A Farmer's Journey To Immortality

The Purple River Lord’s smile gradually faded.

His cheerful expression slowly disappeared, replaced by one of deep thought. He looked at Aksai for a long time.

Several times, he opened his mouth as though he wanted to refute him. The words almost came out. Yet every time, they stopped at his lips.

His gaze drifted toward the rising sun.

The battlefield remained silent except for the soft sound of the morning breeze.

After what felt like a long while, he let out a weary sigh.

"Little brother Aksai..."

His voice had become much quieter than before.

"Are you asking me to surrender to the Empire’s invasion?"

He turned toward Aksai.

"Do you really think they’ll spare me if I do?"

Aksai slowly shook his head.

"No."

The answer came without hesitation.

"Old Purple, I’m asking you to give up your claim over the resource sites currently occupied by the Purple River Sect."

He calmly continued,

"Most of those sites have already been affected by the changes in the Purple Poison River after the Purple Poison Essence disappeared. They’ve lost much of their former value."

"However, a few resource sites remain untouched because they were never connected to the Purple Poison River in the first place."

He paused briefly.

"You’re indeed right."

"The Empire may not let you go simply because you surrender."

His gaze met the Purple River Lord’s.

"So don’t surrender as the Purple River Sect Master. Surrender the position itself. Don’t even think about gaining anything in return from the imperial factions."

The Purple River Lord frowned.

"You mean..."

Aksai continued calmly,

"Give up your identity as the sect leader. Become a rogue cultivator. A drifter with nothing tying him to an organization or a place. Free yourself from the burdens of the sect."

He pointed toward the distant horizon.

"You can disappear for a while. Or travel through the Eternal Beast Dynasty until you find a safe route into the Shinayin Empire itself."

The Purple River Lord raised an eyebrow. It was a bold and dangerous idea.

And yet...

It somehow made sense.

Aksai nodded and continued,

"Once you arrive there, a Core Formation Lord like you will simply become another cultivator among countless others."

"As long as you no longer hold authority over this subcontinent, and as long as you stop standing in the Empire’s way, they’ll likely lose interest in pursuing you after some time."

"Not just you. The same applies to many other cultivators from this subcontinent."

He looked at the rising sun.

"Peace never lasts forever, but neither does chaos. Just like the waxing and waning of the moon, troubled and prosperous times also move in cycles."

"When peace returns to this subcontinent, you can decide where you want to go next."

The Purple River Lord remained silent.

Then, he chuckled helplessly.

There was no mockery in that laugh.

Only bitterness.

"Brat..."

He looked at Aksai with complicated eyes.

"You’ve built one of the most successful organizations on the entire subcontinent. Sometimes, I envy you. Other times, I simply marvel at your growth."

"And yet..."

"I can tell you’re still a rogue cultivator at heart."

He slowly shook his head.

"You won’t understand the pride of a lifelong sect cultivator because you’ve never been one yourself. Don’t take this the wrong way but a drifter will never truly understand what it feels like to have a permanent place to call home."

"You speak as though abandoning everything is easy. As though someone like me can simply throw away centuries of effort in a heartbeat."

He smiled bitterly.

"And for what? Just to gain a few more years of struggling?"

He looked at Aksai, waiting for an answer.

Aksai was quick to respond.

"Isn’t it easy?"

Aksai continued in the same calm tone.

"Old Purple, isn’t it better to live for another day than to throw your life away in a battle you already know you’ll lose?"

"I understand how you’d feel. I truly do. I might not understand what it feels like to abandon a sect that forged my cultivation path but I know how it feels being forced to leave one’s home.

"After all, I was forced to give up my home in the past too. I had to burn my own farm house down before I moved away from the mainland.

"I know the things you’ve built from nothing aren’t easy to abandon. The Purple River Sect is a piece of your heart. You’ve spent centuries nurturing it."

He looked toward the distant mountains where the sect lay.

"But having to leave this place isn’t the worst possible outcome."

He slowly turned back toward the Purple River Lord.

"Think about the alternatives. Only losing your sect... or losing everything, including the very sect you wish to protect."

His voice remained steady.

"Wealth. Status. Fame. Honor. They all have value. No cultivator can honestly say they don’t. But..."

He paused for a moment.

"What could possibly be more precious than your own survival?"

The Purple River Lord looked at Aksai for a long time. Slowly, a faint smile appeared on his face.

It was a smile and yet it was not a smile. Nor was it a smile of agreement.

It was the smile of an elder who could understand where a passionate youngster’s words came from, yet could neither accept nor reject them.

After a while, he chuckled softly.

"Hahaha. Aksai, little brother..."

He shook his head gently.

"What you don’t understand is that the things you find easy..."

He looked toward the distant mountains where the Purple River Sect stood.

"...are the very chains binding me. What you consider the obvious choice isn’t even an option for me. I am too deep into the sea for a safe return, brother."

