Chapter 578: Planning to Beco a Deterrence P2
Jasmine looked down slightly.
“So… you don’t trust the Alliance to protect us?”
Aksai shook his head before speaking his mind freely.
“It’s not about trust, Jasmine. It’s about knowing where we stand.
We shouldn’t depend on the Alliance to send help when war reaches our shores, nor should we ask for it. Help that cos from others always cos with strings attached, and those strings can choke you when you least expect it.”
He walked a few steps back toward her, his voice steady but quiet. “Keep in contact with the Alliance. Use their information channels, trade networks, and news flow. We can also contribute to Alliance in other ways. Like supplying the war essentials and providing fiscal support. That way, we could contribute without getting our warriors killed on unknown turfs.
When it cos to defense and control, Erald Cove must rely on its own strength. Only then can we stay free, even in the middle of chaos.”
Jasmine nodded slowly, understanding the aning behind his words. Aksai was telling her to maintain ties with the Alliance for survival but not to depend on them—to keep Erald Cove independent, self-reliant, and strong enough to defend its own turf.
After a long pause, she spoke again, her voice softer this ti. “When will the war end, my lord?”
Aksai turned his gaze toward the distant horizon seen through the open doorway. He stayed silent for a long ti before answering.
“Who knows? Wars and peace don’t co with expiry dates,” he said finally.
“They last as long as the greed and fear behind them do. And no matter who wins, both sides lose in the end. The longer a war continues, the more it drains everything— artifacts, spirit stones, soldiers, and even hope. Such wars only end when both sides are broken and have nothing left to fight with.”
Jasmine’s expression darkened. “Does that an… this war between the Alliance and Kalingoot could go on for years?”
Aksai nodded faintly. “It could. If both sides keep feeding their pride instead of their people, it might even last decades.”
Jasmine’s brows furrowed. “If that happens, Erald Cove will be in danger. We have too much to lose. Is there no way to end it sooner?”
Aksai’s eyes glinted faintly as he looked at her. “There is a way,” he said in a calm voice.
She leaned forward slightly. “What way, my lord?”
“Undisputed dominance,” Aksai said, his tone turning firm. “When one side becos so powerful that no one dares challenge it, wars end before they turn into an unending march of death. Only absolute deterrence can bring lasting peace.”
Jasmine thought for a mont before asking carefully, “Do you an… the war will end once the Big Five Sects join in and use their strength to force peace?”
Aksai chuckled lightly and shook his head. “No. The Big Five won’t interfere directly. Their Core Formation Lords are occupied with their own matters, and the sects won’t risk their foundations for this. Their deterrence remains in na, not in presence.”
Jasmine’s eyes widened slightly as she began to realize what he ant. Her lips parted as if to ask, but Aksai spoke before she could.
“That’s right,” he said with a faint smile. “I’m preparing to end this war before it even begins. And there’s only one way to do that—by becoming a Core Formation Lord myself.”
Aksai’s words shook Jasmine. She couldn’t believe he had already progressed so far in his cultivation that he was even preparing to achieve a breakthrough into the Third Spirit Realm. After all, this was far too early for Aksai, who had only recently stepped into the Foundation Establishnt Realm.
Nuya managing to reach the mid-stage Foundation Establishnt realm in such a short ti was already miraculous in the eyes of the low-level cultivators. However, she at least had her innate talent. But how did Aksai manage to completely overshadow her using his below average talent?
For example, the youngest Core Formation Lord the Dadangar Subcontinent had ever recorded was a little over two hundred years old. Aksai wasn’t even half that age. If Jasmine hadn’t known him better, she might have thought he was bluffing or using so radical demonic technique to force his way into the Core Formation Realm.
She stared at him in disbelief for a mont before slowly lowering her head. “Then your closed-door cultivation…”
Aksai nodded. “Yes. This ti, it’s not just about personal progress. If I succeed, Erald Cove will stand above the rest, and no one will dare threaten it. That’s the only peace worth having.”
Jasmine’s eyes shimred softly. “Then I wish you success, my lord,” she said quietly.
“May the heavens favor you.”
Aksai smiled, calm and certain. “Thank you, Jasmine.”
He turned toward the door once more. The sea wind brushed through his hair as he stepped outside. His figure shimred faintly, as if the light itself bent around him, and in the next breath, he was gone—leaving behind only the faint hum of wood-elent Spirit essence and the quiet sound of waves crashing below the cliff.
Jasmine stood there for a long ti, her eyes fixed on the empty doorway. After a few monts, she couldn’t help voicing her thoughts out loud. “I… I really should have said yes back then,” she muttered to herself, smiling bitterly.
After a mont, she shook her head and walked back into her house with renewed determination, silently thanking Aksai in her heart for countless reasons.
***
A few hours later.
The night sky above Shamrock Peak was clear, the stars faintly glimring through the mist that always lingered around the mountain.
Deep under the grand palace that stood at its summit, hidden behind layers of stone and spell formations, Aksai stepped into the underground hall once again.
Silence was dominant within the walls of the hall, its vast stone chamber dimly lit by the faint glow of Spirit lamps embedded in the walls.
As soon as Aksai entered, the air rippled around him. He raised his hand and took out several Second Order talismans and artifacts from his spatial ring.
“Safety first.”
User Comments
0 comments from readers