The ground shook beneath Zyn’s enormous body.
But before it could fall completely, countless Demon Vines surged upward.
They wrapped around Zyn’s body and supported it.
The Poison Wyvern roared in pain.
Its remaining wing beat desperately in an attempt to alleviate the pain shooting through its body from its other broken wing. The Demon Vines tightened around its body, preventing it from collapsing completely.
Varesh didn’t waste any time. His gaze moved past Zyn, landing on Jina. Breaking this formation took precedence in Varesh’s mind.
First, eliminate her.
VMMMM!
Varesh transformed into Sword Light, and the distance between them disappeared almost instantly.
Jina’s expression changed. In the next moment, she immediately tried to manipulate her Array Eye.
But Varesh was too fast.
SHING!
His black Natal Sword pierced through the defensive layer surrounding her.
The Array Eye trembled.
Jina’s expression paled.
Varesh’s sword swept sideways.
PFFT!
Blood sprayed.
Jina’s left arm was severed at the shoulder.
"Ah!"
She staggered backward.
Varesh’s Sword Intent followed the blade. He seamlessly changed his stance without breaking the sword’s momentum.
He was about to deliver the finishing strike—
When his Sword Sense suddenly trembled.
A powerful threat was approaching.
Varesh’s pupils contracted.
He immediately changed the direction of his sword.
BOOOOOOM!
A golden-black Sword Light collided with his Natal Sword.
The shockwave exploded outward. Varesh was forced backward. Jina was blown away as well.
Varesh’s expression turned into a frown as he looked toward the source of the attack.
Aksai stood there.
His previously battered body had undergone a dramatic transformation thanks to the combined effects of a precious 3rd Order pill, a rare Intent-based talisman, and his druidic powers.
His flesh had regenerated. His exposed bones were covered again, and his Spirit Essence was flowing smoothly. His aura was no longer weak. It had almost returned to its peak.
Aksai slowly raised his sword.
His golden Aurous Qi surged around his body, and the Aether Suppression Domain spread outward. Poisonous energy crawled along his blade.
Varesh scoffed inwardly as he looked at Aksai.
This fake sword cultivator dares to approach me. I wonder if I should admire his bravery or call it stupidity.
He had already witnessed Aksai’s logic-defying healing abilities. Yet instead of feeling fear, Varesh only felt contempt.
So what if his injuries could heal as if he wasn’t a human?
As long as Aksai dared to heal himself in front of him, Varesh would simply keep butchering his body. He would cut him apart again and again until there was nothing left for him to use as healing energy.
That was the simplicity of true sword cultivators. They didn’t need complicated strategies or endless tricks. They only needed overwhelming sword force.
The two moved at the same time.
Neither of them spoke.
VMMMM!
Their figures blurred as their swords collided.
CLANG!
Aksai’s wrist twisted. He redirected Varesh’s first slash and immediately counterattacked. Varesh’s black Natal Sword moved like a streak of darkness.
SHING!
Aksai’s sword barely managed to intercept it. Then another slash came. And another.
Varesh’s Sword Intent was dense and terrifyingly sharp. Every movement seemed simple, yet each strike contained an overwhelming force that made Aksai’s defensive techniques feel inadequate.
Aksai retreated and Varesh pursued.
Within seconds, the battlefield was filled with the sounds of clashing swords.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Aksai activated one defensive technique after another. Golden-black sword lights emerged around his body. Several defensive talismans activated simultaneously, forming layers of protective light around him.
Varesh simply cut through them.
Within roughly ten seconds, Varesh had completely overwhelmed Aksai’s defenses.
SHING!
His black Natal Sword suddenly slipped past Aksai’s guard. A diagonal slash tore across Aksai’s torso.
PFFT!
Blood sprayed into the air.
Varesh’s eyes flashed with confidence.
That strike had been thick with Sword Intent.
He expected Aksai’s body to be chopped cleanly into two pieces.
But—
It didn’t happen.
Varesh’s pupils contracted as he was shocked.
Aksai’s body remained intact.
His robe had been torn open, revealing something beneath it.
A peculiar set of armor covered his torso.
Varesh’s Sword Sense swept over it.
The armor had a strange, almost serpentine texture.
It was a 3rd Order Snakeskin Armor (Chapter 693).
Its defensive power was extraordinary.
Before Varesh could fully examine it, Aksai activated the runes engraved across its surface.
Hummm...
The armor lit up.
Crack.
A low crackling sound came from Aksai’s body.
Then—
Crack. Crack.
His muscles tightened and his bones suddenly felt lighter. A powerful force surged through his entire body. His strength, speed, and endurance increased. Even the recovery speed of his Spirit Essence began to rise.
Varesh’s expression finally changed slightly.
’A multi-buff defensive artifact? How did the empire’s intelligence network not provide any information on this man? Were they blind when they collected intel on all the significant figures of this subcontinent?’
Aksai didn’t give him time to think.
VMMMM!
He lunged forward and his sword erupted with terrifying Sword Intent.
This time, Aksai stopped holding back since a certain cat known as the snakeskin armor was out of the bag.
He drew upon the Sword Intent accumulated within Kalina’s Natal Sword and unleashed it to its fullest. The armor’s buffs plus the debuffs provided by Aksai’s Aether Domain on Varesh were temporarily enough for Aksai to bridge the gap and stand on equal footing with Varesh.
