Chapter 292: What’s Devil’s Canyon???
While Bradok was more serious than ever, Jeminine scratched her head. She sighed, “Well... that’s not how I heard it–”
“No. That’s exactly what happened...” Zelsh corrected the female king. He didn’t let anyone get confused and rephrased Bradok’s explanation, “Dioro overwhelmed Zrand’s son, even in the semifinals. The idiot kid had no way of winning and he knew it. He resorted to using his reputation, claiming that the moment Dioro killed him was the moment Dioro’s life in Tempest was over.
“That didn’t bother Dioro one bit, but the taunting continued. And once he mentioned executing Dioro’s troop and species, Dioro lost it. He finally finished the idiot off, despite Lord Zrand also trying to sway Dioro to forfeit with bribes and wealth beyond that of the original prize... But Dioro didn’t care about that and killed the idiot for shaming him and his entire species. At least, that’s what we believed at the time. It was only after Dioro won that we learned what he was really after, and there was no way Zrand could’ve ever offered such a thing.”
Oli opened his mouth but stopped his tongue immediately. He was about to ask about Devil’s Canyon but quickly assumed that was something Oli wasn’t supposed to know about.
“What else are you thinking about? I can see you’re not satisfied just yet,” joked Zelsh.
Oli nodded and took another breath to slow down his mind. “Then, what was Dioro really after? And why was it worth killing the son of his prefecture?”
“It’s arguable whether it was worth it in the end...” Zelsh sighed and shrugged, “but I can’t blame him either. He won a single wish from the God of the West. And Dioro used that wish on the spot, asking for a chance to enter a certain place as his reward.”
.....
“I don’t even know how he knew about the place...” Bradok added with a sigh of his own.
Zelsh agreed, “No one does, but Dioro knew about it and wanted to go...”
“Wait, what place?” Jeminine stated, startling all the younger cultivators at the table.
Sighing, Zelsh looked around the table and shook his head. “I’d rather not mention in front of them. I don’t want to give them suicidal thoughts...”
“It’s that bad?!” Donovan questioned.
Kraz interjected, “Dad, if you don’t tell us now, then we’ll go and learn it somewhere else. Would you rather we hear it from you or someone that doesn’t care about us?”
Zelsh rubbed his forehead and chugged what remained in his tankard. “Fine... but I’ll say what I’ll say and you aren’t allowed to ask any questions about this place. When I’m done speaking, we’ll drop the topic. Do you all agree to the terms?”
“Yes,” Oli agreed faster than everyone, getting the rest to nod and shout along.
“Alright... Then shut up and listen, because this time I’m not repeating myself...” Pushing his empty plate forward, Zelsh rested his elbows on the table and leaned his chin against his hands.
“Dioro sought out a place called Devil’s Canyon. It’s the most treacherous and deadly place any mortal cultivator can go. It’s near the heart of the Forbidden Mountains and runs alongside it in the South Quadrant. Just getting there would be incredibly difficult, if not impossible.”
Oli blinked and raised his hand, getting a dead-eyed glare from Zelsh.
“I said no questions...”
“It’s about the Forbidden Mountains,” Oli claimed. “I don’t know what those are.”
“Oh... That’s simple. That’s the most dangerous place for anyone, regardless of being mortal or divine,” answered Zelsh, stunning Oli further but not anyone else. “It’s the largest mountain range in the world, running through both the South and West Quadrants. One of my border territories is right beside it, but that’s the only lawless territory I allow to exist as a buffer for the region’s safety. I don’t want the beasts from the Forbidden Mountains threatening my people.”
“Such a place exists? How come it hasn’t been conquered and claimed if it’s so large?”
“Because the beasts there don’t want to be conquered. It’s also where we kings go to train, though we sometimes need to flee to escape without critical injuries. Does that sound like a place you’d want to share a border with?”
“No...” Oli shook his head and kept quiet.
Glad to see Oli’s understanding, Zelsh continued, “Now imagine a similar place, but only mortals are allowed to enter.”
“How would that be possible?”
Shaking his finger at Kraz, Zelsh answered, “Devil’s Canyon is one of the few places that is said to be a sacred ground for Dominus in ancient times. It’s believed he’s the reason no one in the divine class can enter, though we don’t understand why considering his great powers beyond ours.
“But the inside of Devil’s Canyon may be the most mysterious place in all the world...” added Zelsh, shocking even Jeminine. “It was always said that no one ever came back from there, at least not until Dioro did it. Though he was quite secretive since his return from Devil’s Canyon. He appeared and fled with his troop before I even knew about it. Bradok was the one who told me of his return.”
“Then Dioro was the first-ever survivor?” Oli asked, swallowing stagnant saliva in his throat.
Zelsh nodded and shrugged at the same time. “That... I’m not sure of. But I’ve never heard of anyone else doing it. Then again, there are three other quadrants so it’s likely that someone else has done it as well.”
“Then, if you talked with Dioro,” Oli enthusiastically turned to Bradok and shared a hopeful gaze, “you’ve heard about the inside of Devil’s Canyon?”
“Nope!” Bradok answered outright. “Dioro never told me anything about the place and I never bothered to ask. Men don’t pry about such things, especially when it wouldn’t change my life in any way.”
“But–”
“I said no questions,” Zelsh restated.
Oli replied slowly, “Well... I didn’t ask you...”
The others chuckled and Bradok boomed with laughter while Zelsh sighed. “Oliver... just listen. Devil’s Canyon is somewhere unreachable and there’s little to no hope of surviving there. We don’t even know if going there will help young cultivators, let alone teach them anything. It’s far more dangerous for a mortal to enter Devil’s Canyon than for a perennial to enter the Forbidden Mountains, and that’s almost certain death. Understood?”
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