Chapter 836: Heretic Poison Dao
A poison cultivator studying the Heretic Dao could not simply learn how to create stronger toxins.
They would also need to learn how to create stronger antidotes in order to resonate with their version of the Dao. Only then could they make progress in their Heretic Poison Dao.
A fire cultivator would need to study both destruction and warmth. A water cultivator would need to study both nourishment and drowning.
A life cultivator would need to study death. A death cultivator would need to study life.
The requirements were absurd.
No wonder so few people followed the Heretic path. And of those who did, few managed to keep their sanity. The amount of work involved was terrifying.
Aksai laughed softly.
"So I basically have to study twice as much and consider two contradictory statements to be true at the same time. It’s like studying wave-particle duality or Schrodinger’s Cat from my previous world all over again."
The realization should have been discouraging. Instead, it excited him.
After all, the rewards were equally absurd.
A righteous poison cultivator might create a deadly poison. A demonic poison cultivator might create an even deadlier poison.
But a Heretic poison cultivator could potentially create a poison that heals. Or a medicine that kills. Or something that exists somewhere between the two states.
The possibilities were endless.
That was where the true strength of the Heretic Dao lay.
Freedom.
Not freedom from rules, but freedom from limitations.
The ability to see possibilities others could not. The ability to walk roads others would never even consider.
Aksai slowly walked toward a nearby cultivation platform.
His eyes glowed faintly.
His thoughts had already begun organizing themselves.
Fortunately, he already possessed everything necessary to begin.
His alchemy knowledge was extensive for his realm.
His farming knowledge was ever-growing.
His understanding of spirit herbs continued to improve every day.
The complete Heavenly Poison Sect inheritance contained countless medicinal recipes alongside poison recipes.
The sect itself had never completely separated poison and medicine.
To the poison experts of the Heavenly Poison Sect, medicine and poison were simply two different applications of the same knowledge.
As such, Aksai’s foundation was already much stronger than that of most cultivators.
Even then, he knew the road ahead would be long.
The Heretic Dao offered tremendous rewards. But it also demanded tremendous investment.
Aksai was willing to pay that price.
Because the more he learned about cultivation, the more he realized something.
Shortcuts were temporary. True mastery was permanent.
The Poison Gu King had become famous because of his mastery over poison.
Yet even he had only walked one side of the path.
His upper limit had been that of a Nascent Soul King. Even after living for so long, he had been unable to surpass that limit.
It was not because he lacked talent. It was probably because he had never fully explored the other side of the concept he had devoted his life to mastering. Or rather, he stuck to one version of cultivation and never made any efforts to try out something else.
The formation shifted slightly.
The spikes struck the formation barrier and broke apart.
Some of the force was redirected outward while another part flowed back toward the demon beast through the formation’s counter technique.
A burst of Spirit energy struck the boar’s side.
The beast growled in anger. The battle continued.
The demon beast used several powerful Spirit spells.
Sometimes it created waves of earth-element attacks. Other times it charged forward with terrifying force. But the battle formation helped the team remain stable.
Each member only had to handle a small portion of the pressure. Their combined strength allowed them to slowly weaken the beast.
Aksai played his role carefully. He attacked when needed and defended when required. His movements were steady but not extraordinary.
He neither appeared too strong nor too weak. From the perspective of the others, his performance was quite good for an early-stage Expert. Especially someone who was supposedly facing a 3rd Order demon beast for the first time.
As the battle dragged on, the demon beast began to show signs of exhaustion. Its breathing became heavier. Several wounds appeared on its thick hide.
Lurina noticed the change.
"Focus your attacks," she ordered.
The formation shifted again. A concentrated stream of Spirit energy gathered in the center of the formation. The combined power of the nine cultivators shot forward like a spear.
The attack struck the demon beast directly in the chest. The giant boar staggered backward. It let out one final roar before collapsing heavily onto the ground. The earth trembled as its massive body fell.
For a few seconds, the clearing became quiet. Then the group slowly relaxed their formation.
The demon beast was dead.
Everyone let out a small breath of relief.
Lurina walked toward the fallen beast while checking its body carefully.
After confirming that it was truly dead, she nodded.
"Good work, everyone," she said.
The team quickly began the harvesting process. One of the members carefully opened the beast’s chest area while another used Spirit tools to collect useful materials.
After some time, a glowing object was finally pulled out.
The Spirit Core.
It shone faintly with dense Spirit energy. The group had successfully completed the main objective of the mission. Lurina stored the Spirit Core safely inside a special container. The team looked satisfied. Their difficult hunt had finally come to an end.
After harvesting the demon beast’s Spirit Core and other useful materials, the team quickly cleaned the battlefield. The smell of blood in the forest could attract other demon beasts if they stayed too long.
Lurina gave a short signal.
"We leave now."
The group nodded and began their journey out of the Duya Forest.
The trip back was faster.
Without the need to search for the demon beast, the team could move directly toward the outer regions of the forest. They stayed alert, but the path remained mostly quiet.
A few low-order demon beasts appeared along the way. However, none of them dared to approach a group of nine Foundation Establishment Experts traveling together in a tight formation.
After two days of travel, the trees began to thin. Sunlight slowly returned.
Soon, the group stepped out of the dense forest and onto open land. The wide plains outside the Duya Forest stretched far into the distance. From there, the team began traveling toward human territory.
Their first stop was the Neutral State of Haan Di.
The place was still familiar to Aksai in many ways, even though he was currently using the identity of Naran Netherfire.
The towns and trade roads of Haan Di were busy as always. Merchants, guards, and travelers moved along the dusty roads. Spirit cultivators could also be seen from time to time. However, most cultivators kept a low profile there.
Haan Di was known as a neutral state where different groups passed through but rarely caused trouble. The team only stayed briefly.
After resting and resupplying, they continued their journey. Their next destination was the Kaan Kingdom. Aksai felt like he was finally getting to the bottom of things. As such, he mostly stayed quiet and interacted only when necessary without raising suspicions about his false identity.
After several more days of travel, tall city walls finally appeared on the horizon.
The capital city of the Kaan Kingdom. Torah.
The city was large and well-built. Thick stone walls surrounded it. Watchtowers stood at regular distances along the walls. Many caravans and travelers moved through the main gates.
The guards at the entrance were mostly mortals. However, a few Spirit cultivators stood among them as supervisors. Lurina’s group entered the city without trouble.
Inside, the capital looked rich and lively.
Wide streets stretched in many directions. Shops, inns, and markets filled the city blocks. The smell of food and the sound of merchants calling out their goods filled the air.
Most of the people in the city were mortals. Farmers, traders, craftsmen, and travelers moved through the busy streets. However, Aksai’s senses quickly noticed something else.
There were also many Spirit cultivators mixed among the mortals.
Some of them hid their identities well. They dressed like ordinary travelers or merchants and kept their Spirit energy suppressed. Others were the complete opposite. They openly displayed their cultivation aura.
Some cultivators even used small Spirit techniques in public. A few levitated objects casually or used minor spells while talking with mortals.
One had to note that Spirit cultivators were not always welcome everywhere in all the kingdoms. It could be said that the Rokur Kingdom, where Aksai was born, was an exception in the subcontinent in that it did not create a clear separation between mortals and Spirit cultivators.
Even though mortals did have a lower standing compared to Spirit cultivators, both groups still belonged to the same social fabric in the kingdom for the most part.
However, the Kaan Kingdom was a bit different in that aspect. At least that had been the case a decade or two ago.