A Farmer's Journey To Immortality

Aksai’s spectral projection folded its arms and spoke further.

"Haitin, the traditional division no longer matter as much as people think. At least not now when the royal faction is on the rise."

"The righteous faction. The demonic faction. Those concepts were built around a two-sided struggle. But now a third faction has appeared. It threatens both sides equally."

Aksai’s voice became colder.

"If the Big Five and Major Three sects continue fighting each other while ignoring this threat, they will simply be defeated one after another. By the time they realize the royal faction’s plan, it will already be too late."

The study became quiet once again.

Haitin found himself unable to refute those words. Because they made sense. The royal faction was not targeting only righteous sects or demonic sects. It wanted to replace the entire existing order.

That meant everyone was a target, including him.

The projection looked directly at him.

"If you hesitate now, the Blackblood Demon Sect will pay a severe price later. It is not a matter of if. It is only a matter of when."

The final words lingered inside the room.

Then the recording slowly ended. The projection faded away. Silence returned to the study.

Haitin sat alone behind the desk for a while.

Eventually, he leaned back and stared at the ceiling.

"A third faction. Isn’t it just a bunch of people who couldn’t get into a reputed sect? Or does it have links with the powers beyond the Shinayin Boundary?"

He muttered softly, questioning various things in his head.

Haitin belonged to a bloodline clan that had its roots in the Eternal Sea. Even though the passage of time faced by so many generations of the Blackblood clan had basically severed the connection between the clan and its origins, the clansmen of the Blackblood clan still wanted to fulfill their ancestral wish and return back to the Eternal Sea.

Haitin obviously knew a bit about the powers beyond the Shinayin Boundary. As such, he was privy to more knowledge than Aksai.

However, Haitin couldn’t think about returning to the Eternal Sea or the powers that originated from there. He could only think about his current circumstances.

The intelligence reports. The mysterious deaths. The assassination attempts. The strange movements across the subcontinent.

Everything suddenly started fitting together.

Slowly, piece by piece, Aksai’s warning no longer sounded like speculation. It sounded like an inevitable future.

And Haitin knew one thing very clearly.

If Aksai had gone through the trouble of sending this message personally, then the threat was likely even greater than what the recording had revealed.

A faint smile appeared on Haitin’s face.

"Looks like things are about to become interesting."

However, there was no excitement in his eyes.

Only caution.

And determination.

The Blackblood Demon Sect had finally gained stability after years of turmoil. He had no intention of allowing anyone to destroy what his father had built.

Whether the enemy was a righteous sect, a demonic sect, or this mysterious royal faction—

He would deal with them all. One step at a time. Haitin was lost in his own thoughts. The jade token’s glow had started to dim.

Seeing this, Haitin assumed that the message had ended. He was about to pull his consciousness away from the token.

Suddenly, the fading projection flickered once more.

The glow brightened again.

Aksai’s spectral figure reappeared so abruptly that even Haitin looked surprised.

It seemed that Aksai had remembered something important at the last moment and added it to the recorded message.

"One more thing."

The projection spoke.

This time, Aksai’s expression was unusually serious.

Haitin immediately focused.

He had rarely seen Aksai hesitate before speaking.

However, the spectral figure actually paused.

"About Late Master Blackblood’s betrothal of his daughter to me, I..."

Aksai stopped midway.

He looked thoughtful.

Almost troubled. As if he had already considered the consequences of his next words many times.

For several moments, the projection remained silent.

Then Aksai finally spoke.

"I have decided to accept the betrothal."

The moment those words entered his ears, Haitin froze.

His eyes widened.

For a second, he simply stared at the projection.

Then a broad smile slowly spread across his face.

If there was one thing his late father had worried about before his death, it was Humeyin.

The old Sect Lord had always hoped that Aksai and Humeyin would eventually end up together. Now Aksai had finally given an answer.

However, before Haitin could become too excited, Aksai continued speaking.

