Originally, four sect elders had been dispatched to accompany Aksai to the mysterious location protected by the grand formation.
However, only three were meant to enter the formation with him. The remaining sect elder was supposed to return to the Black Blood Demon Sect and provide Haitin with a detailed report.
The bald elder and his ally had sabotaged Haitin’s plans by killing their fellow sect members. They then went ahead and got killed by Aksai.
Since the bald elder and his ally had deep connections with the Eastern Limiya Gate, Aksai wasn’t entirely lying to the grand sect elder in front of him. It was just a twisting of truth to give more solid credibility to his concoction of lies.
This blend of truth and lies was something Aksai had carefully crafted even before leaving the Enchanted Everwood Farm.
Additionally, he intended for Haitin’s sect to focus on the Eastern Limiya Gate, hoping they would damage its interests as a form of revenge.
It wasn’t hard for the stunning woman to believe Aksai’s story, as there had been previous instances of Eastern Limiya Gate spies meddling in her sect’s affairs.
However, she found it difficult to accept that members of a righteous sect had managed to intercept a secret envoy sent by Haitin on such short notice.
Nevertheless, the woman couldn’t outright dismiss Aksai’s words. Haitin and the sect were already occupied with hosting the Sun Ocean Lord, who had recently arrived in their territory.
Moreover, Haitin himself had cleared Aksai’s entry into the mysterious place. As such, the grand elder didn’t have much time on her hands to verify Aksai’s story as well.
The grand elder listened patiently as Aksai recounted his story. Her expression didn’t betray much, though her eyes briefly narrowed at mentioning the Eastern Limiya Gate’s alleged reason for interfering.
Aksai had claimed that the righteous sect wanted to uncover the true purpose behind the Sun Ocean Lord’s visit to the Wild Devil Lands.
While the grand elder wondered how a righteous sect could have learned about the hidden motives behind the Sun Ocean Lord’s visit, she knew it wasn’t entirely impossible.
As for the finer details, Aksai simply claimed ignorance, allowing the grand elder to fill in the gaps with her own knowledge. Sometimes, not having a complete story was useful when lying—it forced others to form their own theories.
When Aksai finished, she simply nodded, seemingly unbothered.
“Alright. It seems you managed to get away from the ambush,” she said, her tone neutral but carrying a hint of approval.
“It is troublesome that the righteous sects are meddling in our affairs, but we can’t act against them just yet. The timing isn’t right. Rest assured, we’ll deal with the Eastern Limiya Gate in due time.” She stood up from her seat, her movements graceful yet firm.
“Let’s go. I’ll lead the way to the Holy Woodland Torel. It is also referred to as Holy Land Torel.”
Aksai followed the grand elder out of the luxurious hall, keeping a respectful distance behind her. He hadn’t paid much attention to her appearance before, as she had been seated behind her desk, focused on her work.
Now, walking behind her, Aksai couldn’t help but notice how stunning she truly was. Jina’s long, raven-black hair was gathered loosely at her back, swaying with each step, while her figure, clad in a sleek black robe embroidered with silver patterns, was both elegant and imposing.
Her skin was fair and smooth, contrasting sharply with her dark attire, and her eyes, when they glanced back at him briefly, had a piercing, almost predatory gleam to them.
Her features were sharp yet feminine, with a calm but commanding aura that suggested she was used to being in control.
As they approached the plateau, Aksai murmured under his breath, “Holy Woodland Torel?” He wasn’t familiar with the name and couldn’t help his curiosity.
‘Holy Woodland Torel can be read as… “Holywood” Land Torel… which gives it a rather nasty impression. Will there be weird characters inside this domain?’ Aksai thought to himself and shook his head.
Finally, he spoke up. “What exactly is Holy Woodland Torel, Grand Elder—um?”
The woman turned slightly, a soft smile playing on her lips as she met his eyes. “My name is Jina. I’m Hayaat Blackblood’s third wife,” she introduced herself casually, her tone almost friendly.
Aksai’s eyes widened slightly, though he masked his surprise quickly. The Core Formation Lord Hayaat Blackblood was none other than the sect leader of the Black Blood Demon Sect, and being his wife gave Jina a considerable amount of influence in the sect.
Hayaat Blackblood was Haitin’s father. Did that mean Jina was Haitin’s birth mother? Aksai couldn’t be sure. After all, there was no obvious appearance similarity between them.
