The spectral face was many tis larger than Aksai’s.
It floated in the air, pale and clear, with empty eyes and a cold expression.
There was no anger or malice in it. It was blank, like a mirror that only reflected form and a dense 3rd Order Spirit signature that was close to reaching the 4th Order.
Aksai felt a chill crawl up his spine. The spectral face slowly puffed up its cheeks. Aksai’s eyes widened.
"No way. A Copy Ninja formation?"
He could feel it clearly now. The movent, the buildup, the pattern of Spirit flow. It was copying him.
Fire Breath.
But this fire felt wrong. The heat carried a thick poison aura. It was heavy, choking, and filled with death.
"Indeed. This thing is going to use my own Spirit spell, but in a better way," Aksai muttered.
He turned and tried to step away, but the space around him hardened like a wall. Invisible pressure wrapped around his body, locking him in place. No matter which direction he moved, he could not leave the area of the formation.
His jaw tightened.
He spoke quickly. "Nuri, didn’t you say breaking the summoning formation was safe? What... what the hell is this?"
Nuri replied at once, her voice sharp, as if she felt wronged.
[Master, destroying the summoning formation was indeed safe. However, that formation had a subset formation, similar to an extra built-in feature of a large appliance.]
Aksai clenched his teeth as he listened.
[This is not a direct safety chanism response, but a natural algorithm of the formation. It would not have been activated if you had an inner sect identity token. There was no way to detect or decrypt this algorithm in advance. It only revealed itself after the summoning formation was destroyed.]
The spectral face continued gathering power during this ti.
[Without breaking the formation from within, triggering this part of the algorithm was unavoidable. Also, if you wish to enter the inner sect space, you would have to face this safety chanism sooner or later.]
Aksai let out a slow breath.
"So it was unavoidable," he said quietly.
For a brief mont, he thought about escaping. The Enchanted Everwood Farm appeared in his mind. He could vanish using the Myriad Worlds Painting and hide there until the danger outside was gone.
But he shook his head.
"If I disappear now, this thing will destroy the spatial rift," he said to himself. "Then everything here will be wasted."
He looked at the unstable rift behind the spectral face. It trembled, as if it could collapse at any mont.
He had no token.
He had no second chance.
And he had no intention of spending decades trapped in this cave like Heilam had, just to find the entrance to the inner sect.
Aksai straightened his back.
"Fine," he said calmly. "If this is the only way forward, then I’ll break you."
The spectral face opened its mouth.
Poisonous fire gathered inside.
Aksai’s eyes burned with resolve as Spirit essence surged through his body. He prepared to strike first and disrupt the algorithmic response of the formation before it could block his path to the inner sect.
Aksai did not panic when he saw the poisonous fire gathering inside the spectral face’s mouth. Instead, his mind beca calm and sharp.
He raised his hand and activated one of his strongest blessings.
[Druid’s Blessing: Agni Serpent Spirit]
A faint red glow spread across his body. It felt warm, not burning. The image of a coiled fire serpent appeared behind him for a brief mont before sinking into his skin. This ti, Aksai did not use it to attack. He used it to defend.
This blessing did not only boost fire attacks. It also cut fire damage in half.
"Let’s see how much of my own fire you can throw back at ," he muttered.
Without waiting, he activated another blessing.
[Druid’s Blessing: Super Callous Skin]
A deep Qi flow surged through his body. His skin hardened at once, turning tough like layered iron while still moving freely. A faint shell-like pattern appeared and vanished over his arms and chest. The passive effect was already working, and the active defense wrapped him like invisible armor.
Then ca the third blessing.
[Druid’s Blessing: Druid’s Lion Heart]
His heartbeat suddenly beca loud in his ears. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Power flooded his limbs. His muscles tightened. His reactions sharpened. His whole body felt lighter and heavier at the sa ti, ready to move and ready to endure.
At the sa ti, golden light burst out from his body as he activated his Aurous Body path. A bright golden aura wrapped around him like a shield, pulsing with steady strength.
