Chapter 654: Fatal Mistake P2
Chapter 654: Fatal Mistake P2
A cold shiver ran through Aksai’s Mind Palace as the strange ripple grew stronger.
Before he could pull back, the ghost made his move.
A cyclone-like tunnel made of thick gray fog tore open behind the ghost. It spun like a hungry storm, its pull strong enough to drag stone, metal, and spirit alike. The tunnel began sucking Aksai’s soul form toward it, trying to rip him out of his own Mind Palace.
At the same time, thin ethereal chains shot out from the ghost’s chest. They streaked through the air like silver snakes and plunged into the wide sea of Aksai’s Aether essence at the center of the Mind Palace.
The chains tried to anchor themselves deep and spread corruption through it.
Aksai gritted his teeth as the pull of the gray cyclone grew stronger. His soul form trembled. The chains dug deeper. But instead of panicking, Aksai clenched his hand into a tight fist.
A spark of cold light flashed in his eyes.
’I… I was way too careless. But this damn ghost doesn’t know who he is dealing with.’
The Spirit farmer activated the Soul Possession Technique as well.
At once, a whirlpool of force rose behind Aksai’s soul form as well. It was smaller than the ghost’s, but sharper and far more refined, thanks to the optimizations done by the Neural Link Fabric. The moment his technique activated, a faint hum rippled through his Mind Palace, like an ancient bell ringing.
The ghost’s eyes widened.
“You—what?”
He had expected Aksai to resist, maybe struggle, but not to use the same forbidden technique on him. And not with such precision.
The ghost tried to push his corruption deeper into Aksai’s Aether essence, but the moment his chains touched it, his expression changed again.
Aksai’s Aether essence was not dormant like normal cultivators. It was in his full control and dense. It was as steady as a calm lake in winter. It pushed back with a quiet but frightening strength that even late-stage Core Formation experts did not have.
The chains trembled and slowed as if sinking into wet sand instead of clear water. The ghost’s shock deepened.
“You… you are also walking the mind cultivation path?”
His voice cracked with disbelief. He could not understand how a young cultivator like Aksai possessed both Spirit cultivation and such a refined Aether foundation at the same time. Even more, it was purer than that of many veteran Core Formation Lords back in his prime when he was active in his sect.
Still, he didn’t show fear. He was confident in one thing—his own soul strength.
He steadied himself and pushed more force into the gray cyclone. “It’s useless,” he said with a hiss. “Your soul is still weaker than mine. It is only a matter of time before your body becomes my new vessel.”
But even with his growing pressure, the ghost couldn’t stop himself from asking what burned in his mind.
“That being said…. brat,” he growled. “You not only know the Soul-searching Technique but the Soul Possession Technique of my sect as well.”
The chains shuddered. The gray fog churned harder. The ghost leaned closer.
“As far as I know, you were never one of those foolish adventurers who barged into our sect ruins when the entrance was open. And you are certainly not one of our surviving members.”
His voice turned sharp, almost offended.
“Then how did you come to possess our techniques?”
Aksai did not answer the ghost. He had no time for useless talk. He focused all of his will on the Soul Possession technique he was using.
The cyclone of gray fog behind him kept pulling at his soul form, but he held steady. His soul shook for a moment, but he forced it to stabilize.
As soon as the technique settled, he pushed the burden onto his Neural Link Fabric. The towering, pillar-like structure that lived deep within his Aether Essence Sea rose from below like an ancient metal giant waking from sleep. Its surface glowed with moving patterns. Then, one by one, the Cryptic Essence Equation runes shot out from the structure and flew straight into Aksai’s soul form.
The runes wrapped around him tightly, forming a layer of protection. They held him in place and stopped the suction force from pulling him any closer to the ghost’s gray cyclone. With the Neural Link Fabric maintaining the technique, Aksai turned part of his focus outward to his physical body.
Outside, his physical form stood frozen, eyes blank, staring at Loken. Loken was the same—locked in place as if lost in a trance. Chains made of gray fog had burst out from Loken’s dantian and wrapped around Aksai’s real body like dry, thorny vines from a dead forest.
At that moment, Aksai summoned the little snake girl.
She appeared beside him silently, stepping out from the entrance of the Enchanted Everwood Farm. In her small hands, she held a lantern that looked too big for her tiny frame, but she carried it with ease.
She glanced at Aksai’s blank face, then at Loken’s stiff figure, and then at the chains around his body. Her eyes narrowed. Even though she could not see what was happening inside Aksai’s Mind Palace, she could feel everything through the soul connection she shared with him.
She didn’t hesitate. She knew what to do.
With a quick movement, she lifted the lantern. Soft light swirled inside it like a trapped storm. This was one of the powerful soul artifacts Aksai had taken from the lady elder of the Iron Mountain Sect. He hardly used it because most battles never pushed him into the soul domain. But today was different.
The snake girl activated the lantern without the slightest trouble. Even though she looked young and gentle, even though she couldn’t speak like humans, she was still a true Core Formation beast. The artifact responded to her instantly.
A silent pulse spread from the lantern.
It was invisible, but its power shot straight into Loken’s body, striking his already weak soul. It also pierced deeper, slipping through layers of borrowed energy and attacking the hidden soul inside the borrowed Spirit Core lodged in Loken’s dantian.
Back inside Aksai’s Mind Palace, the ghost was still laughing, amused by Aksai’s efforts. He thought resistance would only make things more fun.
Then the invisible pulse hit him.
His grin vanished.
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AN: Aksai obtains the lantern-shaped Bloodfiend soul artifact in Chapter 525. He acquires the Soul Possession Technique in Chapter 221.
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