Chapter 150 Seeking Death...



After walking for half an hour, Duncan felt incredibly uncomfortable.

Something within him told him that he was making a huge mistake. And once he made this, there would be no going back. It made him feel increasingly uneasy. 

This feeling haunted Duncan with every step he took. 

"Ah, fuck it," Duncan spat angrily. "I am going to kill that bastard one way or another. I am not taking this lying down," Duncan growled and suddenly turned back.

The moment he turned back, he felt the uneasy feeling go away.

"Huh," Duncan mumbled recognizing it.

He didn't know why this was important to him. But, since the uneasy feeling was now gone, Duncan knew what to do. For some reason, he couldn't back away from this fight. Something within him warned him of that fact.

Duncan didn't know why or what. But, he knew that this was important. So, he didn't think anymore. Moving in fast strides, he started to make his way back to the region the cave was located.

With each step, his resolve to face death strengthened. 

He knew that he had no hope of winning this fight. The most probable outcome was his death. But, those words from the obscure sound began to haunt his mind as he made his way back.

Life Amidst Death…

Duncan didn't know what the true meaning behind those words was. But, he could vaguely infer something regarding it. There were countless questions that kept popping up in his mind regarding it. But, Duncan had no clear answer to any of that.

He only knew that he must fight this battle regardless of the outcome. He couldn't walk away at this moment. So, Duncan did exactly that, even though he knew that the chance of his death was very high.

As he made his way, he started recalling all the experiences where he put his life on the line. 

In the Grasslands, before he even started cultivating, he had faced off against the wild beasts during a beast tide. He even fought against a demonic beast and emerged victorious.

Wasn't that seeking Death?

Sure, he did that because he had no other option. He was cornered and surrounded at that time. But, Duncan had felt strangely alive at that moment. It was as if his life had a purpose and meaning. It had been glorious at that moment.

And that feeling beckoned Duncan once more.

Likewise, facing that youth in the cannibal cave also made him feel alive like nothing else had. He didn't have a chance to run either of those times. But, he did fight for a slim chance of survival amidst death during those times.

The only difference at this moment was that he now had a choice.

A choice to run away. Walk away from this fight and live a bit longer. But, Duncan was skeptical of it. The world of cultivation wasn't peaceful. Who can guarantee that he can always be safe? 

Even top powerhouses die periodically in the cultivation world. 

So, life wasn't guaranteed to him. If he always sought a safe path, why did he begin cultivating? Mortal life was far safer than cultivator life. He chose cultivation because he wanted to be strong and have a say in his fate.

Since that was the case, why can't he walk to his death of his own volition and fight for a chance of survival? Others might argue that this was needless. Cautious people might think this was pure foolishness.

But, Duncan didn't think so.

He wanted to be free. He wanted to be able to do anything he wanted anywhere he wanted. That was the life he yearned for. A life with no chains. A life with no limitations. A life where he can do whatever he wanted to do.

For that, he must overcome his fear of death first. Rather than living a life where he was always safe and cautious, Duncan would gladly die doing what he wanted. He didn't want to swallow his breath at all. He wanted to be comfortable in his heart.

If he walked away now, he will always feel uncomfortable when he thought of this moment. Moreover, a habit will form causing him to swallow his breath whenever someone powerful humiliated him.

He was someone who should have died along with his village, unaware of the moment of his death approaching. But, by some fortunate events, he was alive. So, if he died today, he had already lived longer than he had to. 

When these thoughts settled in Duncan's mind, his heart became clear.

He knew what he wanted to do. He knew how he wanted to live from now on. He knew why he did what he did. That was enough for Duncan. He didn't yearn for immortality like other cultivators. He only yearned to be free in this world.

As he realized this, Duncan felt invisible fetters in his heart fade away.

He was going to go back there and fight that man. Even if he died, Duncan wanted that man to remember him. He didn't want to swallow the breath of being swatted away like a fly. 

He might get hurt. He might die. He might somehow eke out some victory.

But, none of that mattered. He wanted to stand up for himself. Living or dying didn't matter anymore. The only thing that mattered was to carve that man with his sword. 

As Duncan made up his mind, his steps firmed unconsciously. His back straightened. A fierce gleam came over his eyes. 

*****

Meanwhile, in the region near the cave…

"Die!" a hoarse sound sounded causing the silence in the area to be broken.

