The formation shifted slightly.
The spikes struck the formation barrier and broke apart.
So of the force was redirected outward while another part flowed back toward the demon beast through the formation’s counter technique.
A burst of Spirit energy struck the boar’s side.
The beast growled in anger. The battle continued.
The demon beast used several powerful Spirit spells.
Sotis it created waves of earth-elent attacks. Other tis it charged forward with terrifying force. But the battle formation helped the team remain stable.
Each mber only had to handle a small portion of the pressure. Their combined strength allowed them to slowly weaken the beast.
Aksai played his role carefully. He attacked when needed and defended when required. His movents were steady but not extraordinary.
He neither appeared too strong nor too weak. From the perspective of the others, his performance was quite good for an early-stage Expert. Especially soone who was supposedly facing a 3rd Order demon beast for the first ti.
As the battle dragged on, the demon beast began to show signs of exhaustion. Its breathing beca heavier. Several wounds appeared on its thick hide.
Lurina noticed the change.
"Focus your attacks," she ordered.
The formation shifted again. A concentrated stream of Spirit energy gathered in the center of the formation. The combined power of the nine cultivators shot forward like a spear.
The attack struck the demon beast directly in the chest. The giant boar staggered backward. It let out one final roar before collapsing heavily onto the ground. The earth trembled as its massive body fell.
For a few seconds, the clearing beca quiet. Then the group slowly relaxed their formation.
The demon beast was dead.
Everyone let out a small breath of relief.
Lurina walked toward the fallen beast while checking its body carefully.
After confirming that it was truly dead, she nodded.
"Good work, everyone," she said.
The team quickly began the harvesting process. One of the mbers carefully opened the beast’s chest area while another used Spirit tools to collect useful materials.
After so ti, a glowing object was finally pulled out.
The Spirit Core.
It shone faintly with dense Spirit energy. The group had successfully completed the main objective of the mission. Lurina stored the Spirit Core safely inside a special container. The team looked satisfied. Their difficult hunt had finally co to an end.
After harvesting the demon beast’s Spirit Core and other useful materials, the team quickly cleaned the battlefield. The sll of blood in the forest could attract other demon beasts if they stayed too long.
Lurina gave a short signal.
"We leave now."
The group nodded and began their journey out of the Duya Forest.
The trip back was faster.
Without the need to search for the demon beast, the team could move directly toward the outer regions of the forest. They stayed alert, but the path remained mostly quiet.
A few low-order demon beasts appeared along the way. However, none of them dared to approach a group of nine Foundation Establishnt Experts traveling together in a tight formation.
After two days of travel, the trees began to thin. Sunlight slowly returned.
Soon, the group stepped out of the dense forest and onto open land. The wide plains outside the Duya Forest stretched far into the distance. From there, the team began traveling toward human territory.
Their first stop was the Neutral State of Haan Di.
The place was still familiar to Aksai in many ways, even though he was currently using the identity of Naran Netherfire.
The towns and trade roads of Haan Di were busy as always. rchants, guards, and travelers moved along the dusty roads. Spirit cultivators could also be seen from ti to ti. However, most cultivators kept a low profile there.
Haan Di was known as a neutral state where different groups passed through but rarely caused trouble. The team only stayed briefly.
After resting and resupplying, they continued their journey. Their next destination was the Kaan Kingdom. Aksai felt like he was finally getting to the bottom of things. As such, he mostly stayed quiet and interacted only when necessary without raising suspicions about his false identity.
After several more days of travel, tall city walls finally appeared on the horizon.
The capital city of the Kaan Kingdom. Torah.
The city was large and well-built. Thick stone walls surrounded it. Watchtowers stood at regular distances along the walls. Many caravans and travelers moved through the main gates.
The guards at the entrance were mostly mortals. However, a few Spirit cultivators stood among them as supervisors. Lurina’s group entered the city without trouble.
Inside, the capital looked rich and lively.
Wide streets stretched in many directions. Shops, inns, and markets filled the city blocks. The sll of food and the sound of rchants calling out their goods filled the air.
Most of the people in the city were mortals. Farrs, traders, craftsn, and travelers moved through the busy streets. However, Aksai’s senses quickly noticed sothing else.
There were also many Spirit cultivators mixed among the mortals.
So of them hid their identities well. They dressed like ordinary travelers or rchants and kept their Spirit energy suppressed. Others were the complete opposite. They openly displayed their cultivation aura.
So cultivators even used small Spirit techniques in public. A few levitated objects casually or used minor spells while talking with mortals.
One had to note that Spirit cultivators were not always welco everywhere in all the kingdoms. It could be said that the Rokur Kingdom, where Aksai was born, was an exception in the subcontinent in that it did not create a clear separation between mortals and Spirit cultivators.
Even though mortals did have a lower standing compared to Spirit cultivators, both groups still belonged to the sa social fabric in the kingdom for the most part.
However, the Kaan Kingdom was a bit different in that aspect. At least that had been the case a decade or two ago.
In this kingdom, almost all Spirit cultivators stayed within the grounds of the Eastern Limiya Gate. There was an unwritten rule in the Kaan Kingdom that those who had successfully awakened their Spirit Root and started walking the path of Spirit cultivation would leave the mortal world behind and register themselves with the Eastern Limiya Gate or one of its subsidiary sects.
The mortals would not interfere in the affairs of Spirit cultivators, and the cultivators would not interfere in the lives of mortals. A simple rule for everyone to follow. Such was the power of this simple rule that a significant portion of mortals did not even get to et a veteran Spirit cultivator all their lives.
Most mortals died without ever witnessing a Spirit spell getting cast in front of them. So in the rural areas even believed that the concept of Spirit cultivators was nothing more than a fantasy.
Clearly, sothing had changed in recent years, as the presence of Spirit cultivators had beco much more noticeable. So much so that one might think the Kaan Kingdom had finally discarded its most important unwritten rule, breaking the invisible wall between mortals and those who pursued immortality.
Of course, a decade or two was still a long ti from a mortal’s point of view. Many things could change during that ti. Aksai also did not know how the Eastern Limiya Gate was viewing these recent changes in the kingdom it technically ruled.
The mortals reacted in different ways to the increasing presence of cultivators in the kingdom. So looked at them with admiration. So with fear. And so simply ignored them, as if they were already used to such sights.
Aksai calmly observed the surroundings while walking through the streets with the team. Even though he hadn’t explored this part of the subcontinent much, the Spirit farr knew that the Kaan Kingdom was mostly a secular kingdom in all aspects.
The Eastern Limiya Gate’s policies were very clear. They did not allow rogue and loose cultivators to cause trouble. The knowledge related to Spirit cultivation was tightly controlled and only those who joined the sects officially and accepted its rules and restrictions would have access to such information.
As such, mortals controlled most of the governnt and daily affairs. The kingdom still respected Eastern Limiya Gate’s authority but managed its territory in its own way.
However, the influence of Spirit cultivators still existed even in the past. Several small sects and Spirit organizations operated inside the kingdom to act as recruiters and watchdogs of the Eastern Limiya Gate.
Even though so of these groups were connected to one of the Big Five Sects, in this region, the main authority was the Eastern Limiya Gate. As such, an almost unshakable hierarchy was in place.
Many small sects in the Kaan Kingdom were either supported by it or directly under its protection. This allowed the kingdom to maintain a balance. Mortals ruled the land. But the power of Spirit cultivators remained present in the background.
Aksai walked through the capital quietly while observing everything.
Soon, he found himself standing in the heart of Torah, surrounded by the busy life of the kingdom’s capital.
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