Arven pointed lightly toward Aksai.
"Spirit cultivators who beco part of a sect lose their sense of self. Compared to them, wandering cultivators are the true talents of the subcontinent. People like you," he said, "should not be bound."
His gaze softened slightly.
"We will create a new order," he said. "One where mortals and cultivators stand together."
Aksai listened quietly.
"No more separation," Arven continued.
"No more hidden walls. Everyone will belong to the sa kingdom they were born in. They will share the sa shared identity. The mortals and cultivators will get to keep their identity for as long as they are alive.
It's just that the cultivators will be able to keep their intact for a longer period than mortals. However, as long as they are alive, they'll belong to the sa kingdom they were born in."
His voice slowed.
"That bond with one's roots will be stronger than anything the sects have built."
Aksai listened quietly, his face calm as ever.
On the surface, nothing had changed. His eyes were steady. His breathing was even. He even seed like he was slightly tempted by Prince Arven's words like any other wandering cultivator.
But inside, his thoughts were running like wild horses let loose on a barren land.
Piece by piece, everything started to connect. The sudden rise in missions for 3rd Order demon beasts. The strange flow of Spirit resources into the kingdoms. The unusual freedom given to Spirit cultivators in places like Kaan Kingdom.
And most of all… the assassins.
Aksai's mind went back to the reports he had heard from his intelligence network through the Erald Cove Guild. The targeted attacks on the Lords from the Big Five. The careful planning. The way those assassins had no fear of death and chose their targets so precisely.
Aksai knew that there had to be a strong organization supporting such attacks from the shadows. After all, the assassins were not only well-trained but also well-equipped.
Those assassins were very bold and precise in their attacks. They wanted to shake the very societal fabric of the subcontinent by targeting all the Lords who had enough influence to sway a huge number of followers.
Even Aksai was targeted as a Lord for this very reason. Although he was not one of the Big Five from the righteous faction or the Major Three from the demonic faction, his influence was rising sharply with the establishnt of the Erald Cove Guild.
After the failed assassination attempt, he had wondered who could possibly have the power and resources to train such tight-lipped and cold-blooded killers.
The Spirit farr had considered many possibilities before. One of the Big Five attempting to overthrow the current setup and aim for total dominance. Or it could have been one of the Major Three demonic sects.
Or maybe powers beyond the Duya Forest. So hidden force from outside the subcontinent.
But he had not truly considered the kingdoms themselves. And certainly not at this scale. The royal faction was not just trying to survive under the shadow of the sects anymore. They were planning to replace them.
Aksai slowly looked at Prince Arven.
The prince still had a calm and confident smile on his face, as if he was simply offering a good opportunity. But at this point, Aksai could see what was hidden behind that smile.
Ambition.
A very deep and dangerous ambition. The royal faction did not just want more power. They wanted everything the subcontinent had to offer. re political influence over the lives of mortals was not enough anymore. They wanted to experience the true might that ca from the path of Spirit cultivation, which was deeply personal and ca from within.
The royal faction had also started seeing the major players of the subcontinent as their enemies. They wanted to take the unseen throne that the Big Five Sects had been sitting on for so long.
In short, the royals wanted to beco the true rulers of the subcontinent, not just in na, but in reality. It ant that the current order had to fall for the royals to take their place in the minds of both new and veteran cultivators.
Aksai's thoughts grew deeper.
'For how long have they been planning sothing like this? Wanting power and control is one thing. But these people… they want to erase the sect system entirely…'
That was the boldest part.
Even before the arrival of the Mad Immortal, the sects had controlled almost all the important Spirit resources. The rich lands, the forests, the rivers, the Spirit mines… all of them were under sect influence.
Even if those lands technically belonged to the kingdoms, the real control was in the hands of the sects. That balance had existed for a long ti. Now, the royal faction wanted to break it.
They wanted to take back those lands and control the Spirit resources directly. And more importantly, by doing that, they wanted to build their own army of Spirit cultivators.
An army that was not loyal to any sect.
An army that was only loyal to the throne.
This was a much more ambitious plan than simply founding a super sect by dumping all the royal wealth and making it strong enough to enter the Big Five eventually.
After all, no matter how big and powerful one of the Big Five—like the Purple River Sect—was, it could not do everything on its own. It had to rely on smaller sects and wandering Experts to control and manage its territories.
This was why there were local powers like the Lakir Clan, who were loosely associated with the Purple River Sect but still had an identity of their own. This individual nature of smaller organizations had allowed wandering cultivators to find their own unique paths.
Even though the multi-sect system had many flaws, Spirit cultivators at least had so level of freedom. It allowed them to nurture their individuality. And since both the righteous and demonic factions had adopted the sa system, a sense of balance was maintained from both sides.
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