A Farmer's Journey To Immortality-Chapter 487: Making Use of the Enemy’s Vulnerability

The hole through Aksai's heart—deep and fatal—was filled with light.

His muscles tightened after they were mended and healed.

His broken rib bones snapped back into place with soft cracks. Even the blood on his body began to fade, as if the fire was washing it away.

Within seconds, he was whole again.

The green flames flickered one last time and faded into his skin.

Aksai opened his eyes. His breathing was steady now. His heart began to beat strongly. His hands stopped shaking.

He looked down at his body—completely healed. The Phoenix Rebirth Feather had worked perfectly.

It was just that the artifact was a one-time use only. As such, he felt a bit sad. However, in the next moment, he consoled himself. The Holy Land Torel was practically his secret treasure trove. He could visit the place once again at the right time and get something just as good or even better.

Furthermore, the artifacts were meant to be used and not just hoarded. Aksai felt that the trump cards would lose their charm over time if they were never used.

His gaze then moved back to the Verdant Elder, who was still writhing in pain, blind to everything around him.

Aksai slowly stood up, silent and sharp like a hunter in the woods. It was time to return the favor. He then reached into his storage ring and pulled out the Celestial Fang.

After a recent bit of modifications, the blade was heavy, sharp, and completely black. It gave off a faint, cold gleam even in the low forest light.

One had to remember that it was made from a rare Qi-conductive meteor stone, the sword felt dense in his hand, as if it carried the weight of a falling star.

Aksai had not used it in a long time, not because it was weak, but because his main focus had always been Spirit cultivation during the recent years.

But this time was different. He decided not to use his Spirit essence as his main base for attacks.

Instead, he chose to rely on his Argent Body realm—the path of body cultivation and physical Qi.

His body cultivation had always lagged behind his Spirit cultivation. On most days, his Qi-based attacks wouldn't do much against a powerful demon beast like the Verdant Elder. Especially one that was on the edge of reaching the 3rd Order.

But today wasn't most days.

The Verdant Elder was going through the Pain Penance trial. He was caught in the grip of the Worldly Laws of Dadangar. His shell cracked, bones shook, and his mind was being torn apart by the pain. His natural defenses, including his Spirit barrier, were lowered. His focus was broken. His body was open.

Aksai knew this was his best chance.

He took a deep breath and pulled out another sword from his storage—Celestial Echo. It was much lighter than the Celestial Fang, made for fast strikes and sharp cuts. With both swords in hand, Aksai's presence became sharper, colder. He poured his silvery Qi into both blades. The energy flickered to life, coating them like flowing mercury.

The swords hummed softly.

He crouched slightly, adjusting his grip. Every muscle in his body tightened as the silver Qi spread through his arms and into the weapons. He could feel the pressure in the air thickening. The moment was right.

Without a sound, he moved.

His body became a blur, closing the distance between him and the Verdant Elder in a flash. The demon beast, still twisting in pain, didn't even notice.

Aksai slashed.

The heavy Celestial Fang came down first, aiming at the soft joint between the elder's shoulder and shell. The blade struck clean, cutting deep and leaving behind silvery Qi in the wound. The Celestial Echo followed, slicing across the underbelly, quick and sharp, leaving another trail of invading Qi.

The Verdant Elder let out a broken, strangled roar—but it wasn't from awareness. It was just another cry of pain, mixed now with confusion as foreign Qi began invading his meridians.

Aksai stepped back quickly.

His eyes were focused, his breath calm. He had landed the strikes.

Aksai didn't stop. His eyes locked on one of the demon beast's front legs.

It was thick and armored, covered in tough hide and faint glowing runes that were starting to fade under the pain of the trial. The Verdant Elder still hadn't noticed him. The beast's body shook violently, trapped under the pressure of the Pain Penance.

Aksai adjusted his grip on the Celestial Fang and Celestial Echo.

He moved in again, fast and silent. He struck the leg.

The heavy Celestial Fang came down like an axe, crashing against the leg's outer joint. Flesh split. Bone cracked. The lighter Celestial Echo followed with a quick slash just below the first cut, deepening the wound.

Again. And again.

Aksai kept swinging. His arms moved with rhythm, each attack building on the last. His silvery Qi flowed down both swords, spreading with every strike. Bit by bit, the demon beast's front leg started to give in. The hide was no longer as hard. The runes dimmed further.