He slowly folded his hands behind his back.

"Not because I disagree with your words."

He smiled bitterly.

"But because... I agree with them. And even then... My heart refuses to obey."

The morning breeze gently fluttered his robes as he silently looked at the brightening sky.

Aksai remained quiet for a bit. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke.

"Old Purple..."

His voice was much softer than before.

"Although I can’t guarantee it yet because it hasn’t been tested..."

He paused briefly.

"...I might have a safe passage into the Shinayin Empire."

The Purple River Lord slowly turned to him.

"If things become too dangerous..."

Aksai met his eyes.

"...we can leave together."

Those words surprised even the Purple River Lord. For a brief moment, he remained silent.

Aksai himself knew what he had just offered. This was akin to sharing a huge opportunity.

Even Aksai didn’t want to leave the Emerald Cove Island behind if it could be saved from the clutches of the empire. But the paranoid farmer in him always saw the worst outcomes of incidents that have or would happen.

If the worst truly happened, he would have preferred to travel alone. There were too many secrets surrounding him.

Too many risks. Too many reasons not to trust anyone.

Especially during such chaotic times.

The Eternal Beast Dynasty was a dangerous place. Even though Aksai had once explored the Duya Forest to tame the mutated Verdant Elder, it was just at the edge of the Eternal Beast Dynasty. The true dangers of that place lay in deeper territories.

In such dangerous situations, drifting cultivators will never be able to entrust their backs to the other cultivators. Only members of the same sect who had gone through many life and death situations together would choose to explore such places together as a team.

Perhaps it was foolish to have feelings of brotherhood in chaotic times. But Aksai genuinely liked the old man’s character. For that alone, he was willing to take the risk.

The Purple River Lord naturally understood the meaning behind those words. His expression became much gentler. Unfortunately, he slowly shook his head.

"Haha. Little brother... It’s good to know you’ve prepared a way out."

He smiled calmly.

"Now I can fight the Empire without worrying about you getting caught in the crossfire."

Aksai’s brows immediately furrowed.

He stared at the old man.

"So..."

"You still won’t come?"

The Purple River Lord remained silent.

Aksai’s voice gradually became colder.

"What exactly are you planning to accomplish here? Become a slightly bigger... slightly more troublesome ant only to be crushed beneath the Empire’s foot someday?"

His eyes narrowed.

"Don’t you understand how pointless this is? Are you too dense to understand the opportunity I’m offering you?

"I won’t give you false hopes. You might not step into a Nascent Soul realm, but with your talent, reaching a False Nascent realm won’t be completely impossible as long as you come to the empire with me."

The Purple River Lord showed no sign of anger when he heard.

Instead, he smiled even more gently. He could hear the concern hidden beneath Aksai’s harsh words.

The young man appeared cold and calculating. Yet moments like these exposed the warmth he tried to hide. The Purple River Lord found that comforting.

Rather than answering Aksai’s question directly, he asked one of his own.

"Little brother..."

He looked toward the distant Purple River Sect.

"There are struggles worth enduring even when you already know they won’t bear fruit. There are battles worth fighting even when you know victory is impossible."

He smiled faintly.

"I’m already an old man. My heart has become stubborn. My ways are set and my mind is too rigid to welcome excessive changes."

"The Purple River Sect..."

He slowly closed his eyes.

"...isn’t merely an organization that benefits me."

His voice became much softer.

"It... it is my home."

He turned toward Aksai.

"In your case... The Emerald Cove Guild came into existence after you became a Lord. You built it to suit your own needs. I understand why leaving it behind wouldn’t be as difficult for you."

He smiled again.

"But..."

He slowly raised his head toward the sky.

"Would an old tiger abandon its den simply because a stronger predator appeared?"

His eyes gradually became distant. It was as though countless memories were passing before them.

He remembered his childhood. His master. His fellow disciples. The seniors who had protected him. The juniors he had personally raised.

The countless years spent within those familiar mountains. After taking a deep breath, he finally spoke again.

"The Purple River Sect existed long before I was born. In many ways... It was the sect that gave me life. It raised me. It sheltered me. It watched me grow until I eventually became its Lord."

He slowly smiled.

"To me... The sect is no different from my parents."

Then he looked directly into Aksai’s eyes.

"Tell me, little brother. If your parents were left behind... Knowing your enemies would eventually use them against you... Would... would you leave?"

"Would you trade your parents’ lives... just to buy yourself a few more years?"

Aksai looked quietly into the Purple River Lord’s eyes. He saw no hesitation. No fear. No regret. Only unwavering resolve.

After a long silence, Aksai slowly lowered his gaze. He finally understood.

There were some decisions that could never be changed through reason alone.

The Purple River Lord already knew the logical answer. His heart had simply chosen another path.

And no amount of persuasion would ever make him abandon it.