Chapter 2157 — Barbarians (2)

After several days of travel, the barbarians halted at the border of the Eighth Region, where a small settlement unexpectedly stood. Lady Chen and the others were stunned-none of them had believed it was possible for anyone to survive White Hell's extreme environment long enough to build a home there. Shortly after arriving, the barbarians gathered them together and stood around them in silence. After several long minutes of silence, Gu Ruyan finally gathered the courage to ask, "What are you going to do to us?" The barbarians turned their gazes on him, and the sheer weight of their eyes made him tremble with fear.

"What do you think we're going to do?" a calm voice suddenly replied. Gu Ruyan and the others turned toward the sound, where a tall figure stepped out from one of the nearby buildings. She was a tall, muscular woman, her frame radiating dominance. From her surged an overwhelming aura-the unmistakable might of an expert at the Seventh Level of God Ascension. Following closely behind her was the barbarian who killed Lin Canye, as well as the individual riding the giant mammoth.

"H-How should I know? You're the ones who kidnapped us without a word of explanation," Gu Ruyan finally replied.

"Without explanation, you say?" The muscular woman lifted her arm, revealing the Rod of Destruction taken from Lin Canye's corpse. "Because of this little toy, you not only destroyed a large part of our territory, but also killed one of our people," she said coldly.

"No way..." Gu Ruyan muttered in a daze. "I-I didn't know there were people living inside White Hell, much less in the seventh region, hence why I decided to use it!" he said.

"I don't care for your reasoning. It doesn't change the fact that one of our people is dead because of you."

"Wait just a second!" Lady Chen suddenly cut in. "He's the one who triggered that weapon and killed your people! Why drag all of us into this? You've already killed one of ours, so why not call it even?"

"Call it even?" the barbarian snarled, her glare burning into Lady Chen. "Do you truly believe your lives are worth the same as ours? Even if we slaughtered every last one of you, it still wouldn't repay the loss of a single one of our people!"

"That's unreasonable!" Zhuang Maojiang cried.

"Unreasonable?" the barbarian retorted coldly. "I heard you were ready to unleash this weapon again before my people intervened. If not for them, even more of our land would have been reduced to ruin!"

Yuan then spoke, "I understand why you'd want their lives, but what about me and her?" He gestured to Yaoqin, who was standing so close to him that she was essentially clinging to his arm. "We're also their victims," he continued.

The barbarian sneered, "Victims or not, it doesn't change the fact that you are involved. If you hadn't started a fight with them, they wouldn't have needed to use the weapon in the first place."

Yuan sighed at her response. "Since you've clearly made up your mind, there's no point in arguing. So tell me, what do you intend to do with us for our crimes?"

The barbarian's eyes narrowed. "Simply executing you would be far too easy. And besides, it would be a waste, as few ever venture this deep into White Hell." A vicious smile curved across her lips as she continued, "Here's how it will be your men will serve as training dummies for our warriors and your women will entertain them in other ways."

Lady Chen and Yaoqin's expressions turned grim at the barbarian's words.

"I'd sooner die than become a toy for you savages!" Lady Chen shouted, drawing her Rod of Destruction. "You were fools not to strip us of our treasures!"

The barbarian laughed. "We didn't take your treasures because we're not the least bit worried. I can kill you long before you even think of activating that weapon."

Lady Chen gritted her teeth, feeling powerless before these brutes. "I-If you kill us, our families will avenge us-they'll wipe out your insignificant clan!" Lady Chen shouted desperately.

The barbarian sneered. "Do you know how long we've lived here? We know White Hell like the back of our hands. Your families would die long before they even reach us, and even if a few survived, they'd never be able to pursue us through this place."

"T-That's-!" Lady Chen faltered, unable to find her words, and fell silent. The others, too, sank into despair as the weight of their situation settled over them. Yuan alone remained calm, unshaken amidst the tension.

At that moment, the cloaked figure who had been watching Yuan all along could no longer restrain their curiosity and slowly approached him. Standing before Yuan, the figure finally spoke. "Why aren't you afraid?" The voice was that of a young woman, clear and unassuming.

"Should I be afraid?" Yuan replied with a calm smile.

The figure glanced at the others, trembling in fear, before turning back to him. "Is it because of your body?" she asked.

"My body? What are you talking about?" Yuan asked with his eyebrows slightly raised.

"I noticed it the first time I saw you twenty years ago. Your body is different from the others," she said. At her words, the surrounding barbarians narrowed their eyes at Yuan. They, too, could sense something unusual about him, though none could discern exactly what it was.

"Now that you mention it..." The other female barbarian stepped forward, studying Yuan intently. "His body isn't being affected by White Hell's environment at all. If anything, it looks as though it grows stronger with each passing moment. It's a bit similar to our own physique." After a brief silence, she continued, "You know what? Rather than letting the others kill you, we'll study your body instead."

Yuan let out a faint sigh. "I couldn't care less what you do with those three idiots, but if you harm me or my friend, I'll be left with no choice but to slaughter everyone here in self-defense." His sharp words rang in the barbarians' ears, instantly igniting their auras and filling the air with killing intent. (More chapters in Buyers club for TMT)