A Farmer's Journey To Immortality - Chapter 759: Meeting Purple River Lord Once Again
Chapter 759: Meeting Purple River Lord Once Again
Heilam’s hands clenched into fists.
His shoulders tensed as he looked at the damage around him. Anger flashed across his face, but he said nothing. He swallowed his words and kept walking.
Finally, he stopped in front of a sect building that was still standing, though its walls were cracked and its doors half broken.
“This way, Lord Aksai,” Heilam said, lowering his head slightly.
He pushed the door open and led Aksai and Grisham inside, ready to hear whatever Aksai wanted to say next.
Aksai entered the damaged hall and glanced around once before walking to a wooden chair that had somehow survived the destruction. He brushed a bit of dust off it and sat down calmly.
Only after settling in did he look up at Heilam and Grisham.
“I have been away for a long time,” Aksai said. “Ten years, more or less. Tell me what has been happening in the Dadangar Subcontinent while I was gone.”
Heilam and Grisham exchanged a glance.
Heilam stepped forward first.
“Lord Aksai,” he said respectfully, “many things have changed in the last few years. The biggest change is that Spirit cultivators are finding cultivation easier than before.”
Aksai’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he did not interrupt.
Heilam continued, encouraged.
“Breakthroughs come more smoothly now. Bottlenecks that used to take years to overcome are loosening. Even cultivators with average talent are making steady progress. It feels like the world itself is helping us cultivate.”
Aksai listened in silence. The corner of his lips almost broke into a mild smile. This was because he knew the reason.
The fallen dao beast was no longer draining the dao paths of the subcontinent. The Heavenly Poison Pyramid had stopped acting like a siphon. The pressure on the world had lifted.
But he said nothing. Grisham took over.
“It’s not just cultivation speed,” Grisham added. “Spirit resources have also become easier to obtain. In the past, many Spirit herbs had to be forcefully nurtured. Now, they are being born naturally.”
He paused, choosing his words carefully.
“Precious Spirit fruits ripen on their own. Rare ore veins form faster. Even Spirit beasts are appearing more frequently in the wild. The land feels… alive again.”
Heilam nodded.
“Yes,” he said. “Many sects have noticed it. Some think it’s a blessing from Heaven. Others believe an ancient restriction has been lifted. No one truly knows the reason.”
Aksai leaned back slightly in his chair.
He did know.
The Dadangar Subcontinent had been isolated for far too long. The barriers set by the Mad Immortal, combined with the selfish survival of the fallen dao beast, had cut it off from the greater flow of Spirit essence. Now that those influences were gone, the subcontinent was slowly reconnecting.
The ambient Spirit essence was returning. The lost dao paths were flowing back. The land was healing.
Heilam hesitated before speaking again.
“There is also less conflict over resources,” he said. “Because there is more to go around, sect wars have slowed down. Of course, tensions still exist… like with the Purple River Sect. But overall, things are calmer than before.”
Aksai nodded faintly.
“I see,” he said.
He did not explain anything further.
To Heilam and Grisham, it sounded like a simple response. But to Aksai, it confirmed what he already knew.
The world had changed because of choices he had made.
And it would continue to change, whether he wished for it or not.
’Well… it’s a good thing that the subcontinent is healing. However, this improvement would eventually slow down after another decade. And it would take hundreds of years for the subcontinent to actually catch up with the rest of the world. The regions beyond the subcontinent will still be a much better choice for Spirit cultivation after a certain stage in the Spirit cultivation.’
Aksai sighed and thought to himself. He leaned forward slightly and rested his elbows on his knees. After listening to the state of the subcontinent, his gaze shifted to Grisham.
“What about the Emerald Cove Guild?” Aksai asked. “How has it been doing in my absence?”
Grisham straightened his back a little. A faint smile appeared on his face.
“It has grown steadily over the last ten years, my lord,” he said. “Faster than anyone expected.”
He paused, then continued in a calm but confident tone.
