Aksai decided to bring down the opponent’s puppeteering network altogether by serving its connection with the nodes.
“The metal rods are used to control the actions of the tree devils and define their responses to various situations. As soon as these rods are removed, the tree devils’ connection with the demon tree gets severed.
It’s like severing the strings attached to the puppets, eradicating the puppeteer’s control over them. Or like unplugging the nodes from a network.
I could use this weakness to my advantage and neutralize hordes of the tree devils at the same time,” Aksai thought to himself as he caressed his chin in contemplation.
As a Spirit cultivator, Aksai could think of several ways he could prevent the tree devils from overwhelming him at the time of his direct confrontation with the corrupted druid. He just needed to find a way that suited him the best in his situation.
“I guess I’ll need to return to Dadangar and ask around,” Aksai thought to himself, and in the next moment, a determined expression painted his face.
He looked around and made sure that everything was in order before disappearing from his position.
Just like that, the Spirit farmer had returned to his homeworld.
***
Cultivation World Dadangar.
Aksai’s home world.
A lot had changed during 12 years.
Firstly, the tussle between the Lakir family’s remnant forces and the Purple River Sect had ceased. The Wilben family was completely eradicated down to its last scion as a direct result of this halt.
The Lakir family’s remnant forces retreated to Purple Poison Marshland after it achieved all its objectives. It was said that the family was biding its time in silence to make a comeback.
The Purple River Sect, on the other hand, got busy managing the inheritance ground it had “rightfully” obtained after the two Foundation Building families were destroyed. It started using the inheritance grounds as a way to train its most promising disciples.
The inheritance grounds were open to the remaining populace of the Rokur kingdom as well. The sect charged Spirit cultivators for them to gain entry, making a steady source of income for itself.
The tension between Wuyum and Ragui Counties had also ceased. It was as if the Spirit cultivators were never at each other’s throats in the first place. However, this relief did not mean that the Rokur kingdom itself was calm as a whole.
A new conflict had begun between the Rokur Kingdom and its neighbor Isla Kingdom. Or rather, it was the conflict between the two sects that had resulted in the tension between the two kingdoms.
The Purple River Sect of the Rokur Kingdom and the Sun Ocean Society of the Isla Kingdom were competing against each other. The battleground of this competition was none other than the Dadangar Archipelago.
The Dadangar Archipelago was located to the west of both the Rokur and Isla kingdoms in the Dadangar Western Seas. It consisted of numerous small and big islands.
These islands were self-governed for the most part and away from being controlled by any prominent organization in the mainland that was the Dadangar five-kingdom subcontinent.
Both Purple River Sect and Sun Ocean Society had no interest in spreading their influence in the Dadangar Archipelago at first. However, that all changed when something peculiar started happening to various islands in the archipelago.
The cold war between the two sects had started a few years ago when they discovered that some of the islands had started to show signs of developing top-grade 1st-order and many 2nd-order Spirit veins.
***
What were the Spirit veins?
In Aksai’s home world of Dadangar, Spirit veins were considered as the lifeblood of cultivation. These natural conduits of Spirit energy crisscrossed the land, weaving through mountains, forests, and plains like invisible rivers of power.
Each Spirit vein possessed its unique essence, from the fiery vigor of the Flame Vein to the tranquil flow of the Serenity Vein.
These veins weren’t just sources of Spirit energy; they were the beating heart of the world itself. Generations of cultivators had revered and harnessed their power, establishing sects, clans, and sacred sites in their vicinity.
The Spirit veins were considered ideal places for one to cultivate using their respective cultivation techniques. One could gain double the gains with half the efforts if they were to cultivate on land that had a suitable Spirit vein for their Spirit cultivation.
Places like the towering mountain peaks or the serene groves of the forests were chosen specifically for their proximity to potent Spirit veins.
Cultivators flocked to these areas, seeking to absorb and refine the Spirit essence that permeated the air. Through rigorous training and meditation, they honed their skills, drawing strength from the rich essence of the Spirit veins.
Cultivation techniques as well as the various cultivation arts flourished on such lands. One could produce higher-grade talismans, pills, formations, etc after they were infused with the essence of the land.
Spiritual awakenings and enlightenments were not considered as an extremely rare phenomenon among those who lived right above or closer to the Spirit veins.
It was said that standing atop a Spirit vein during the peak of a celestial alignment could grant profound insights into the mysteries of cultivation. Many cultivators spent years in seclusion, meditating upon the whispers of the Spirit veins, seeking enlightenment.
But Spirit veins were not without their dangers. Rival sects vied for control of these precious resources, sparking conflicts that lasted for decades or even centuries on end. Even dark forces consisting of the demonic cultivators lurked in the shadows, seeking to corrupt or exploit the power of the Spirit veins for their purposes.
Despite the risks, the allure of the Spirit veins remained undeniable. For cultivators like Aksai who was in the 9th stage of the Spirit Refining realm, they were a source of endless fascination and opportunity.
The conflict between the two sects stemmed from the emergence of Spirit veins in the Western Seas of Dadangar. It began as a covert cold war, kept hush-hush by both sides.
Both sects aimed to conceal this clandestine conflict, wary of the other three major sects discovering the newfound Spirit veins. They secretly manipulated local forces and employed various tactics to cloak the existence of these potent Spirit veins.
Yet, secrets have a knack for surfacing despite human efforts to keep them buried.
When human strength and cunning faltered, the essence of the world itself had a way of laying bare the truth.
===
AN: Sun Ocean Society, Isla Kingdom, and their conflict with the Purple River Sect were first highlighted in chapter 89.