CHAPTER 1818: CHAPTER 1818: EXPOSED

"You’re much slower than me."

Upon hearing Oliver Watson’s words, Tommy Dunn replied with a hint of pride.

In the same one-year span, he had broken through from the mid-Middle Saint Realm to the late Great Saint Realm, advancing through five cultivation levels consecutively!

Of course, in reality, he broke through four cultivation levels since even without cultivating the Devouring Dark Demon Art, he could have quickly advanced to the late Middle Saint Realm.

Nevertheless, even breaking through only four levels was considerably more impressive compared to Oliver Watson’s single level advancement.

"From what I know, the essence blood energy of the young women you consumed far exceeds what I did..."

Tommy Dunn continued with increasing smugness.

"Hmph! Over the past year, although I’ve consumed more essence blood energy of young women than you, consider what level your cultivation was before and what mine was. Can we really compare?"

Oliver Watson snorted coldly, feeling that Tommy Dunn was truly shameless, comparing his own year’s cultivation progress to his.

Tommy Dunn was originally just a mid-Middle Saint Realm martial artist. Using the essence blood energy of young women to cultivate the Devouring Dark Demon Art, his progress was naturally rapid.

In contrast, he himself had already reached the pinnacle of the Human Saint Realm before and, even with the support of the Devouring Dark Demon Art, breaking through was not so easy... To have reached the early Earth Saint Realm in just a year, and not just any early stage, he felt quite satisfied.

"Hall Master Watson, I really cannot understand you more and more... Originally, with your cultivation, if you had massively consumed the essence blood energy of virgins to cultivate the Devouring Dark Demon Art, your progress would undoubtedly be faster! Yet you refuse to touch those virgins, and you won’t even allow me to do so in your presence, it’s utterly baffling!"

Tommy Dunn remarked, "I really can’t comprehend; what difference is there between ordinary young women and those virgins?"

"Hmph!"

Oliver Watson snorted again but didn’t respond to Tommy Dunn’s comment.

In Oliver Watson’s heart, there was a secret only he knew... A long time ago, he had a very adorable daughter, left behind by his deceased wife.

He treasured the daughter, born from the life sacrifice of his wife during childbirth, treating her entirely like a ’little princess.’

However, as unpredictable as the weather, human life is fragile and fleeting.

When his daughter was sixteen, he was at a critical moment of cultivation and was unable to be by her side, resulting in her being violated by a wastrel’s son.

By the time he emerged from seclusion, he found his daughter’s long-dead body.

Along with a ’suicide note’ left by his daughter.

It was because his daughter had been violated that she chose to take her own life.

Even though he later wiped out the wastrel’s entire family, his daughter was beyond redemption.

It was the loss of his only kin that drove Oliver Watson to fully immerse himself in cultivation, achieving his current accomplishments.

He understood well enough the concept of rapidly advancing by consuming the essence blood energy of virgins while cultivating the Devouring Dark Demon Art.

Yet, whenever he saw those innocent virgins, he couldn’t help but remember his daughter, rendering him incapable of acting... Not only could he not make a move himself, but even seeing Tommy Dunn target virgins, he would step in to stop him.

Like now, he intended to intervene in time to stop Tommy Dunn, but he was still too late.

Boom!

With a wave of Oliver Watson’s hand, a mound of earth rose from the ground, covering the corpse of the virgin lying on the ground, allowing her a burial at peace.

"Incomprehensible!"

Although it wasn’t the first time Tommy Dunn had seen Oliver Watson do this, he was still speechless, without understanding why Oliver Watson would be so compassionate towards ’virgins.’

"Hall Master Watson, we better not meet anymore!"

Tommy Dunn cast a deep glance at Oliver Watson and then, like a gust of wind, distanced himself, as if avoiding the ’plague.’

Oliver Watson was not angered and simply moved in another direction.

If possible, he too preferred not to encounter Tommy Dunn.

Because whenever he met Tommy Dunn, if his target were virgins, he would be compelled to intervene... Although these virgins were not his daughter, they continually reminded him of that unbearable past incident.

This had nearly become Oliver Watson’s ’inner demon’!

Had Oliver Watson been as unrestrained as Tommy Dunn from the start, targeting even virgins, even if he hadn’t yet broken through to the mid-Earth Saint Realm, he would undoubtedly be close.

Currently, Oliver Watson would need to strive for nearly three more months to confidently break through!

It was indisputable that both Oliver Watson and Tommy Dunn kept a low profile, and they chose a very remote area west of the Martial Dao Sacred Land’s Lower Domain.

In that region, not even third-rate powers, let alone fourth or fifth-rate ones, were present!

