Suddenly, the air shifted.
A faint Spirit ripple spread across the environment, and Aksai felt the unmistakable presence of an isolation barrier forming around them.
The barrier cut off any external interference and trapped everyone inside. It was clear this had been planned in advance, executed meticulously. The location might have been random, but the bald elder had come prepared. This wasn’t something thought up on the spot.
Aksai’s eyes narrowed, but he remained silent, observing. The fight hadn’t yet reached him, and though the two sect elders loyal to Haitin were likely in danger, Aksai didn’t move to their aid. There was no benefit in doing so.
In the distance, faint sounds of battle echoed through the trees. At first, Aksai expected the loyal sect elders to put up a fight, but within moments, it became clear that something was wrong. The battle was over too quickly. He extended his Spirit Sense further, trying to understand what had happened.
Then he realized—the two loyal sect elders were dead. Could it be that easy to kill two Foundation Building Experts? Something felt off. Aksai guessed they must have fallen into traps.
The isolation barrier restricted his Spirit essence to a bare minimum, which made the bald elder more confident in his actions. However, Aksai’s druidic abilities allowed him to sense life energies—something the formation couldn’t restrict. This gave him an edge.
It took less than a minute for the life force of the two elders to be extinguished. Their deaths were swift, clean, and efficient.
Now, the two murderers were moving toward him from opposite directions.
Aksai’s pulse quickened, but outwardly, he remained composed. Calm, grounded, and calculating, there was no need to rush or panic just yet.
The bald elder’s aura grew closer, and soon, he emerged from the tree line. His accomplice approached from the other side. Both wore casual expressions, though faint traces of blood still stained their robes.
“Lad,” the bald elder greeted, his voice smooth and oddly warm. “I see you’ve been patient.”
His accomplice stayed silent, but his predatory smile revealed his intent.
Aksai nodded slightly, his gaze steady as he met the bald elder’s eyes. “I thought you were scouting,” he said calmly, his voice giving nothing away.
“We were,” the elder replied with a smile. “But we found nothing. Seems like that brat Haitin really did send the four of us here with you.”
“I see. So you were just checking to see if Haitin had figured out you were spies or not. That’s a reasonable fear, considering it’s Haitin we’re talking about,” Aksai said, nodding again.
He wasn’t surprised by the betrayal, but the isolation barrier was an inconvenience. He couldn’t just escape without dealing with these sect elders first. Lini’s safety, though not his top priority, had to be considered too. There’d be no easy exit or chance to call for help, not that he wanted to. This would have to be handled right here.
Lini, who had been silent until now, glanced nervously between Aksai and the sect elders, her shackled hands trembling slightly. She could feel the rising danger, though she knew she was powerless in the situation.
“So,” Aksai said, stepping forward slightly, “which sect sent you? I’m guessing it’s either one of the Big Five Sects from the righteous faction or one of the other two demonic sects.”
He recalled Haitin’s words about spies embedded in his sect—something unavoidable for any major demonic faction. It seemed the bald elder and his accomplice were precisely the type of sleeper cells Haitin had warned about.
The bald elder chuckled softly.
“Smart lad. I knew you’d catch on quickly. It should be fine to tell you because you are about to die anyway. We’re from Eastern Limiya Gate—one of the Big Five Sects in the righteous faction.
We’ve been hiding in Haitin’s sect for years. This is the first time we’ve decided to act on our own initiative.”
“And you decided to take action now because…” Aksai asked, a guess forming in his head.
“You should already be aware,” the bald elder smirked as he said.
“We recently learned about the secret opportunity in the Wild Devil Lands, and after digging deeper, we uncovered some… interesting things. Apparently, the Sun Ocean Lord is coming to meet Haitin in the sect because of it.
As much as they try to keep things under wraps, they can’t hide everything. So we decided to move.
I heard that you had to kill your teammates because of that crafty devil Haitin. It’s a shame, really—we could’ve been allies under different circumstances.”
His accomplice, unable to stay quiet any longer, sneered.
“Enough with the pleasantries, uncle. Let’s just kill them both and sow chaos in the demonic faction.
Even if we don’t succeed in breaking their alliance, it’ll at least cause some strain between the three sects for a few days. That’s all we need to make our moves.”
Aksai tilted his head slightly, eyes flickering with a strange glint. “What would you gain by killing me?”
The bald elder responded nonchalantly.
“You misunderstand, lad. Killing you isn’t our primary goal. We just want to create discord between the three major demonic sects. To do that, we’ll frame your murder on the Frostbound Sect.
We’ve also prepared fake bodies for ourselves, making it look like we were all killed in a Frostbound Sect ambush.
I know it’s a bit of a crude plan, full of holes. But as long as it creates confusion and allows us to slip out of the Wild Devil Lands safely, it’ll be worth it.”
Aksai didn’t ask any more questions. There was no need to drag it out, no need for any more back-and-forth.
He had already gathered enough information to understand the situation. The bald elder was acting on his own initiative, probably without the full backing of his original sect.
This was his way of securing a personal advantage before the bigger players could get involved. But whatever his reasons, it didn’t really matter to Aksai now. What mattered was his survival.
Lini remained motionless, watching him and the two elders with a mix of tension and fear. Aksai wasn’t particularly worried about her, but it would be inconvenient if she were caught in the crossfire. He had to keep her alive, at least for the time being.
The bald elder’s eyes narrowed, sensing the shift in Aksai’s demeanor. “You’re awfully calm, lad. You should be a little more concerned about your situation.”
Aksai met his gaze, unflinching. “I don’t make a habit of worrying about dead men.”
The elder’s smirk faltered, and his accomplice stiffened. “Bold words from someone in your position,” the younger sect elder snapped, his voice sharp with irritation.
Aksai rolled his shoulders, loosening up. His mind was already racing through his options. He couldn’t rely on brute force here. The isolation barrier might have weakened his Spirit essence, but his druidic connection to life energy was still intact. He just needed the right moment.
The bald elder chuckled darkly. “It’s always amusing when they think they have a chance. You’re outnumbered, lad. There’s no one coming to save you. This isn’t some heroic tale where you miraculously escape. It’s over.”
Aksai gave a faint smile, the corner of his lips twitching up. “You talk too much.”
Without another word, the bald elder’s accomplice lunged forward, his hand crackling with Spirit energy. It was a direct attack, nothing fancy—he was aiming to end this quickly.
But Aksai had been waiting. Just as the elder’s hand reached toward him, Aksai stepped back, his body moving with a fluid, practiced ease. At the same time, he tapped into the life energy of the surrounding environment, channeling it through his body.
Roots, thick and gnarled, burst from the ground beneath the accomplice’s feet, wrapping around his legs in an instant. He yelped in surprise, trying to pull free, but the roots tightened, binding him to the spot.
After his recent epiphany, Aksai’s control over the nature around him had been strengthened. The wood-element Spirit spells he cast had a completely different feel to them. They felt as if they were more than just Spirit spells because of the way they activated. They felt more alive. Their potency had been elevated further.
The execution time of the Spirit spells also decreased a lot. Plus, Aksai didn’t need to chant complicated Mantras or perform a series of Mudras anymore. A bare minimum of incantation could do the trick.
Furthermore, the array formation should have suppressed Aksai, affecting his ability to cast Spirit spells. However, the array formation was only effective against humans and Aksai wasn’t completely a human at this point.
The bald elder’s smile vanished. His eyes widened as he saw his accomplice struggle against the vines. “What the—”
Aksai didn’t let him finish. With a swift movement, he raised his hand, and the ground beneath the bald elder trembled.
More roots shot up, aiming for him, but the elder was quicker this time. He leaped back, avoiding the first wave of the attack. His face twisted into a snarl.
‘Hm? It’s him!’
The face the bald elder made at this point made Aksai remember where he had seen him. It was the same elder who had spilled the sect secrets to the demon lady Aksai had killed at the Jaishin Lake.