A Farmer's Journey To Immortality

Varesh’s expression gradually became more solemn.

The five Lord-level ghosts surrounded him.

They didn’t attack his body.

At least, not directly.

Their translucent figures moved through the battlefield, their forms constantly changing as they released waves of resentment, fear, pain, and deathly aura.

WOOOOO—

The soundless howls of the ghosts entered Varesh’s body.

His pure Yang-type physique immediately reacted.

A faint golden radiance surged beneath his skin.

His blood boiled.

His Yang energy erupted.

Normally, these ghosts wouldn’t have been able to do anything to him.

Varesh’s South Sword Yang Physique was exceptionally powerful. It was naturally resistant to Yin and ghostly powers. Ordinary ghosts couldn’t even approach him without being burned away by his vigorous life force.

Even Lord-level ghosts would have difficulty injuring him under normal circumstances.

Yet—

This wasn’t a normal situation.

Varesh had been fighting for far too long. He had already used his secret sword techniques multiple times.

Each time, he had burned a portion of his Essence Blood to forcibly increase his combat power.

Furthermore, he had repeatedly used Sword Escape Light afterward to break through the isolation layer and pursue Aksai. His Essence Blood had already fallen to a dangerous level.

His Yang Physique was still formidable. But it was no longer at its peak.

Hiss!

A ghost passed through his shoulder.

Varesh’s body trembled.

A strange sensation spread through his flesh.

His Yang energy surged violently, attempting to expel the foreign power. But the ghostly energy didn’t try to directly invade his body. It attacked his weakened Yang energy instead.

The resentment and fear contained within the ghostly aura gnawed at his vitality.

Varesh’s complexion changed slightly.

Something’s wrong. These ghosts shouldn’t be able to affect me this much.

His Sword Sense swept through the five ghosts.

They were all Lord-level. And unlike ordinary ghosts, they weren’t simply relying on their souls to attack.

The Hundred Ghosts Banner was strengthening them. Every trace of fear and resentment was becoming nourishment. Plus, the synergetic effect that the banner had while being used inside the Devil’s Den formation made the attacks on Varesh even more potent and almost unavoidable.

The ghosts attacked again.

WOOOOO—!

Varesh’s body shook and his vigorous Yang energy flared. But this time, it took noticeably longer to suppress the ghostly influence.

His breathing became slightly heavier. A faint pallor appeared on his face.

Aksai noticed the changes immediately as he fought desperately with the true sword cultivator using his relatively shoddy sword skills and borrowed Sword Intent. Even though Aksai kept getting injured with every few exchanges with Varesh, he kept his head cool.

His eyes narrowed as he judged the time was ripe.

It worked.

He didn’t become excited.

Instead, his expression became even more focused.

Everything he had done until now had been preparation.

He had never expected the Hundred Ghosts Banner to defeat Varesh by itself. He simply needed it to become another weight pressing down on the already exhausted sword cultivator.

Even though he didn’t know about Varesh’s South Sword Yang Physique, he had kept his eyes on the man ever since he entered the island formation. As such, he had come to rightly estimate Varesh’s strengths and weaknesses to a large extent.

Varesh suddenly raised his Natal Sword.

SHING!

A black Sword Light swept outward.

Two ghosts were sliced apart. However, their bodies dispersed into countless fragments before slowly reforming.

Varesh’s eyes became colder.

’This formation and the banner... their combined effect is even greater than the typical attacks used by those wretched Mroot Yaksha faction’s members.’

His Sword Intent erupted. The remaining three ghosts were forced backward but they didn’t retreat and continued surrounding him.

Aksai watched silently. He had to admit that Varesh was still terrifying. He was the strongest existence he had faced ever since he began his cultivation journey. And he felt that despite facing an almost dead Nascent Soul King all by himself.

However weak the Gu Poison King was, his aura was scary compared to even the multiple peak Lord level existences combined. And yet, Varesh alone was enough to produce such an aura by himself.

It meant that Varesh would be many times more formidable if and when he becomes a Nascent Soul King, even more dangerous than the so-called Gu Poison King who had once terrorized the subcontinent many centuries ago.

In fact, Varesh was indeed the Nascent Soul seed of his faction. Countless treasures and resources were spent on training him. After all, the multi-faceted cultivation of the true sword path that also required the cultivators to refine their bodies and minds apart from their Spirit essence came at a tremendous cost.

