147 - Personification of a Myth

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“What would you even know, youngster? You weren’t even born when I watched many of our tribes being cut down like insects while you bask in the protection of this biased world. How much more should we suffer by your hands? The Avaads’ very existence is proof of their guilt!”

“Oh, please. Get off your high horse. You're far from the only ones who suffered," Qin Yun said as he used his blade to prop himself up.

His whole body was bloody, yet the wounds were quickly closing. His ragged breath was swiftly stabilizing, and the pain receded, allowing him to rise to his full height again. He held his sword to the side, yet it still rested firmly in his hand.

“I may not know the depths of your grievances, but I know enough to say that if this conflict doesn’t end, the world, in its entirety, will have to pay the price. Not even this sub-dimension will be exempt from the consequence,” Qin Yun added.

No matter how isolated this plane was from the main world, they couldn't deny that its entrance was inexorably linked to it. If the main world were to collapse, so would this one, unless the one that had created it could break the bounds of the Heavenly Dao.

Sadly, it could not. Qin Yun had already verified this. When the old man struck, he saw ripples spread through space, mitigating his strike. This was what allowed Qin Yun to survive with minimal injury.

Qin Yun knew the old man wouldn't simply kill him, no matter how enraged he might seem, yet this wouldn't stop the old man from crippling him. Qin Yun had been ready to lose a limb or two, yet the sub-dimension creator's intervention was a surprise, but it also proved Qin Yun's doubts.

This dimension couldn't even contain the strike of the Soul Formation cultivator, much less one at the First Transformation. Had the old man not pulled his punches, the dimension would have shattered entirely. In its current state, there would be no way for it to survive the collapse of the main one.

“You may think your god will bring upon you a new world, but are you truly willing to take the chance?" Qin Yun said again, looking slightly smug despite how battered he looked.

“Enough of your blasphemy!” Ressa yelled. “You know nothing of our beliefs! We may have been exiled from the rest of the tribes, but that doesn’t mean we have turned our back on the cause!”

“However, the elder doesn’t seem to share your optimism,” Qin Yun replied with a smile.

The old man's expression, despite not being very expressive, looked much more complicated. An almost imperceptible frown was on his face as he looked back toward Qin Yun.

“How much do you truly know?” the old man said softly, yet each word was said with an uncanny intensity, almost as if to pry the answer right out of Qin Yun. However, there was no need for it all, as Qin Yun was all too ready to give it to him.

"Enough to know what will happen once the Great Barrier falls," he said. "The Heavenly Dao does not need a world on the brink of ruin. If it feels that the Well of Souls may come under attack by the Corruption and deems the situation is beyond saving, it will simply reset everything."

"What do you mean by that?" Kerak said as he finally rose from the remains of the tree that cushioned the impact. There was the deep imprint of a palm on his chest, but other than that and shortness of breath, Kerak didn't look that injured. A few moments of rest was enough for him to regain some mobility.

"Exactly what I said," Qin Yun repeated. "The world administrator would rather let it burn in cleansing flames than let it fall in the hands of your lot and the Encroaching Corruption. There was no way for your wish to be granted from the start. The Corruption only gave you false hope."

Kerak's expression fell. While he didn't fully trust Qin Yun's words, he had been beside the man long enough to know that his words held an ounce of truth. Still, the mere mention of it all couldn't help but bring him close to a pit of despair, barely able to extirpate himself from it.

Ressa was in complete denial. She only scoffed at his words, thinking of them as the words of a madman, yet her entire demeanour wholly changed once she noticed that the old man didn't share her derision. He looked towards Qin Yun with a solemn expression.

“Those aren’t words to be said lightly,” the old man finally said. “What evidence could you possibly bring forth to corroborate them. Know that any deceit on your part will be met with lethal means. One does not simply mock our god and get away with it.”

The tension was at its highest. Kerak could even feel a murderous intent being spilled out of the old man's eyes, so much so that he could barely look at him. Qin Yun felt the same but magnified by an order of ten. If not for his extreme familiarity with the concept of intent, Qin Yun would already be sprawled on the ground while foaming at the mouth. Such was the murderous intent aimed toward him.

However, Qin Yun knew this was just the old man's posturing.

“I have no need to show you evidence. You have already witnessed the best proof of it all,” Qin Yun said confidently.

Both Kerak and Ressa were utterly taken aback, unable to recall when he had done so. Ressa even thought Qin Yun was just buying time through any means possible, knowing he had no such evidence. Yet, the old man's expression made her reconsider, for it was much less assured than it first was. In fact, he looked utterly conflicted.

“You claim to be ancient. Surely you recognize the signs?" Qin Yun added.

The old man's expression grew increasingly sombre, prompting Kerak and Ressa to grow uneasy. They silently waited for his response, yet what they heard left them stunned.

