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The pursuers who came after Duncan were all surprised and furious hearing Duncan's words. While they expected some arrogance and were even warier of running into an ambush, the level of arrogance and indifference displayed by Duncan's words was astonishing.

"I am in a hurry. Why don't you all come at me together?"

Those words clearly depicted Duncan's arrogance and confidence in taking them all at once. They weren't some run-of-the-mill cultivators. They were all elites of their respective sects. They were the ones on whom the future of their sects rested. Even seniors in their sects gave respect to them.

However, this demonic cultivator was disregarding them casually. He didn't even think they could all win against him even after ganging up. It was reflected in his words as well. 

Telling them that by ganging up they wouldn't lose too badly was akin to slapping each and every one of their faces. The level of insult hidden in those ordinary words almost made them vomit blood. 

Which of them wasn't a heaven-blessed genius? Which of them hadn't defeated countless others to rise to their position? Which of them hasn't been showered with praises and lauded to be the future pillar of their respective sects?

For this demonic cultivator to look down on them in such a casual manner, they all felt their dignity trampled upon. They felt their blood boiling. If they wanted to contain Duncan first and not allow him to escape when they came over in a group, now they all wanted to tear him into pieces and see what gave him such courage to utter those outrageous words.

The atmosphere in the area became incredibly tense. One could cut the tension with a knife. However, Duncan didn't seem to perceive such things. He looked at the group of idiots that had delivered themselves to his door with a mocking smile. To add insult to injury, he didn't even stop drinking his wine as he looked at them provocatively.

*****

At a distance from the hill, a group of people watched the proceedings with grave looks on their faces. Among them, one person in particular stood out. His mere presence was enough to signify that he was the leader of this group and the rest were his followers.

Jiang Chen, the premier young talent of the White Plume Sect looked at the events unfolding in the distance with a frown. He was the one who initiated this hunt by announcing his desire to find this demonic cultivator and defeat him.

Unfortunately, things have changed drastically since then. First every other premier young talent from various sects forcefully joined the hunt causing the hunt to become far bigger than he had wanted it to be. 

Next, there was no trace of their prey. The prey had seemingly vanished without any trace causing them all to be stumped for a week. Then, when the prey came out, it didn't have the consciousness of the prey.

The bold provocation at the city gates almost made them all lose face. Every premier talent had rushed out of the city to find and teach this guy a lesson in order to assuage their pride. These events have led to this current situation.

Even though Jiang Chen was also angry in his heart, he didn't rush over to join the fun. In his opinion, if the prey he wanted to defeat was defeated by these talents from second-rate sects, then he wasn't worthy to be his prey.

Even among the premier young talents, there is a difference between them. The legacy and accumulations of a first-rate sect can't be matched by the other sects at all. There is a fundamental difference between being the next chosen one of a first-rate sect and being an elite of a second-rate sect. They are incomparable.

Even at the same realm, the techniques they practiced, the teachings they received, and the resources they utilized differed greatly. While the elites of second-rate sects could defeat normal disciples of first-rate sects easily, the same couldn't be said for the chosen few on whom the first-rate sects have poured countless resources into.

In a fight between them, very rarely would an upset be created. 

If this demonic cultivator can't handle these elites from the second-rate sects, then there was no meaning in defeating him. Jiang Chen didn't want to do such a thankless job. His time was precious. If needed, he could crush the one who defeated the demonic cultivator and move on.

However, he was a little worried about the sudden change in the situation right now. The demonic cultivator didn't just provoke them all, he was also blatantly insulting them in front of their peers. Asking them all to come together was akin to seeking death in his opinion. 

Arrogance is natural among the elites. Jiang Chen knew this. If you can't be arrogant after achieving what numerous others have failed to achieve, then you have the right to be arrogant. But, overdoing it will only lead to disaster. Having confidence in one's strength was one thing. Seeing death voluntarily was an entirely different matter altogether.

