Chapter 959: Choices P9: Humeyin’s Convoy

Aksai sat in his study, quietly reading through several newly delivered scrolls.

They contained the latest updates concerning Emerald Cove Island.

Only a day had passed since he had gathered his core subordinates, given them their respective instructions, and secured their departure from the island.

Yet, in that single day, the island had already undergone some major changes.

Except for the mortal populace, low-level Spirit cultivators, and a portion of the less important but still active members of the island administration, most of Emerald Cove Island’s core forces had already left.

Naturally, the news of their departure had been kept secret from the masses.

A sudden announcement that the island’s strongest cultivators were abandoning it would only cause unnecessary panic.

For now, the ordinary inhabitants continued with their daily lives.

But that peace wouldn’t last.

Aksai had already ordered the premature harvesting of the island’s Spirit resources, and the changes were impossible for the rental Spirit farmers to ignore.

Many of them had begun to grow worried and anxious after seeing Spirit crops being harvested well ahead of schedule.

It would only take a few more days before they started noticing another problem.

The absence of the island’s core members.

Fortunately, not everyone had left.

Some members of the core administration had chosen to remain on Emerald Cove Island for various reasons. Jasmine and Dia Naya were among them.

These people would eventually take control of the island’s administration after Aksai departed.

As such, Aksai didn’t need to worry too much about law and order or the safety of those who had chosen to stay behind.

The Devil’s Den formation alone was enough to deter most ordinary troublemakers.

On top of that, Aksai would be leaving behind a considerable number of Sentient Fiends. They were low-level Fiends but their mere presence was enough to maintain order.

Even if some ambitious cultivators attempted to take advantage of the island’s weakened state, they would have to think twice before doing so.

Aksai turned another page of the scroll.

At that moment, a talisman suddenly flew into the study from somewhere outside.

It stopped roughly half an arm’s distance from his face before flashing with a faint light.

A communication talisman.

Aksai didn’t even bother looking at it.

He simply raised one hand while continuing to read.

The talisman floated into his palm.

A brief message entered his mind.

A special convoy had arrived at Emerald Cove Island.

They were currently waiting inside a reception hall that had been specially prepared for them.

And they were waiting for Aksai to show up.

Aksai finally stopped reading.

"Kind of a bad timing..."

He sighed and raised a hand to massage his forehead.

"But I can’t blame them. After all, it was I who asked her to come here in the first place."

The convoy belonged to the Blackblood Sect.

And accompanying it was none other than Humeyin Blackblood.

She was the younger sister of Haitin Blackblood, the current Sect Master of the Blackblood Sect.

More importantly...

She was the daughter of Aksai’s late master. Or, more precisely, the daughter of the man who had been his master for only a very brief period of time.

Aksai’s expression became slightly complicated.

He had almost forgotten that this particular appointment would eventually catch up with him (Chapter 827).

He glanced at the pile of scrolls scattered across his desk.

Then he looked toward the direction of the reception hall.

"So much for having a quiet exit."

With another sigh, Aksai put the scroll down before heading to the reception hall.

***

The reception hall of Shamrock Sanctuary was currently occupied by three people waiting for Aksai to arrive.

The first was Selene Bloodmist, a capable elder of the Blackblood Sect and one of the trusted aides of its current Sect Master, Haitin Blackblood (Chapter 825).

Selene was also a member of the Blackblood Clan. However, she came from a side branch of the family.

Selene wore dark crimson robes decorated with intricate black patterns. Her long black hair was tied neatly into a ponytail behind her head, leaving her sharp features fully exposed.

Her eyes constantly moved around the reception hall.

Even when she appeared to be doing nothing, her gaze seemed to be observing everything around her.

That habit wasn’t without reason.

Selene was primarily responsible for the Blackblood Sect’s intelligence network.

Her spies were scattered throughout the Wild Devil Lands and had even infiltrated territories beyond the regions directly controlled by the demonic faction.

Information gathering, identifying threats, tracking movements, and maintaining hidden contacts were all part of her responsibilities.

Haitin had therefore chosen her to accompany Humeyin on this journey for more than just protection.

He needed someone he could trust to keep a close eye on his sister.

And there were few people better suited for that task than Selene.

Her cultivation was only at the 9th level of the Foundation Establishment realm, which made her appear rather unimpressive compared to Humeyin herself, whom she was supposed to protect.

And if it weren’t for Humeyin’s severe daytime weakness due to her physique, deploying Selene to protect her would indeed have been laughable.

However, Selene had her own ways of dealing with security threats.

After all, one’s cultivation wasn’t everything.

Selene possessed numerous trump cards accumulated through years of serving as an intelligence elder of the Blackblood Sect.

Even a typical initial-stage Core Formation Lord would hesitate before casually confronting her.

Spirit cultivators who acted as intelligence operatives for their respective organizations rarely survived by relying solely on their cultivation.

Selene was particularly good at making sure her opponents didn’t know what she was capable of until it was already too late.

The second person waiting in the hall was someone Aksai knew far better.

She was none other than Zinnia Jolen. (Chapter 72, from Martial World Sharang).

She was one of Aksai’s head maids, alongside Violet and Zara.

Unlike those two, however, Zinnia rarely remained on Emerald Cove Island for long periods.

Her responsibilities were primarily connected to the mainland.