Not to mention the fact that Varesh was already beginning to slow down because of his prolonged and high-intensity battles with the woodland creatures and the formation itself. Plus, Zyn’s poison had also affected him even though he had suppressed the symptoms.
Unbeknownst to him, Varesh was slowly weakening from within.
CLANG!
Varesh’s Natal Sword blocked the first strike.
BOOM!
The second strike forced his arm downward. The third came from the opposite direction.
SHING!
Varesh twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the blade.
Aksai continued attacking.
One sword strike followed another, forming a relentless barrage.
The Snakeskin Armor’s enhancements allowed his body to withstand the tremendous strain caused by his increasingly violent movements.
Varesh’s eyes narrowed.
’This bastard...’
He had expected Aksai to rely on his strange healing ability. He hadn’t expected him to suddenly become stronger through an artifact.
CLANG!
Their swords collided again. Varesh’s body shifted backward. For the first time, Aksai forced him onto the defensive.
Five seconds.
That was all it took.
Aksai finally found an opening using Nuri’s real-time guidance. His eyes flashed and his sword moved.
SHING!
Varesh’s defensive Sword Light shattered. His pupils contracted.
Aksai’s blade slipped through the gap and struck his torso.
PFFT!
Blood sprayed.
A deep, long sword wound appeared across Varesh’s torso. As a result, his body staggered backward. For the first time in a long while, his Sword Momentum was disrupted mid-battle. His sword trembled in his hand.
Varesh’s expression became increasingly grim as he felt his disrupted Sword Momentum slowly stabilize. The contempt in his eyes disappeared.
The wound on his torso was deep, but it wasn’t enough to cripple him. His gaze remained fixed on Aksai.
The battle had already gone far beyond what he had expected. This fake sword cultivator was far more troublesome than he had imagined.
As swift as a wind, Varesh reached for his storage ring. A faint flash of spiritual light appeared in his hand.
A 3rd Order Sword Talisman appeared between his fingers.
It was an extremely simple talisman.
Its only function was to enhance his Sword Intent by two times for a limited period.
Simple.
Almost laughably simple.
But Varesh knew better than anyone how terrifying such an enhancement could be.
True sword cultivators didn’t need complicated abilities.
Their Sword Intent was their greatest weapon.
Doubling it meant doubling the sharpness, penetration, suppression, and destructive power of almost every sword technique he possessed.
Crack!
Varesh crushed the talisman.
VMMMM!
A terrifying wave of Sword Intent erupted from his body.
The surrounding air trembled.
Even Aksai’s pupils contracted.
’Not good.’
He immediately raised his sword.
But Varesh had already disappeared.
SHING!
A black streak flashed across the battlefield.
Aksai’s defensive instinct screamed.
He twisted his body.
Yet the sword was simply too fast.
PFFT!
Blood sprayed.
Aksai’s right leg was severed from below the knee.
His body lost balance for an instant.
Pain surged through his mind.
Aksai ignored it completely.
His left foot slammed into the ground, stabilizing his body.
At the same time, his hand reached into his storage ring.
Whoosh!
A small bell appeared in his grasp.
It was the 3rd Order Bell Artifact he had prepared beforehand (Chapter 695).
Aksai didn’t hesitate.
He struck it.
Ding.
There was no sound.
Nothing seemed to happen.
Varesh continued forward.
Then—
His Sword Mind trembled.
His expression changed violently.
Invisible waves had already spread through the battlefield.
They didn’t target his body.
They directly struck his Sword Mind.
BOOM!
Varesh staggered.
His enhanced Sword Intent suddenly became chaotic.
The doubled Sword Intent that had been flowing smoothly through his body began colliding with itself.
His footsteps came to a sudden halt.
"Ugh..."
Varesh clutched his head.
His face twisted in agony.
His eyes gradually turned blood-red.
The Sword Intent surrounding his body fluctuated violently.
’What is this?!’
He tried to suppress the disturbance through his Sword Mind.
But another invisible wave arrived.
Ding.
Again, there was no audible sound.
Yet Varesh’s body trembled.
His knees nearly buckled.
His Sword Intent scattered in all directions.
Aksai didn’t waste the opportunity.
He immediately activated his druidic powers.
Green light surged around his severed leg.
Squirm...
Flesh began growing from the stump.
Roots and vines emerged first, twisting together into the rough shape of a leg.
Wood-like flesh rapidly formed over them.
Muscles developed.
Blood vessels spread.
Skin covered the newly formed limb.
Within moments, a complete woodland limb had replaced his missing leg.
Aksai flexed his toes.
It wasn’t as natural as his original body, but it was enough.
He raised the bell again.
Ding.
Another invisible wave struck Varesh’s Sword Mind.
The Sword Cultivator let out a muffled groan.
His fingers dug into his scalp.
His red eyes trembled violently.
The enhanced Sword Intent within his body became even more unstable.
Aksai rang the bell again.
Ding.
Varesh staggered backward.
His sword nearly slipped from his hand.
Only his terrifying willpower kept him standing.
Aksai didn’t continue indefinitely.
He understood that the 3rd Order Bell Artifact had already achieved its purpose.
He stored it away.
His gaze then shifted toward his storage ring.
His fingers moved.
Whoosh!
A dark green banner appeared in his hand.
The banner was completely still despite the violent winds sweeping across the battlefield.
Aksai gripped its pole tightly.
This was his next trump card.
A 3rd Order Dark Green Banner (Chapter 703).
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter