Aksai tilted his head.
“So, it was the Purple River Sect that took the initiative to hide her lineage?”
Haitin nodded.
“Yes. They deliberately kept her identity as the Frostbound Lord’s daughter a secret. It wasn’t too difficult because of how the Frostbound Lord and his wife kept to themselves socially.
It was easier for both the sect and Nuya that way—less of a headache for everyone involved. By doing so, they avoided drawing attention to her inside and outside the sect. On the surface, she was just another drifting cultivator with no real background.”
Aksai crossed his arms, deep in thought. “I’m guessing Nuya knows about her roots. She never tried to change that?”
Haitin shrugged.
“That’s the interesting part, brother Aksai. By all rights, she could’ve done more. With her special status, she could’ve demanded more from the Purple River Sect—whether it was resources, influence, or a formal position. She had enough leverage to at least push for something, but she didn’t.
On the other hand, she could’ve gone back to the Frostbound Sect as she grew older, especially once she’d proven herself as a capable cultivator. The fact that she became a Foundation Building Expert without any real backing demonstrates that she is indeed capable. She could have used her talents as leverage.
The Frostbound Lord’s retainers still exist. If she’d returned, she might have been able to reclaim her father’s position or at least secure a firm place of power within the sect. No matter what, she would have been treated better in the sect than her own mother because of her talents. But she didn’t do that either.”
Aksai frowned, considering the possibilities.
“So instead, she chose to live as a drifting cultivator and eventually became co-owner of Emerald Cove… with me and the others. This isn’t really odd considering Nuya’s personality. She’s a proud young woman and doesn’t want to owe anyone anything.
But I don’t get how the Frostbound Sect or the Purple River Sect have remained quiet about her actions. How did the Purple River Sect just allow her to remain a drifting cultivator with her connections to the Frostbound Lord?
And does the Purple River Lord know the reason behind the Frostbound Lord’s disappearance? What intel did Nuya’s mother provide to her former sect?”
“Well… I don’t know,” Haitin confessed.
“To be honest, we in the demonic faction don’t have the luxury to worry about others. There’s plenty of conflict in the Wild Devil Lands due to the absence of the three Core Formation Lords.
This region was never stable, even when they were around, so you can imagine the kind of battles that take place here on a daily basis. Unlike the stable rule of the righteous faction, the demonic faction is still struggling to keep things together.
How would we have the time to worry about the Frostbound Lord’s daughter who hasn’t even set foot in the Wild Devil Lands?
Forget about the Frostbound Sect—my Blackblood Demon Sect would have welcomed her if she chose to join the demonic faction and become a demonic cultivator. But we can’t do anything for her if she wants to stay away.
Of course, only the upper echelons of both factions know about her identity. Plus, the Purple River Sect’s silent gag order on her origins is still in place. So, there’s not much we can do about her,” Haitin explained.
Aksai mulled over the information, his thoughts racing as he tried to piece everything together. He looked at Haitin, speaking slowly to process it all.
“So, you’re saying that I don’t need to worry about Emerald Cove being put in harm’s way because Nuya is there, acting as an island owner? Silver Moon Palace won’t target us, even after I killed one of their core disciples, because of Nuya’s presence?”
Haitin paused, rubbing his chin as if considering the weight of his response. “More or less, yes,” he finally said, his voice measured.
“If Silver Moon Palace digs deep enough, they’ll find out about Nuya’s roots as the Frostbound Lord’s only daughter. No matter how reckless or vengeful they want to be, they wouldn’t dare provoke the hidden influence behind her by attacking Emerald Cove. But… if they act without doing a background check, things might go differently.”
Aksai’s brow furrowed. “So it depends on whether they do their homework or not?”
“Exactly,” Haitin confirmed, nodding.
“To be fair, Silver Moon Palace isn’t a massive power.”
‘Haah! Easy for you to say,’ Aksai thought to himself but chose to remain quiet on the surface. Haitin spoke, ignoring whatever Aksai was thinking in his head.
