Aksai remained silent, holding the ring.
‘I guess staying on Emerald Cove for far too long has kept me away from the happenings of the mainland. This old geezer seems to have even more ill fame than I had initially thought.’
Just by observing the reactions of the spectators around him, the Spirit farmer concluded that he had underestimated the level of threat Mao posed because of his demonic talismans, but Calla’s words carried a weight that made him consider her perspective.
Calla didn’t want Aksai to accept Mao’s inheritance and become an equal threat to order himself. She subtly tried to put pressure on him by mentioning her background. “Please,” she added, her voice soft but insistent, “hand over the ring. It is for the greater good.”
Aksai looked around the room. The other cultivators were watching with bated breath, their fear of Mao’s legacy clear on their faces. Calla’s request wasn’t just about the ring. It was about maintaining a balance, about preventing another potential viciously demonic cultivator from rising.
Aksai weighed his options. The storage ring could contain valuable knowledge and resources, but accepting it would also mean inheriting Mao’s legacy of danger and conflict.
‘Damn it. How did I get involved in this mess?’ he thought to himself as he gripped Mao’s storage ring tighter.
A group of demonic cultivators who had been keeping quiet and serving as spectators to the battle suddenly stepped forward.
One of them, a tall man with a scarface mask, spoke first, his voice dripping with menace.
“Hand over the ring, boy. Darkshade’s inheritance belongs to us. Hehehe. I didn’t think he would die by a junior’s hands. Guess he really was injured beyond recovery as the rumors say. You don’t think you actually killed that man, do you?”
Another demonic cultivator, a woman wearing a half mask with wild, unkempt hair and a cruel smile, added, “that’s right. Mao’s inheritance belongs to the demonic cultivators like us. You think you can just take what’s rightfully ours? We’ll carve you up and take it ourselves.”
Their threats grew more vile, their words designed to intimidate. They turned to Calla, their tone equally hostile. “And you, lady of the Purple River Sect, stay out of this. This is none of your business. This is a matter between the demonic cultivator and this rogue fellow. And we’ll settle it in our own way.”
Calla seethed with anger, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. She took a step forward, her voice icy. “Enough. I am a former elder of the Purple River Sect, and I will not tolerate such insolence. If you think you can intimidate me or anyone here, think again.”
She glanced around the room, her eyes locking onto the other righteous cultivators present. “Members of the Big Five Sects, stand with me. We will not let these demonic scum take what they want by force.”
The righteous cultivators, though initially hesitant, began to step forward, forming a line behind Calla. The room was filled with the tension between the two factions.
‘Look at these people… a pack of hyenas on one end and a volt of vultures on the other. They both may look different but they are essentially the same– going after someone else’s kill.’
Aksai found the quarrel between the demonic and righteous factions amusing. However, as both sides tried to threaten him further, he narrowed his eyes and spoke in a voice that cut through the noise.
“Shut the fu*sk up, all of you.”
The room fell silent, everyone turning to look at Aksai. Calla attempted to speak again, but Aksai raised a hand to stop her.
“Shut your filthy mouth, you fu*king harlot.”
Aksai spoke once again. He had left the decorum in his speech behind. Calla clearly didn’t like that. However, he spoke further before she could take objection.
“Listen the f*ck up, bitch. I would have at least listened to your proposal if you had fought with Mao alongside me. If you had provided me with any kind of support during the battle. But what did you do? As soon as you knew it was Mao, you got scared shitless and decided to let him kill me so that you could save your skin.
You soiled your pants and gave a wide berth to that old geezer so that he could kill me and spare you all. I’m sure you would kissed that old man’s wrinkly a** if it was him who had come out alive from his death battle with me.”
Calla’s face flushed with embarrassment and anger, but she remained silent as Aksai continued.
“This is not how a host of an exchange meeting should have acted. You had the whole Array Formation to support you if you had just decided to fight alongside me. But your fear for Mao was so strong that it made you lose all hope from the beginning.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Perhaps I would have also done the same if I were in your shoes. Perhaps, I wouldn’t have cared about my guests either if there was a bigger threat in the event that I organized, and I would have tried to save my skin too.
But you know what I wouldn’t have done? I wouldn’t have tried to put pressure on the guy who took care of the biggest threat and then have the audacity to pressure him to hand over the inheritance he had fairly won in the duel.”
Aksai’s voice was cold, each word slowly and deliberately laced with a naked threat. The demonic cultivators shifted uneasily, recognizing the seriousness of his tone.
“Same goes for all of you,” Aksai said, looking around the room, “if anyone still thinks they can take what I’ve earned, step forward. But know this: you’ll be dealing with me, and I won’t be as forgiving and kind-hearted as Mao.
In fact, he is my half-master from now on. As his half-disciple, I will not let his inheritance get taken by some scared little bit**ches like you lot here.”
Saying this, Aksai took out the vicious healing-type talisman he had saved in his storage ring before his battle with Mao. He couldn’t find an opening to use the talisman on its owner. But this very talisman could be used as a trump card for all his potential enemies in the hall.
A quick look into Mao’s storage ring made the smile on Aksai’s face even wider. This was because he found 20 more vicious healing-type talismans inside.
He took them all out and held them like he was playing cards.
“Now who wants to grow tumors inside them after I shove these talismans up your rec*tum? Step forward and receive your blessings.”