All of this happened within a single breath.
Nuri had already taken control of his Qi flow. She guided everything perfectly. No clashes. No delays. Every blessing overlapped smoothly.
Then the attack ca.
The spectral face opened its mouth wide.
A torrent of poisonous fire blasted forward.
The flas were thick and dark, carrying heat and poison together. They roared like a dragon’s breath and slamd straight into Aksai.
The impact shook the cave.
Fire swallowed his body.
Pain surged, but it did not crush him.
The Agni Serpent Spirit reduced the fire’s power.
The Super Callous Skin absorbed the force.
The Lion Heart kept his body strong.
The golden aura held firm.
Aksai gritted his teeth as the flas burned around him. His clothes were damaged. His skin sizzled. But he stayed standing.
"This thing really is close to the fourth order," he said through clenched teeth.
While the Fire Breath was still hitting him, Aksai spoke quickly.
"Nuri. Now."
Nuri responded at once.
[Master, the required formation runes are now exposed. Initiating override.]
Streams of data flowed through Aksai’s mind. He could see the Essence Equation runes clearly now. They were active, unstable, and changing fast.
Nuri worked through them at terrifying speed.
[Altering authorization logic. Replacing identity requirent.]
Aksai raised his hand and used his druidic powers. Wood grew from his palm, shaping itself into a simple wooden plank. It looked crude and ordinary.
But Nuri adjusted the runes.
[Dummy token accepted. Authorization rewritten.]
In the next mont, the poisonous fire stopped.
The spectral face froze, then cracked like glass before fading away.
The pressure around Aksai vanished.
The unstable spatial rift trembled, then steadied. Its edges beca smooth and stable, glowing softly.
Aksai stepped forward and placed the wooden plank into the slot on the platform.
It fit perfectly.
The platform lit up.
The inner sect entrance of the Heavenly Poison Sect was now open.
Aksai exhaled slowly, his body finally feeling the strain.
"Good work, Nuri," he said quietly, staring at the spatial rift.
Grisham and Heilam hurried over to Aksai as the spatial rift stabilized completely. The cave was finally calm again, and the crushing pressure was gone.
Grisham bowed deeply. "Lord Aksai, you broke a formation that even ancient sects trusted to protect their core secrets. That was... impressive." He said as he looked at Aksai with fervent eyes.
Heilam followed with a stiff bow. His expression was mixed with relief, awe, and bitterness.
"You survived sothing that was close to a fourth order attack," he said. "No matter how I feel, I cannot deny your strength, Lord Aksai. I... I thank you for broadening my vision and sparing my life to see your achievents with my own eyes."
Both of them looked at Aksai next.
"What are your orders now?" Grisham asked.
Aksai turned his gaze toward the glowing spatial rift. His Spirit Sense brushed against it lightly, then pulled back at once.
"You are not coming with ," he said calmly.
Grisham frowned.
"My lord, is it that dangerous?"
Aksai nodded.
"Yes. Thanks for all the help but your contribution ends here. The danger inside is not sothing either of you can handle right now. If you enter, you will not be help. You will be a burden."
Heilam clenched his jaw but did not argue. He could feel it too. The rift gave off a strange pressure that made his instincts scream.
"What should we do then?" Heilam asked.
"Stay here," Aksai replied. "Guard the outer area. Recover your strength. If the formations outside react again, deal with them. Do not touch the rift. I’ll call you in if and when I see fit."
Grisham lowered his head.
"As you command."
Aksai took one last look at them, then stepped forward. The mont his body touched the spatial rift, the world twisted. His vision went white for an instant.
Then he stepped out into another world.
Aksai felt as if he had crossed into a different realm altogether. The atmosphere felt heavy and cold, filled with poison. The ground beneath his feet was cracked and dry in many places, yet patches of dark soil supported strange plants.
This place was stuck in eternal midnight. There were no moons. No stars. Yet it was not dark.
User Comments
0 comments from readers