Nuya’s Palace. Emerald Cove. Dadangar.
Aksai and Nuya strolled through the lush Spirit garden at the back of her palace, bathed in the soft glow of moonlight.
The two Spirit cultivators, despite their advanced age by mortal standards, looked as young as late teens due to their cultivation base.
Nuya’s lush black hair, as dark as the starless night sky, cascaded down her back. Her pinkish-red lips were stunning, and her ocean-blue eyes looked extra mesmerizing in the moonlight.
Aksai noticed a layer of frost energy surrounding her, a result of her unique ice-element cultivation technique. It added to her charms.
‘She… she is indeed beautiful,’ Aksai thought to himself, admiring her grace and elegance.
As they walked, they chatted casually, discussing various matters related to Emerald Cove and the situation beyond the island. Their conversations were a regular occurrence whenever they found time, given their roles as island owners.
“How is the progress on the new array formations that I told you about last time?” Aksai asked, glancing at Nuya.
“We’ve made significant progress,” Nuya replied, her voice carrying a serene confidence. “The new formations are showing promising results. The energy flow is more efficient, and we’re seeing an increase in the overall yield of Spirit crops.”
After seeing how Aksai managed his farm, Nuya had asked for some aid from him in managing her domain. The Spirit farmer had told her many things that she could do to improve the quantity and quantity aspects of her crops.
The array formations he had handed to Nuya were part of the solution he had asked her to implement.
Aksai nodded in approval. “That’s good to hear. Efficiency is key. We need to start building rainy day funds for the whole island as well, especially with the increasing threats from outside.”
Even though the Emerald Cove was backed by the Purple River Sect, the situation in the seas was a bit sensitive. Kalingoot was getting bolder by the day.
It was just waiting for the opportunity to shake things up and become the sole hegemony of the Dadangar Archipelago.
Nuya’s eyes sparkled with determination. “Yes, we need to be prepared for anything. The situation with Kalingoot and their backers is getting more intense.”
Aksai sighed. “I know. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you tonight.”
Nuya raised an eyebrow, curious. “What’s on your mind?”
“I’m planning to leave the island in the near future for some important work,” Aksai said, his tone serious.
Nuya nodded thoughtfully. “But… but it’s dangerous to step outside the island these days, Aksai. I think the island would have seen some unrest and foreign attacks if it wasn’t for your defensive-type formation.
You also need to think about what would happen to the island in your absence. Your absence could create vulnerabilities in the array formation you have set up.”
Nuya was naturally talking about the Devil’s Den that had covered the entire island by this point. It would stay invisible to the naked eye for the most part. However, it would reveal itself to the intruders whenever they tried to gain illegal entry on the island.
Aksai had captured many intruders this way, turning them into fertilizers for his demon tree or transforming them into lesser-rank puppets. At this point, he didn’t even have to intervene himself. The demon tree itself was capable of using the advantages of the Devil’s Den in its own way.
As soon as it deemed someone suspicious and Aksai agreed with that conjecture, the demon tree would capture the intruders itself before bringing them to where Aksai was using its own unique ways.
The Kalingoot had sent many intruders to infiltrate on Emerald Cove but none of them so much as made a peep because of the existence of the Devil’ Den.
By this point, the enemy organization had come to realize that the Spirit cultivators they sent below the Foundation Building realm could not come back alive from Emerald Cove. As such, there was no intrusion attempt from the last few months.
The Kalingoot leaders had also developed animosity towards Aksai for turning all of their attempts into failures. While Nuya and others were busy exploring the cave, he had single handedly defended Emerald Cove against any kind of disturbance initiated by the enemies. As such, they wanted to target Aksai as well, which would finally weaken the island. They would also be able to avenge their fallen subordinates if they were to get rid of Aksai.
However, Aksai had not left the island for many years, not giving his enemies the opportunity to target him. They were helpless against someone who liked to stay locked up in his own palace and enjoying his free time with his maids.
