A Farmer's Journey To Immortality

Chapter 731: Heilaim’s Intervention P1

Aksai stopped a short distance away and looked at Heilam with a nonchalant look in his eyes.

“Iron Mountain Sect master,” Aksai said in a calm voice, “let me explain why Grisham did what he did before you start judging him or his master.”

Heilam let out a long breath and laughed bitterly.

“So it was true after all,” he said. His voice was tired but sharp. “You were indeed behind this vile creature.”

Grisham remained bowed, silent and still.

Aksai did not react with anger. He simply met Heilam’s gaze.

“Yes,” he said. “He serves me.”

Heilam looked at Aksai in silence.

Many emotions rushed through his chest at once. Anger. Shock. Regret. Confusion. They twisted together, making it hard for him to breathe. His hands trembled slightly, not from fear alone, but from the realization of his own weakness against a Lord pressing down on him.

After a long moment, Heilam let out a dry laugh.

It held no joy.

Only bitterness.

“I see now,” he said, shaking his head slowly. “I thought you only wanted a foothold on the mainland. I thought you were trying to control a part of the Iron Mountain Sect from the shadows to oppose the Big Five Sects.”

His eyes narrowed as he met Aksai’s gaze.

“But I never imagined that you planned to take over my sect by killing me.”

Aksai blinked.

A clear look of confusion crossed his face.

“Sect master,” he said calmly, “I think you have misunderstood.”

He took a step forward, his voice steady and even.

“Why would I need to kill you to take over your sect?” he asked. “Isn’t the Iron Mountain Sect already under my control?”

Heilam’s pupils shrank.

Aksai continued, his tone unchanged.

“One of your three grand elders works for me. Most of your sect elders do as well. The sect has already started moving the way I want it to move. It’s just that you were too busy fulfilling your own ambitions to notice these changes.”

He paused for a moment, then spoke again.

“And why would I kill you?” he added. “I wouldn’t even need to be here if that was my goal.”

Aksai turned his head slightly and looked at Grisham.

“Grisham alone would have been enough to finish the job.”

Grisham remained silent, standing straight, his head lowered in respect.

Heilam felt his heart sink.

For the first time in many years, the Iron Mountain Sect master realized something clearly. He had never been in control for the last few decades. Not even once.

Aksai looked at Heilam quietly for a moment before speaking further.

“One shouldn’t be so busy doing their own thing that they forget about the world around them,” he said in a calm voice. “That’s how one ends up with a narrow view. You either start underestimating others or overestimating yourself.”

Heilam listened without interrupting.

“But I don’t blame you,” Aksai continued. “I do the same thing sometimes. I get so focused on my own projects that I forget about my guild and my people.”

He let out a small sigh.

“Anyway,” he said, “the reason I took control of the Iron Mountain Sect was not just to work behind the Big Five Sects’ backs.”

He turned slightly and looked toward the sealed cave entrances.

“My real reason is this place,” Aksai said. “This cave. And the Fallen Dao Beast’s core inside it.”

Heilam’s eyes widened.

“Who do you think deciphered the ancient scroll before it was returned to you?” Aksai asked calmly. “I knew about the Fallen Dao Beast decades ago. Long before your sect even got close to finding this place.”

Heilam felt his throat go dry.

“I supported your sect from the shadows,” Aksai went on. “I made sure you had the resources, the hints, and the right people at the right time. All so you could find this cave and open it.”

Aksai glanced at Grisham.

“That is why I placed Grisham in your sect,” he said. “He worked for you with full effort. Even though his loyalty was to me, he never betrayed your sect.”

Grisham stood silently, unmoving.

“He helped your sect because I wanted you to succeed,” Aksai said. “I needed you to locate the cave. I needed you to open it.”

Aksai looked back at Heilam, his gaze steady.

“This was never about destroying your sect,” he said. “It was about guiding it to the point where it could open the path I needed. I am the so-called benefactor of your sect that Grisham spoke about. Even though I had ulterior motives, it is an undisputed fact that my actions brought you here, fulfilling your long-awaited dream.

It was my subordinates who kept the sect functioning well in its sect master’s absence. It was my wealth that was spent in maintaining the sect.”

He paused for a moment before continuing.

“Also, if it weren’t for me, your sect would have been either destroyed or brutally taken over by one of the Big Five Sects long ago. Do you think it was only your careful actions that kept the Big Five Sects from learning about the Fallen Dao Beast’s core?”

His voice remained calm as continued.

“It was my intelligence network that removed the spies who tried to get closer to the truth behind your disappearance from the sect’s affairs. It was also my spies in the Big Five Sects who took care of the ones that slipped past the net.

“To be honest, I had thought about letting you make mistakes on your own. That way, I would have had a much easier time manipulating the Big Five Sects to get here instead of trying to make things work with you.

“I might have had to split the rewards with other Lords as a consequence of choosing that route, but at least I wouldn’t have had to do so many things by myself. It’s a pain in the as*s to deal with someone who thinks he is strong and smart enough to outplay the Big Five Sects but has very little to show for it.

“But for the better or worse, I have chosen to work with you. So I might as well make full use of you and your sect to get what I want.”

Source: .com, updated by novlove.com