Aksai stood not too far away from another carnage, his eyes focused on the demonic Foundation Building expert standing a short distance away.
He used a rare heretic talisman to conceal his aura and overall presence. At first, he had planned to launch a sneak attack on the lady demon. However, he gave up that idea after seeing the way she fought and used her trump cards.
Sometimes launching sneak attacks was next to impossible no matter how fast and accurate he was. At least with Aksai’s current capabilities. He didn’t have any Assassin-like Spirit spells or artifacts. As such, Aksai gave up on the idea right away. He was flexible like that.
Still, Aksai didn’t get discouraged and waited patiently. There was no need to assani After all, choosing the right time to act was still possible.
This beautiful lady demon had just finished wiping out a group of righteous faction explorers from Rai City, her face twisted in satisfaction. But she had no idea Aksai was already sizing her up, watching her every move, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Aksai’s agreement with Haitin had ensured safe passage, as long as he stuck to his route toward Jaishin Lake. But there was no clause that he would not target the demonic cultivators, especially one where he had the upper hand.
Aksai wasn’t the type to seek a fair fight—he liked overwhelming his opponents, crushing them when they were at their weakest. He also didn’t blindly trust Haitin. The ability to cultivate trust wasn’t always a virtue. More often than not it was a form of foolishness.
The demonic cultivator, still basking in her recent victory, didn’t sense the danger lurking nearby. Aksai had already killed her giant eagle, the massive beast resting not too far away from the battle site.
Without her mount, her exit route was sealed, and she was now stuck—trapped in a fight she didn’t even know had started.
It seemed that Haitin and other important figures in the demonic faction had asked their subordinates to spread unrest throughout the Wild Devil Lands. This lady demon was also just following orders.
“Time to go back,” the lady demon murmured as she cleaned up the battlefield. She lit the corpses on fire and prepared to approach her flying mount, exhaustion settling in her.
Right at this moment.
With a sudden burst of movement, Aksai launched his first attack. A sharp silver streak of Qi essence was launched as a Fist-type Martial Arts, cutting through the air and slamming into the ground near her feet.
The demonic cultivator barely had time to react as the ground exploded in a flurry of dust and debris. Staggering back, she looked up in shock, her eyes locking onto Aksai’s cold, calculating gaze. Then another Qi-filled strike struck her from behind.
“You…” she spat, her confidence faltering for the first time. “Who… who are you? Friend of the smallfries I just killed? You think you can take me on? After I’ve just wiped out those fools?”
Aksai didn’t bother responding. Words weren’t his thing, especially not when he had such a clear advantage. Unless the act was done to buy time, the whole concept of pouring your heart out in front of your enemies was foolishness.
He moved forward, his figure blurring as he closed the distance between them, his sword gleaming as it caught the light.
The demonic cultivator quickly drew her own weapon, a wicked-looking scythe that pulsed with dark Spirt essence. She swung it toward him, trying to create distance, but Aksai effortlessly sidestepped the strike, his movements smooth and precise.
Before she could recover, he delivered a swift kick to her midsection, sending her staggering back. He didn’t hold back just because she was a woman. Rather, he became even more ruthless.
She cursed under her breath, eyes narrowing. “You don’t know who you’re messing with!” Her voice dripped with venom, but Aksai wasn’t interested in her threats.
She lashed out again, her scythe sweeping in a wide arc, aimed at his neck. This time, Aksai parried, his meteor sword clashing against the dark energy of her weapon.
Sparks flew from the impact, but it was clear that Aksai had the upper hand. The demonic cultivator’s movements were slower now, her energy drained from the previous battle.
Aksai pressed his advantage, striking with relentless precision. His attacks came fast, each blow chipping away at her defenses. She tried to counter with spells, launching dark fireballs and poison-laced talismans, but Aksai dodged them effortlessly, his body moving like a shadow through the battlefield.
‘Sure enough, each mid-stage Foundation Building Expert is a powerhouse. They have their own trump cards. I can’t underestimate any of them,’ Aksai sighed in his heart as he engaged in the battle.
