Loken knew very well that his life was no longer fully his own.
Traps had been placed deep within his borrowed Spirit Core and his soul.
If he tried to warn Koya or anyone else, even for a mont, those traps would activate and end his life before he could say a single useful word. He did not even dare test them.
Not that Loken was truly loyal to Kalingoot in the first place.
He had always been wary of the First and Second Supres. In his heart, he wanted them gone so that he could take full control of Kalingoot himself. That desire had never faded.
At first, he had felt trapped, stuck between fear and hatred. But then, an idea had slowly ford.
What if he let things unfold on their own?
What if the Dadangar Alliance and Aksai’s forces clashed with the First and Second Supres? What if they exhausted each other in open conflict? While they were busy fighting, he could quietly work on removing the traps inside him.
Plus, not everything had gone wrong for him.
With the ghost ntor gone, Loken had finally taken full control of his borrowed Spirit Core. Now that it had settled properly in his dantian, the Spirit Core was slowly recovering. Its power was rising each day, heading back toward its peak state.
That peak was the late stage of the 3rd realm, only one step away from breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm.
Loken knew he could never beco a true Nascent Soul King with a borrowed Spirit Core. At least not using any of the ans that he knew of. But reaching the level of a late-stage Core Formation Lord would still be more than enough to solve many of his problems.
Still, there was one concern that weighed heavily on him. The First Supre.
That man had not only rged with his borrowed Spirit Core with ease, but had already advanced to the mid-stage of the Core Formation realm on his own. Facing him directly would be no simple task.
All these thoughts rushed through Loken’s mind in an instant.
In the end, he let out a slow breath and forced a bitter smile onto his face. He looked back at Koya and spoke carefully.
"Hahaha brother Koya sure has a good mory. I indeed wanted to fight in the frontlines a few months ago. But let’s... let’s just say that I ca across so roadblocks along the way."
Koya stared at him for a mont, his eyes sharp, as the sounds of war preparation continued below them in the night.
Koya listened to Loken’s answer in silence. After a short pause, he gave a slow nod, as if accepting the explanation without much thought.
"I see," Koya said calmly. "Heheh. If I didn’t know you better, I would have called you a scared cat. Hahaha. Anyway. If you haven’t chosen your cultivation abode among the remaining islands governed by the Dadangar Alliance yet, then that is good news to ."
He shifted his stance slightly and looked toward the distant sea, where the faint outline of ships could be seen through the night mist.
"I can go first and select an island for myself," Koya continued.
"The state of Dadangar seas is indeed not that favourable to Lords than the mainland. There are not many good choices among the islands with Second Order Spirit Veins.
"There needs to be at least three islands with 2nd Order Spirit Veins to turn one of them into a suitable place for a Core Formation lord. Or we’d be forced to make do with a lot of 1st Order islands to get a bare minimum cultivation abode.
"I have been wanting to take control of Erald Cove ever since I received intel about the kind of resources it holds. It is also at an ideal position from two other islands with 2nd Order Spirit Veins, which would make it easy for us to set up formations. I hope Brother Loken won’t mind if I take my pick first."
The mont Koya ntioned Erald Cove, Loken’s heart skipped a beat.
Still, he did not let it show.
He forced out a short laugh, though it ca with so difficulty. His face quickly turned respectful, almost flattering, as he replied.
"N– not... not at all, Brother Koya," Loken said.
"Although I didn’t think of so many details while choosing, I also thought Erald Cove would be the best choice for you. I even wanted to go there myself and conquer it so that I could claim it later, if I had the ti. But unfortunately, I was busy with so affairs. I hope Brother Koya will forgive ."
Koya turned his head and looked at Loken. A faint smirk appeared on his face.
He did not say anything, but Loken could feel it clearly. The look in Koya’s eyes was filled with quiet pride and disdain, as if Loken stood far below him. It was the kind of gaze that said he could crush Loken whenever he pleased.
Loken’s right hand clenched into a fist at his side.
He quickly hid it by raising his hand and scratching the back of his head, keeping the sa fawning smile on his face. Inside, his thoughts were anything but calm.
Koya soon lost interest in him and turned his gaze back toward the island and the sea beyond. His voice grew louder, filled with confidence, as he spoke more to himself than to Loken.
"Now that I’m out of my closed-door cultivation, I can finally step onto the frontlines of this war," Koya said. "I can also ask for more rewards from the Big Five Sects and their factions who are secretly helping us from the shadows."
He let out a deep laugh.
"Hahaha. Once the Dadangar Alliance falls, the balance within the Dadangar Sea will change. The old equations will break, and a new order will be ford."
His eyes shone with ambition.
"When that ti cos, those who stand at the top on the winning side will surely gain the greatest benefits."
Behind him, Loken kept his head lowered and his smile polite, while his thoughts churned quietly in the darkness.
Just then, Loken received a secret transmission directly inside his mind.
’It’s about damn ti,’ Loken thought to himself as he looked at Koya’s back with a hint of schadenfreude.
User Comments
0 comments from readers