Chapter 392: 207
Chapter 392: 207
He coldly scoffed. Knowing he would not be able to defeat Ba Ke Yun, he resorted to threats. After all, anyone would think twice before confronting such a large sect for no apparent reason.
Ba Ke Yun responded with a cold laugh and an intensifying anger, “Just a thousand people and you’re so arrogant? Don’t think that being here in the canyon allows you to act lawlessly. I’m the first to object to it.”
Since he could remember, he had been the one bullied, and his cultivation journey had been fraught with hardships. He saw in this situation a reflection of his past and resolved to seek justice for the child.
The man furrowed his brow. He assumed that terrifying Ba Ke Yun would suffice to make him back off. However, not seeing any fear on Ba Ke Yun’s face surprised him. Could it be possible that Ba Ke Yun was at the Throne Realm too? But then why would he bother with this petty issue?
He dared not relax, resorting once again to threats: “Just wait, we’ll be back with reinforcements. You two stay here and wait for your deaths. Little foreigners like you have no idea how dangerous this place is.”
Unconcerned, Ba Ke Yun watched as the man fled. He then approached Logan with a content smile. Considering his role as Logan’s protector, his impulsive actions could have caused unnecessary trouble for Logan.
Logan waved a dismissive hand, smiling. He would have stepped in had Ba Ke Yun not intervened. Unwilling to ignore such situations, Logan didn’t see a need to pretend otherwise when they happened.
“You two should leave quickly. The Kuang Quan Sect has a strong influence in the area, and two people alone are no match for them. They can bring reinforcements within the time it takes to burn half an incense stick,” said the child anxiously, grabbing at Ba Ke Yun’s sleeve, afraid that Ba Ke Yun may get involved in this for his rescue.
Many like the boy were regarded as bottom-tier individuals, whose deaths wouldn’t matter to anyone. The canyon was a no-man’s land, where the Kuang Quan Sect reigned supreme, and resistance was futile.
Ba Ke Yun was full of confidence, ensuring the boy without fear that they would stand their ground and slaughter anyone who dared seek revenge. This would rid the area of a significant menace.
Clear about his prowess, he was not worried about challenges. After he stepped into the Throne Realm and underwent the Divine Thunder Refinement, he surpassed others in the same realm. Unless a Dominator stepped in, he had nothing to fear. And clearly, this sect didn’t have a Dominator’s protection; otherwise, they would already have become a Lord.
The child still remained worried. They had seen many cultivators provoke the Kuang Quan Sect over the years, but no one had ever succeeded in taking them down. Instead, the challengers ended up dead. Several local Lords had had their eyes on the canyon, but they desisted from clashing with the sect. Hence, it remained a no-man’s land.
The sect had a Throne-holder, along with more than 500 members at a higher stage and countless at the Mythical Realm. If anyone dared defy them, the entire sect would rise to intimidate all. After all, no matter how strong one is, it’s impossible to withstand a thousand adversaries without getting worn out.
Yawning, Logan asked, “You’ve been living in the canyon all this while, enduring the Kuang Quan Sect’s bullies every day. Haven’t you ever thought of moving to other territories? The nearby Lords seem quite amicable.”
The boy shook his head, a glint of melancholy in his eyes. He had had the idea before. But the Xia Valley, extending thousands of miles with desolate patches in between, was impassable for ordinary people. Only cultivators at the Mythical Realm could possibly make it through without food or water for three days.
In the canyon, resources were scarce and largely controlled by the Kuang Quan Sect. The locals, being of such bleak cultivation level, were trapped. Hopeless and starved, they wished for the time when they would be chosen to join the sect and bask in its glory.
Logan nodded and looked around, “Something’s not right. Even though your cultivation is very low, you are talented. You’re quite the genius. How come you didn’t join the Kuang Quan Sect?”
“I don’t want to join them. They’ve always been about pillage and plunder. That’s not in my nature. The Kuang Quan Sect once tried to entice me, but I’ve adamantly refused them. In their rage, they’ve made it a point to torment me each day,” said the boy.
He continued, lightly glossing over a significant fact – his parents had been killed by members of the Kuang Quan Sect. And he was not going to bow to them or join their wicked endeavors. He held a secret dream of taking revenge on them someday when he would surpass the Throne Realm and put an end to the canyon folks’ suffering.
But such dreams, he knew, were a far cry from reality. He was stuck in the canyon, far from embarking on the path of cultivation. His health deteriorating and hunger gnawing at him every other day, he was at his wits’ end.
“Don’t worry, we can take you away from the canyon and keep you safe from the Kuang Quan Sect,” said Ba Ke Yun earnestly. But the boy shook his head. He couldn’t leave alone, for he was too tied down by circumstances here; his departure would put the others in the canyon in danger.
“There are thousands of people living in this canyon. I’ve organized a resistance, and it now has hundreds of members. Even though their cultivation isn’t even close to the Mythical Realm, if I were to leave alone, they would surely be silenced by the Kuang Quan Sect,” he explained.
Logan shook his head regretfully. He didn’t have a solution to the predicament of life in unclaimed territories. Even if they killed off a large part of the Kuang Quan Sect, some would escape and return to oppress the inhabitants once they left. Even in the absence of the Kuang Quan Sect, another sect would rise. Without a powerful protector who had the people’s best interests at heart, the place would never know peace.
As Logan pondered over these problems, Ba Ke Yun spoke, “I can single-handedly annihilate the entire sect. Then, we can distribute all their resources among you. The resources should help you survive till you leave the canyon.”
The place was too barren. Even without the Kuang Quan Sect, the harsh environment and depletion of resources would make it impossible for the thousands of locals to survive.
“If we can get the resources of the Kuang Quan Sect, thousands of people could leave the canyon and seek livelihoods in different territories. But this would be a tremendously challenging process. It would require killing hundreds of high-rankers and a Throne-holder,” said the child, his brow furrowing in concern. Even though Logan and Ba Ke Yun were powerful, they didn’t seem capable of accomplishing this unless they were already at the peak of the Throne Realm.