The huge progress in his multifaceted cultivation was not the only blessing Aksai received by completing the first stage of the bloodline refinement.
He also gained a peculiar bloodline power.
The most notable aspect of this druid power was its unstoppable nature once Aksai decided to use it against his enemies.
Aksai had seen this power in action– it was the Druid’s Curse.
This ability allowed the corrupted druid to burn an enemy’s lifespan using his own lifespan as fuel. Aksai had experienced the same curse when he fought the corrupted druid.
Only now did Aksai realize why the corrupted druid hadn’t used that curse on him from the beginning and why he had waited until he was in a pinch to use it. Aksai also understood why the corrupted druid was weakened after casting the curse on him.
“I… I was lucky I didn’t die from that curse,” Aksai gulped as he recalled his death battle with the corrupted druid.
“My decision to break the Devil’s Den before facing the corrupted druid was indeed right. It’s probably because he was hurt after the Devil’s Den’s interruption that he couldn’t use the curse as effectively as he wanted. Otherwise, I would have died in that fight.
After all, as a druid, that corrupted druid obviously would have had more lifespan than me of that time,” Aksai concluded as he thought about the unique druid bloodline power.
The principle behind this druid power was straightforward. It allowed a druid to cut short their enemy’s lifespan by using their own lifespan as a sacrifice. However, this curse affected enemies based on their cultivation base relative to the druid.
If Aksai used this power against a weak Spirit Refining cultivator, who was like an ant compared to his Foundation Building realm, the Druid’s Curse would allow him to sacrifice only one year of his lifespan to sap away ten or more years from the target’s lifespan. This meant Aksai only needed to sacrifice ten years of his lifespan to make his target die a natural death, which couldn’t be stopped no matter what.
If Aksai used this curse on a fellow Foundation Building Expert, the lifespan sacrifice would be more or less equivalent to the lifespan that got decreased from his opponent’s life.
This meant that if Aksai needed to exhaust a Foundation Building Expert’s lifespan who had about 125 years remaining to live, he would need to sacrifice 125 years of his own lifespan to make that expert die a natural death. And the cause of death for that person would be the exhaustion of their lifespan.
Aksai didn’t need to use this curse on a regular Spirit Refining cultivator because he could kill them like bugs when needed. Plus, he had a far greater lifespan than any of his peers, allowing him to use this curse on fellow Foundation Building Experts without attracting immediate consequences.
Of course, he couldn’t use the curse freely as well considering the 1:1 ratio of lifespans.
However, things would become much more difficult if he used the curse on someone like a Core Formation Lord. The ratio of lifespan he’d have to spend to affect a Core Formation target would not be in his favor.
For example, Aksai would probably need to spend ten years of his own life to decrease a Core Formation Lord’s lifespan by one year. The ratio of lifespans would be 10:1 against Aksai. In such a case, the Druid’s Curse would be much more of a curse for Aksai himself than for his opponent.
“This bloodline power is really something. It has the potential to give me an unfair advantage in dire situations. However, I shouldn’t use this curse casually if I really need to save it for emergencies.”
Aksai decided never to use this druid bloodline power lightly, not even against fellow Foundation Building Experts. Firstly, it was too strange and had otherworldly origins that could draw unwanted attention if he used the curse recklessly. Secondly, it was not easy to replenish lost lifespan once it had been sacrificed to activate the curse.
Aksai needed to use the demon tree to replenish his lifespan, which was a slow process. He couldn’t leave the demon tree during this period, placing additional restrictions on him.
Plus, there was no turning back once he activated the curse. If Aksai used this curse on a Core Formation Lord and ended up draining a few decades of his opponent’s lifespan at the cost of burning his own lifespan completely, there would be no way to replenish his lost lifespan. This meant he would die before he could replenish his lifespan using the demon tree.
“Even if the ratio to affect a Core Formation Lord’s lifespan is not in my favor, I would probably be the only Foundation Building Expert who can hurt a 3rd realm Spirit cultivator. This ability alone makes me too much of a threat in the eyes of the big cultivators.
This… this is the ultimate trump card I have in my possession at this point. I… I feel more confident about going outside with this bloodline power,” Aksai thought to himself and smiled.
***
“Those bloodline memories… what should I make of them?”
As he walked back to his palace, Aksai reflected on the memories he had just experienced.
The vision of the giant demon tree and the catastrophic calamity brought upon it by the World Will was a stark reminder of the power dynamics in the cultivation world.
He felt a mixture of awe and determination. The level of might involved in such conflicts was beyond his current reach, but he was now one step closer to understanding and harnessing such power.
“Hmm. No use thinking about the big league when I’m not even qualified to know about it. I might as well focus on what’s right in front of me.”
Aksai entered his palace, feeling refreshed. He knew that this was only the beginning.
With his bloodline refinement progressing, his Spirit cultivation advancing, and his body and mind cultivation paths strengthened, he was more prepared than ever to face the challenges ahead.
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AN: Druid’s Curse was first mentioned in chapter 158.