The silence that followed Ken's declaration hung over the valley like a storm that had already begun to break.
"You will all die here today."
The words still lingered in the air long after he finished speaking. They were not spoken with anger or excitement. They were spoken with the calm certainty of someone who believed the future had already been decided.
Lucas felt something inside him tighten.
He had met arrogant cultivators before. Pride was common among powerful men, especially those who had climbed high through the ranks of cultivation. But there was something about the way Ken carried himself that stirred a deeper irritation.
It was not just arrogance.
It was dismissal.
Ken did not see them as opponents. He did not even see them as obstacles. To him they were simply people standing in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Lucas slowly lifted his head.
The mask still hid his face, but the change in his posture was obvious.
