A Farmer's Journey To Immortality - Chapter 697

Chapter 697: Looting First Supreme P5
The moment the slave mark settled deep inside Saarken’s soul, the Demon Tree reacted.

The thick vines around his limbs loosened. One by one, the roots that had wrapped around his body pulled back into the ground. The pressure holding him upright vanished, and Saarken nearly collapsed.

He caught himself at the last moment.

Free. Yet more trapped than ever. However, there was no shame in submitting to the stronger entity in Saarken’s mind.

Saarken was very strong-willed and yet determined to adapt to any kind of adverse situation, turning it into his advantage. This was the reason why he had managed to devour his ghost mentor instead of being possessed or controlled by him. He was the only one among the Three Supremes who had achieved this feat.

Saarken could feel it clearly. Even though his cultivation base was stronger than Aksai’s, his life no longer belonged to him. One thought from Aksai was enough to decide whether he lived or died. Betrayal was no longer an option. Not even as a thought.

Aksai glanced at him calmly.

He felt a small sense of satisfaction. Without the memories he had taken from the ghost mentor who once possessed the Third Supreme Loken, he would never have obtained such a near-perfect soul-based technique. That ghost had been dangerous, but the reward had been worth it.

Saarken did not hesitate.

He stepped forward, then lowered himself fully. His knees hit the ground. He bowed deeply and pressed his forehead to Aksai’s feet.

“Thank you for sparing my life, my liege,” Saarken said with a trembling voice. “I swear eternal loyalty.”

He raised his head slightly and spoke again, his tone eager.

“My liege, I will disband Kalingoot now that—”

“Hm? The fuc*K. Who told you to disband Kalingoot?”

Aksai’s cold voice cut him off. Saarken froze. He looked up, confused.

“My liege,” he said carefully, “isn’t Kalingoot your enemy? I can kill my subordinates with my own hands. I can erase Kalingoot completely so it never troubles you or the island you rule again.”

Aksai stared at him. His expression turned sharp, mixed with clear irritation.

“I thought you had some brains when we fought,” Aksai said slowly. “But I didn’t expect you to be this dense outside the battle.”

Saarken lowered his head again, uneasy.

“If I wanted Kalingoot gone,” Aksai continued, “why would I spare your life? Why would I go through the trouble of branding your soul? I could have killed you and wiped out Kalingoot along with you. If all I wanted was your strength as a late-stage Core Formation Lord, I could have turned you into a Sentient Fiend and used you as a puppet and meat shield.”

Saarken stiffened. His brows furrowed as his mind worked quickly. Slowly, understanding began to form.

“You mean…” he said hesitantly. “You want to keep Kalingoot? To cooperate?”

Then his eyes widened slightly.

“But that would put you against the main factions that govern Big Five Sects. And the Three Major Demonic Sects too. Unless…”

The thought struck him like lightning. He looked at Aksai again, this time with shock and awe. Aksai smirked.

“Unless we pretend to oppose each other,” he said calmly, “while working together in the shadows.”

Saarken’s breath caught.

“That way,” Aksai continued, “we can use the conflicts between the factions of two opposing sides. We can pull resources, manpower, and benefits from the Big Five Sects and the Three Major Demonic Sects alike. The ruling factions will support the Dadangar Island Alliance while the rebelling factions will support Kalingoot. And we’d use them to benefit ourselves.”

Silence followed. Then Saarken lowered his head deeply once more. He was only starting to realize what Aksai had in mind for the future of Kalingoot.

Aksai looked at Saarken for a long moment before speaking again. His tone was calm, almost casual, as if he were talking about something ordinary instead of reshaping the fate of an entire region.

“You know, even if I completely erase the current Kalingoot,” Aksai said, “it won’t really solve my problem.”

Saarken listened in silence, his head slightly lowered.

“The rebelling forces inside the Big Five Sects won’t disappear,” Aksai continued. “They will just create another group in the shadows after some time. It will have a new name and new faces, but it will do the same things. It will oppose the Alliance and try to steal the benefits controlled by the ruling factions.”

He paused and let the words sink in.

“As long as ego and greed exist,” Aksai said, “people will try to step on others to climb higher. That means even if Kalingoot is destroyed today, I will face another Kalingoot in a few years or a few decades. It is only a matter of time.”

Saarken’s expression grew serious. He could not deny those words. He remembered how the rebelling factions of the Big Five Sects and the demonic sects had supported him from the shadows.

Aksai smiled faintly and continued.

“In this case, there is something to learn from mortal merchants,” he said. “They often create two or more groups that sell the same goods under different names. On the surface, it looks like competition.”

He raised a finger.

“But it’s not just about control,” Aksai said. “What they really want is to make buyers feel like they have a choice. When people believe they can choose, they feel satisfied. They keep buying.”

He looked straight at Saarken.

“If those merchants focus only on one group,” Aksai said, “a rebel group will appear sooner or later. That rebel will be seen as a challenger. Buyers will support it just to go against the established one.”

Aksai chuckled softly.

“People are like that,” he said. “Mortals or Spirit cultivators, it doesn’t matter. They love to see an underdog challenge the champion. But the moment that underdog gains power, they start to hate him too. Then they wait for the next underdog.”

Saarken slowly nodded. He had seen this happen countless times in the cultivation world.

“I could play these games myself,” Aksai said. “I could manage factions and balance power.”

Then his eyes sharpened.

“But Dadangar Subcontinent is too small for me. It is too shallow. I won’t waste my time here playing politics.”

He spread his hands slightly.

“Instead, I will rig the game,” Aksai said. “I will take all the benefits while avoiding the trouble. The factions think they are fighting each other. The ruling factions continue to benefit from supporting the Alliance. The rebels think they are resisting. Everyone feels satisfied.”

Aksai smiled calmly.

“And I get to focus on more important things for a long time.”

Then Saarken lowered his head deeply once more.

“I understand, my liege,” he said with respect and fear mixed together. “Kalingoot will act as your blade in the dark.”

Aksai’s smirk deepened. The game had just begun.

***

At the same time. Outside the cube artifact.

From one of the warships anchored not too far from Kalingoot’s base island, the Green Glory Lord stood at the bow and stared at the sky.

High above the sea, a giant spatial cube floated in the air. It was the place where Aksai and the First Supreme had vanished after their clash. The cube glowed faintly and gave off a strange pressure that made the air around it feel heavy.

The Green Glory Lord frowned.

“It’s been quite some time,” he muttered.

He tried to extend his Spirit Sense toward the cube, but it was useless. The cube blocked everything. His vision could not pass through it, and his Spirit Sense was pushed back the moment it touched the surface.

He clenched his fists behind his back.

“I can’t tell what’s happening inside,” he thought. “Is Aksai winning… or is Saarken?”

To be honest, he did not feel optimistic.

Saarken Starfire was far stronger than Aksai. He was a late-stage Core Formation Lord with many dangerous trump cards. Even the Green Glory Lord himself would have to be careful when facing such a person.

On the other hand, Aksai had only just stepped into the Core Formation realm. He was still new and lacked experience as a Lord.

“It would be extremely hard for him,” the Green Glory Lord thought. Still, he hoped that Aksai would survive. Not because of friendship. Not because of goodwill.

But because of a deal.

“I’ve already invested too much in him,” he thought. “The Sun Moon Stars technique is not something I give away lightly.”

That cultivation technique was one of the core inheritances of the Green Glory Sect. Aksai still owed him a task. A very special task. One that only Aksai could handle.

“If he dies here,” the Green Glory Lord thought grimly, “then my investment goes down the drain.”