“As for what the Holy Woodland Torel is…” Jina’s eyes glinted with something unreadable. “It’s better if you see it for yourself before I explain.” She gestured ahead, leading Aksai towards a set of stone stairs carved into the side of the plateau.
The stairs looked ancient, their edges worn smooth by time, yet they stretched upward in an orderly fashion, seemingly endless.
As they neared the base of the stairs, Aksai noticed that several sentries, initially watching him with wary eyes, immediately relaxed upon seeing that he was with Jina. None of them made any attempt to stop him as they approached the plateau’s base.
Aksai also felt something peculiar as they drew closer to the steps. His body tensed, as if some unseen force weighed on him, and he quickly realized that flying artifacts like sword kinesis were being suppressed.
It wasn’t just a simple precaution but an absolute restriction within this forbidden zone. The only way up was by climbing the stairs on foot.
“No flying here?” Aksai muttered to himself, testing the air with his Spirit essence.
Jina glanced back at him, her smile widening slightly. “Indeed. Not just us Foundation Building Experts, even Core Formation Lords can’t fly here. This is an innate restriction of the place,” she said.
She then turned back, leading the way up the stairs.
Aksai glanced upward at the steep ascent. It seemed that reaching the top would require not only physical effort but also mental fortitude.
As they climbed, the fog began to swirl lower, thickening around them, making the plateau feel even more isolated and remote.
As Aksai climbed the stone-carved stairs, he hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking, “Grand Elder Jina, are you perhaps… brother Haitin’s—” He left the sentence unfinished, unsure if it was appropriate to continue.
Jina, however, understood immediately. She offered a soft smile before replying.
“If you’re asking whether that boy Haitin is my biological son, then no. His birth mother died during her failed attempt to break into the Foundation Building realm while Lord Hayaat wasn’t around.” Her tone remained neutral, though there was a trace of sympathy in her voice.
“To be honest, Haitin and I haven’t had much interaction. My marriage to Lord Hayaat is relatively recent.” She paused, a faint sigh escaping her lips. “Lord Hayaat went into Holy Land Torel before we could… well… before we could spend much time together.”
Jina didn’t complete her sentence, and Aksai could sense that there were some unspoken things lingering beneath the surface. She composed herself quickly, though, her voice firm when she continued.
“However, it’s not as though I don’t respect Haitin. He’s a junior to me, yes, but I like him—like a nephew I never had. Talented, bold, and with an eye for strategy. He’s more than apt to succeed Lord Hayaat’s position one day.”
Aksai nodded, processing her words. It was clear Jina held no ill feelings toward Haitin, despite not sharing a mother-son bond. She seemed to see him in a favorable light, at least as a worthy heir.
After what felt like an hour of steady climbing, they finally reached the top of the plateau. Aksai’s eyes widened in awe as he laid eyes on the sight before him—a towering wall, easily 50 meters tall, stretched across the landscape for miles, shrouded in thick fog.
The wall itself didn’t give off any form of aura. From afar, it looked like a regular wall that had nothing special to it. However, the entire area around the wall hummed with powerful energy, laced with various killing-type array formations.
High above, a massive dome-shaped isolation barrier encased the area, projecting the image of a fearsome dragon across the sky. Its shimmering, translucent surface pulsed with a chilling aura that sent a shiver down Aksai’s spine.
Aksai could swear that the spectral dragon had blinked for a split second after seeing him before becoming completely stationary once again. Was it his imagination? Aksai couldn’t be too sure.
However, he was sure of one thing after looking at the formation. If the area-wide formation that protected the entire valley was a pseudo 3rd-order formation, then the thing in front of him was the real deal.
“A genuine 3rd-order barrier formation,” Aksai murmured under his breath, his heart pounding as he took in the scale of the formation. The sheer power radiating from it was undeniable.
Jina smirked at his reaction, her pride evident. “That’s right,” she said with a touch of satisfaction.
“The last time we crossed paths with Lord Haan Di, things didn’t go well for us. He forced his way in, practically bulldozing over us. But we’ve learned since then. This time, we’re ready.” Her gaze grew sharp as she eyed the isolation barrier.
“Now, not even a Core Formation Lord can just stroll here like he owns the place. Not without consequences. We own the Holy Land Torel now.”