“At first, it was known mainly as a merchant guild with unusual backing. But over time, it expanded its trade routes, absorbed many smaller sects, and formed long-term ties with several mid-sized sects.”
Aksai listened quietly.
Grisham went on, “Its information network is especially strong now. No major event in the Dadangar Subcontinent happens without the guild hearing about it within days. In some regions, it hears about things even before the local sects do.”
Heilam looked surprised.
“I’ve heard the same,” he added. “Many sects now rely on the Emerald Cove Guild for rare Spirit resources and safe exchanges. Even some elders from major sects deal with the guild in private.”
Grisham nodded.
“In terms of influence alone,” he said, “the Emerald Cove Guild is already comparable to one of the Big Five Sects.”
Aksai’s expression remained calm, but his eyes flickered slightly.
“And now,” Grisham continued, “with the Purple River Sect losing power and prestige, the balance is shifting.”
He lowered his voice a little.
“If things continue like this, it won’t take long before the Emerald Cove Guild takes its place among the Big Five Sects.”
The room fell quiet for a moment.
Aksai leaned back in his chair and let out a slow breath.
“So it has come this far already,” he said softly.
He did not look surprised. If anything, it felt inevitable. After all, he had already put many plans in motion before leaving Emerald Cove Island ten years ago. These plans were showing their effectiveness at this point.
Aksai was thinking about all kinds of possibilities when all of a sudden a calm voice suddenly echoed through the damaged hall.
“Lad, do you really think my Purple River Sect would fall out of the Big Five that easily?”
The air changed in an instant.
It grew heavy, thick, and crushing. An unseen force pressed down like a mountain. Grisham’s face turned pale as his knees bent against his will. His body trembled as the pressure forced him toward the ground.
A Lord.
Heilam’s heart skipped a beat. He could not even breathe properly.
But Aksai did not move. He had already sensed the arrival long before the voice spoke. A faint smile appeared on his face.
Without standing up, Aksai released his own aura. It spread out quietly and wrapped around Grisham like a shield. The pressure pushing Grisham down was halted mid-way.
Grisham gasped as the force stopped just short of breaking him. The room fell into a strange silence. Two invisible powers clashed like two ethereal tidal waves.
No explosions. No loud sounds. Only a tense, silent struggle.
Grisham was caught in the middle. Even with Aksai protecting him, his soul still felt like it was being pulled from two sides. Pain spread through his body, making cold sweat drip down his back.
Neither side gave way. The balance held. That alone was shocking.
From the outside, Aksai looked calm. But this was a direct contest between two Core Formation Lords. One was a veteran who had ruled for decades. The other was someone who had stepped into the realm not long ago.
And yet… Aksai was holding his ground.
A low chuckle echoed in the hall.
“Oh?” the voice said. “I haven’t seen Lord Turtle in a long time. And in this short span, you’ve grown this much.”
The pressure slowly faded.
Grisham slumped slightly but remained standing. He took a deep breath, finally free. Heilam stared ahead, his eyes wide with disbelief.
A figure slowly took shape in front of them.
Purple robes. Cold eyes. An aura as deep and steady as a river.
The Purple River Lord had arrived in person.
Aksai stood up from his chair and smiled.
“Purple River Lord,” he said calmly, “your timing is indeed impeccable.”
He gestured toward the empty chair across from him.
“Please don’t mind my subordinates,” Aksai continued. “Take a seat.”
His smile deepened slightly.
“We have a lot to discuss.”
The Purple River Lord slowly sat down on the chair across from Aksai.
The wood creaked under his weight, even though he barely touched it. His back was straight, his hands resting calmly on his knees. Yet his face was tight. His brows were drawn together in a deep frown, as if something had already displeased him before the talk even began.
His sharp eyes moved away from Aksai and landed on Heilam.
The warmth in the room dropped.
“These days,” the Purple River Lord said coldly, “there are little rats trying to pull my sect down so they can take its place.”
His gaze sharpened as he spoke.
“Lord Turtle,” he continued, turning his head slightly toward Aksai, “don’t you think such rats should be taught a proper lesson?”
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com
