A Farmer's Journey To Immortality

Liyen Lowanfield, seated with perfect posture, raised an eyebrow at the question.

His fingers tapped the table once before he looked over at Aksai—and held his gaze for just a little too long.

Then he smiled at the Blackblood Lord. it seemed he had realized something.

"That's right. My direct disciple Lini was a bit too bold and entered the Wild Devil Lands under disguise. Who knows what foolish thoughts she had at the time?

Regardless, her Vitality Mark began to flicker one day. We feared something had happened to her. So I sent a few of my subordinates to investigate."

He gave a light chuckle and continued.

"I hope the Blackblood Lord doesn't take offense. I know it was a bit bold of me to send people into the Wild Devil Lands without permission.

You weren't around back then. Otherwise, I would have sent you a message, of course. But… where were you all these years?"

Aksai's heart dropped slightly when he heard all that. He didn't know that Nomel and Elika—the Green Glory Lord's subordinates—had been sent to the Wild Devil Lands to track him.

He had suspected it back then but he hadn't known for sure. He had indeed taken all the precaution he could to cover his tracks. However, a Core Formation Lord had various methods to eventually get to him. It was only a matter of time.

The problem was, even though those two hadn't found anything back then, things had changed after Aksai's entry in the Holy Land Torel.

Furthermore, his identity was no longer in the dark after returning from that place.

News spread fast among the Spirit cultivators. Especially if they were connected to the Core Formation Lords from either faction.

The righteous faction Lords already knew that Aksai had entered the Holy Land Torel and handed something over to the Blackblood Lord. A simple delivery man who luckily ended up becoming the saviour of two demonic Lords.

They assumed he had only acted as a messenger, but even that assumption had started to bring attention to him.

And now, Liyen Lowanfield had finally seen him with his own eyes. If he pieced things together—the reports from Nomel and Elika, and his own identity as the person who had last been seen with Lini—then he would surely become a target.

Aksai felt a knot in his stomach. He didn't know about this hidden danger.

After all, even if Lini had just been a pawn in Liyen's game, she was still his disciple. Her disappearance needed a proper end. And if Aksai was responsible in any way, whether directly or indirectly, he would be blamed.

Now it made sense.

The Blackblood Lord hadn't just taken him in out of goodwill. This move—public, formal, witnessed by other Core Formation Lords—was meant to create a barrier around Aksai. To protect him. To declare that he was under Blackblood Lord's wing.

Aksai looked down at the storage ring in his palm. For now, that ring was a gift. But in the coming days, it might just become his only shield.

He let out a silent breath. So this is how the old monsters play their games.

The Blackblood Lord turned his head toward the Green Glory Lord and gave him a slow nod.

"Never mind where we were, Lord Liyen," he said lightly. "In return, I'll also overlook the fact that you sent your subordinates into the Wild Devil Lands without using the proper channels."

His tone was relaxed, but everyone knew it was more than just a friendly remark. It was a warning wrapped in silk.

He paused for a moment, then added with a small grin, "As for your direct disciple, Lini Lowanfield, you don't have to worry about her. She's perfectly safe… and attending the wedding."

He tilted his chin toward the left side of the square, his gaze landing on a particular spot in the crowd. As everyone turned their heads to follow his line of sight, a faint ripple of spirit essence shimmered in the air.

A young woman used her movement-type Spirit spell to come forward the next moment, appearing at the Core Formation Lords' table without a sound.

She was dressed in a simple yet elegant robe, her posture calm and respectful. She gave a full bow to the Lords, her expression composed.

It was Lini Lowanfield.

Aksai's eyes widened slightly.

So that's why Siya and Haitin had asked him to hand Lini over to them the night before.

***

The Spirit-farming Lord of the Emerald Cove island had thought it was just a gesture of goodwill between two former enemies turned reluctant allies.

After all, their experience in the Wild Devil Lands had changed them. It wasn't strange for them to put the past behind and walk a more peaceful path.

He had even thought that maybe, after everything, Siya had simply felt pity for Lini. After becoming a hybrid puppet barely clinging to life, Lini wasn't much of a threat anymore. But now, it was clear that something else had been at play.

The Blackblood Lord and Haitin hadn't just taken Lini in out of kindness. They had wanted to deal with the hidden threat that still loomed over Aksai.

But what shocked Aksai more was the way Lini appeared.

Her aura… it felt completely normal. She gave off the exact pressure of a regular Foundation Building cultivator. Not even a hint of the puppetism remained visible. It was as if her soul and aura had never been damaged, never been altered.

Even the Core Formation Lords seemed to accept what they saw.

Aksai's mind raced. He had studied puppet arts deeply, and even his own creations could not hide their true nature from higher realm cultivators.

He sighed inwardly. His foundation, his background… they still had a long way to go.

Tricks like these, methods that could hide the truth even from Core Formation Lords, weren't something he could pull off just yet.

No matter how many trump cards he had gathered, no matter how cautious or smart he thought he was, the old monsters who had ruled these lands for centuries were still far ahead of him.

They had seen countless talents rise and fall. They knew how to move their pieces, how to seal threats and open paths. The Green Glory Lord knew how to play his game. But the Blackblood Lord was no slacker either.

And this move—presenting Lini in this exact moment—was clean, flawless, and precise.

Aksai looked down at his hands for a moment, then at the Blackblood Lord's back.

It seemed he still had much to learn.