***
“I’ve thought about that,” Aksai replied. “That’s why I wanted to discuss it with you first. We need to bolster our defenses and ensure that Emerald Cove can withstand any attacks while I’m away.
This is why I’ll hand over the administrative control of the Formation to you before I leave. Don’t worry. I’ll also provide you with a set of instructions that can help you take complete control over the formation. If everything goes well, you should be able to make use of 70 percent of the formation’s potential, which is plenty considering the kind of enemies you’d have to deal with, if there are any,” Aksai explained.
The Devil’s Den that acted as the primary defense of Emerald Cove was not the only array formation Aksai had arranged on the island. There were many other supplementary formations that helped him control the Devil’s Den in his own way.
Aksai had decided to give some administrative rights to Nuya that would help her take control of the supplementary formation. She would then be able to control Devil’s Den as well through these supplementary formations.
Aksai explained the steps to Nuya related to the operation of the defensive-type formations. He also gave her a few scrolls that she could refer to if she had any difficulties in understanding some concepts.
Nuya’s eyes narrowed in focus. “It seems you have been planning this trip for a long time. Where are you going exactly, if you don’t mind me asking?”
Nuya knew that Aksai had stayed on the island for far too long. And that he needed to stretch his legs a bit by exploring Dadangar. After all, gaining various forms of experiences was also a part of a Spirit cultivator’s path.
However, she didn’t like that Aksai had chosen a particularly unsuitable time to do so.
Aksai smiled, appreciating her support. “Hehe. Are you worried about me?”
Nuya’s cheeks tinged with a hint of color, a rare display of emotion from her. “I… I just wanted to know if there’s anything I could help you with for your journey.”
“Right,” Aksai smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m only planning to visit the periphery of the Eternal Beast Dynasty a bit.”
They continued walking, the moonlight casting a serene glow over the garden. The soft rustling of leaves and the distant chirping of night creatures created a peaceful ambiance, contrasting the weight of their conversation.
“I’ll also leave some of my puppets to help with the defenses,” Aksai said. “They can be quite useful in keeping watch and managing the farm fields.”
Nuya nodded. “That… that would be helpful.”
As they walked in companionable silence for a few moments, Aksai couldn’t help but feel a sense of reassurance. Despite the challenges ahead, he knew that with allies like Nuya, Emerald Cove would remain strong and resilient.
“By the way,” Aksai said, breaking the silence, “congratulations on reaching the middle stage of the Foundation Building realm. It’s an impressive achievement.”
It seemed that Nuya had used the opportunities she received inside the ancient cave quite well. Her cultivation base had practically skyrocketed, enabling her to save many years of arduous cultivation.
Nuya smiled, her eyes twinkling. “Thank you, Aksai. You know you were a few months late to congratulate me, right? But I appreciate your thanks. You were busy with your own cultivation after all,” Nuya said, tucking her hair strands behind her left ear.
Aksai was about to say something to Nuya. However, he suddenly started feeling as if his blood was boiling. His vision began to blur and his heartbeat increased. He didn’t understand what was happening to him until the neural link fabric’s spectral notification popped up in front of his vision.
“Aksai, what’s wrong?” Nuya asked, looking concerned. With her Spirit Sense, she could immediately sense that something was wrong with Aksai. However, she couldn’t tell what it was or where it came from. She could only deduce that the changes happening to Aksai were internal.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry. It’s related to my cultivation. I… I should get back to my palace. I’ll contact you later,” Aksai said before summoning his flying sword. He jumped on the artifact and flew off rapidly in the direction of his palace.
[The 1st stage of the bloodline refinement has reached a critical level: 99%]
“Finally,” Aksai murmured to himself as he looked at the spectral window before dismissing it. He flew like an arrow and quickly reached his palace.
Soon, Aksai was seen sitting under the demon tree in a meditative pose, his eyes closed. He was preparing himself to complete the first stage of the bloodline refinement.
This was the first metamorphosis he was going to have as a progenitor of his own bloodline. Aksai was excited.