"It would be hard not to recognize the tribulation, yet how can a youngster like you possibly wield it? You are far from strong enough," the old man replied slowly, barely believing his own words, yet Qin Yun's smile grew wider, for he knew he was close to what he had hoped for.

“You’re right that I shouldn’t be able to resist the tribulation, but that’s only assuming it has the intent to resist. Besides, I do not control it. The most I can do is unleash it.”

The old man's pupils visibly dilated as realization came to mind. He could scarcely believe his eyes, yet the proof had already been shown.

"So, you're its champion, then," the old man said. Have you come in its stead to pass judgment on us?"

“This judgment isn't mine to pass, so why should I care?" Qin Yun shrugged. "I told you my reasons for being here already. I need your tribe's help, and in doing so, you might redeem yourself in its eyes."

Qin Yun was talking out of his ass, knowing full well what awaited these outsiders should the Heavenly Dao triumph against the Corruption. They were traitors to the realm, having chosen to side with an invader once their land had been taken from them. Still, these people were worthy of pity, for their ancestors had chosen to go down this path, and they were already too deep to turn back now.

But maybe it wouldn’t be too late for this tribe. If they were to fulfill Qin Yun’s goal, he may be inclined to plead on their behalf, if the Heavenly Dao was even inclined to listen to him in the first place.

Still, Ressa had a rather important question.

“Grandpa, what do you mean ‘Champion?’”

Kerak also waited anxiously for the answer, as it was rather important. He had had many questions about Qin Yun from the start yet had voiced none. However, if he could get some answers to alleviate his doubt, Kerak wouldn't dare miss them.

"The Heavenly Dao's Champions appeared long ago in one of our kind's prophecies," the old man began. "It stated that when the Heavenly Dao found itself at a loss, with its demise imminent, special existences would be born across the land, carrying its favour. They were said to be nigh unkillable, possessing immeasurable providence and talent. They would rise high above their peers, becoming paragons of strength. Their paths would be smooth, and they would not encounter the slightest obstacle. If they did, it would resolve itself until the day they reached their peaks, only to be thrust into battle as the world's agent, possessing both authority and the world's reverence. It was supposed to be a myth, yet you still stand before me with your pitiful strength, which seems proof enough."

Both Ressa and Kerak looked at Qin Yun as if observing a rare specimen, but, on the other hand, Qin Yun couldn't help but chuckle.

"You make it sound as if I'm some mythological creature. Truth be told, champions or whatever aren't so rare. Some are propped up and discarded for the most asinine reasons, never to feel the glory promised to them, while others never even knew what they were. This world is a lot more ruthless than many would believe. My case is slightly different, however. If given the chance, I wouldn't even want to be here, yet I also cannot allow this world to crumble. We are both stuck between a rock and a hard place, but unfortunately, one of us must yield."

Qin Yun hardened his gaze as he looked back at the old man. At first, Qin Yun could see uneasiness in the old man's eye, yet it seemed far from enough to change his mind. While it was already a great boon for the man to listen to this extent, Qin Yun knew this alone would be far from enough to erase eons of mistreatment at the hand of the one Qin Yun wanted them to now help. This was an uphill battle, yet the first fight was already halfway won.

“It's not enough," the man said. "I may believe you are a champion, but this alone isn't enough to entrust the fate of my tribe to it. Even if you could negotiate in our favour, opposing the rest of the tribes is nothing but a death sentence."

“Surely, for a man of your strength, it shouldn’t pose too much of a problem.”

“What do you know?" the old man scoffed. "I cannot even be considered within the top ten in strength within the tribes. The only reason the Great Barrier still stands is because the Heavenly Dao won't allow us near it. Otherwise, we would have already invaded your lands and slaughtered your people."

Not likely, Qin Yun thought. They may be able to run wild within the Outer Region, but once they reach the boundary of the inner one, they would have been slaughtered like cattle. They don't know of the horrors of what lay within the continent's core.

"So, you've chosen to bide your time here until your very existence fades from people's consciousness, but how long can you all last?" Qin Yun asked. "How long until this dimension collapses on itself and you are forced to return to a world where everyone you know is hostile? Won't you take a chance with me or fade into obscurity? Your choice."

“Give me one reason why I should believe you?” the old man said after a long silence.

Qin Yun couldn't help but smile, for he had been bidding his time for just this one moment just to turn the tide with a single action. From the confines of his black box, Qin Yun retrieved a single leather pouch. It was an ordinary brown bag, except for one single thing. A significant character was prominently shown on the leather, prompting the old man's gaze to grow astonished, for he had recognized it.

This was Nalia's emblem, the same outsider woman that had given him this map when he had left the fortress, the Main Tribe's Little Princess.

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