A Farmer's Journey To Immortality - Chapter 723: Mroot Yaksha Sect’s Unknown Status
Chapter 723: Mroot Yaksha Sect’s Unknown Status
Aksai’s eyes widened slightly when Nuri spoke those words.
“They already have?” he asked, his voice calm but sharp. “What do you mean by that?”
There was a short pause as Nuri accessed stored data and cross-checked old records.
[Master, during the last fourteen years, the Lords from the Big Five Sects have all been attacked at least once.]
Aksai’s expression grew more serious by the minute. He slowly walked toward the window and looked out at the calm sea of Emerald Cove.
“Explain,” he said.
Nuri continued.
[For example, the Purple River Lord of the Purple River Sect.]
Aksai’s eyes narrowed slightly.
[Eleven years ago, during his exploration of the Duya Forest, it was rumored that he suffered a serious wound on his left shoulder.]
Aksai frowned.
“That rumor spread quite a bit back then,” he said. “I remember hearing it.”
[Yes, Master,] Nuri replied. [The masses labeled it as false information. The Purple River Sect also denied it publicly.]
Aksai crossed his arms.
“But it was true,” he said quietly.
[For the most part, yes,] Nuri replied. [My spies inside the Big Five Sects confirmed it.]
Nuri paused for a brief moment before continuing.
[There was also another incident involving the Purple River Lord.]
Aksai turned his head slightly.
[One of the sect elders attacked him inside the sect. The elder was killed on the spot by the Lord’s personal protectors.]
Aksai let out a slow breath.
“I remember that too,” he said. “They said the elder had gone mad due to cultivation backlash.”
[That was the official explanation,] Nuri replied. [But it was an assassination attempt.]
Silence filled the room.
Nuri continued.
[The other Lords faced similar situations.]
Aksai listened closely.
[Some intercepted their attackers before any real harm was done. Others were injured to varying degrees.]
Aksai’s fingers tapped lightly against the window frame.
“And all of this happened quietly,” he said.
[Yes, Master,] Nuri replied. [The incidents were covered up as accidents, inner disputes, or rumors.]
Aksai closed his eyes for a brief moment.
“So it wasn’t just me,” he murmured.
[No, Master.]
Nuri’s voice grew more serious.
[After these incidents, all five Lords from the Big Five Sects changed their behavior.]
Aksai opened his eyes.
[They either entered close-door cultivation or left to explore secret realms alone. Their exact whereabouts are currently unknown to most.]
Aksai felt a chill run through his thoughts.
“They went silent to avoid further attacks,” he said slowly. “Or to hunt the threat themselves.”
[That is the most likely conclusion,] Nuri replied.
Aksai stared at the peaceful horizon beyond his palace.
“Someone is hunting Lords,” he said and narrowed his eyes. “And they’ve been doing it for years.”
Nuri stayed silent for a moment after laying out the facts. Then she asked in a calm voice.
[Master, why would the other Lords want to keep these attacks hidden?]
Aksai was standing near the table, pouring himself a cup of tea. He paused and let out a soft chuckle.
“Because their reputation is at stake,” he said. “Or rather, the reputation that comes with being a Lord.”
He took a small sip and continued.
“In the Dadangar Subcontinent, Core Formation Lords are seen as the peaks. To most people, they are supreme beings. They stand above sects, clans, and even royal powers.”
He placed the cup down and looked at the quiet room.
“Each of them controls a strong and well-known sect. Their names alone can shake regions.”
Nuri listened carefully.
“If news spreads that they were attacked,” Aksai went on, “and that the attack was real, then cracks appear in that image.”
He raised a finger slightly.
“People would start to doubt them. Enemies would grow bolder. Allies would hesitate. Their sect’s reputation would suffer. The Big Five Sects exist because there are Lords behind them. Otherwise, they would be no different from other well-established sects who have everything except for having a Lord as their sect master.”
He shook his head.
“A crack in a Lord’s image would lead to many problems. Power struggles inside the sect. Pressure from outside forces. Even challenges to their authority.