"Of course, this betrothal wasn’t one-sided. Master Blackblood had asked me to resolve Humeyin’s bloodline issues in return."

The smile on Haitin’s face slowly disappeared.

His expression became serious.

Aksai’s voice remained calm.

"I think I finally have a way to cure your little sister."

Haitin’s heart skipped a beat. His sister was even more talented than him in almost all the fields. It was just that she couldn’t go out to face the sun because of her Light Devouring Physique’s unique characteristics.

Aksai continued before giving him false hope.

"Or at least minimize the negative effects of the Light Devouring Physique."

"Don’t get your hopes up just yet regarding the cure."

"It might work."

"It might not."

"It could also be completely different from what you consider to be a cure."

The projection shook its head slightly.

"But I think it is worth a shot."

Haitin listened without blinking.

For years, countless people had tried to help Humeyin.

Spirit doctors.

Alchemists.

Bloodline experts.

Sect elders.

Nobody had found a real solution.

The Light Devouring Physique was simply too troublesome.

It constantly consumed light essence and reacted badly to direct sunlight.

Even walking under a bright sky for too long could put Humeyin’s life in danger.

Many people had promised miracles.

Most of them had failed.

That was why Aksai’s cautious words sounded far more trustworthy than empty promises.

Aksai continued.

"Of course, I need to carry out a few experiments related to Humeyin’s vessel bloodline."

"To make things simpler, I would appreciate it if Humeyin relocates to Emerald Cove Island."

The projection paused.

Then Aksai looked forward as if he could somehow see Haitin through the recording.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"If all goes well, Humeyin may eventually be able to walk freely in the bright afternoon sun again without endangering her life."

Silence filled the study.

Haitin’s hands tightened unconsciously.

Walk freely under the sun.

Such a simple thing.

Yet for Humeyin, it had always been an impossible dream.

He remembered his younger sister sitting by windows and watching the outside world.

He remembered her avoiding daylight.

He remembered how she always acted cheerful despite knowing that she could never enjoy many of the simple things others took for granted.

For the first time in many years, genuine hope appeared in Haitin’s heart.

The projection remained silent for a few moments.

Then Aksai scratched his chin.

He looked somewhat awkward.

Almost embarrassed.

"Haitin."

The projection pointed a finger forward.

"I know you might get excited."

"But you should also ask your sister Humeyin what she thinks."

His expression became serious again.

"Don’t make the decision for her."

"Ultimately, it should be her choice."

After saying those words, Aksai nodded once.

The projection shattered into countless particles of light.

The recording finally ended.

The jade token became silent.

Haitin slowly withdrew his consciousness.

When he opened his eyes, a bright smile had already appeared on his face.

The heavy mood that had followed Aksai’s intelligence report was gone.

Even the worries about the royal faction seemed lighter for the moment.

Across the room, Zinnia quietly observed him.

The beautiful maid immediately noticed the change in his expression.

A small smile appeared on her face.

"It seems my lord left behind some pleasant news."

Haitin laughed.

A genuine laugh.

One that rarely appeared nowadays.

"He certainly did."

Zinnia sat calmly while Haitin put away the jade token.

Neither of them immediately brought up the contents of the message.

Instead, they continued discussing business matters. The conversation lasted for almost an hour. Eventually, all matters were settled.

Zinnia rose from her seat.

"It seems my work here is finished."

Haitin stood up as well.

"Thank you for making the trip."

Zinnia smiled politely.

"I was merely carrying out my lord’s instructions."

She paused briefly.

Then her smile became slightly warmer.

"Please give my greetings to Young Mistress Humeyin when you see her."

Haitin nodded.

"I will."

The two exchanged a few final words.

Soon afterward, Zinnia left the study.

Haitin walked toward a nearby window.

His thoughts drifted toward his younger sister.

Then toward Aksai.

A smile slowly appeared on his face again.

"Father."

He spoke softly to himself.

"It seems your final wish might actually come true."