Prince Arven tapped his finger lightly on the armrest.

"Since we started targeting the Lords, what do you think has happened?" he asked.

He did not wait for an answer.

"They have become cautious," he said. "They have restricted their movements across the subcontinent. Their sects have gone into defensive mode."

Lurina nodded faintly, as if confirming his words.

"You may think it's not important, but it actually gives us more space," Prince Arven continued, "to carry out our operations quietly."

He paused before adding,

"Also, we may not have killed them, but we have injured a few. Take the sect master of the Eastern Limiya Gate, for example," Prince Arven said with a soft laugh. "She is still recovering."

Raaden's eyes flickered with surprise. There had been rumors across the continent about the safety and health of the Big Five Lords, but most people treated them as nothing more than rumors.

However, this was perhaps the first direct confirmation that one of the Lords had been seriously injured—spoken by the one responsible.

Prince Arven leaned back again.

"If you look at it differently," he said, "injuring them and forcing them to stay alert is even better than killing them."

Aksai listened carefully.

"No matter whether they are from the demonic or righteous factions, those Lords do not trust each other," Prince Arven added. "They are suspicious by nature."

His gaze sharpened slightly.

"If they cannot find the enemy… they will start looking at each other. They will suspect that one of the other Lords is behind these attacks," he said.

Raaden slowly nodded as realization dawned on him.

"And what happens then?" Prince Arven asked.

He answered his own question.

"Agreed, what we have done is too little to break their alliances completely. So they may not start fighting each other. But they will also not unite."

His voice turned calm again.

"They will not come together to face an enemy they cannot see or locate. That's a big win for us. Things would have become much more difficult if we had seen any recent alliance between major powers."

Aksai couldn't help but think about his recent secret alliance with the Purple River Sect's Lord. He was glad that their alliance had not been exposed. He was also satisfied that he had already formed a connection with one of the Big Five during such unstable times.

Prince Arven, unaware of Aksai's thoughts, continued.

"That being said, I am not underestimating our enemies," he said. "In fact, I know they have been growing stronger in recent years. That is exactly why we needed to shake them."

He paused briefly.

"As if centuries of being at the very peak of this subcontinent was not enough, both the righteous and demonic factions' major sects have grown stronger over the past few years," he continued. "Mainly because of their relatively recent access to the Holy Land Torel."

Aksai's eyes flickered slightly.

"But now," Prince Arven said, "with us targeting them from the shadows… their expeditions into that separate dimension will slow down."

He leaned forward slightly.

"I have already heard that the Eastern Limiya Gate's Lord and the Sun Ocean Lord have stopped their expeditions into the Holy Land Torel."

Raaden's expression turned serious.

"The others will follow sooner or later," Prince Arven added. "Especially once our assassins start targeting them inside the separate dimension itself."

He smiled faintly.

"In the end, they will all stop exploring and focus on staying within their territories where they feel safe. This will be a natural response for all those old foggies who have deemed their lives to be more precious than anything else in the world."

His voice lowered slightly.

"They will try to improve their cultivation by going into isolation during this time to feel safe."

He looked at Aksai and Raaden.

"And that," he said, "will stop them from taking any direct action against us."

Aksai gave a small nod.

"I see," he said.

His expression showed that he agreed with Prince Arven's reasoning, at least on the surface. After a brief pause, he asked another question.

"I also heard a rumor," Aksai said, "that Emerald Cove Island's owner, Lord Turtle, was attacked not too long ago."

Raaden glanced at him for a moment.

"Are you trying to scare the newer Lords as well," Aksai continued, "so that they don't side with the righteous or demonic factions?"

Prince Arven shook his head.

"No," he said calmly. "That is not the reason. At least, not the only reason."

He leaned back slightly.

"No matter who they are," he continued, "we cannot underestimate any Lord."

He raised his hand slightly, counting as he spoke.

"The Big Five from the righteous faction. The Three Major Demon Lords from the demonic faction. Hidden Lords in the lawless lands beyond Haan Di. Reclusive ones from the Shiju Mountain Range and Duya Forest."

He paused for a moment.

"And even newly emerged Lords like Aksai Everwood."

Aksai remained still.

"To be honest," Prince Arven went on, "the royal faction cannot handle all of them together right now."

His voice turned serious.

"But even individually, each one of them can become a major threat."

He looked straight at Aksai.

"The owner of Emerald Cove Island is one of those threats."

Aksai kept his expression neutral.

"His territory lies outside the mainland," Prince Arven said. "And his Emerald Cove Guild is growing very fast."

He smiled faintly.

"It will only take a few decades for that guild to stand on the same level as one of the Big Five," he added. "Or perhaps it is already there… and we simply don't know how much he is hiding."

Raaden frowned slightly.

"The reason we targeted him," Prince Arven continued, "was not just to scare him. We wanted to slow him down. To disturb his plans."

His tone remained calm.

"After all, an island base is hard to interfere with," he said. "It is isolated. It is secure. It gives too much control to its owner. So we planned ahead and waited for the right moment."