Aksai would have targeted an initial-stage Foundation Building Expert. However, he knew that targeting such a person was almost useless. This was because he knew that such a person wouldn’t know anything about the big leagues. Only someone with a considerable power would be aware of the higher-ups’ situation.
Aksai would have had to pay a steep price if the lady demon was not exhausted because of her previous battle.
Frustration began to set in for the demonic cultivator. “You’re a coward!” she screamed, her voice hoarse. “Fighting me when I’m weakened—what kind of warrior are you?”
Aksai smirked, his eyes flashing with amusement. “I’m not a warrior,” he said calmly, slashing his sword across her thigh, drawing blood. “I’m a survivor. And a farmer.”
Her face twisted in rage, but it was clear that she was losing the fight. She tried to retreat, glancing toward where her eagle once rested, only to remember that Aksai had already taken it down. There was no escape.
“You don’t have to do this!” she pleaded, switching tactics. “We can strike a deal. I’ll help you with whatever you want. Information, treasures—just let me go.”
Aksai remained silent, his face unreadable as he delivered another blow, this time to her arm. Her scythe fell from her grasp, clattering to the ground as she stumbled back, clutching her wound. Her tendons were ruptured and arm bones factured.
Aksai’s body cultivation gave him and edge at this point. Without the natural Spirit sheild protecting her body, Aksai’s Martial Arts advantage was multiplied.
“Please…” she tried again, her voice shaking. “I… I can sleep with you. I’ll please you in a way you have never been—”
He cut her off with a well-aimed punch to her abdomen, knocking the wind out of her. Her solar plexis was shattered and her internal organs were in a mess.
The demonic cultivator crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath, her energy depleted and her will to fight shattered.
Aksai stood over her, his sword raised, but instead of delivering the killing blow, he struck her across the back of the neck with the hilt of his weapon, knocking her unconscious.
The killing would come later. First, he needed to gather some Intel.
He let out a small sigh, surveying the battlefield. He wasn’t a fan of long fights—especially not ones that could have been avoided.
But out here in the Wild Devil Lands, being cautious and picking the right fights was what kept him alive. He didn’t care about her curses, her threats, or her offers. Aksai knew better than to trust the words of a desperate enemy.
“I can finally get to the bottom of the shitshow that’s been going around in this region.”
Aksai crouched over the unconscious demonic cultivator, the weight of his next move already pressing on him.
He wiped the sweat off his brow and glanced back in the direction of the puppet he had sent ahead with Jian. From a distance, no one would be able to tell the difference—it moved, breathed, and even carried the same faint energy signature as Aksai. It was a trick he’d used before, and it worked wonders in confusing his enemies. Especially when it came to creating some space for himself to work without distractions.
He glanced down at the demonic cultivator lying at his feet. “I don’t have much time,” he muttered to himself, flexing his fingers as he prepared for what came next.
Extracting memories was a risky business. There were stories of people losing their sanity, either because they took too much too quickly or because they delved too deeply into fragmented, twisted minds. Of course, the side effects of memory extraction had nothing to do with Aksai. He had already planned to kill the lady demon after obtaining information from her.
There was no need to interrogate the lady demon using normal means. He didn’t even need to keep her conscious. After all, he had memory extraction technique.
Kneeling beside the demonic cultivator, Aksai pressed his palm against her forehead, closing his eyes to concentrate. His energy flowed into her mind, searching for the memories he needed.
For a moment, he was greeted with nothing but darkness, a void of consciousness. But soon, like threads in a web, faint traces of thought began to appear, flickering images and sensations from her recent experiences.
“Let’s see what you’ve got,” Aksai murmured, diving deeper into her mind.
He sifted through random flashes—battles with righteous faction cultivators, brief exchanges with her fellow demonic cultivators, and chaotic images of the Wild Devil Lands.
Then, he felt it—a stronger, clearer memory.
A conversation.