A Farmer's Journey To Immortality

The battle continued as neither Droven nor the Sun Ocean Lord had any intention of giving the other a chance to breathe.

What was also interesting was that neither side could gain a decisive advantage.

However, as time passed, the difference between the two men’s conditions became increasingly obvious.

The Sun Ocean Lord was exhausted.

Even though he had deliberately minimized his use of 3rd Order Spirit Spells and relied primarily on talismans with relatively low Spirit Essence consumption, there was a limit to how many treasures a cultivator could activate in such a short period.

He had used too many. Far too many.

As a result, his breathing had become ragged. His face was pale. Sweat mixed with blood as it rolled down his forehead. His Spirit Core felt almost empty.

Even with the protection of the Array Eye, he couldn’t prevent some of Droven’s attacks from landing on his body. He could still squeeze out more power, but doing so would mean overdrawing from his reserves.

And the Sun Ocean Lord had no desire to do that.

Not anymore.

He had already realized something important.

He couldn’t kill Droven.

He could severely injure him and even force Droven into an extremely miserable state for a short time. But killing him was another matter entirely.

The remaining talismans in his storage ring could certainly cause trouble for Droven. However, none of them possessed enough destructive power to deliver a decisive blow.

Anything below that level was practically useless against a monster like Droven.

The old Lord had finally calmed down after realizing this.

’Forget it.’

He swallowed his anger.

’There is no point in wasting more resources.’

His previous fury had already cost him dearly.

He had nearly emptied four centuries’ worth of accumulated treasures because Droven had gotten under his skin.

He had also started doubting whether the formation he was in had some kind of influence on him. It had riled him up and intensified his emotions to such an extent that he had been made to use those treasures against Droven.

After all, his original plan had been to use Aksai and his island as a shield to deal with these pursuers before finding the right time to slip away from the chaos.

The Sun Ocean Lord could never have imagined that he would become so angry at someone that he would forget his initial goals. As such, he had started suspecting the formation and its master.

Realizing that he had somehow been manipulated into battling Droven with everything he had, the Sun Ocean Lord ceased his lavish spending. Now, he had no desire to make the same mistake again. He also started somewhat fearing the nightmarish formation he was in.

As such, his goal had changed. He only needed to survive.

If he couldn’t kill Droven, the next best thing was to make sure Droven couldn’t do anything either.

After all, he had realized that he couldn’t escape the formation on his own, which felt as if it was very close to being upgraded to a 4th Order formation. Even the four Imperial Lords were currently trapped inside this very formation despite having various tricks up their sleeves.

As such, even with the Sun Ocean Lord’s accumulated treasures, he wasn’t confident that he could escape the formation’s clutches.

Thus, the Sun Ocean Lord knew he needed Aksai’s consent to leave the island. The Array Eye was his form of protection against Droven but it was also his prison. It seemed that Aksai had calculated all the possibilities before assigning him to this position.

But why would Aksai grant him permission to leave when it was because of him that the four Imperial cultivators had barged onto the island?

Therefore, the Sun Ocean Lord could neither advance nor retreat.

He could only maintain a balance with Droven, pinning him to the battlefield so that Aksai would be forced to intervene eventually. Only by doing this would he have a chance to survive.

Thinking this, the Sun Ocean Lord raised his hand, and several Demon Vines immediately moved.

Swish! Swish!

They attacked Droven from different directions.

Droven blocked one.

Then another.

Then another.

The giant’s expression remained calm, but his condition was far from good either.

There were several deep wounds across his body.

His armor had been damaged in multiple places, exposing the bloodied flesh beneath. His shield had also become considerably dimmer. Even his breathing was heavier than before.

Far from the confidence he had displayed earlier, Droven had paid a considerable price to survive the Sun Ocean Lord’s endless bombardment.

His greatest consolation was his Spirit Essence reserve.

Compared to the Sun Ocean Lord, he still had considerably more left.

And he had one more trump card.

A precious healing-type talisman from the Shinayin Empire.

It was of the same rank as the one Kalina had.

This talisman was fundamentally different from the healing treasures available in the Dadangar Subcontinent. An Intent-based healing method had been integrated into the talisman’s foundation.

Because of that, its healing efficiency was far beyond anything a native cultivator could easily obtain.

Once activated, even Droven’s current severe injuries could be healed in a relatively short period.

But Droven didn’t use it.

’Not... not yet. I’ll find the right opportunity.’

His eyes swept over the battlefield.

He decided to deal with the Sun Ocean Lord first and foremost. Then, he would break through the isolation layer and join Varesh.

With the two of them working together, the formation master would no longer be able to hide so comfortably.

However—

The Demon Vines refused to give him that opportunity.

