After a while, the bamboo forest called more people to it. Warriors walked and travelled using bodily movement skills to the
entrance and they flowed inside in ending rows.
It didn't take long for the place to fill with a large, noisy crowd. Speaking was all but forbidden in the bamboo forest but none of
these warriors seemed to care.
"There are so many people here! This is annoying!"
"Leave them alone. Let's get inside."
"Yes. Listen to him. This isn't important. The real opportunity is still ahead of us so let's hurry up."
Annoyed, the disciples of the old sects and students of the four schools in the Middle Pilgrim Land that had been sitting and
practicing mediation rose to their feet. They glared at the warriors as they made a path through them, marching loudly.
The environment was intended for silence, and this was anything sounded like a parade. However, before they could scold the
newcomers, something else caught their eye.
"Oh my! That guy over there is glowing! Look at his head!"
one of them shouted, pointing excitedly at the far corner of the bamboo forest. Sitting with his legs crossed and his eyes shut was
Austin, deep in mediation.
"Brilliant! It looks like he's entered the deep stage of enlightenment."
"How is that possible? It's so rare that only a genius at the top of every skill could reach it."
"That's right. This guy looks like a cultivator of the Minor-perfection Realm. He's not a master, yet he is able to get such insights.
That must mean he is a little talented.
"Who is this guy? Why can't | recall there being a genius like him in the Middle Pilgrim Land?"
"I can't either. | have met all the influential geniuses in the sects and four schools. I'm sure he isn't among them."
"He must be from another place of the Divine Continent."
The people that had been meditating all turned and stared at Austin. Meanwhile, he was oblivious to the curious looks he was
receiving.
The fact that he could comprehend things in the deep stage was so rare that they couldn't even blink. It was only legend, and no
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtone had seen it done before, until now.
As they watched, sof them filled with shock and others filled with envy.
The young cultivators who hadn't been fans of Austin from the moment he had walked in were the most jealous.
They had spent hours practicing meditation but they were years away from even coming close to the deep stage of enlightenment.
It hurt their pride to see another young man like themselves reach it effortlessly.
It felt like Austin had slapped them across the face in front of all.
Anger burned in their chests as they watched him being better than they were.
"Humph, it's impossible for men from other places of the Divine Continent to enter the deep state of enlightenment. In my opinion,
this guy has to be pretending!
I'll give it a try. I'll let him know what he really is."
Moments later, a principal disciple of the Heavenly Mysterious Sect in the Middle Pilgrim Land burst forth from the crowd and
bolted towards Austin.
Everyone else stood back and becbystanders of the situation. After all, many of them would take pleasure in Austin being
hurt.
They knew that a meditating warrior should never be disturbed.
If they were in deep enough, being interrupted could cause them to lose control of themselves or even die. And a less serious
disturbance could still cause damage to their body or soul that would show up in the future.
It turned out that the principal disciple of the Heavenly Mysterious Sect wanted to disturb Austin's meditation and hurt him gravely.
"Master, you need to wake up. Someone is coming at you and | think he wants to hurt you."
"Con, man! Wake up!"
In a panic, Violet and the gnquickly sent messages into Austin's Soul Sea in an attempt to reach him. However, he couldn't
hear them or he didn't respond in any way.
It was too late. Austin had reached the deep state of enlightenment and he couldn't make contact with the outside world. Inside his
head, the original laws and truths were twisting and evolving.
The sun, moon, stars, wind, snow, and rain changed into new shapes and colors, making him feel like he was tripping on heavy
drugs.
Like a magnet, he drew all the golden runes that were floating casually in the bamboo forest to him. They rested at his body,
revolving around his head slowly.
"Damn it! He's stuck in the deep state of enlightenment. | won't be able to wake him up in time,"
the gnsaid, covering his face with his hands.
"Mr. Brady, sir, could you please transfer our master into the Slave Tower so he'll be safe?"
Violet ignored the gnome's defeated tone and sent a message to Brady in the Slave Tower through spiritual sense.
They would have tried to do something on their own but the principal disciple of the Heavenly Mysterious Sect was at the
preliminary stage of Major-perfection Realm. They weren't powerful or strong even to take him on, even together.
"Unfortunately, I'm unable to transfer the master here because I'm not the master of the Slave Tower. Only he can do that.
What | can do is cout and protect the master myself,"
Brady said, nodding his head determinedly.
"But this is the Immortal Burial City. If you cout, you will most likely be killed immediately,"
Violet replied, staring shocked at the gnome. He shrugged.
"There is no other option. You'd better find a way to wake up the master quickly,"
Brady said with a sigh.
"Master, please! Something bad is about to happen. Wake up!"
"Man, wake up or you will die."
Violet and the gntried to wake Austin up by sending more messages to him but it was no use. It was like he was stuck in a
coma at that point.
"Ha-ha, man, you can stop now. No one here believes that you've entered the deep stage of enlightenment!"
the principal disciple of the Heavenly Mysterious Sect said, laughing harder. He had reached Austin and was hovering over his
body. Still smiling, he created into a huge, silver vital energy palm and swung it down at Austin.
Inside the Slave Tower, Brady gritted his teeth and began to prepare himself for teleportation.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm
However, before he could do that, he saw something that made him cease all movements.
The runes that were spinning around Austin's head changed their direction and began flying towards the principal disciple of the
Heavenly Mysterious Sect.
One at a time, they turned in mid-air and pointed at him like the tips of swords.
The principal disciple opened his mouth to yell and run, but it was too late.
A hundred runes hit him, stabbing through his flesh and leaving holes in his entire body. Blood dripped down as he fell and landed
face down on the ground.
There wasn't even tfor a scream to leave his lungs.
It was all over in seconds and no one around could believe what they had seen.
"What's going on?"
"How did the runes attack someone on their own? Are they possessed?"
No one seemed to have the answers.
The principal disciple laid at his feet and they didn't understand why. He had wanted to disturb Austin's meditation but someone or
something had wanted to stop him.
"Oh, no! Rudi is dead!"
"You bastard! How dare you kill our people!"
Understandably, the people of the Heavenly Mysterious Sect were outraged and embarrassed.
There were hundreds, if not more, people in the bamboo forest and the principal disciple had been killed quickly and mercilessly.
Within seconds, all Heavenly Mysterious Sect disciples’ eyes turned to look at Austin.
The Heavenly Mysterious Sect was an ancient sect in the Middle Pilgrim Land. Its disciples were all arrogant and they weren't
willing to accept being humiliated in front of the other sects.
"We must kill this man to avenge Rudi!"
someone yelled, causing sof the disciples of the Heavenly Mysterious Sect to march towards Austin.