A Farmer's Journey To Immortality

These giant flesh fruits were the foundation of Aksai’s newest line of fiends.

A soul could be inserted into them. The fruit would then nurture the soul like a womb. Once fully matured, a Woodland Fiend would be born.

The process was rather expensive because it consumed a large amount of resources. However, the results were excellent.

The Woodland Fiends were superior to the Sentient Fiends in every aspect except for the cost of creating them.

The Sentient Fiend lineup could still be used for routine Spirit farming tasks. However, Woodland Fiends were far more effective when it came to strengthening Aksai’s hidden force.

Aksai’s gaze eventually settled on a particular fruit hanging from a thick branch. This fruit was larger than the others nearby. Its surface pulsed gently, like a giant heartbeat.

Through his connection with the Demon Tree, Aksai already knew what had happened.

Or rather...

Who had been reborn.

"Finally. I have been waiting for you."

The giant fruit trembled slightly. Several cracks appeared across its surface.

Aksai crossed his arms and patiently waited. He had waited long enough. It was finally time to collect the information he needed.

The royal faction. The Gu Poison King. Arkaal’s secrets. Qishan’s plans. Many questions still remained unanswered.

The cracking sounds became louder. Pieces of flesh shell slowly began falling away.

Soon, a humanoid figure became visible inside.

He had a naked body, pale skin, and dark green hair. He also had a physique that looked far healthier than Arkaal’s original body.

The new Woodland Fiend slowly opened his eyes and they immediately locked onto Aksai.

There was no confusion.

No resistance.

No hatred.

Only absolute loyalty.

The Demon Tree had completely rewritten his instincts.

Arkaal remembered who he had once been. But that person no longer truly existed. His identity had been reshaped.

His soul had become part of the Demon Tree’s ecosystem. And the Demon Tree belonged to Aksai.

The Woodland Fiend slowly stepped out of the broken... or rather freshly torn fruit. The remnants of the shell dissolved into countless tiny roots before being reabsorbed by the tree.

Arkaal landed on the ground. Then immediately dropped to one knee.

"My liege."

His voice sounded calm and respectful. As if he had served Aksai his entire life.

Aksai carefully observed him. Unlike the original Arkaal, this version looked much younger. Perhaps around thirty years old.

His body was stronger thanks to the body strengthening techniques Aksai had obtained from Martial World Sharang.

His soul was stable because of Aksai’s knowledge regarding Aether essence and Mind Palace, which he had obtained from Aether World Acarnis.

Even his cultivation foundation appeared much healthier.

The Demon Tree had effectively given him a second life.

Aksai nodded.

"How do you feel?"

Arkaal lowered his head.

"Complete."

Aksai raised an eyebrow.

"Complete?"

"Yes, my liege."

Arkaal touched his chest.

"My memories remain intact for the most part. I... I do remember my previous life. I remember Master Qishan. I remember the royal faction."

Arkaal hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"I... I also remember my death."

He paused briefly.

"But all of those things feel distant now. My loyalty belongs only to you."

Aksai wasn’t surprised. That was exactly what he had expected. The Demon Tree’s influence was absolute.

He slowly stepped forward.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Good."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Then let’s begin."

Arkaal immediately straightened his posture.

Aksai looked directly into his eyes.

"I want everything."

"Every secret you know about the royal faction and Gu Poison King Qishan. Every hidden base. Every ally and enemy. Every experiment. Every contingency plan."

The smile on Aksai’s face widened slightly.

His eyes carried a dangerous glint.

"The dead don’t usually get a second chance. You did. So let’s make sure your rebirth proves useful."

Arkaal bowed deeply.

"As you command, my liege. I will answer your questions to the best of my abilities and knowledge. However, please forgive me if I cannot recall a few details due to my rebirth or because I did not know them even when I was serving my master back then."

Aksai remained silent for a while. He allowed Arkaal to organize his thoughts. Eventually, Arkaal took a deep breath and began speaking.

"My liege, if you wish to understand the royal faction, then you must first understand why it was created."

Aksai nodded.

"Go on."

Arkaal lowered his head slightly.

"The royal faction was never satisfied with the current order of the Dadangar Subcontinent."

"To the common people, the kings and royal clans appear to be the rulers. They collect taxes and govern cities. They command armies and decide laws."

He paused briefly.