Every time Droven tried to create enough distance to activate the healing talisman, the vines attacked. Every time he attempted to suppress them, they regenerated. And every time he tried to charge toward the Sun Ocean Lord, they blocked his path.

Droven’s expression became increasingly ugly.

"These damn vines... Old thief! Fight me fair and square if you are man enough."

The Sun Ocean Lord merely smiled weakly.

He didn’t even bother responding and simply continued harassing Droven.

One could see that he had finally returned to his old, cautious personality.

Or perhaps the formation itself had stopped influencing his mind, allowing him to think clearly enough to make such decisions?

The Sun Ocean Lord couldn’t tell.

But that was not important anymore.

There was no need to win.

There was no need to kill.

He only needed to prevent Droven from recovering.

As long as the giant couldn’t heal himself, the two of them would remain trapped in this deadlock.

And that was enough.

He believed that doing this would justify, in Aksai’s eyes, that he had accomplished his part of the deal in fighting against the Imperial cultivators’ invasion.

The battle continued for a while.

Eventually, something changed, and the balance between Droven and the Sun Ocean Lord broke. The cause was seemingly unknown, but the results became apparent shortly afterward.

The Sun Ocean Lord’s hand trembled, and his control over the Array Eye began to falter. It was barely noticeable.

But Droven noticed.

The Demon Vines attacking Droven suddenly became slightly slower.

Their movements were less coordinated.

Their strength had also weakened.

Droven’s eyes narrowed.

’Interesting.’

He didn’t immediately act.

Instead, he carefully observed.

Another Demon Vine came crashing toward him.

BANG!

Droven blocked it, but the impact was noticeably weaker than before. At the same time, several vines that had been protecting the Sun Ocean Lord reacted a fraction of a second too late.

Droven’s eyes sharpened.

’Hmm? His control is weakening. Did he finally tire himself out to this extent?’

He had already reached the obvious conclusion.

The Sun Ocean Lord was exhausted.

The old Lord’s ability to control the Array Eye was deteriorating because of his depleted Spirit Essence and mental exhaustion.

Even the Sun Ocean Lord himself had begun realizing that the Array Eye was not responding to his will as strongly as it had a few minutes ago. He also began to suspect that his current state was the cause.

’Damn it...’

His teeth clenched.

Controlling an Array Eye wasn’t as simple as throwing a talisman.

The formation was enormous.

Every movement of the Demon Vines required his Spirit Sense and Spirit Essence to coordinate with the formation’s runic structure.

He had been maintaining control for too long. His mind was becoming sluggish.

’Just hold on a little longer.’

He gritted his teeth.

’As long as this bastard doesn’t get a chance to recover, I can keep him here.’

But that assumption was already becoming dangerous.

Droven smiled.

It was a crooked smile.

’Hehehe. My chance is going to arrive.’

Just a minute ago, he had a change of heart and had planned to use his healing talisman first, forgoing the idea of using it later to form a team with Varesh.

Now, he abandoned that plan and decided to stick to his original plan.

This was a better opportunity.

If he healed himself now, the Sun Ocean Lord might realize what he was doing and desperately interfere.

But if he attacked now—

He could finish the battle.

’This is the critical moment.’

Droven’s eyes became cold.

Even though his body was heavily injured and his Spirit Essence reserves had been considerably depleted, he still had enough strength to deal with the Sun Ocean Lord, who was clearly in a much worse state.

Droven simply needed one opportunity.

And the formation had just given him one.

Droven reached into his storage ring, and a small talisman appeared between his fingers.

He crushed it.

BOOM!

A burst of wind erupted beneath his feet, and his speed instantly increased.

The Sun Ocean Lord’s expression changed.

"You’re—"

Droven disappeared.

Whoosh!

The giant charged forward.

The Sun Ocean Lord frantically manipulated the Array Eye.

"Stop him!"

The Demon Vines moved.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Countless vines erupted from the ground. They attacked Droven from every direction. But their movements were no longer as precise as before.

The Sun Ocean Lord’s face became increasingly ugly.

’Come on!’

He poured the last remnants of his attention into the Array Eye.

’Move!’

The vines twisted.

One nearly caught Droven, but another reacted too slowly.

A subtle gap appeared.

Droven’s eyes sparkled.

’There!’

He ignored the incoming vines.

One pierced his shoulder.

Another tore across his ribs.

Blood sprayed into the fog.

But Droven didn’t slow down.

He had found his chance.

The Sun Ocean Lord’s expression changed drastically.

"No!"

For a brief moment, his control over the Array Eye completely faltered.

The Demon Vines scattered, and the defensive barrier around him weakened.

