A few days after the Jaishin Lake incident, Aksai found himself surrounded by luxury.
The room he stayed in was more lavish than anything he had ever experienced.
The smooth, polished stone floors gleamed beneath his feet, and intricate paintings adorned the walls, each one depicting stories of demonic cultivators and their triumphs.
The bed he had slept in was soft and cloud-like.
Dressed in a new set of robes—deep crimson with black accents, the colors of the Black Blood Demon Sect—Aksai looked well-rested. The clothes fit him perfectly, tailored to his form, and the fabric felt rich against his skin, as if even the smallest details in the sect were designed for comfort and prestige.
He was inside one of Haitin’s palaces, located within the vast territory of the Black Blood Demon Sect. This was no ordinary sect. As one of the three major demonic factions in the Wild Devil Lands, the sect operated like a massive machine, a federation of territories and organizations all working under its banner.
The Blackblood Origin Grounds, where Aksai now resided, could be considered as the sect’s capital—a sprawling city-state composed of various regions, each with its own specialty.
Alchemy, Array Formation, weapon crafting, and more were all studied and practiced here. It was a place of diligence, innovation, and ambition, but Aksai couldn’t help but admire the organization and power it exuded.
Even though he had seen the prestigious Purple River Sect, one of the Big Five Sects in the righteous faction, the Black Blood Demon Sect seemed more cohesive and well-organized to him.
Of course, he hadn’t been granted privileged access to the core regions of the Purple River Sect during his visit, but even a surface-level comparison made Haitin’s sect seem like a finely tuned machine with deeper foundations.
Did Haitin’s sect have a deeper foundation than the Purple River Sect? Or was it only the Blackblood clan that had a deeper history? Aksai couldn’t tell.
As the sun filtered through the curtains, Aksai stretched lazily, feeling the warmth on his skin. Normally, he wouldn’t spend the night sleeping like a mortal; his time was usually dedicated to cultivating his Spirit technique, constantly pushing his boundaries.
But here, in the heart of a major demonic sect, he couldn’t risk it. Letting his guard down during deep meditation could lead to all kinds of problems. Spirit cultivation required total focus, and doing that here felt reckless.
Although Aksai felt like Haitin wouldn’t harm him because of the kind of deals he had with him, he didn’t let his guard down. He couldn’t be too sure of anything.
So instead of progressing bit by bit in the Spirit cultivation, Aksai had spent his nights getting real sleep—something he hadn’t done in ages—and spent his days reading through auxiliary material, brushing up on his knowledge of demonic cultivation techniques and sect politics.
All of the knowledge that Aksai had access to was considered a common knowledge in the Wild Devil Lands and Haitin’s sect. It wasn’t part of the rewards that Aksai was promised.
However, Aksai felt like gaining such ordinary information was also not a loss for him. After all, he had never taken any efforts to get to know what happened inside the big sects. He was probably the one Foundation Building Expert in Dadangar subcontinent who was so clueless about so many things.
Aksai hadn’t taken the efforts to get close to a well-established organization. Even his visit to the Purple River Sect was also very brief. He preferred staying inside his comfort zone, lording over the Emerald Cove without a care in the world.
As such, there were many things he read or heard for the first time, which added to his general knowledge. It was something that he lacked without knowing about it.
“I’m being treated as one of Haitin’s allies. Looks like he is interested in hiring me as one of his subordinates,” Aksai suddenly thought and smiled. Of course, he wasn’t interested in directly joining a major demonic sect and offending the righteous faction.
After all, Aksai had many agreements with the Purple River Sect through Nuya’s connections. He also had various business-related ties with other sects in the righteous faction. Joining Haitin’s sect directly would make it difficult for Aksai to conduct his business outside the Wild Devil Lands.
As such, Aksai wasn’t interested. He didn’t have any problem with the demonic path per se. However, he didn’t want to say goodbye to his larger share of profits by being too cozy with the demonic sects.
Thus, Aksai had decided that he would follow Haan Di in its footsteps– staying neutral. At least on the surface. In short, this was all business. [cue for ‘this is business’ gif.]
“I’ll first ask him about my damn turtle. I can’t forget about my original goal while strengthening my foundation using the demonic resources,” Aksai thought to himself and looked around in his room with myriad thoughts swirling inside his brain.
The room was filled with a heavy, almost comforting silence. The tension he had felt over the last few days had begun to dissipate.
Haitin hadn’t called on him since they arrived, likely busy handling the affairs that had piled up during his absence. Aksai understood the burden of leadership. His own responsibilities back at the Emerald Cove were nothing compared to Haitin’s, but it gave him perspective.
A sect as vast and powerful as the Black Blood Demon Sect demanded constant attention, and Haitin was a young lord with many things on his plate.
He stood up, shaking off the drowsiness, when the door to his room slid open with a soft swish. A young woman, a maid dressed in the traditional robes of the sect, stepped in gracefully. She was beautiful, with delicate features and an air of quiet professionalism.
Bowing slightly, she addressed him.
“Lord Aksai,” she said in a clear, polite voice, “Young Master Haitin will meet with you today. I am here to assist in preparing you for the meeting.”
Aksai gave a nod, running a hand through his hair as he mentally prepared himself. “Thank you,” he said, his voice steady and casual, as if he had grown accustomed to this new lifestyle.