Chapter 1080 The Drunken Old Man
When the old man showed up, Darren turned around to get a good look at him. He was met with an
expression full of fear and shock on the old man''s face.
''Is this old man really not a big shot?'' Darren thought.
"Don''t you have any idea what this is?"
"How am I supposed to know where the scarlet monster came from?!" Without thinking, the old man
stepped back and instinctively hid behind Darren.
Darren kept silent. After some observation, he concluded that the Shura should be restrained for some
time. During this window of opportunity, he should do his best to find the World Essence.
"Let''s go. Just ignore him,"
Darren said as he walked towards theke. The old man wordlessly tailed Darren, shivering.
In front of Hiram''s tomb, Darren stood contemtively. He stared into nowhere, deep in thought.
"Sir, did anyone ask you to ry a message, or any instructions before sending you here?" Darren said
as he spun around to face the old man.
Seeing Darren''s stern face, the old man was lost in thought for a moment before he finally spoke.
"Now that you mention it, that man did give a few orders to me. But s, I''m too old to remember what
they were."
"Who was it that asked you toe here? How long have you been here?" Darren asked.
"Honestly, I can''t remember how long it has been. Though I do remember the man who brought me
here. He was a young man, donning some dazzling cyan armor. Yes, he also looked very handsomeBelongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.
and well built. There wasn''t a grave when I first arrived here," the old man said.
"What?"
Darren''s eyes widened when he realized just how long the old man had been here. Based on what he
recounted, the old man had been living in the bronze coffin for millions of years!
It was baffling. If he possessed an ordinary human body, how could he have lived for millions of years?
Even a holy emperor could only live for one million years at most.
"It''s quite eerie. After I came here, time seems to have stopped. I don''t even know how old I am
anymore. I''ve stayed the same," the old man murmured. His voice trailed off as he spoke. It was as if
he was falling back into deep thought.
"No wonder you''re forgetful."
Darren understood now. Millions of years had passed. Of course the old man couldn''t recall what
happened.
However, it also became clear to Darren that this old man was definitely not an ordinary person. The
young man in cyan armor who brought him to this ce should be Hiram the Great. That was to say,
before the battle even began, Hiram the Great had taken this old man to the bronze coffin.
What could he have done this for? Darren wracked his mind trying to figure out the reason.
"Young man, do you know the man they called Hiram the Great? Are you his descendant?" the old man
asked out of the blue.
"No, I''m not." Darren shook his head. "I''m a person who has the same mission as him."
The old man gave an awkward smile in reply—he didn''t understand what Darren was saying.
"Don''t you worry. I''ll cook a fish for us. Say, your wine... How about giving me some more?" the old man
asked eagerly.
"You want more? Sir, with all due respect, you can''t hold a drink at all. Just half a ss of wine left you
drunk for four whole days."
"What are you talking about? That''s the point! You drink to get drunk! In any case, I''m going fishing.
Remember to prepare the wine." The old man stumbled clumsily into the hut.
Darren shook his head and sighed as he followed after him.
After settling down and waiting quietly at the hut, Darren saw the old mane back carrying a big fish
in his arms. A broad smile spread across the old man''s face as he walked towards him with a look of
triumph.
"Everything here iscking, except for fish."
Darren smiled. "That''s a great catch you got there, but I can''t let you drink any of the wine this time."
The old man''s face darkened. "How could you do this, young man? I was just asking for some wine.
Younglings these days are so rude."
"You''re old and frail. I worry for your health."
"Are you kidding me? That wine can''t hurt me. I''ve lived for so many years and I''m still in tip-top
shape."
Darren had to agree. The old man had lived for millions of years. What harm could a little wine do?
"Fine. Let''s have a good drink, then." Darren beamed, taking out a big bottle of wine.
"That''s more like it!"
The old man happily started cooking the fish. He whistled out a little tune as he grilled it—thinking
about how great it would taste with the wine.
Just likest time, the fish tasted immacte, and the old man was dead drunk after half a ss of
wine.
Darren sighed. He carefully lifted the old man onto the bed.
After the old man was cozy, Darren sat back down in the cottage and pondered. He didn''t intend to look
for the World Essence so aimlessly. He was aware of the kind of genius that Hiram the Great was. He
wouldn''t make finding the World Essence as easy as just using spiritual sense. He must have left a vital
clue somewhere.
In the bronze coffin, the strangest thing had to be the old man.
So then that answer was obvious. The clue had to have something to do with the old man.
Darren decided to stay in the hut for several days and observe the old man. He was thinking he could
probably find some clues that way.
A month passed.
There were constant roars erupting from the graveyard. The Shura grew more and more restless, as if
ready to break free.
Darren remained vignt and stood his ground in the old man''s hut. The old man entered a cycle of
drinking wine as soon as he awoke, then getting drunk and sleeping once more. This pissed off Darren.
Because the old man kept drinking and passing out, even if there was a clue, Darren couldn''t find it.
Later, Darren decided to break the cycle and told the old man there was no more wine.
"Young man, please. Just one more sip. Come on, just one," the old man begged.
"Sorry, we''re all out. When you were drunk, I had no one to talk to, so I drank it all without even
realizing it."
The old man didn''t buy his bluff. After begging didn''t work, he threw tantrums. Once he reached thest
straw, he angrily drove Darren out of the hut.
But it didn''t work. Darren was determined.
After half a month, the old man looked haggard from frustration. He was eager to drink every day.
Darren had discovered that several times during this half month, the old man would sleepwalk and sit
alone by thekeside—sighing.
One day, Darren began to feel something wrong.
Every time the old man went to thekeside, he''d look lost in thought. Besides that, he would also visit
Hiram the Great''s tomb with a downcast look.
One day, the old man returned to the tomb again as Darren observed.
"I''m so sorry, buddy. But I can''t control myself anymore. Please forgive me,"
the old man said to the tomb while cupping his hands. Then he fumbled a few times, leaning on the
tombstone.
Arge booming noise shook the surroundings.
The tombstone suddenly copsed!
Darren was taken aback by the scene.
He hurried out and sneakily rushed over to the side of the tomb.
As he arrived, he noticed the old man was long gone. He noticed a cave appear in the area where the
tombstone copsed.
Darren''s heart skipped a beat at the revtion. It turned out that there was an entrance at the tomb of
Hiram the Great! This was likely the hiding ce for the World Essence!
But he was confused, why hadn''t the old man told him about this?
Darren jumped into the cave and nned to scour it.
It was a shallow cave by Darren''s standards—a mere ten feet away from the ground. A dark passage
Darren couldn''t feel the old man''s aura at the tunnel''s entrance. He treaded carefully further into the
tunnel.
About two hourster, a light shone in front of him.
"Who goes there?!"
An old voice bellowed. The old man frantically ran back and bumped right into Darren.
"Hey, no worries, it''s me,"
Darren said calmly.
"What? How could it be?"
The old man raised his head and squinted—recognizing Darren with the help of a faint light.
"I''ve made a mistake. I''m guilty. I shouldn''t havee here," the old man said in a trembling voice.