And Droven was already within striking distance.

"Hahaha! Old thief, where will you run now?"

The giant’s blood-soaked figure laughed as he appeared directly in front of the old Lord.

The Sun Ocean Lord’s pupils contracted, and his mind went blank.

He wanted to retreat.

He was even willing to beg.

Another part of him wanted to activate another talisman to at least attempt to escape.

But he was too slow.

Droven raised his shield with both hands. His entire body twisted, and every remaining ounce of strength erupted from his muscles.

"Die!"

BOOOOOOM!

The shield came crashing down.

Perhaps it was Droven’s first time using his shield as an offensive weapon, but he didn’t lack the expertise to do so.

The Sun Ocean Lord didn’t even have time to utter his final words.

CRACK!

His head was crushed instantly.

Blood and brain matter exploded beneath the shield.

The old Lord’s body died while standing upright.

It was just missing a head.

In its place was a gooey mass of flesh, bones, and internal organs.

A deafening silence abruptly blanketed the battlefield.

Droven remained standing.

His chest heaved.

His shield was still raised.

Then—

A smile slowly appeared on his face.

"Finally..."

He lowered his shield.

The pressure that had been weighing on him finally disappeared.

He had won.

He had killed the old bastard.

Now, he could finally use his healing talisman and recover before joining Varesh.

Droven took a breath, and his expression relaxed.

For the first time since the battle began, his mind loosened its vigilance.

That was natural.

Even a Core Formation Lord couldn’t maintain an emergency state indefinitely.

The battle was over.

His opponent was dead.

There was no reason to keep every nerve stretched to its limit.

And that was exactly what Aksai had been waiting for.

Swish!

The scattered Demon Vines suddenly moved.

Droven’s smile disappeared.

"What—?"

The vines twisted together.

Rumble!

They formed a massive cage around him.

Droven’s eyes widened.

At the same moment—

BOOM!

The ground beneath him exploded.

A golden-colored Demon Vine shot upward.

Unlike the other vines, this one wasn’t covered in Spirit Essence.

Instead, golden Aurous Qi Essence surged through its body.

There was no Spirit Pulse because there was no Spirit Essence.

No obvious fluctuation.

Even Droven’s powerful Spirit Sense failed to detect it beforehand.

And it had emerged from his blind spot.

The Sun Ocean Lord’s corpse was directly between him and the incoming vine.

Puchi!

The golden vine pierced through the freshly killed body.

It emerged from the other side.

And continued forward.

Straight toward Droven.

Droven’s pupils contracted.

He tried to raise his shield.

But he was a step too late.

Puchi!

The golden vine pierced through his chest as well.

His body stiffened.

The tip of the vine emerged from his back, coated in his blood.

Droven stared down at it in disbelief.

His hands trembled around his shield.

Only then did he understand.

The Sun Ocean Lord had never been the true target.

The narrow gap in the Sun Ocean Lord’s defenses itself had been a trap.

When Droven exploited that narrow gap, he felt like he had won.

But it had all been a planned move.

The formation master had allowed him to fight.

Had allowed him to exhaust himself.

Had allowed him to kill the Sun Ocean Lord.

And then—

He had used the Sun Ocean Lord’s corpse as a blind spot.

The dead man had been bait.

The exhaustion had been bait.

Even the weakening of the Array Eye had been bait.

He realized too late that the Array Eye couldn’t be weakened to this state without affecting the isolating layer within the formation.

Droven’s eyes widened.

’The mother****ing formation master... He is so blackhearted and such a deep schemer.’

The golden Demon Vine pulsed.

Aksai’s Aurous Qi Essence surged through it.

Droven’s face became pale.

He finally understood why he had been allowed to win so easily.

The formation master had never wanted the Sun Ocean Lord to survive.

He had wanted Droven to lower his guard after killing him.

And now—

Droven had walked straight into the trap.

His fingers tightened around his shield.

But his strength was rapidly leaving his body.

Blood poured from the wound.

He looked toward the corpse of the Sun Ocean Lord.

Then toward the golden Demon Vine piercing through his heart.

His expression became complicated.

A bitter smile formed on his face.

’Hehe. Old thief... we were both used as pawns standing against each other by this "native friend" of yours. In the end, we both died. So frustrating.

’With this kind of layered scheming abilities, I bet this ruthless friend of yours will make a name for himself if he ever went to the Eternal Sea. That is, if he survives the empire’s incoming invasion.

’But what’s that got to do with us? Hehehe. Wait for me. I’ll join you.’

Droven slowly raised his head as his consciousness began to fade into nothingness.

Somewhere beyond the endless white-gray fog, a pair of cold golden eyes watched him silently.

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