Aksai didn’t wait for Mao’s body to disintegrate on its own.
He took swift action, severing Mao’s head before using a simple fire-element Spirit spell to incinerate the remains. His powers as a druid were mysterious.
Even though others might have seen him use the bloodline power on an enemy, as long as he didn’t leave clues behind, they would just think he had used some kind of mysterious spell as opposed to a bloodline ability. Sometimes, half-baked information was more mysterious than a complete lack of it.
‘Damn that old geezer. Who would have thought he still had some life left in him, especially after using multiple forbidden techniques. I lost almost 10 years of my life killing that skeleton,’ Aksai cursed the old demonic cultivator even after his death.
Aksai had a long lifespan as a druid. Losing decades to get rid of a late-stage Foundation Building Expert was nothing to him. However, he knew he would have to spend at least two months cultivating under a demon tree to regain the lost lifespan, which could hinder his cultivation progress a bit.
Aksai had never used his bloodline ability before. So the incident taught him many things about his bloodline power. Firstly, the cultivation difference between him and his target mattered a lot. Secondly, an opponent’s will played a vital role as well.
He had actually struggled to trigger his bloodline ability even though it felt as if it was activated quickly. He felt that a smooth execution of the bloodline ability wouldn’t even produce the phantom image of the demon tree behind him. With a mere thought, his opponent’s lifespan should be erased from existence.
Aksai sighed and decided not to go too hard on himself.
‘No. I shouldn’t think negatively of this loss. I managed to get rid of a late-stage Foundation Building Expert while still being in the initial stage myself. That… that should count for something, right?’ Aksai thought to himself before looking around to gauge the reactions of others.
‘It’s awfully quiet now.’
The hall fell silent, the tension dissipating as Mao’s oppressive presence vanished. However, it seemed that a new, fear-like atmosphere had replaced the oppressive presence.
The other cultivators watched in awe and fear, whispering among themselves. Calla Wei’s expression was a mix of astonishment and trepidation.
Everyone in the hall was flabbergasted when they saw Aksai using a simple fire-element spell to get rid of Mao’s remains. They couldn’t be sure how, but they knew Aksai had managed to neutralize Mao. However, one thing was certain—Aksai was an even bigger threat than Mao, which said a lot about his power.
‘I can’t believe it. Darkshade Maro Yuhai was killed by a greenhorn 2nd realm cultivator? How can that be?’ Calla thought to herself, feeling quite bewildered about the outcome of the event. There was a reason for why she thought the way she thought though.
As a former elder of the Purple River Sect, Calla knew how much of a threat Mao really was. Even though she called herself a former sect elder, nobody at her level really retired from a sect. Spirit cultivators like her were just allowed to pursue their goals and personal freedoms by their sects for a certain extent before being called back.
Thanks to the active connections she still shared with the active elders of her sect, Calla knew Mao’s recent endeavors and killing sprees all too well.
The demonic cultivator that Aksai had killed with his own hands was capable of killing multiple Foundation Building Experts on his own without breaking a sweat. Even the late-stage Foundation Building Experts from the Big Five Sects had been killed by Mao when he was pursued by them.
How could a newbie Spirit cultivator kill someone of that caliber?
Furthermore, it was not just that Aksai had managed to kill Mao that surprised his spectator but also the way he killed him. It was almost effortless. He had basically killed Mao too quickly and too easily. That too, without suffering from any fatal injury in return.
Calla knew better than most just how dangerous Mao was. She knew that the man who had just died by Aksai’s hands had almost forced Core Formation Lords to take action against him.
The realm of Core Formation was not a simple one.
The old monsters who had achieved the 3rd realm in Spirit cultivation were the leaders of the Big Five Sects. They wouldn’t normally get involved in their respective sect’s affairs unless they really didn’t have a choice.
The fact that Mao had almost made a Core Formation Lord take action against him spoke volumes about the dangers he posed to regular Spirit cultivators.
‘And that weird skill. What… What kind of Spirit spell was that? Was it really a Spirit spell or did he use some kind of top-tier artifact?’
Calla’s head was buzzing with a barrage of questions she had for Aksai. However, before she could ask them to Aksai, she saw the latter moving towards Mao’s ashy remains.
Aksai, his expression unreadable behind his mask, dug through the remains until his fingers closed around a storage ring.
Calla’s eyes widened, her body tensing as she saw Aksai retrieve the ring. She clenched her fists, then offered a slight bow to Aksai, her tone turning friendly but firm.
“Fellow cultivator, it is good that you survived and took care of that old nuisance for us. However, I must ask you to give that storage ring to me.”
Aksai looked at her, his expression hidden but his posture curious. Calla continued, her smile polite but her eyes serious.
“As we all know, Darkshade Mao Yahui was a threat to all of us. The demonic techniques he used were aberrant and despicable in nature. Even though I am enjoying my free time in the city, I still have my roots in the Purple River Sect. As such, I can’t just ignore this incident.
Please leave the custody of Mao’s remains to me so that my sect can take charge of his inheritance. Plus, there might be some traps involved in his inheritance that might be dangerous even for you.
It is better for you as well if you don’t get involved in that man’s belongings. Rest assured, the sect would pay you handsomely for killing a wanted man from its list. You can claim the bounty reward on his head. Plus, my sect would be willing to give you additional compensation,” Calla explained.