The river that flowed from the crater was later called the Purple River, and the sect that rose near its banks took its name from it.
This incident was one of the core parts of Dadangar Subcontinent's history.
Aksai frowned slightly as he read on.
It wasn't just poison. Buried deep in a hidden cultivation cave beneath the very heart of the marshland was at least a 4th Order treasure. There was a possibility that it could be of even higher grade.
The scroll called it The Venomous Heart Flame—a rare and terrifying Spirit Flame born from a mix of corrupted Spirit essence and the ancient beast's lingering will.
This flame could devour poisons, refine Spirit materials, and was said to carry a fragment of sentient will. It had not been claimed because no cultivator had managed to survive the cave's defenses or its suffocating poisonous mist for long.
Even the Iron Mountain Sect, who once sent a special unit of elders to claim it, had failed.
Aksai's fingers gripped the edge of the scroll as his thoughts raced. His eyes scanned the remaining details—coordinates, sealing formations, clues about the cave's changing landscape, and descriptions of the stone doors that guarded the treasure's chamber.
"It really exists," he whispered.
The treasure was not just powerful. If bonded correctly, it could serve as both a flame for crafting and a soul-bound protective force.
It was possibly the key to unlocking higher realms of poison-based cultivation arts—or even forging Heretic Dao talismans with entirely new effects.
He leaned back against the tree trunk behind him, the scroll still stretched open before him.
"So this is what the Iron Mountain Sect was searching for all this time," he said softly. "And yet, they failed to claim the treasure. So they took their frustrations out on me."
Aksai smiled to himself.
He had many questions running through his mind as he thought about the scroll. First of all, how did the Iron Mountain Sect get hold of such a scroll?
Although the sect was well-established, it was nowhere near the Big Five Sects in terms of influence, network, and history. And how did it manage to keep this information hidden not only from the Big Five but also from the three core demonic sects?
Moreover, why would the Iron Mountain Sect entrust such a crucial scroll to a group of subpar elders? It was true they were strong and worked well as a team, but their cultivation levels weren't high enough. As far as Aksai could tell, a scroll should have been carried by a grand elder—someone only a few steps away from the Core Formation realm.
Still, Aksai pushed these distractions aside and focused on securing the scroll first. He already had moles placed inside the Iron Mountain Sect. So, most of his questions would be answered in due time, once those moles completed their tasks.
As for retrieving the treasure himself, Aksai wasn't in any hurry. He figured that if the Iron Mountain Sect hadn't been able to obtain the treasure yet, it wouldn't be easy for them anytime soon. He might have been worried if they had shared the information with the Big Five Sects, who had the means and cultivators capable of executing such missions.
But instead, the Iron Mountain Sect had chosen to keep the secret to themselves, hoping to claim all the treasure and resources alone. They had grown greedy after acquiring the scroll and were now trying to bite off more than they could chew.
No matter how cautious they were, they were making a serious mistake. Aksai decided to let them keep making that mistake. Why interrupt your enemies when they're walking straight into a trap? If anything, he would take advantage of the situation and destroy the sect from within when the time came.
"Time to return home," Aksai said as he looked around, then climbed onto the back of a Red Scale Boar. This one had been summoned recently. It wasn't the same as the ones that had fought against the elders—it was a fresh beast, uninjured and full of strength.
After all, those who had fought earlier had taken some damage during the battle. So, Aksai had chosen to summon another demon beast, one of his newer, genetically modified creations, to carry him through the marshland.
It was not safe to fly using one's artifact or demon beasts in certain regions found within the Dadangar Subcontinent like the Purple Poison Marshland.
As such, he had to complete the remaining part of his journey the hard way.
After returning to Wuyum County, Aksai took the help of his flying demon beast to finish the rest of his journey back home.
The sun hung low over Emerald Cove Island, casting a warm orange glow across the Spirit farming fields.
Rental Spirit farmers, mostly in the 3rd or 4th stage of the Spirit Gathering realm, were hard at work in the soil-rich land they had been assigned by the island's landlord—Lord Aksai.
Their hands moved seamlessly in casting low-level Spirit spells as they tended to Spirit crops, watered special herbs, and guided the weak Spirit energy of the land through carefully learned techniques.
Watching over them was Ivy Elbak, Aksai's assistant and apprentice. She stood at the edge of the fields with her sleeves rolled up, her hair tied back.
Ivy had grown taller than the last time Aksai had seen her, her figure more mature, and her mana more stable. Now in the 9th stage of the Spirit Gathering realm, she carried herself with quiet confidence.
Whenever a farmer struggled with a Spirit spell or couldn't control their energy flow, Ivy stepped in. She would kneel beside them and, with a small chant or a guiding hand, fix the issue.
The farmers bowed to her respectfully after each help. After all, they knew that she was the acting boss of all of them even though Aksai was their landlord.
She didn't say much in return, only nodded and moved on to the next struggling farmer.
After a while, Ivy stood on a small raised path between two fields, wiping sweat from her forehead. Her eyes scanned the horizon absentmindedly. A soft sigh left her lips.
"It's been too long since Lord Aksai left the Emerald Cove," she murmured to herself. "When will he return? Is… is he safe?"
But before her thoughts could deepen, a piercing eagle cry ripped through the sky above. Her eyes shot up.
A massive shadow fell over the fields. Some farmers dropped their tools and gasped. Others froze in place.
Ivy was in no better shape than the rest of the rental farmers as well. Her heart dropped instantly as a cold chill ran down her spine.
Hovering in the sky was a large flying demon beast, its wings spread wide. Its powerful 2nd Order aura pressed down on the entire farmland like an invisible wave. The pressure was enough to make the air heavy.
"Take shelter! Take shelter!" Ivy screamed, turning to run toward the central defensive mechanism—a control node linked to the protection array Aksai had left behind.
This was the control node of the modified Devil's Den formation that Aksai had put in place to protect his interests from his known and unknown enemies. Ivy couldn't figure out why the formation didn't act against the demon beast or at least informed her of its presence in the vicinity beforehand.
However, this was no time to ask such questions. Ivy ran as fast as she could using her movement-type Spirit spell. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel⸺fire.net
But she didn't make it far.
The demon beast descended with terrifying speed and grace, landing right in front of her. Its claws gripped the ground with shocking control.
The wind from its landing kicked up dirt and Spirit leaves. The beast was covered in striking blue scales that shimmered faintly in the light. Its eyes were sharp, intelligent.
It had wings like a wyvern, but also two front limbs like those of a gryphon. Long tail. Horn on its head. A presence that shook the souls of even the most steadfast Spirit cultivators who had seen the play of life and death with their own eyes.
Ivy stopped in her tracks, frozen in shock. Her hands trembled as she reached for her defensive sphere from her storage ring.
"No… This isn't a Bluewind Eagle… What is this thing?" she whispered.
"It's evolved… is there such a beast in existence?"
She raised the sphere and pointed it toward the beast, her fingers clenched. Her instincts told her she wouldn't last more than a moment in a fight.
But just as she was about to activate the sphere, a calm voice spoke out from behind the beast.
"My little apprentice Ivy, what are you doing?"
The voice was calm, warm, and unmistakable.
From behind the massive demon beast, Aksai stepped into view, his figure completely relaxed as if he'd just returned from a stroll.