Emerald Cove. Dadangar.
Aram Talak’s gaunt figure moved stealthily along the remote shore of Emerald Cove.
His eyes, once sharp and determined, were now sunken and filled with a mad gleam.
His skin, ghostly pale, contrasted starkly with his ash-white hair, making him appear almost like a ghost in the dim light.
The former late-stage Spirit Refiner had miraculously ascended to the Foundation Building Realm, but his unstable aura made it seem like the breakthrough into the 2nd Spirit realm wasn’t natural.
It seems that Aram Talak had indeed fallen into a trap while exploring the 3rd-order cultivation cave, but it didn’t kill him. Instead, an ancient Foundation Building Expert’s ghost possessed him.
This ghost gained all of Aram Talak’s memories and raised Aram’s cultivation base to match what he had during his prime. However, the cultivation base that was raised suddenly wasn’t stable. This ghost, therefore, decided to use Aram’s memories to find prey.
The ghost had a demonic technique that could allow him to stabilize his cultivation base by sacrificing the heart of another Foundation Building Expert.
The ghost possessing Aram, who could access the original Aram’s memories, quickly concluded that Aksai was the ideal choice for his sacrificial ritual to stabilize his cultivation base and fully take over Aram Talak’s body. After all, Aksai had always remained on Emerald Cove and nobody had heard of him fighting after he fought for the ownership of the island.
Aksai was called a Lord Turtle for a reason. He had basically given up fighting for the cultivation resources and was living a regular life, enjoying the company of his maids. At least that’s what the regular folks believed whenever the topic of Aksai was raised in discussions. So it was only natural for the possessed Aram to see Aksai as his ideal Foundation Building prey for the demonic technique as well.
***
As such, the possessed Aram returned to Emerald Cove secretly and decided to launch a sneak attack on Aksai, taking him by surprise. He planned to sacrifice Aksai’s heart to stabilize his cultivation base and become the real owner of the body.
He made ideal use of the authority token that was with the original Aram to breach many defensive measures set by the joint efforts of Aksai and Nuya. What he didn’t know was that there was another Array Formation overlapping the default defensive type set up by Aksai using the demon tree.
As he approached the translucent barrier encircling the island, Aram drew out his authority token, a relic of his status as co-owner of Emerald Cove.
Muttering under his breath, he channeled his unstable Spirit essence into the token. The barrier shimmered and parted, granting him entry.
“Hmph, not so impenetrable after all,” he muttered, a twisted smile forming on his lips.
However, what Aram Talak—now possessed by the ghost of an ancient Foundation Building Expert—didn’t anticipate was the additional layer of protection set up by Aksai.
As soon as Aram breached the primary defense, a thick, gray fog enveloped him.
The Devil’s Den, an Array Formation interwoven with the power of Aksai’s demon tree, sprang to life. Aram’s vision was instantly obscured, the swirling mist isolating him from the rest of the world.
“Damn it! A hidden formation inside a formation? And he hid it so well. What kind of overly cautious bastard am I dealing with here?”
He hissed, drawing his sword and slashing at the wood vines that emerged from the ground.
His movements were desperate but precise, honed by the memories and skills of the ancient ghost that now inhabited his body. Each cut severed a vine, but more kept coming, regenerating almost as quickly as he could destroy them.
Spirit spells flew from his hands, bolts of black lightning energy intended to disperse the fog and create an escape route.
Yet, the gray mist seemed to absorb the attacks, growing denser and closing in tighter with every passing moment. The area of confinement shrank to a mere hundred-meter radius, forcing Aram to act with increasing urgency.
“This fuc*king formation!” he roared, plunging deeper into the swirling fog. By this point, he had come to realize that Devil’s Den was not a regular type of formation. It was very mysterious even though it worked on the principles of Spirit cultivation.
Most of all, the formation had the inherent ability to switch between the 1st-order and 2nd-order levels. Plus, it could use Emerald Cove’s Spirit vein to power itself. This couldn’t have been any regular formation. Only the top-tier sects from the old ghost’s past life could possess such formations for themselves.
“Hehe. These petty tricks won’t work on me. With my knowledge and expertise, breaking through this formation won’t be difficult. And when I come out, there’ll be hell to pay. Hahaha!”
His sinister laughter echoed as he slashed at the barriers, believing he had broken free. But the fog played tricks on his senses, distorting his perception and leading him in circles.
Exhausted and bewildered, Aram finally emerged from the fog, only to find himself right back where he started. His eyes widened in shock as he saw Aksai standing a few meters away, his Lian Flying Sword drawn and at the ready.
“Welcome back, Aram,” Aksai said casually, his tone laced with a mix of amusement and menace. “Or should I say, welcome to your new prison, wandering spirit?”
Aksai couldn’t tell if Aram was possessed or not using regular methods. However, his study of qi energy and his druidic powers let him know that there was something indeed wrong with Aram who was trying to sneak into the island that he was the co-owner of. It meant that he was avoiding confrontation with Nuya and others.
Aksai had become very sensitive to the lifespan of living beings ever since he had become a druid.
And he could tell that Aram’s lifespan was heavily compromised.
All of his suspicious actions could only mean one thing– that Aram was not the same Aram who had gone with Nuya and others.
“You! You can see through me?”