"But all of that is only on the surface."

"The true power of the subcontinent has always belonged to the sects."

Aksai quietly listened.

Arkaal continued.

"The Big Five Righteous Sects and the Major Three Demonic Sects control almost every important cultivation resource."

"They control Spirit veins and cultivation inheritances. They control talented disciples and powerful cultivators."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"The royal clans may rule millions of mortals, but the sects rule the elite. And in our world, the elite decide everything."

Aksai nodded slowly.

That much matched what he had already observed himself.

The Kaan Kingdom was a perfect example.

Prince Arven was influential. The king was influential. Yet both still had to respect the Eastern Limiya Gate.

Arkaal continued speaking.

"The sects usually don’t interfere with the daily affairs of kingdoms. They rarely care about taxes and politics. They rarely care about succession disputes.

"But that does not change one fact. The sects can destroy kingdoms whenever they wish."

A cold smile appeared on Arkaal’s face.

"There have been many instances throughout history where entire royal clans disappeared overnight."

"Some offended powerful sect elders. Some refused sect demands. Some simply became inconvenient. The result was always the same.

"The old royal families vanished. A new royal family took its place overnight. And the kingdoms continued operating as if nothing had happened."

Aksai folded his arms. He could easily imagine such things happening. In the cultivation world, strength decided everything. Justice was often an afterthought.

Arkaal continued.

"This constant threat caused the royal clans to become wary. Many kings lived their entire lives beneath the shadow of the sects. They possessed authority but lacked security."

He looked toward Aksai.

"Imagine ruling a kingdom while knowing that a single Lord from a nearby sect could erase your entire bloodline if they truly wished."

Aksai smiled faintly.

"That would indeed be unpleasant."

Arkaal nodded.

"Exactly."

"As a result, many royal clans secretly searched for ways to strengthen themselves. Some sought outside allies. Some developed hidden forces. Others maintained connections with powerful clans beyond the subcontinent."

Aksai raised an eyebrow.

"Beyond the subcontinent?"

Arkaal nodded.

"Many people believe the royal clans are merely secular rulers. But that isn’t true. Some royal bloodlines have ancient origins."

"Some trace their roots to the Shinayin Empire. Others have connections that go even further."

Aksai became more interested.

Arkaal continued.

"Take my former master as an example."

"Poison Gu King Qishan. He wasn’t originally from the Dadangar Subcontinent."

Aksai’s eyes narrowed slightly. He already suspected as much.

Arkaal continued.

"Master Qishan once served a powerful clan. The Ignis Clan. The same clan that still rules a city-state in a place called the Eternal Sea."

Aksai listened carefully. This was new information.

"The Ignis Clan sent Master Qishan here long ago. He wasn’t sent to conquer anything or to establish a kingdom. He was sent to watch over something."

"The Void Water Pond."

Aksai’s eyes narrowed as he came to a conclusion.

Arkaal nodded.

"The Void Water Pond existed long before Master Qishan arrived. It even existed before the arrival of the Mad Immortal."

Aksai was surprised but remained silent.

Arkaal continued.

"When Master Qishan arrived, the subcontinent looked very different. There were no stable kingdoms. There were no major sects.

"There were countless wars. Countless factions. Countless rulers. The land was constantly changing."

Aksai could imagine it.

The modern map of the subcontinent had likely been built upon centuries of bloodshed.

"Master Qishan stayed neutral during those wars. He didn’t care who won. He only cared about protecting the Void Water Pond."

"However, once certain kingdoms started becoming dominant, he secretly established relationships with them. He offered guidance and special resources. To a few of them, he also offered hidden support. In return, the kingdoms were supposed to do Qishan’s bidding for centuries to come."

Aksai immediately understood. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Arkaal spoke further.

"Over time, these relationships expanded. More royal clans became involved. More kingdoms joined. Eventually, a hidden network formed."

"The network that would later become the royal faction."

He looked directly at Aksai.

"One could say that Master Qishan was one of the founding fathers of the royal faction that exists today."

Aksai digested everything he had heard. Most of it aligned with the conclusions he had already reached.

The royal faction had not appeared recently. It had existed for centuries. They had simply remained hidden for various reasons.

Waiting.

Growing.

Accumulating power.

And when that accumulation reached a certain stage, they decided to establish a new order in the subcontinent.