NOVPUBThirty million mortals are certainly not of a small use to Wang Ba.
The Power of the Yin God requires the support of the mortals’ wishes.
However, the current situation was a council of the high and middle ranks within the Sect, and although he held the position of Right Enforcer, he truly wasn’t considered much here.
Especially since the thoughts of the acting Sect Master were hard to fathom.
Thus, although he was tempted, he dared not reveal his thoughts casually.
As Master Xun FuJun’s gaze swept over those below, it eventually landed on Xi Kui:
"Hall Master Xi, do you have a method of dealing with this issue?"
Xi Kui’s face showed embarrassment:
"The Diwu Hall should indeed share the Sect’s worries. It’s just that we are only adept at managing resources, not people. Should we succeed in managing them, all would be well, but I am worried that should anything untoward happen, we may harm the lives of these mortals..."
Upon hearing Xi Kui’s words, Fei Hua, the Human Virtue Hall Master, immediately felt things going awry in his heart.
Sure enough, after a slight pause, Master Xun FuJun’s gaze shifted to Fei Hua.
"Hall Master Fei, Hall Master Xi mentioned Diwu Hall is not skilled in managing people. If I remember correctly, Rende Hall is most competent in dealing with human-related affairs. Regarding this matter, does Hall Master Fei have any strategies?"
Unable to escape, Fei Hua was silently annoyed by Xi Kui’s deliberate actions.
Yet, his face revealed nothing as he stroked his beard:
"Returning to the Sect Master, this is indeed a troublesome matter. After all, we will soon be preoccupied with the issue of the Tribulation Crossing Raft, with no intention of overseeing these people… However, as I understand, these mortals have been placed within a portable dungeon. When the time comes, they can be taken along to the Treasure Raft, and they could later provide our Sect with a continuous stream of disciples. In light of this, we should treat these mortals well."
Master Xun FuJun listened to Fei Hua’s rambling, but his expression remained unchanged, as he calmly said:
"There is limited space on the Tribulation Crossing Treasure Raft… Let’s not consider these mortals for now."
"Hall Master Fei, let’s discuss how to settle this matter."
Upon hearing Master Xun FuJun’s words, Fei Hua was momentarily surprised, but quickly regained composure and pondered briefly before replying:
"Since we won’t be taking them to the heavens, we could perhaps disperse and deal with them within the mortal kingdoms… To the south, there are a few minor nations said to be barbaric and ignorant, sparsely populated; we could distribute the mortals there."
"Disperse and deal with them?"
Master Xun FuJun’s eyes showed contemplation.
However, there were dissenting opinions in the crowd.
Du Wei stepped forward, shaking his head:
"Hall Master Fei’s suggestion might have been feasible in the past, but now with the floodwaters rising continuously, the southern countries have low terrain and are likely to be submerged within a few years. If we disperse the thirty million mortals there, it may not be long before they are completely engulfed by the deluge."
Fei Hua fell into a brief silence before countering with a question: "With such a disaster upon us, what can be done?"
"Besides, these mortals are not the subjects of our Jin Dynasty. Although we empathize with them, we can barely protect ourselves; how can we possibly help them?"
"Just like the one hundred million living beings of Jin, how many can the Tribulation Crossing Raft take with it?"
Upon hearing Fei Hua’s words, Du Wei instantly fell silent.
The hall was quiet as well.
Although no one mentioned it, everyone was acutely aware.
The limited space and population that the Tribulation Crossing Treasure Raft could accommodate determined the fate of common folk at the bottom—it was ultimately impossible for them to leave with the Wanxiang Sect.
In a way, the civilians of Jin, except for a very few lucky individuals, had been forsaken by the Wanxiang Sect.
It was a matter of necessity.
The impending calamity made no distinction between humans and animals. Escape if possible.
This was no different for Cultivators either. 𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝙤𝒎
Seeing the hall full of Cultivators worried about the thirty million mortals, Wang Ba was unusually eager to try.
He saw clearly.
The reason no one wanted to take on the task was simply that these thirty million people would also require resources to be sustained.
After all, although the portable dungeon was mystical, it lacked the sun and rivers, and the soil alone could not nourish so many people. A substantial amount of Spirit Stones would be needed to support it and keep the dungeon’s own ’sun’ running normally.
And now with the imminent completion of the Tribulation Crossing Treasure Raft, everyone was lacking both the will and the resources to manage these mortals.
But for Wang Ba, the situation was different.
Exchanging Spirit Stones for the Power of the Yin God was not a loss for him.
After all, most of what he needed couldn’t be bought with Spirit Stones.
His increase in the Power of the Yin God equated to an enhancement of his Soul.
The most crucial point was his anticipation of gaining more of the Power of the Yin God, filling the entire Yin Temple, thereby breaking through to the Third Layer of the "Book of Yin God’s Grand Dream."
With the continuous growth of the Power of the Yin God, he could vaguely feel that the Third Layer would be a critically important threshold.
"However… since the portable dungeon can also function in the heavens, why does it seem that the acting sect master is not overly interested?"
Wang Ba was slightly puzzled in his heart.
Seeing Master Xun FuJun still hesitating and undecided,
Wang Ba was about to step forward.
However, Master Xun FuJun suddenly turned to Xi Kui and spoke:
"Hall Master Xi, your Diwu Hall has the most abundant resources, and they were previously handed over by Song Dongyang. I will entrust you with their care first."
Xi Kui’s face involuntarily showed a trace of astonishment.
But as Master Xun FuJun had made a public decision as the acting sect master, he couldn’t object.
He quickly adjusted his emotions and nodded:
"I will obey the Sect Master’s command!"
Master Xun FuJun nodded slightly.
Zhou Tianqi quickly presented a pearl to Xi Kui.
Seeing this scene, Wang Ba felt a bit disappointed in his heart.
But he recovered quickly, his emotions stabilizing once more.
Good fortune if achieved, fate if not.
This was the belief in Wang Ba’s heart.
The only consolation was that these people were still with the Diwu Hall, and given his position within the Hall, there might still be a chance to encounter them in the future.
