Duncan felt clarity return to him as he watched the head of the Nine Yin Sect disciple roll on the ground.
The red haze that had enveloped his sight and mind seemed to recede back slowly as Duncan stared at the head. He could once more hear his surroundings clearly and feel the breeze on his face.
On his way back, Duncan fell into a strange state where his only thought was to kill the man who had fatally wounded him. Nothing else mattered to him at that moment. A sort of murderous rage enveloped his mind and he stayed in that state until the deed was done.
In that strange state, all his senses were very acute. They were heightened to levels he hadn't imagined before. He could see, hear, and feel far better than he was ever able to.
But soon, that state faded and he could only hear the beating of his heart. It was like a hypnotic drum that was beating to a weird rhythm. The strange thing was that his mind was ensnared in that rhythm and he was unable to extricate himself from it.
This caused him to fall deeply into that red haze that was clouding his mind and sight. Everything he saw became tinged with red. From trees to tiny insects, everything that appeared in his field of vision became red.
However, Duncan's mind disdained paying attention to this new situation. All his thoughts were occupied with taking revenge on that man who had fatally wounded him. As for whether he would survive such an action, that wasn't in consideration at all.
When he made his way to the cave region, he could already feel a big battle happening in the distance. But, he neither slowed down nor sped up with his steps. His steps were steady like a mountain and he approached the battle heedless of the danger he was walking into.
When he reached the site of the battle, the woman was already beaten down and the man was standing over her. It was clear to Duncan who was the winner. Naturally, this should have deterred him.
But, the moment Duncan laid eyes on the man, there was a change in the red haze that enveloped him. The man was the only one who was different in his vision. Bizarrely, he was shining like a beacon that was beckoning Duncan.
When the man noticed him and spoke to him, all Duncan could hear was the increasing tempo of his heartbeat. The mysterious rhythm which his heartbeat followed seemed to reach a peak at the moment.
And the moment he brandished his sword, his surroundings became silent.
And now, seeing the man's head roll on the ground, the haze that enveloped Duncan receded. Moreover, he could once more perceive his surroundings clearly as well.
Duncan knew, that the sword attack he performed earlier was something he was incapable of producing normally. He felt as if he had totally exhausted all his energy delivering the sword attacks against the man.
He felt hollow.
As much as Duncan wanted to sit down and meditate on the sword attack he unleashed, he knew he had to take care of one more matter. Turning his head, Duncan's eyes found the woman who had been the cause of all his misery in the past hour.
A vicious gleam entered Duncan's eyes.
Next moment, Duncan used <Absolute Cut Sword Arts> and slashed at the woman's unconscious body. His attack flew true. Blood splashed in the setting sun. Another head rolled on the ground.
Vindictive satisfaction flowed through Duncan seeing the rolling head of the woman. Duncan didn't know the woman's true purpose in dragging him into this conflict. But, he didn't care why she did it. All it mattered to him was that he almost died because of her actions.
What you sow, so you reap!
Since the woman's actions caused him fatal danger, he felt that it was only appropriate that she paid for it with her life. As for whether what he did was right or wrong, Duncan didn't bother to even think about it.
Taking a deep breath, Duncan controlled his impulse to cut both corpses a few more times. He didn't want to lose himself in his murderousness. True, he did hate these two people for almost causing him to die, but there was no need to be excessive regarding his retribution.
The murderous aura that enveloped Duncan so far started to recede as Duncan reigned in his impulse to cut the corpses. The surrounding area once more became silent as Duncan sheathed his sword.
Bending down, Duncan searched the body of the disciple of the Nine Yin Sect. Soon, he came found a storage ring among the possessions of the man and smiled slightly. It was a good find that he needed urgently.
So far, he had been only carrying the bare minimum with him due to not having any storage items. The backpack he had been using had become too burdensome and he didn't want to encumber himself while exploring the Grotto Heaven.
He had a few hidden caches in various parts of the forest to store things. He had been using them until now. Even the meat he carried along with him was mostly freshly hunted.
This storage ring would eliminate most of his problems.
Duncan checked the body once more and didn't find any other valuables present. He frowned a little thinking that this disciple of Nine Yin Sect was too mediocre. There were no weapons or artifacts that he used on the body.
Walking over, Duncan did the same with the female corpse. There was a moment seeing the woman's ample bosom Duncan felt it was pity that he had killed her. The next moment Duncan shook his head and banished that thought away.
He knew that his abstinence for the past few months was the reason for his thoughts straying at the moment. When he was in the Starmist City, he had heard of several mercenaries who got lost in feminine charms and were unable to extricate themselves.
Duncan knew that lust was one of his biggest weaknesses. He wasn't a saint to proclaim he wouldn't be moved by a beautiful female. But, he had enough awareness to know that thinking with his dick would get his head chopped off sooner or later.
So, he had already determined not to think with his little head during crucial moments. He was glad that he had followed that principle at this moment. If not, he would have fallen for some trap later.
The woman was obviously far stronger than him. But she had been cunning enough to push him forward and let him face her pursuer. Whether she did it knowingly or not, didn't matter.
But, what mattered to Duncan was the woman's behavior of hiding in the cave and letting him deal with the disciple of the Nine Yin Sect. Duncan would never tolerate things like that. He wasn't anyone's fool.
He may not have had a woman after taking up the Wang Clan mission, but he wasn't going to bet his safety to satisfy his lust. Safety always came first. If he walked out of this Grotto Heaven alive, he would have a hundred women who will be willing to serve him.
He knew what kind of allure a cultivator had for normal women. If a cultivator showed up at Bessa's place, she wouldn't even smile in anyone else's direction until the cultivator left. He had seen that happen multiple times in the past.
So, Duncan wasn't worried about not getting women.
If he wanted to enjoy such things in the future, he needs to control his little head now. Getting ensnared in a woman's beauty and losing his head inside this Grotto Heaven was a stupid thing to do.
Granted, the woman before him looked more charming than mortal women he had laid eyes upon even after her death. But, that didn't mean he was going to bet his safety on that.
Suddenly, Duncan paused and looked at the female head on the ground once more. He could feel something stir in him at that moment. The woman did indeed look more beautiful than the whores he had frequented.
Was this due to cultivation? In that case, will experiencing female cultivators differ from experiencing mortal women? Duncan felt that his conjecture was right. In that case, he must try out female cultivators when he stepped out of Grotto Heaven at least once.
Nodding his head, Duncan went about retrieving another spatial ring from the woman. Pocketing it as well, Duncan checked out the woman's corpse for any other valuables. Apart from the sword she owned, she too didn't have any valuables on her body.
Duncan shook his head to get rid of his dissatisfaction. It was already a miracle that he lived through this fight. If these two people hadn't exhausted each other, he wouldn't have any chance to even live through this day.
Obtaining two spatial rings was good enough. When he broke through the restriction on it, he might even gain some good benefits. No need to be greedy. He needed to vacate this place first. It's already a miracle that no one had approached this place despite the ruckus these two had made.
Decision made, Duncan took off without looking back. He had a lot of thoughts on his mind now. From surviving a fatal encounter to the strange phenomenon within his body, there were a lot of things he need to ponder about.
Likewise, the attacks he made in his haze-induced state were also something to ponder over. He needed to find a calm place to think things over. His earlier idea of returning to the place he had stashed some of his gains first looked very appetizing now.
But, before that, he needed to scour the forest region and retrieve the things he stashed there. It would not do well to lose his loot…
