The more the Sect Master heard Gravis talk, the angrier she got.
This was a level one Ancestral God!
Yet, he acted like he was a Divine God that could flatten the Eternal Fire Sect whenever he wanted.
The entire Eternal Fire Sect was nothing in his eyes, and he treated them like insects that had no choice in the matter.
They could only step out of his path or become his enemy.
The Sect Master could accept it if Gravis had the power to fight a level nine Ancestral God. After all, their Ancestor was a level nine Ancestral God, and the strongest person in a Sect dictated the Sect's overall prestige and power.
Yet, he was only a level one Ancestral God!
So what if he could fight a level six Ancestral God? That was still four levels below a level nine Ancestral God!
Someone like that was only equal to a Vice-Sect Master, and a Vice-Sect Master couldn't walk all over the Eternal Fire Sect like they were merely a pebble on their path!
"You're unreasonable," the Sect Master said with a voice that hid anger.
"I am," Gravis answered. "Nearly everyone in the world would believe me to be unreasonable. 99% of all perceptions see me as an unreasonable person."
"However, that doesn't matter. Their opinions don't matter, and their perceptions don't matter."
"Know why?"
"Because no matter how many perceived realities band together, they can't make a dent in objective reality."
"It changes nothing."
"I will do what I want."
The Sect Master was about to say something, but Gravis immediately stopped her.
"This conversation ends now," Gravis said.
The Sect Master's rage immediately exploded.
She was far more powerful than Gravis, but Gravis acted like he was her superior.
She had never been disrespected to such a degree by someone this weak!
"I will meet my friends whenever I want, and I won't pay any reparations for whatever you think I did wrong."
"I will do what I want, when I want."
"Step out of my path or get trampled."
"That's the extent of control you have over this situation."
"And if you decide to remain in my path, I will have no problems with going somewhere else, becoming a level three Ancestral God, and returning to kill you."
"And there's nothing you can do about it," Gravis slowly finished.
Gravis slowly turned around, intending to leave.
At that moment, the Sect Master's mind was going wild with rage and frustration.
Her mind was going through all possible scenarios.
She was confident that she could kill Gravis.
Even if Gravis had such a powerful Battle-Strength, he couldn't possibly escape from someone eight levels above him.
If Gravis took one step, she could take several thousand!
If Gravis had started one calculation, she would have already finished several thousand!
If Gravis had lifted one stone, she would have already lifted several mountains!
The Sect Master's confidence in her own power told her that she could kill Gravis right then and there.
However, the Sect Master's logical mind told her that it couldn't be that easy.
As she had stated previously, Gravis couldn't be stupid. That was impossible just based on his ridiculous Battle-Strength. Someone like that must have achieved things that everyone else in the world would have deemed as impossible.
So, even though it was impossible that Gravis could escape in the Sect Master's mind, she couldn't say that Gravis couldn't accomplish the impossible.
There was a 99% chance that Gravis would die in her mind.
However, what if the 1% chance happened?
If she killed Gravis, what would she get?
Relief of her anger.
What if she failed?
…
There were too many dangers to count.
Gravis hadn't even moved before all these thoughts had shot through the Sect Master's mind.
In the end, the Sect Master could only come to the conclusion that the danger was too great.
She couldn't possibly allow herself to put the Sect into such danger.
However, that only resulted in her rage and frustration exploding even more.
She was far more powerful than Gravis.
Yet…
Yet!
Yet, she couldn't do anything on her own!
She couldn't risk it!
She had too much to lose!
She wanted to attack and kill Gravis so very badly, but she couldn't possibly risk her Sect like that!
The Sect Master had a mind with a high affinity for the Law of Control.
Sadly, her mind didn't have an affinity for the Law of Freedom.
'However, even if I can't stop him, the Ancestor can!' she thought.
The Sect Master readied her emblem, but before she contacted the Ancestor, she stopped.
She remembered the last time she had called the Ancestor.
It had been when Orpheus had stood opposite her. Back then, Orpheus had broken a rule of the Sect, and he wasn't willing to accept any punishment.
Hadn't she been just as frustrated back then?
Wasn't this situation nearly identical to the situation back then with Orpheus?
Back then, she had also called the Ancestor.
What had the Ancestor done?
He had rebuked her and explained to her that using one's power wasn't wrong.
If someone had the power to break the rules, they could break them.
Yes, the Ancestor was the strongest being in the Ancestral Fire Sect, but if he weren't willing to act, the strongest person in the Sect would be the Sect Master.
That would be her.
What would the Ancestor say when she disturbed him over this level one Ancestral God?
…
He would rebuke her just like she had rebuked the Vice-Sect Master earlier.
Even more, he would throw the same words she had said to the Vice-Sect Master right back into her face.
He would ask what the potential risks and rewards were.
Emotional relief and honor.
Too many risks to count.
Then, he would ask her if that was a good risk-reward ratio.
She would say no.
Then, he would ask her why she had done that.
What would she answer?
The Sect Master's anger vanished as it transformed into frustration.
However, she wasn't frustrated with Gravis anymore, but with herself.
What would her answer be?
In comparison to the Vice-Sect Master, she knew her answer.
Vanity.
She wanted to deal with Gravis because he had completely overthrown her prestige, power, and control.
In her mind, she deserved to walk all over him.
However, in her mind, people vastly more powerful than her also deserved to walk all over her.
Yet, she hadn't seen Gravis as such a person.
She had only looked at this current power, not at his future power.
Even more, if Gravis could already escape from her, it meant that his future power was already enough to resist her to some degree.
She thought she had control over Gravis, but she didn't.
So, what could she do?
Nothing.
Literally nothing.
Attack him?
Too risky.
Threaten him with his friends?
That wouldn't work. Additionally, she would anger a huge part of the Sect with that action.
Call the Ancestor?
That would only backfire.
What could she do?
What options were available?
…
Step out of his path.
That was the only option.
Gravis was unreasonable.
He demanded something from them that belonged to them without offering anything in return.
He said what he wanted, and he would get what he wanted.
His behavior was hostile, uncooperative, unreasonable, and disgusting.
Yet, there was nothing the Eternal Fire Sect could do.
Fifty thousand years ago, Gravis hadn't even entered the eyes of the basic guards of the Eternal Fire Sect.
Now, he had grown to the point that the entire Eternal Fire Sect could do nothing but comply.
One of the most powerful Ancestral God Sects in the world was completely helpless in front of a mere level one Ancestral God.
Gravis teleported away, and the Sect Master did nothing to stop him.
The Sect Master deflated as she felt like she had become far weaker than before.
She had talked about so many things.
She had talked about cooperation, society, ideology, and so on.
She had been in the right.
All her words had been mature, planned, thought-through, and could stand against any verbal offense.
She had acted as the perfect Sect Master.
She had deescalated the issue, and she had acted correctly.
Yet, all of that didn't matter.
It was all worthless.
In front of power, all of that was absolutely worthless.
Right and wrong didn't matter as long as the other party was more powerful than oneself.
So what if they were wrong?
They would win anyway.
Being right didn't change a thing.
In the end, the Sect Master contacted some Elders.
"This person can come and go whenever he wants. No inspections are required."
Then, she left and went back home.
She had a lot to think about.