“A Lord can indeed suppress a lot of such problems just by being there. But by doing that, they would have to let go of other projects and focus their attention on these trivial matters. As such, it is better to keep these things hidden from the masses and resolve them in the dark.”
Nuri processed his words for a moment before asking another question.
[But wouldn’t spreading awareness and cooperating with each other make them safer? These forbidden Spirit Spells and items can put even a Lord’s life in danger.]
Aksai laughed softly.
“You are improving a lot, Nuri,” he said. “But you still don’t fully understand human nature at its core.”
He leaned back against the table.
“The other Lords don’t trust each other. Not completely.”
His smile faded a little.
“Just like I didn’t trust anyone when I was attacked. The very first thing I thought of was there being another Lord behind the attack. But thanks to the Fortune Telling Arts and my Astral Third Eye, I could at least tell that the assassin had nothing to do with the Big Five Sects directly. So I ruled out that possibility and came up with another obvious answer.”
He folded his arms.
“But for better or worse, the other Lords don’t have such a trick up their sleeves. Thus, now each Lord wonders if the others might be involved. Or if helping today would expose weakness tomorrow.”
Nuri stayed quiet.
“And then there’s pride,” Aksai continued. “And fear.”
He sighed.
“Who would ask for help first? If one Lord speaks up, he looks weak. He looks afraid.”
Aksai shook his head again.
“They all want to be the one others come to for help.”
A faint smirk appeared on his face.
“But none of them want to take the first step.”
Aksai was quiet for a while after speaking. His fingers tapped lightly on the table as his thoughts moved on their own.
Then his eyes narrowed. For some reason, he had only thought of the Lords from the righteous faction. But the Lords from the Big Five Sects were not the only Lords in the Dadangar Subcontinent. There should at least be one Lord from the demonic faction, right? If the 3rd Order poison didn’t kill the Mroot Yaksha Lord, he should still be present.
“Wait,” he said suddenly. “What about the Mroot Yaksha Sect?”
Nuri reacted at once.
[Do you mean their sect master, Yasen Yaksha?]
“Yes,” Aksai replied. “Did he face the same kind of attack?”
There was a short pause before Nuri answered.
[I attempted to gather information from the Mroot Yaksha Sect many years ago.]
Aksai turned his head slightly, giving her his full attention.
[I used a few Sentient Fiends and had them take the skin of low-level Spirit cultivators,] Nuri continued. [They entered the sect without any trouble at first.]
Her tone grew more serious.
[However, the moment they stepped into the inner areas of the sect, the connection between me and them was cut.]
Aksai frowned.
“Completely?” he asked.
[Yes, Master. Completely.]
[It was as if something inside the sect erased their presence.]
Aksai exhaled slowly.
“I see,” he said. “And after that?”
[I did not attempt to infiltrate the Mroot Yaksha Sect again,] Nuri replied. [Doing so could have raised suspicion toward you or the Emerald Cove Guild.]
Aksai nodded. That was a wise choice.
“The Mroot Yaksha Sect is one of the Three Major Demonic Sects,” he muttered.
“They don’t follow the same rules or logic as the righteous sects. If they faced the same situation, they would have come out in public. At the very least, they would have accused the Lords from the righteous faction to be cowards for attempting to assassinate them.
“Then again, the Blackblood Lord is dead and the Frostbound Lord simply abandoned his sect and ran off with his daughter. I… I guess I don’t know how the Major Three Demonic Sects would react to such an incident anymore.”
He fell into thought for a moment, then spoke again.
“Anyway, if the Mroot Yaksha Sect is sealed so tightly,” he said, “then what about the others?”
Nuri waited.
“What is happening inside the Blackblood Sect?” Aksai asked. “And the Frostbound Sect?”
His eyes sharpened as he looked into the empty air before him.
“If attacks are happening everywhere,” he said calmly, “then the demonic sects cannot be an exception. Unless… the Mroot Yaksha Lord himself is the culprit.”
The reason Aksai was curious about the other two sects was because he knew that if Yaksha Lord was behind the assassination attempt on him, he would only take that step after he had unified the entire demonic faction under his control.
He suddenly remembered the Blackblood Lord’s warning before he died.
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com