The demonic cultivator's actions right now were the second in Jiang Chen's opinion. Still, a part of him was worried about the manner in which the demonic cultivator seemed completely sure of his success. Even he wouldn't be confident enough to take on more than ten elites at the same level of cultivation.

So, what gave this guy such confidence?

"Eh, Jiang Chen, you are here as well," suddenly a call from the side caused Jiang Chen to turn around and look at the speaker. 

The speaker was the thin man who had sabotaged his original plan. Seeing him, a flash of irritation came and went in Jiang Chen's heart. This thin man was the premier disciple of Eternal Sword Pavillion, another first-tier sect in the region. His name was Lu Tianxin. 

Lu Tianxin was a sword cultivator like most disciples in Eternal Sword Pavillion. It was rumored that he had already gained an initial understanding of a martial dao concept a year ago when he was in the mid stages of the Spirit Sea realm. 

One year later, he was currently at the peak of the Spirit Sea realm just like him. His understanding of the concept must have also progressed as well. This made him one of the few who could stand toe-to-toe with him. Who among them would emerge as a victor if they clashed was yet to be determined, but Jiang Chen knew that he was a formidable opponent.

If it had been anyone else who interfered in his matter like that in the Greenwood Forest, Jiang Chen wouldn't have shown any courtesy. But, with him and the burly cultivator speaking out, he had to take a step back. If they two joined hands, even he wasn't confident of emerging victorious.

"Where else would I be? This hunt was supposed to be mine alone. However…" Jiang Chen pursed his lips and looked at Lu Tianxin.

"Ha ha ha, Jiang Chen, you are still sore about that," Lu Tianxin chuckled. "If anything, you should thank me. We both know that you didn't speak out because of some desire to establish your prestige. For people like us, we don't have the need to prove ourselves to other people," Lu Tianxin said turning serious.

Jiang Chen's eyes narrowed. It was true that he didn't need to prove himself. He was secure and confident in his own position to not do such crass things. The decision to hunt down the demonic cultivator was born on a whim. However, the reason for that was something that only he knew. He never talked about it to anyone else. How can Lu Tianxin know?

"Don't need to be surprised that I figured it out," Lu Tianxin said waving his hands nonchalantly. "In fact, I too had the same desire."

Lu Tianxin spoke those words and turned to look at Jiang Chen. There was an incomparable brightness in his eyes. A fierce fighting spirit emanated from them. For the first time, Jiang Chen recognized the heart and passion required to be a premier disciple of a first-rate sect within Lu Tianxin.

"Heh, if you had the same idea as well, then what you did was complicate matters for us. You could have hunted him down on your own and be done with it. This is just a waste of time," Jiang Chen snorted and turned away.

"On the contrary," Lu Tianxin smiled, "I think I did the right thing. Without an audience, how can we establish ourselves? Only those who are not confident enough will need to move in the shadows. My sword heart is upright and unwavering."

"We both want to compare our strength against a disciple from a hegemonic sect. It is they who can stand as our opponents in this cultivation world. Since we have the intention to compare our strengths, we need to do it before everyone," Lu Tianxin said confidently shooting a superior look towards Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen clenched his hand hearing the hidden dig at his confidence. But, the next moment he sneered. What upright and unwavering? Who was Lu Tianxin trying to fool? Wasn't he using those fools in front of them to test out the demonic cultivator before confronting him? 

"Don't act so righteous," Jiang Chen sneered. "You wanted to use those people to test that disciple of the Heavenly Demon Sect and learn about his weakness before confronting him. What kind of righteousness is it that deceives fellow brethren and even opponents?"

Lu Tianxin's smile dimmed for a moment and he shot Jiang Chen a nasty look. But, Jiang Chen merely smirked in reply causing Lu Tianxin to snort and look away. A tense silence emanated between the two for a few moments before the arrival of the burly cultivator made them both look over.

*****

A/N: Check out my other stories and let me know your thoughts...

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