Chapter 883: Returning to Emerald Cove Island P7
Aksai suddenly found himself reminiscing about the days when he was only a Spirit Gathering realm cultivator.
He remembered hiding from stronger cultivators. He remembered struggling over insignificant resources.
No...
He had not forgotten. He had merely stopped thinking about those days after his own circumstances improved.
A drifter needs to worry about their own self as there is nobody else to do that job for them. They don’t have the privilege and foundation to care about the well-being of others.
However, Aksai had established himself as a mid-stage Lord at this point, only a step away from becoming a late-stage Core Formation realm cultivator. He couldn’t act like a drifter in this situation. At least not when he could still afford to care for his guild and its image in the hearts of the other drifters.
Aksai slowly exhaled.
"Well... I can’t blame myself. After all, I don’t owe them loyalty."
He still believed that.
The Emerald Cove Guild had never demanded loyalty from its members. So neither side owed the other such obligations.
"But..."
He looked toward the distant horizon where Wuyum County was gradually coming into view.
"...I can at least free them."
If the Empire truly arrived and if the guild became a target, then he would dissolve it before allowing countless loose cultivators to be dragged into a conflict because they happened to carry the guild’s identity.
After that...
Whether they fled...
Joined other organizations...
Became rogues once again...
Or even chose to resist...
That decision would belong entirely to them.
Just as the Purple River Lord was preparing to release every disciple from the Purple River Sect before making his own final stand...
Aksai could also remove the invisible chain tying countless loose cultivators to the Emerald Cove Guild.
He could not guarantee their survival. No one could.
But at the very least, he would no longer become the primary reason they died.
***
A few days later.
Aksai maintained a steady pace as he flew across the sky.
Before long, the familiar outline of Wuyum County appeared beneath him.
His gaze naturally shifted toward a particular corner of the county.
There...
The headquarters of the Emerald Cove Guild stood prominently among the surrounding buildings.
As he looked at the familiar land, memories quietly surfaced within his mind.
This place once belonged to the Lakir Clan.
Around a century ago, when he had still been an ordinary mortal, he had lived here as nothing more than a rented Spirit Farmer.
Back then, rows of modest wooden farmhouses stretched across the Spirit fields.
The fertile land had been divided into neat sections where countless tenant farmers nurtured Spirit crops under the supervision of the Lakir Clan.
He still remembered the Mangoose who had exploited him because of his status as a rental farmer with nobody else to rely on. He remembered Lian Lakir who was obsessed with his maid and almost made him lose his life. He still had broken parts of the Lian Flying Sword that was the main sword of the Lian Lakir.
He also remembered the pitiful Liana Lakir who was forced to abandon the subcontinent because of the manhunt initiated by the Purple River Sect’s elders. It was because of Liana Lakir and the entire Lakir Clan itself that Aksai had gotten access to the Bloodfiend Manual.
In short, Aksai had many memories related to this place, influencing his past, present, and future. This place was where his journey in this world had truly begun.
Now...
Nothing remained.
Not the Lakir Clan.
Not the farmhouses.
Not even the original Spirit fields.
The mortals present here were perhaps 4th or even 5th generations of people Aksai knew in the past. Time really changed everything. Only when recalling the memories of the past can one truly see the ever-changing nature of the world and mortals in it.
Aksai thought of many things of the past and sighed before shaking his head. He couldn’t be distracted by any of them.
As such, Aksai quickly regained his composure and looked at the place with the gaze of a neutral bystander.
The entire area had transformed beyond recognition.
In their place stood a large but practical complex built from sturdy Spirit stone and reinforced timber.
The buildings were neither luxurious nor extravagant. Everything had been constructed with functionality in mind.
Warehouses.
Mission halls.
Trading pavilions.
Cultivation rooms.
Alchemy workshops.
Storage facilities.
Training grounds.
Everything necessary for a guild operated efficiently within the spacious compound. Above the main entrance hung a simple wooden plaque.
Emerald Cove Guild.
The three words alone carried enough weight to make countless loose cultivators stop in their tracks.
Throughout the vast courtyard, cultivators continuously moved from one building to another. Some accepted missions. Others returned to submit completed assignments.
Groups gathered around spectral bulletin boards while merchants negotiated over Spirit resources inside the trading halls.
Flying artifacts occasionally descended from the sky before taking off once again.
The entire guild remained busy. Yet, something had changed.
Even from high above, Aksai could sense it. The usual lively atmosphere had become noticeably restrained.
People still spoke, traded, and accepted missions. But beneath every conversation lay an invisible layer of tension.
Rumors had already begun spreading throughout the subcontinent.
The ongoing destruction of various small and mid-stage sects. The appearance of powerful foreign cultivators. The disappearance of major forces.
Even the loose cultivators had begun realizing that an unprecedented storm was approaching. They simply did not know how large that storm truly was.
Aksai silently observed everything for a few breaths before descending. He did not conceal his aura. Nor did he deliberately release it.
His Lord Realm presence naturally spread around him as he slowly landed before the guild’s main building.
The moment his feet touched the ground, the bustling courtyard suddenly became quiet.
One by one, heads turned toward him.
Novices.
Foundation Establishment Experts.
Guild managers.
Mission officers.
Merchants.
Everyone immediately recognized him as the founder of the Emerald Cove Guild. The mysterious Lord who rarely appeared in public.
Without needing any orders, the surrounding cultivators instinctively bowed and paid their respects.
"Greetings, Guild Master!"
"Greetings, Lord Aksai!"