Chapter 254 - ResetNew38 minutes ago
Benton almost laughed at Yuan Yaozu's expression. The man had probably just pieced together the fact that his newly advanced master somehow had Aura at Mastery already.
That right there was almost worth the cost of making Yuan Yaozu a disciple.
Almost but not really. Benton winced a bit at the cost of supplying that personalized cultivation method—eighty Sect Points. Eighty! Ouch. Added to the five hundred it had cost to get the man to Nascent Soul in the first place, and the spend on the guy was starting to really add up. At least the points for the method should eventually be returned.
Oh well, having a backup Nascent Soul was actually worth the expenditure.
For the first time in a while, Benton felt like a bit of the weight of responsibility was off him. For one thing, he had that very needed backup. Additionally, his sect was growing in power all the time. Counting him and disciples who weren't actual sect members, there were two Nascent Souls, a Golden Core, and four Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Growing was good.
The second reason for his relief was that he'd finally powered up enough to take on any and all known threats. A peak Nascent Soul with his versatility would be almost impossible to defeat even if the Jade Chameleons, Swift Blizzard Sect, and the Emperor's faction all allied against him. That was, what, a maximum of ten Nascent Souls? He could take on ten without even asking for help from the Poison Claw Sect.
When considering his allies, it meant that he was barely even outnumbered. With Yuan Yaozu's advancement, The Poison Claw Sect had rocketed to the top of the Big Three with five Nascent Soul cultivators.
Benton narrowed his eyes. If any of the other factions wanted to come at him, they should bring it. He'd send them packing.
Actually, he wouldn't. The only way they'd leave was in body bags, if there was even enough left of them to bury.
Which brought him to his next question—how should he respond to the attack?
"I should destroy the Jade Chameleon Sect, totally and completely," Benton said.
Yuan Yaozu frowned. "Can you do that, Master? They'll have two Nascent Souls against you, and this time, the formations will work against you instead of for you." He paused. "Uh, just so you know, I would not feel comfortable, even as your direct disciple, joining you on the attack. Protection is one thing, but…"
"That's fine. I can take them out on my own. Even if you hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have asked. That's partially because I want you here protecting my sect member but also because this is my fight."
"I'm glad you understand, Master. I mean, you've done a lot for me, more than I had any right to expect, and I feel bad about it. But…"
"But you can't bring your sect into the fight that way. Like I said, I get it." Benton stood up and dusted off his robe. "I guess I'll get to it, then."
He sighed. There would be no sparing the innocents. Cultivators didn't respect mercy, and he needed to send a message to keep his people safe.
"You're going now, Master? Really?" Yuan Yaozu managed to sound incredulous and disapproving at the same time.
"Yes?"
"Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"They attacked my sect. Again. My people will not be truly safe until their sect no longer exists. I am now strong enough to take them out. So the logical course of action seems to be…"
"Elder Kang was right to be concerned about you appearing to be too strong, you know. If you destroy their main branch, including two Nascent Souls, on your own, the other two factions will band together against you."
"So?" Benton said.
"What do you mean, so?"
"I mean that, if they come against me, I'll take them out, too."
Yuan Yaozu frowned. "Have you really thought through that scenario? Burning three factions to the ground means killing about a hundred thousand people. I know you're a man who is willing to kill to protect his own, a trait that I very much appreciate, but do you really understand what killing and carnage on that scale will do to you?"
"If it's the only way to protect my people, what does the impact to me matter?"
"Let me take a different tack on this," Yuan Yaozu said. "What if Yang Xiu decided that, to protect someone she cared about, she needed to kill everyone in an entire village?"
"She wouldn't do that."
"If she thought it was her best option, she absolutely would. And think about how much more likely it would be for her to think that was the best option if you provide her with an example of doing just that."
Benton sighed. He well knew that being a parent was more than just protecting his kids. It also meant teaching them right from wrong and, even more so, providing them an example of the right way to behave. "I just want them to be safe. What else can I do?"
"Master, between your quite strong defensive formation and my presence, you don't have to worry. Even if you're occupied elsewhere, I can hold off an attack long enough for you to get back. And honestly, anyone wanting to attack a demonstrated formation master on their home turf is a complete idiot. Your people are safe."
"I'm just a formation expert, not a master."
"My understanding from Elder Kang was that one of your formations held a Nascent Soul in place while another of your formations created a beam of qi so powerful that it killed her. Everyone who heard that tale considers you to be a formations master."
Benton usually enjoyed taking credit for all the cool things the System let him do, but claiming that particular title stuck in his craw. He wasn't a formation master. The arrays Yuan Yaozu referenced had all been purchased directly from the System. A trained monkey could have inscribed them.
In contrast, Benton was proud of his foundation expert status. He'd purchased the knowledge and techniques necessary to achieve that title, but his creations proved his prowess.
On closer examination, it seemed kind of silly to him that he cared about the subtle difference, but he did. Of course, he could simply buy enough knowledge to make the title legitimate.
Hmm.
More important at the moment, though, was Yuan Yaozu's argument. The part of Benton that had lived more than sixty peaceful years on Earth wanted to agree with the idea that his people were safe. There was no reason to escalate the conflict. They tried to fight him and lost. His base and his people were more secure than ever. Why invite more trouble?
Cultivator Benton thought differently. If an enemy attacks you, destroy them. There was no other option.
Benton's jaw dropped. Since when had he thought like that?
No. Just no.
When he'd transmigrated to this world, he'd had a well-defined set of morals. Resorting to extreme measures was acceptable but only under certain conditions. He'd never sat down and written them out or anything, but there were three that he could think of off the top of his head. One, the measures had to be justified. Considering that the Jade Chameleons had tried to kill him and had killed one of his people, that condition was met.
Two, the measures should be a last or definitely best resort, meaning he needed to consider other options and determine that he either had no other choice or that the measure he was choosing was the best of his alternatives. He hadn't done that at all, instead jumping to "kill them all" as the path forward. Maybe razing the Jade Chameleon Sect to the ground was the right way to go, but he needed to put serious thought into the matter first.
Three, the measures should minimize risk to innocents. That was the one that really bothered him upon reflection. He'd been ready to dash off and kill men, women, and children—children!—that had done nothing wrong to him or his just because they were associated with his enemy.
That line of thinking wasn't okay. He needed to reset his morals back to when he'd transmigrated. The influence of the cultivation world was getting to him, making him too violent and aggressive. What good was creating a new sect if he was teaching his members to be jerks like all the rest of the cultivators?
"You're right," Benton said. "There is value in not appearing to be weak, but I was falling into the trap of going too far in the opposite direction. I will send a message to a contact at each of the four factions with a warning that any further attacks on me or mine will result in the complete destruction of the higher realmed cultivators, both Golden Core and Nascent Soul, from any faction or factions behind that attack."
"Uh…"
"Sorry," Benton said. "You're not talking me out of this one. I don't care how the factions take it. My moral code demands that I give them warning, so that's what I'm going to do."
Yuan Yaozu cupped his hands. "Understood, Sect Leader."
Benton turned. With his next step decided, it was best to get on with it, and he'd prefer to compose the messages in his office. Before he teleported away, though, he turned back to his newest disciple. "Thank you for pulling me back from the brink. It's possible that I might have righted myself before I did something truly stupid, but it's also possible that I wouldn't. So … thanks. Sincerely." He cupped his hands.
Yuan Yaozu smiled. "Glad to be of service, Master."