A Farmer's Journey To Immortality

The demon beast twisted, sensing the movement.

But with only one working eye, his range of sight was limited.

He couldn’t even rely on his Spirit Sense because Aksai had used dozens of Heretic Dao Talismans that interfered with it.

Even though the talismans were only 2nd Order in nature, their effects could be stacked. As such, Aksai achieved with quantity what he couldn’t achieve with quality.

The Heretic Dao Talismans were meant to be used this way, at least the ones Mao had in his arsenal. Aksai hadn’t studied them deeply, but thanks to the neural link fabric’s deduction and analytical capabilities, he had introduced small modifications to enhance their effects.

The stackable effects of the Heretic Dao Talismans marked Aksai’s minor breakthrough into the field of Heretic Dao inheritance after he got hold of the other parts that were with Haitin.

Even though the talismans were expensive to make and the success rate for crafting them was abysmally low, Aksai used all of them at once to gain an edge over the Verdant Elder.

The reason he had attacked the Verdant Elder’s eye using Night Wind was also to hamper the beast’s field of vision. Only then could he move around the beast without getting seriously injured—or outright killed.

Of course, Aksai had placed these Heretic Dao Talismans throughout the region even before launching his attack. He believed that one wasn’t truly serious about a battle unless they had an absolute advantage in at least one aspect over their opponent. Preparation was key when it came to taking down strong foes.

Aksai darted in from the blind side and struck. The Celestial Fang came down with force, crashing into the demon beast’s shell. Sparks flew. The sword didn’t pierce all the way through, but the impact left a deep crack and pushed the beast forward a step.

What helped even more were the lingering injuries left by the Celestial Wrath trial. The demon beast was still far from fully recovered. Aksai only targeted the injuries that were clearly visible, making it easier to worsen them during the fight.

The Verdant Elder roared, spinning quickly to retaliate. Vines lashed out. A surge of water burst from his mouth like a cannon.

But Aksai was already gone, darting upward and back, using his sword as a platform.

He countered the attack with a quick Spirit spell—a burst of twisting vines from below. They clashed with the water stream just enough to slow it down. That brief moment gave him room to breathe and reposition.

Again and again, Aksai circled in, using the air as his shield, the Celestial Fang as his blade, and his spells as clever distractions. He struck at the joints of the Verdant Elder’s shell, the exposed spots on his legs, and the edges of his wounded face.

The demon beast fought back with furious strength. Earth exploded. Water surged. The battlefield had turned into a dance of storm and stone, sword and sky.

But Aksai wasn’t trying to win with a single blow. He was testing the limits of the beast’s power—chipping away bit by bit. The longer he could drag this out, the more he would learn.

After all, he knew the demon beast was exhausted from his trial, while Aksai himself was in peak condition, both physically and mentally.

He was, in a way, bullying the demon beast—taking advantage of his vulnerable state. The reason he had waited until the trial’s conclusion was exactly because of that.

The battle went on and Aksai seemed to have a decisive advantage. However, he knew that he was walking on a tightrope. He needed a definitive strike.

Aksai’s eyes narrowed as he aimed for the snaketail—the long, serpent-like appendage that curled from the back of the Verdant Elder. It slithered with awareness, and its sharp fangs glinted even in the low light.

The snaketail was especially good at casting fire-element Spirit spells. However, the demon beast hadn’t made use of it since the fire-element Spirit spells consumed too much of his Spirit essence.

Aksai tightened his grip on the Celestial Fang and shot forward, his feet hitting the air with light taps as he rode the Flying Lian Sword through the smoke and dust.

Just as he got close, the snakehead at the tail’s end hissed sharply and opened its jaws. Even though the Verdant Elder was trying to keep his Spirit essence expenditure in check, he knew when to prioritize his safety and attack decisively as well.

Flames surged out in a fiery blast, a 3rd Order fire-element Spirit spell erupting with searing heat and pressure. The fire came fast, threatening to swallow Aksai whole.

Aksai twisted mid-air and brought the Celestial Fang up in both hands, shielding his body. Sparks flew as the fire clashed against the meteor-forged blade.

The weapon hummed in protest but held firm, absorbing the blow long enough for Aksai to make his next move. He dropped the Celestial Fang as it became too hot after bearing the 3rd Order fire-element spell. A wood-element vine that was in his control caught it before it was hurled in another direction.

Meanwhile, Aksai bent his knees and leapt up, landing on the Flying Lian Sword that hovered above him like a loyal beast. Then, with a swift push of his will and a deep breath, he sent the sword flying forward. He used the same push as a platform to jump up.

His Spirit Sense latched onto the weapon, guiding it through the smoky air. The blade sliced forward, gleaming silver under the moonlight.

The snakehead sensed danger and turned to dodge, but it was too slow. It couldn’t imagine that Aksai would let go of his foothold in order to launch a decisive attack.

The sword cut through the base of the tail where flesh met scale, cleaving the snakehead clean off. The severed head hit the ground with a thud, its fangs still twitching.

With this, Aksai had made sure to not let the demon beast use fire-element Spirit spells to their maximum potential. Even if the Verdant Elder himself could use fire-element spells, Aksai knew that they wouldn’t be as threatening as the snaketail’s execution of the same.

Aksai dropped from the air the very next moment and landed on the turtle-like shell of the demon beast with a heavy thump. The Verdant Elder howled in agony, a deep and guttural sound that shook the trees around them.

Vines erupted from the ground as the beast lost control for a second—wild and furious. They twisted and surged toward Aksai like snakes of their own, trying to grab and crush him. Aksai ran across the beast’s broad shell, keeping low and moving fast as the vines chased him from behind.

In a heartbeat, he reached the Verdant Elder’s head. With a single step, he jumped and landed squarely on it. The beast’s one remaining eye glared up at him with fury and pain.

Aksai didn’t hesitate.

He reached into his storage ring and pulled out two Celestial Stingers—small, curved knives made of the same meteor stone as the Fang. Meant only for close combat. Perfect for what he needed now.

He gripped one in each hand and plunged them deep into the beast’s head. The blades sank in with ease. Then, with a grunt, Aksai pulled the daggers sideways. The cut wasn’t clean—it was brutal. A thick chunk of the beast’s flesh tore free, blood spraying from the open wound.

Bone was visible now. White. Cracked. The skull underneath had been exposed.

The Verdant Elder’s scream tore through the night. Trees shivered. Birds in the distance fled. And Aksai stood atop his foe, breathing hard, blood staining his blades.

Haaah!

Aksai stood on shaky legs, gasping for breath. His chest rose and fell in quick bursts, each breath harder than the last.

His Spirit reserves were running low, and his Qi—so vital for any body cultivator—was more than half gone. His limbs felt heavy, almost numb, and his heartbeat pounded in his ears like a drum.

Blood trickled from several cuts on his body. His arms were bruised, the skin darkened with blunt force trauma that left his veins discolored, almost black in places.

His legs ached terribly—torn and bleeding from where the vines had lashed at him. His clothes hung in tatters, barely clinging to his battered frame.

The fight had dragged on too long, and now the exhaustion was setting in like a slow poison. Even though dragging the fight was advantageous for him, it was not like it would ensure that he remained unscathed.

And the Verdant Elder noticed. He decided to bet all of his remaining Spirit essence reserves in the following moment.

“Human! I… will kill you. Aaaargh!”

With a loud war cry, the demon beast raised his clawed hand, and the earth responded. Thick, thorny vines erupted from the ground again, crackling with Spirit energy.

They shot toward Aksai, aiming to wrap around him and crush what strength he had left.

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AN: Celestial Shards were first introduced in chapter 266.

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