The amount of Spirit resources spent on Varesh to support his current achievements in Sword Body, Sword Mind, and Sword Essence would have been enough to train at least dozens of ordinary late-stage Lords from scratch. Such an amount was unthinkable for the resources available at the native Big Five Sects combined.

This was why even after everything that had happened, Varesh could casually suppress Lord-level ghosts.

At this time, Aksai reached into his storage ring.

Whoosh.

A small bronze bell appeared in his palm (Chapter 703).

It was no bigger than a fist. Its surface was dull and covered with countless cracks. Yet those cracks didn’t make the artifact look damaged. Instead, they gave the bell an ancient and ominous presence.

Varesh immediately noticed it.

His Sword Sense locked onto the bell.

Another artifact?

Varesh’s expression became ugly. How could a mid-stage native Lord with no access to Connate techniques use such artifacts? And that too one after another? How could he support the usage of so many artifacts?

Varesh’s shock wasn’t misplaced. Aksai’s Spirit essence should have been exhausted a long time ago because of the multiple artifacts he had been using. However, he had a Pseudo Core of Verdant Elder that supported this excessive consumption.

Aksai’s Aether cultivation base was even more advanced than Varesh’s Sword Mind. His Qi cultivation path was also superior to Varesh’s Sword Body. It was just that Aksai’s three distinct paths were not combined into a singular Dao like Varesh’s true sword cultivation path.

However, keeping the three paths distinct had their own advantages. For example, Aksai could use his Ather cultivation base to enhance the effects of soul-based 3rd Order artifacts without using any secret techniques or putting burden on his already stretched Spirit essence reserves.

Aksai held the bell for a bit before gently shaking it. There was no sound. Not even the slightest vibration reached the ears. Yet, an invisible wave spread through the battlefield.

Swoosh. Zoom. Ding.

Varesh’s Sword Mind trembled and as a result an ethereal barrier was erected around him subconsciously. It resisted the attack for a fraction of a second before caving in.

His pupils contracted.

"What the— Aaaaargh!"

He felt as if someone had struck the inside of his skull with a hammer.

His Spirit shook and his mind became momentarily blank. Even his Sea of Consciousness rippled violently.

Varesh gritted his teeth as he created a distance between himself and Aksai. He finally let Aksai have a breather. At the same time, he used his Sword Mind to suppress the effects of the bell artifact.

After Varesh’s active control, his Sword Mind stabilized his consciousness for a while. Although he would still need to deal with the aftereffects of the bell artifact after the fight was over, he could at least fight with Aksai without worrying too much about his current injuries on his body and soul.

He raised his sword but another wave arrived.

Ding.

There was still no sound.

BOOM!

Varesh’s head jerked backward and his vision blurred for an instant. His Sword Intent became disordered.

At that precise moment, one of the Lord-level ghosts passed through his body.

WOOOOO—!

Varesh’s face became pale as he felt the shadow of death approaching him for the first time. If the bell shaped artifact had been used earlier, Varesh would have simply resisted it using his Sword Mind and Sword Momentum, which was at its peak earlier.

However, after facing consecutive losses, Varesh’s Sword Momentum and Sword Intent were not as potent as before. In such a case, it was no wonder that someone like him felt threatened by Aksai and his artifacts.

Aksai’s eyes flashed. He hadn’t used the bronze bell earlier for precisely this reason.

It was the only reliable and effective soul-based 3rd Order artifact he had on him. However, it didn’t have a high grade. Against a fresh late-stage Lord-level sword cultivator possessing Sword Mind, its effect would have been limited.

Varesh’s Sword Mind could have resisted the invisible waves. At most, the bell would have been an annoyance.

But Aksai hadn’t allowed Varesh to remain in peak condition. He had systematically weakened him.

First, the Devil’s Den formation.

Then the prolonged battle.

Then the battle formation siege by three Lords.

Then the poison.

Then the woodland creatures.

Then the assassination attempt.

Then the space-element cube.

Then the rectangular battle formation.

Then the destruction of his woodland clone.

Then Loken’s death.

Then the repeated use of Sword Escape Light.

Then the burning of his Essence Blood.

And finally—

The Hundred Ghosts Banner. Every trump card had served the same purpose.

Not to defeat Varesh. To weaken him enough for the next trump card to become effective.

Aksai raised the bronze bell again. Varesh’s pupils shrank.

"No!"

Ding.

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