Thus, a whole year had passed, and the commotion they caused there hadn’t spread.

However, there are no walls in the world that are airtight, and after another six months, rumors about the ’strange happenings’ in that secluded western part of the Lower Domain began to circulate.

The spreading of this strange tale was attributed to an indigenous person from the western area.

He had ventured out three years prior and only returned today.

However, upon returning, he discovered that his hometown, a paradisiacal small village, had turned into ruins. Amongst the rubble, numerous long-deceased corpses could be vaguely seen.

The other corpses were relatively normal; the bizarre ones were those of young women, which had been turned into mummified corpses.

"What’s going on here?"

The strange scene before him completely exceeded his imagination, temporarily making him forget the grief of losing his loved ones.

Soon after, he began searching the surrounding area.

Wherever he went, every lively town and village had turned into ruins.

The corpses inside were similar to those in his village: the young women’s corpses were mummified, while the other corpses appeared normal.

"What the hell!"

Finally, he dared not continue searching and fled from the remote western region.

And he spread the news widely.

"Hey! Have you heard? The people in the small towns and villages in the west have all been wiped out... but oddly, the young women’s corpses have all turned into mummies. It’s really strange."

"Mummies? What kind of mummies?"

"If you want to know, why don’t you go and see for yourself?"

...

Over time, similar discussions could be heard in cities adjacent to the remote western area.

In this world, there is never a shortage of curious people. Driven by curiosity, many people went in groups to the remote western area.

When they saw everything with their own eyes, they realized that the previous rumors were true.

"Oh my God! Who could have done this?"

"These young women are really pitiful, not only were they killed, but they were also turned into mummies!"

"Wait! Look... these young women’s bodies don’t seem to have any wounds, unlike the other corpses. Moreover, their bodies have no clothes... Do you think it’s the work of demon cultivators?"

"If it was demon cultivators... their dark magic cultivation technique is too cruel, isn’t it?!"

...

Among the curious, many were well-informed. Their deductions led to a conclusion.

A demon cultivator practicing a brutal dark magic cultivation technique was rampaging through the remote western area!

The Martial Dao Sacred Land doesn’t lack demon cultivators, who are recognized entities there... However, those recognized are ones who cultivate relatively normal dark magic techniques.

Those who practice inhumane dark magic techniques are treated as ’rats in the streets, everyone shouting to eliminate them’ in the Martial Dao Sacred Land.

When one person spreads the news, listeners may be skeptical.

But when hundreds, even thousands of confirmations arise, the rumor becomes indisputable truth!

"I remember nearly two years ago, the quasi third-rate power ’Mysterious Void Mansion’ once released a news report... it said the ’Devouring Dark_Demon Art’ had emerged! And the person who acquired it was Oliver Watson, the former palace master of the Heavenly Palace."

"They say the ’Devouring Dark_Demon Art’ is an incredibly inhumane top-tier dark magic cultivation technique, primarily involving the swallowing of young women’s essence blood energy for cultivation. Any young woman captured for cultivation of the ’Devouring Dark_Demon Art’ ends up as a mummy... Do you think what happened in the western remote area is related to the ’Devouring Dark_Demon Art’?"

"Now that you mention it, I recall... if it’s the ’Devouring Dark_Demon Art’, all of this makes sense."

"So you’re saying the deaths, the mummified young women in the western area... are all the handiwork of the former palace master Oliver Watson?"

"Probably!"

...

Before long, someone linked the events in the western area with the ’Devouring Dark_Demon Art’.

For a time, the former palace master of the Heavenly Palace, Oliver Watson, took all the blame, as people in Martial Dao Sacred Land’s Lower Domain only knew he had acquired the ’Devouring Dark_Demon Art’; none knew Tommy Dunn had also acquired it.

"Hall Master Watson, the matter has been exposed... it seems we must stay hidden for a while. Do you have any plans?"

While the outside world was abuzz, in the remote western area, amidst a barren rocky forest, Tommy Dunn and Oliver Watson met again.

Evidently, they were also aware that their deeds had been exposed.

"What plans could I have? Hide! Unlike you, I practiced the ’Devouring Dark_Demon Art’, harmed so many innocent girls, and yet can’t swagger back to Mysterious Void Mansion."

Oliver Watson said in a deep voice.

"Haha... In that case, Hall Master Watson, I take my leave then! Also, please take care of Peace Adams for us, as we have not fully learned the ’Devouring Dark_Demon Art’ yet!"

Before leaving, Tommy Dunn specifically reminded Oliver Watson.

"This area is no longer safe..."

After Tommy Dunn left, Oliver Watson took his leave as well.