“Even if they want revenge, they’re unlikely to target the whole island. What I’m trying to get across, Brother Aksai, is that with Nuya’s background in play, you don’t have to lose sleep over the big powers coming after your island. As long as the right people know who she is, that lineage will protect your investments on your island.”
Aksai leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, clearly digesting this new perspective. She never once mentioned her origins or tried to use it to her advantage. But now, that very heritage could be the key to keeping them safe.
“But there’s always a chance, right?” Aksai asked, his tone sharpening. “That Silver Moon Palace might not know about Nuya? Or they could be ignorant enough to ignore it?”
“True,” Haitin admitted. “If they act recklessly without checking the deeper waters, it could cause some issues. But again, Silver Moon Palace isn’t a major force. They could get riled up and cause some trouble, but they wouldn’t be able to bring down the whole island.
Especially now, with Emerald Cove being part of the Dadangar Island Alliance. Plus, I hear the waters of the Dadangar Archipelago are restless. There’s an ongoing conflict between the Alliance and Kalingoot. How could a small fry like Silver Moon Palace act alone in that mess?”
When Aksai heard Kalingoot mentioned, he conveniently pushed aside the fact that it was an anti-Alliance organization backed by the demonic faction. After all, his acquaintance with Haitin didn’t mean the latter wouldn’t prioritize his own interests.
The Kalingoot issue was a different matter from what they were discussing.
Even if Aksai asked about Kalingoot’s actions or requested Haitin to offer some leniency toward his island, there was no guarantee Haitin would agree. Kalingoot was composed of a mix of small players and big shots in the Dadangar Archipelago, and Aksai doubted Haitin had the authority to make decisions for the whole organization.
Even if Haitin were willing to help Aksai with this matter, there would be conditions attached. Aksai didn’t want to owe Haitin anything. The guy was dangerous—he knew how to manipulate people and situations to his advantage.
It was always better for Haitin to owe Aksai, not the other way around.
Besides, Emerald Cove wasn’t entirely defenseless against Kalingoot. Even during Aksai’s absence from Emerald Cove, Kalingoot had initiated small-scale skirmishes but they were not fruitful for the latter.
Aksai had been in regular contact with Nuya. Despite some security issues and naval conflicts, Emerald Cove was safe from Kalingoot for now. The measures taken by the Alliance were effective, and Nuya herself was a highly capable island owner. Her problem-solving abilities were second to none in the archipelago.
Not to mention, Aksai had already activated the Devil’s Den formation to cover the entire island. Although the core of the formation—the Demon Tree—wasn’t technically located in Emerald Cove, the formation remained stable.
How could the Devil’s Den still function even after Aksai left Emerald Cove? Did he pull out the Spatial Anchors that were placed on the island, connecting the two planes? Not really.
Aksai had found a relatively simpler method. It was something that he had arranged before leaving his home.
The Spirit farmer had placed a weaker version of the original Demon Tree to serve as the core for Devil’s Den. After all, he always had the ability to produce more Demon Trees using the Demon Seeds. It was just that the Demon Trees produced using the Demon Trees were a grade lower than the original. They were less powerful and had limited potential.
But it did not matter much.
This new Demon Tree was a progeny of the original, allowing Aksai to control it through his natal Demon Tree. With the constant presence of Devil’s Den, most troublemakers, regardless of their origin, would not be able to intrude on the island. Even if they did, the newly planted Demon Tree knew how to make use of the “free food” coming its way.
Given this, Aksai didn’t feel the need to ask Haitin for help. A little pressure was good—it pushed one forward on their journey. Nuya was doing an excellent job managing the island in his absence, and Aksai didn’t want to disrupt her flow.
‘Hmm? He didn’t ask for my help to deal with Kalingoot?’
Haitin had silently expected Aksai to ask for his assistance regarding Kalingoot.
But to his surprise, Aksai remained quiet.
The demon star smiled, though he didn’t comment on it. Instead, he continued.