As soon as the words left the Yaksha Lord's mouth, the clouds above rumbled again.
A sharp lightning strike tore through the sky—not to strike anyone, but to announce that the heavens had accepted the vow.
'Damn. What's with these Core Formation Lords and their Dao oaths? Why can't they just make normal oaths?'
Aksai thought, glancing at the skies.
He didn't like the idea of being a potential lightning target. As cunning and ruthless as he could be, the horror-movie-fearing boy in him was still alive and well.
***
Of course, he was also surprised that sothing like a way to upgrade one's Spirit Root Aptitude still existed in Dadangar. It had been considered nearly impossible before.
And a pill that could upgrade one's Spirit Root without causing any side effects? That was literally sothing people would kill for in a cultivation world.
However, Aksai could guess that this kind of pill was a once-in-a-billion type of opportunity. Even in the core regions of Dadangar—those beyond the Shinayin Empire—this pill would stir a storm among the populace.
After all, the pill was akin to having the power to change one's destiny. When a Spirit Root Aptitude was upgraded, the chances of breaking through to higher stages of Spirit cultivation increased dramatically.
A one-fold upgrade was still believable. But under the right circumstances and with the help of supplentary alchemy items, the pill could potentially upgrade soone's Spirit Root Aptitude twice.
In short, the Spirit Nirvana Pill was no less than a divine artifact for current Spirit cultivators of Dadangar. Offering a treasure like this to soone was akin to the Yaksha Lord emptying all his wealth in front of everyone. It was a grand gesture, no doubt.
That being said, Aksai wasn't interested in the pill—simply because he knew he wouldn't be able to get it. It was kinda like a nerd teenager trying to win the favor of the hottest girl in class. Theoretically possible, sure. But the odds were not in his favor.
If Aksai couldn't get it, there was no point in thinking about it. He had his own thods of upgrading Spirit Root Aptitude anyway.
He'd discovered that he could not only use thods from Sharang but also Aether techniques to improve his Aptitude. Although these thods would take ti, they were bound to produce better results.
And unlike the pill's effects that one could only benefit from once, he could keep on upgrading his Aptitude one step at a ti using thods that were not strictly related to Spirit essence.
As such, Aksai had no desire for the pill for the ti being. However, there were other ways the pill could benefit him.
Although getting his hands on the real pill was impossible, Aksai could always ask Haitin later to let him analyze the pill without doing any intrusive procedures.
He had Heretic Dao inheritance to help him. His Neural Link Fabric could also play a vital role in alchemy.
If he could create an alchemy item that was one tenth of the actual power of the Spirit Nirvana Pill, it would be worth it. Then if he could combine the pill's effects with the techniques from the otherworlds, his Spirit Root Aptitude would soar higher than any of his estimated goals.
***
anwhile, the world heard Yaksha Lord's words. Since the pill or the Yaksha Lord hadn't been targeted by the lightning, all that the Yaksha Lord had said was true.
The Yaksha Lord gently placed the vial down on a floating stone platform between him and the Blackblood Lord, as if setting an offering before a shrine. He stepped back and looked at the man.
He smiled, but it was not the smile of victory—it was one of exhaustion.
"I've done what I could," he said. "I won't get to see our lands united under my rule. But that's fine. I'm not such a madman that I'd rather see it fall into chaos and ruin. The Wild Devil Lands belongs to us—the demonic faction."
He turned his eyes, just for a mont, to glance toward the section where the righteous faction Lords were. His gaze was calm, but it carried aning.
"There are vultures in the sky," he said. "We can't leave our territory unguarded."
Finally, he looked back at the Blackblood Lord, locking eyes with him once more.
"So?" he asked quietly. "Do we have a deal, old friend?"
The wedding guests remained silent, all eyes now on the Blackblood Lord.
The pill was real. The vow was made. The poison had been drunk. The damage was done. Now the future rests on one man's decision.
The Blackblood Lord stared at the glowing pill on the floating stone platform.
Its red-blue shine, with golden lines twisting gently across its surface, made it look almost holy. But there was nothing holy about it.
This was a weapon too, he thought. A strategic weapon disguised as a gift.
His brows furrowed. He wanted to destroy that pill. Or rather, he wanted to rob the pill without giving any face to the Yaksha Lord.
He wanted to kill the Yaksha Lord right there, right now. The man had betrayed him in the worst way possible—launching a surprise attack and nearly stealing his life.
The only reason the Blackblood Lord was still alive was because of pure luck and the Heretic Dao thods that Aksai had brought with him.
The Glass Heart ca with a price. His lifespan had been cut short. He didn't have more than a week or two left. What was the point of forgiveness now?
But he didn't speak. Instead, he closed his eyes for a second, gathering his thoughts like a general counting his soldiers before a battle.
As a demonic cultivator, revenge ca first. That was the rule.
But he wasn't just a cultivator. He was a sect master. The master of the Blackblood Sect. And right now, the demonic faction was in danger.
He opened his eyes and looked around the venue. The wedding had nearly turned into a mind battlefield.
The Core Formation Lords from the righteous faction were still watching silently. None of them spoke, but he could feel their thoughts stirring.
They had seen the cracks within the demonic faction.
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