Envoy Ming was nearing the site, where Duncan had slaughtered the young geniuses of various sects, when he saw the sudden appearance of a vision in the sky.
The vision was even visible at a distance, causing the color of the entire sky in the region to change. Looking at the vision, Envoy Ming was reminded of an event that happened several years ago in his sect.
Several years ago, a peerless genius appeared in the Iron Mountain Sect. The genius didn't have the guidance of a master. After he joined the sect, he painstakingly cultivated on his own and didn't make much of an impact during his early days.
However, after he cultivated past the Foundational Realms and entered the Golden Hall realm, he began to truly come into his own. When he broke through the Golden Core realm, a similar vision appeared in the sky alarming the hidden Nascent Soul monsters who resided in the sect.
A Grand Elder took the genius as his personal disciple after witnessing the vision in the sky that was caused by the breakthrough. The genius had been in seclusion for the past few years causing his name to be forgotten amongst the same generation of cultivators.
The reason Envoy Ming remembered this incident at this moment was because Envoy Ming was just appointed as the Envoy of the Iron Mountain Sect when the genius broke through to the Golden Core realm. The commotion that occurred amongst the upper echelon of the sect due to the vision was still vivid in his mind.
Seeing such a scene appear in this place shook his heart a little bit.
Envoy Ming knew that such visions were only possible when someone broke through to the Golden Core realm. He didn't know which senior was the one who broke through to the Golden Core realm in this locality.
But, he didn't dare to act recklessly.
Envoy Ming knew that not every cultivator breaking through to the Golden Core realm is blessed with such a vision. Only when a cultivator creates a core that has the potential to become an Immortal will the vision in the sky appear.
The vision was the world's way of acknowledging the potential a cultivator had. Those who were blessed with such visions were monsters in human form. They are peerless geniuses who could fight across realms. Such people are incredibly rare in the cultivation world.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtEnvoy Ming had no intention of barging into the place where such a person was breaking through. A slight distraction during a breakthrough could cause severe damage to a cultivator. If his entry caused a backlash, then no amount of begging on his part would cause the genius to let him go.
Envoy Ming hated and feared geniuses deep in his heart. Unlike him, who was just average in cultivation, these people progressed at a much faster rate. Even though it is the norm in the cultivation world to decide seniority based on cultivation, he absolutely hated addressing those who were younger than him as seniors. It was like a fishbone stuck in his throat. Envoy Ming felt very uncomfortable during those situations.
The only reason he addressed themselves as seniors was because any perceived disrespect could result in them killing him off with a mere flick of their fingers. He had seen countless examples of cultivators punishing those who were weaker than them because of a lack of respect. He didn't want to be on the receiving end.
Envoy Ming was of two minds currently.
He knew that it would be hard to track down Duncan at this moment. Duncan must have left the scene leaving some other senior passing by to occupy the location and break through.
That meant, heading in that direction was of no use to him.
But, the only clue he had regarding Duncan was that location. Ignoring that will cause him to go through a lot of detours before he can find Duncan again. By then, who knows if the other sect representatives would have caught up as well?
This put him in a dilemma. He didn't know what to do.
However, Envoy Ming's eyes brightened the next moment as a new thought emerged in his mind. If the senior was benevolent enough, then he might point him in the right direction to pursue Duncan. Those who breakthrough to the higher realms will always be in a good mood immediately after that.
Explaining his situation and his mission to track down the demon who massacred an entire clan and committed the slaughter of the young talents of various sects would be to his advantage as well. If that senior has a good impression of him, then it might benefit him as well.
That said, he shouldn't barge in. He should wait a while for the phenomenon to be over before dropping by to congratulate the senior. Then, he could broach the topic and gain benefits.
Having decided, Envoy Ming chose to wait a while before approaching the senior in the distance.
*****
Meanwhile, Duncan was unaware that Envoy Ming had mistook him for a senior cultivator who was breaking through to the Golden Core realm. Even if he was aware, he would only thank his lucky stars and not pay much attention to it.
He was currently immersed in a sense of wonder within his mind.
The moment the vision started appearing in the sky, Duncan felt as if his entire body was being bathed in light. His entire body felt free and he felt liberated all of a sudden. His mind was enthralled with the countless information that was flooding through his mind.
