was never good to trust and act on a single source. He needed to see if a token appears in his soul when he exits this place. That could at least guarantee that the words were true.

It was a good thing that he had demolished the words as well as the statue. This way no one would know what was written here. If this secret could be held by just him, that would be fine in Duncan's opinion.

Just thinking about his actions of feeling reverence and gratitude for this insidious thing and bowing to him, made Duncan want to puke. He felt as if demolishing this insidious thing's statue was too light of a punishment for what this old donkey had dragged him into.

"From now on, I am never going to bow to any of these old things, no matter what the reason is," Duncan fumed irritably. "Who knows what these old things will put me through? First that old fart, now this Huo Teng. Are all old things really this hateful?"

"Tch, there is no use crying over spilled milk. I should have known that something must be up with receiving such a mysterious soul art. Luckily, I came up and read about it, if not, I wouldn't even know how I would die. When the token appears, I would be probably confused as well," Duncan grumbled looking at the debris that was on the ground.

"Let's not worry about it now," Duncan said scanning the range of hills present. "If I am not wrong, then this place is devoid of demonic beasts. That means, I can explore this place to my heart's content without any worry. I wonder if any natural treasures appeared in this region. I need to act before someone else stumbles upon these hills."

Gritting his teeth, Duncan utilized <Wind Chasing Steps> and vanished from the hill.

*****

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.

Reviews and comments are truly appreciated.