Following that, a strong sword aura slashed toward the man who was standing in front of the cave. The man had a mocking smile on his face as he retaliated with a claw attack.

The next moment, the sword aura was torn apart by the claw that the man sent and a figure was pushed back a few meters. The woman had a serious look on her face as she stabilized her footing.

When she finally took care of the poison in her body, the woman decided that it was better to fight it out. After all, her situation was really tragic. Even she didn't fight now, she would have to fight for her life soon.

So, she decided to try her luck when she was completely rested. 

Thus, even before the power of spirit stones ran out, she tried to attack the man when he least expected it. However, the man had been waiting for such an occasion. He knew the woman wouldn't stay idle once she recovered.

Thus, such a scene came into being. 

"Ha ha ha… I knew you couldn't resist sneak-attacking me, bitch. I have already prepared for it. I knew you righteous sect disciples talk about morality and righteousness all along, but when it comes down to the line you are even more despicable than us," the man cackled sending another claw attack towards the woman.

"Shameless!" the woman shouted angrily and swung her sword.

But, the claw attack batted aside the sword attack easily. This caused the woman to start sweating anxiously. She could already see that this man was playing with her. When her first sneak attack failed, she knew that her life was over. This was just her desperate struggle.

Compared to the attacks the man once uses, his current attacks were lacking in power. The power of the attacks was just enough to solve her attacks. It was as if the man was a cat playing with a mouse. The perverted smile that appeared on the man's face only confirmed this fact.

"Hmmph, I will let you get it all out of your system," the man sneered. "When you are exhausted, I will inject you with the Nine Yin Poison once again. Let's see how you will handle that."

Hearing the man's words, the woman felt a chill envelop her heart. She felt as if she was plunged into an ice-cold abyss. The perverted smile on the man's face only made her worry more.

"<Nine Severance Sword First Chapter: Cutting all ties>" the woman roared in desperation and sent out a sword attack.

Hearing her words, the man's expression became dignified. Even though the man was far stronger than the woman, he didn't dare take this attack with a playful attitude.

<Nine Severance Sword> was the sword art created by the Sect Master of the Wind Blossom Sect. The man knew that he couldn't take this attack lightly.

<Nine Severance Sword> had nine attacks in total. Cutting All Ties was the first move of the sword art. From its name, it can be easily concluded that it wasn't an ordinary sword move.

However, the person performing this attack wasn't the Sect Master of the Wind Blossom Sect. If that was the case, the man would have died before even knowing it. The woman might have learned the sword art, but she didn't capture the essence of the sword art that well.

Thus, the attack that came out was far weaker than the potential it boasted. Even still, it was the strongest attack the woman had displayed so far. The man understood this as well.

The moment the woman attacked a dazzling sword light was formed and hacked at the man with murderous intentions. The man's face became dignified seeing this scene and he too responded by unleashing his full power.

"<Ghost Claw Art>" the man yelled and retaliated back.

The moment the man attacked, an eerie claw image formed. There was a wail accompanying it as well. The man's attack collided with the woman's attack. But, something unexpected happened.

The sword light cut through the claw attack after a bit of struggle. But, the resultant light was far dimmer as it attacked the man. The man performed another attack and neutralized the sword light.

But now, the man's face was a bit gloomy. He knew his <Ghost Claw Art> was defeated by the woman's attack. It was only due to his powerful cultivation that he was able to neutralize this attack.

"It is a pity," the man said with a gloomy expression. "Your sect's <Nine Severance Sword> is indeed stronger than my <Ghost Claw Art>. But, my cultivation is higher. You have no chance of winning against me."

The woman was breathing heavily at this moment. When the sword light defeated the claw attack, the woman had been happy for just a second before it turned into despair. The attack she performed was the ultimate attack technique she had. Even that wasn't enough to defeat the man.

Furthermore, this attack took a lot of qi to perform. Just a single attack had drained one-tenth of her qi. At most, she would be able to perform a few more attacks like this. But, the woman knew that this wouldn't be enough to defeat this man.

Gritting her teeth, the woman once more slashed out with the same attack. The man's face turned gloomy seeing the attack. He mobilized his cultivation entirely and desperately sent out three claw attacks one after the other.

In the end, he was able to both neutralize the attack and send the woman flying. 

*****

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