Just then, the vision became clear and Duncan felt his blood boil. His pillars started resonating with the vision in the sky causing the surrounding qi to rush into his body wantonly.
Duncan didn't even have time to guide the qi in an orderly fashion. His heart throbbed causing the qi that entered his body to become docile and easy to control. His cultivation technique was activated on its own causing the qi to revolve in his body without much hassle.
Duncan's cultivation began to rise from just entering into the Violet Palace realm to the peak of the lower level of the Violet Palace. While he hadn't reached the peak yet, it was only a matter of time with this much spirit qi pouring into his dantain and strengthening his pillars.
As this happened, the vision in the sky finally became clear.
Duncan looked up to see a menacing Violet Palace appearing in the sky. The palace was like no other he had seen so far. Not that Duncan had much experience in visiting palaces. But, just looking at it was enough to cause dread to bloom in Duncan's heart.
Duncan's eyes widened as he realized that this vision was the final version of his Violet Palace going to be. After he reached the peak of the Violet Palace realm, he would be able to create a miniature of this palace in his dantain. That thought alone was enough to agitate him.
The palace had everything that could please Duncan's aesthetics. He didn't know if this palace was related to him, hence it became like this, or it was just a coincidence that the palace satisfied his aesthetics very well.
The palace had large front gates that were adorned with skulls and swords. It was a clear message. This palace was the palace of a slaughterer. Below the gates, blood could be seen seeping out of the palace from under the gates.
The gates opened and Duncan could hear the wailings and screams of countless souls. That was like music to his ear. He could feel his blood boiling just looking at the palace. Duncan felt as if this palace was perfect for someone like him.
The mere sight of it caused dread. However, there was an air of freedom present in the air as well. Duncan could feel it with his soul. He didn't know if anyone else could perceive that small bit of detail, but his soul registered it cleanly.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmHis consciousness entered the palace on its own accord and rushed through it as if it were taking a quick tour. Murals hung on the walls depicting various battles. A man and a sword dominated all the battles. Whether it was against a demonic beast or against cultivators, neither the man nor the sword showed any hesitation in those murals.
Entering the inner sanctum, Duncan's consciousness identified familiar smells permeating the air. It was his two most-liked smells in the world. The smell of sex and the smell of wine. Duncan felt as if he was in heaven at that moment.
Arriving at the Lotus Pond, the pond wasn't filled with water. Rather, it was filled with blood. Even the lotus that bloomed in the pond had sword lights radiating from them. Their petals were like the blades of a sword. The stem was like the body of a sword. All in all, Duncan could only describe such a lotus as a sword lotus.
He didn't even know if such a thing existed in the world. But, he liked the idea of a sword lotus very much. Inspiration seemed to flow through his mind as he watched the sword lotus in a mesmerized fashion.
However, Duncan's consciousness didn't linger there for long. It shot through the roof from there presenting him with an overhead view of the Violete Palace. Just looking at it was enough for Duncan to once again feel the dread coming back into his heart. His jubiliation from obtaining information was promptly overshadowed and his heart began to feel heavy.
Just as Duncan seemed to perceive from that visual, an angry roar echoed causing him to snap open his eyes and look into the distance.
In the distance, a blurred figure was approaching his location at a fast pace. Duncan realized that he might have overstayed his welcome in this spot. It looked like the sects had moved faster than he thought.
Looking around, Duncan found that the defensive formation he had erected seemed to be smashed apart by the riot of the spirit qi earlier. Letting out a deep sigh, Duncan looked up at the vision.
The vision was fading now. He could feel it sending a mystical energy into his body just as it faded. It wasn't visible or anything, but Duncan could feel it clearly. Duncan looked at the fading Violet Palace one last time with a wistful look and turned his eyes towards the approaching person.
Without a pause, Duncan unsheathed his sword and swung at the approaching figure not even bothering to see who it was. If it had been before breaking into the Violet Palace realm, Duncan would have been cautious and would have wanted to know what the strength of the other party was.
But, after witnessing his Violet Palace, Duncan felt completely fine attacking first without even determining the strength of his opponent. Both his psyche and mind had undergone a sublimative change during the establishment of his foundational pillars.
Right now, Duncan didn't feel like backing away from this fight…
*****
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