Serenity Peak. Martial World Sharang.
Near the isolation barrier that separated the city from the world outside.
As Aksai stood at the edge of the ever-moving gray fog that enveloped Serenity Peak, he seemed to be thinking of myriad things at once.
“This looks like an Array Formation but there’s something different about it,” Aksai thought to himself as he looked at the layers of gray fog swirling in front of him.
“I guess there’s only one way to find out.”
With a deep breath, he stepped forward, into the swirling mist, his senses keenly attuned to the changes around him.
At first, the fog seemed harmless, but as he ventured further, he noticed a subtle pressure building against his skin. Some sort of weight that seemed to press down upon him from all sides.
His Spirit Sense, usually sharp and perceptive, began to falter, its reach diminishing with each step he took deeper into the fog. His other senses started getting compromised too.
Aksai kept his connection with the Myriad Worlds Painting active at all times. He had decided to give up on Martial World Sharang entirely if things looked too difficult for him. He would retreat to his home world and wait for the calamity in Sharang to get over.
However, it would be too immature of him to give up right away. Aksai wanted to see if there was an opportunity waiting for him in this chaos. He needed to know everything about the tree devil calamity that the denizens of Sharang were so scared of. There was only one way for him to do this.
Undeterred, Aksai pressed on, his determination driving him forward. Yet, no matter how far he walked, the fog remained unyielding, its ever-shifting layers obscuring his vision and confounding his senses. It felt as if he was walking in circles, trapped within a labyrinth of mist and shadows.
After what felt like an eternity, Aksai found himself back where he had started, no closer to breaking through the barrier than before.
“This is indeed an Array Formation. And an interesting one at that,” Aksai mumbled as he stroked his chin in contemplation.
“There is no killer-type formation added to it as a supplementary formation. That means there’s no risk involved if I try to intervene with the Array Formation’s operations using my tools.
The Barrier-type talismans should work on it. However, the formation uses a peculiar style that is not known in Dadangar.
The barrier-type talismans and tools should still work. But they needed to be modified a bit to maintain their operability for an extended period.”
Aksai concluded as he analyzed the isolation barrier using the neural link fabric. There were various strings of data presented to him in a concise form right on the Spectral Screen in front of him.
Drawing upon his knowledge of Spirit cultivation and 1st-order Array Formation inheritance, Aksai began to devise a plan.
He experimented with various techniques and spells, probing the barrier for weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Yet, each attempt yielded the same result – the barrier remained steadfast and impenetrable.
“With my current level, it is impossible to break past the formation without using the right tools. Plus, the barrier-bypass talismans I have are of 1st order. They are of no use in this situation.
I either need to look for a 2nd-order barrier-break or barrier-bypass talisman in Dandangar or find a way to upgrade the two talismans I have in my possession. This… this is going to take some time.”
Aksai stopped trying to venture into the ever-moving gray fog after realizing the futility of his efforts. It was clear that brute force alone would not be enough to overcome the barrier that separated Serenity Peak from the outside world.
Aksai didn’t need to breach the isolation barrier to protect himself from the threats of the tree devils, the demonic tree, or the corrupted druid.
Simply teleporting to Everwood farm provided a safe haven. However, it also meant that if he decided to return to Sharang later, he’d be within the isolated barrier. He’d return to the woodland purgatory he escaped from. If he decided to return that is.
One had to be reminded that the Myriad Worlds Painting allowed Aksai to designate only one location per world as a fixed spawn zone—he’d return to where he left off. So, any return to Sharang would place him back inside Serenity Peak.
That’s why Aksai sought to breach the isolation barrier and access the world beyond. He didn’t know how long the crisis in Serenity Peak would endure or how dire it could become with time.
A backup plan was crucial in case things escalated rapidly.
That being said, Aksai wouldn’t abandon Sharang unless absolutely necessary.
The results of Aksai’s analysis of the isolation barrier weren’t as straightforward as he’d hoped, but they weren’t dire enough to deter him from Sharang either. At least not right away.
“Now that I have clarity on the isolation barrier, it’s time to find some test subjects for my next experiments. Before confronting the corrupted druid, I need to understand his minions and devise an efficient strategy.”
Aksai recognized that he couldn’t eliminate all the tree devils entrenched around the demon tree. At least with his current strength.
No matter how powerful he was individually, how could he take care of hundreds of tree devils? Especially when some of them were as strong as late-stage martial artists.
There were too many for a direct assault on the corrupted druid. And because of the city square’s topological nature as well as the conscious demon tree itself, there was no way for Aksai to launch a sneak attack on the corrupted druid either.
Not to mention Aksai was uncertain if he could defeat the corrupted druid alone. The enemy was very close to breaking into the 2nd Spirit cultivation realm.
If Aksai wasn’t wrong, the reason the corrupted druid had attacked the city using the demon tree and tree devils was so that it could allow him to achieve a breakthrough in his Spirit cultivation.
It meant that this calamity was well-planned by the corrupted druid and inside the isolation barrier he was akin to an undisputed warlord.
Yet, Aksai didn’t rush to any conclusions. With careful planning, victory was always a possibility.
“Slow and steady, Aksai. If you wait by the river long enough, the bodies of your enemies will float by,” the Spirit farmer motivated himself while placing his hand above his chest, feeling his heartbeat.
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AN: Aksai possesses two 1st-order barrier-bypass talismans. He acquires the first directly from Aunt Reta in Chapter 47, which was incomplete until he repairs it in Chapter 69. He utilizes this talisman to breach the isolation barrier of Everwood farm and enter Martial World Sharang. He still has limited use remaining of the first talisman. The second talisman is obtained from Reman in Chapter 65.