"Old General, let me think it over."
Xu Taiping did not make a decision right away.
The predicament Tianhai Pass currently faced was also his Earth-Killing Tribulation. Even if he escaped it this time, it would come looking for him again before long.
But if he truly had to stake his life on it, that naturally would not be worth it either.
"Don't think it over. You're different from us. You're a cultivator. You shouldn't die here."
The Old General reached out and patted Xu Taiping on the shoulder again.
"Why shouldn't I die here just because I'm a cultivator?"
Xu Taiping was somewhat puzzled.
"The path cultivators seek is longevity, a great path reaching to the heavens, free of the bonds of heaven and earth. Apart from that, all people and affairs in this mortal world are lesser paths, to be severed with a single stroke. So, if you died here, it would be a regret for you."
"But we martial artists are different."
"The path martial artists seek is the path of the mortal world. It may be to seek wealth and honor for one person, to keep a family safe, or to protect a city's peace."
"So, if we die here, we die in a worthy place."
The Old General gazed at the city tower behind him, battered full of holes by demonic beasts, his eyes warm, as though he were looking at an old friend.
The Old General's words left Xu Taiping silent.
For just as the Old General had said, over a cultivator's long years, both the people beside him and the sect behind him would become passing clouds and smoke.
Those who cultivated the Dao were never supposed to concern themselves with such things.
"Old General."
As they neared the city gate, Xu Taiping