Green blood began to spill.

Aksai gritted his teeth and didn't stop. The sound of steel tearing through muscle echoed under the trees. His body moved on instinct—step, strike, slash, pull back—over and over again.

Finally, with a heavy chop from the Celestial Fang, the leg cracked at the joint and snapped off.

A spray of dark green blood burst from the wound.

It splashed across Aksai's arms and face. The moment it touched his skin, it burned like acid. A sharp hiss escaped his lips as the pain cut through his focus. His skin turned red and raw where the blood touched him.

He stumbled back a few steps, wiping the blood from his eyes.

The burning slowed, but the pain lingered.

Still, he held his ground, both swords dripping with blood. He glanced at the severed leg, now twitching uselessly on the forest floor.

The Verdant Elder writhed harder than before, his body reacting in rage and confusion. But Aksai knew—this injury would not heal easily. And the foreign Qi from his attacks was already spreading.

Screee!

A deep, guttural sound filled the air.

The Verdant Elder's eyes snapped open—glowing with fury.

Suddenly, a strange hum spread through the trees. It grew louder with each passing second. From above, a school of giant woodland bees swarmed down. Their wings buzzed like a thousand blades, and their bodies glowed faintly.

Before he could make a move, the snaketail behind the Verdant Elder twisted. Its mouth opened wide and spat a long stream of fire into the sky.

The fire struck the bees.

But instead of dying, the bees began to burn—turning into flying fireballs. Their wings didn't stop flapping. Now, they looked like angry sparks of destruction, rushing straight at Aksai like a rain of meteors.

This was similar to what the Verdant Elder had used against the bear family. However, the scope of this technique, which was basically a fusion of various Spirit spells, was much bigger than the previous instance.

Aksai clicked his tongue. "He really wants me dead."

Aksai connected with the Everwood Farm through his mind. In the next moment, his Scarecrow Fiend puppets stood up. Rough and ugly, stitched together from strange materials, but strong and loyal.

These were a peculiar variant of his Scarecrow puppet technique. These were the disposable kind that didn't need much care. In a way, they were one-time use. They were apt to handle the woodland bees.

Intercept them!

Aksai commanded through his neural link fabric.

The puppets rushed forward. They clashed with the fiery bees midair. Explosions followed—one after another—lighting up the woods in bursts of flame. Each puppet that took a hit staggered, some burning, some tearing apart. But they held the line.

Meanwhile, the Verdant Elder didn't attack again. He didn't even look at Aksai.

Instead, he roared again—this time at the sky.

The branches above began to twist. The leaves trembled. Vines pulled back. The entire woodland dome that the Verdant Elder had created at the start of the fight began to move. It wasn't disappearing—but shrinking.

Aksai's eyes narrowed.

"He's trying to retreat inside it… to protect himself."

Aksai rushed, both swords in hand. He slashed at the vines and branches that tried to close the gap. The Celestial Fang cut like a cleaver, smashing through wood and bark. The Celestial Echo flashed like a dancer's blade, slicing cleanly through twisting roots.

His puppets followed him, clearing a path as best they could.

But the dome moved fast. The Verdant Elder was folding the forest around himself, making a shield to block all outside forces. He was also trying to make Aksai come closer to him so that he could deal with the nuisance upfront if Aksai were to fall in his trap.

Aksai gritted his teeth. "Not yet…!"

He poured more Qi into his swords. The silver light brightened. He swung hard—again and again. Wood cracked. Leaves burned. Roots split.

At the last second, just before the opening sealed fully, Aksai and two of his Scarecrow Fiends burst through the gap. Out of 20 something puppets, only two puppets managed to survive.

Then, with a loud snap, the dome closed behind them.

The inside of the dome shimmered with runes. Thick roots twisted into walls. Spirit essence flowed across the surface, hard and solid. It was like a turtle's shell, hiding the wounded beast inside.

Aksai stepped back, breathing hard. The Verdant Elder's body could no longer be reached. The dome had wrapped around him completely.

He had escaped a killing blow—but only just.

Aksai wiped the blood from his cheek and looked at the sealed dome.

"This isn't over," he muttered. "I… I have other methods to hurt you… you damn turtle."

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AN: Celestial Fang and Celestial Echo were introduced in chapter 264 and 266 respectively.