Against the native cultivators, intent-based spells often caught everyone by surprise.
Against the Empire, however, such surprises would quickly become nothing more than party tricks.
Aksai quietly rubbed his forehead. A dull headache slowly emerged. Or rather, it was his worry about the uncertain future taking the form of a headache.
"I guess... I can’t continue wandering across the mainland anymore. This land will soon be dominated by the Empire’s forces. Only the seas will remain safe for a while."
He slowly looked toward the distant direction where Emerald Cove Island lay.
"I’ll have to return and stay hidden. Wait until the situation settles."
For a brief moment, that seemed like the safest option.
Then...
His expression froze.
Another possibility quietly surfaced in his mind.
One even worse than the first.
"Wait. I don’t know how the various imperial factions have planned their campaigns but this woman’s earlier statements made a few things clear.
"It seems most of the regions must have already been divided among them, only waiting for the official transfer of authority through the local royal factions of the subcontinent. If that’s true, it won’t just be the mainland. Perhaps... I won’t even be able to stay on Emerald Cove Island."
If the Empire truly began occupying the Dadangar Subcontinent, and if more cultivators like Kalina descended, even Emerald Cove Island might no longer remain safe.
Aksai slowly exhaled.
"Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. I just boosted my luck. It can’t turn bad so soon... right?"
He looked around the ruined battlefield. The poisonous mist still drifted quietly. Broken vines covered the ground. The traces of tonight’s brutal battle remained everywhere.
Aksai slowly clenched both fists.
"But just in case... I’d better start preparing now."
With many contingency plans hatching inside his mind, Aksai walked toward Kalina’s corpse. Within only a single breath, he found himself looking down at her lifeless form.
Kalina’s eyes were still open.
They had long lost their brilliance, yet traces of unwillingness and resentment still lingered within them. It was as if even death could not erase her refusal to accept defeat.
Aksai simply looked at her without saying anything.
Then his Spirit Sense spread across her body.
He had already searched her once before during the robbery. However, that had been while she was still alive. Some hidden methods could only reveal themselves after their owner died.
Sure enough—
His eyes narrowed.
Something invisible slowly appeared above Kalina’s corpse.
Two talismans detached themselves from beneath her exposed skin and floated into the air. Unlike ordinary talismans, these two had remained completely hidden while she was alive. Only after her death did they reveal their existence.
Aksai immediately stopped them from drifting away with his Spirit Sense before pulling them toward himself.
"Hmm? Two more? What’s up with these invisible talismans? Why are they so popular among the cultivators from the empire?" he asked himself.
The two talismans looked extraordinary. One emitted a warm emerald glow. The other shimmered with pale silver runes that pulsed like flowing Spirit Essence.
Aksai didn’t waste any time.
After Kalina’s death, removing her Spirit Mark from the two talismans was effortless. His Spirit Sense quickly engraved his own Spirit Mark onto them, refining both talismans almost instantly.
Almost immediately, a familiar spectral screen appeared before him.
Nuri had already begun her analysis, processing the information integrated within the talismans and the proper methods to use them.
[ Talisman Analysis Complete. ]
[ First Item: Instant Recovery Talisman. ]
[ Grade: High-grade Third Order. ]
[ Effect: Instantly restores fatal injuries and recovers approximately fifty percent of the user’s overall condition upon activation. ]
[ Additional Effects: Second Skin, Visual Invisibility, Spirit Sense Invisibility. ]
Aksai’s pupils shrank slightly.
"She also had access to this kind of healing? Although it isn’t as exaggerated as a druid’s healing powers, it’s more than enough during critical moments."
He then looked at the second talisman.
Another notification appeared.
[ Second Item: Spirit Reclamation Talisman. ]
[ Grade: High-grade Third Order. ]
[ Effect: Instantly restores over twenty percent of the user’s Spirit Essence reserves. ]
[ Remaining recovery continues automatically, restoring approximately sixty percent more Spirit Essence over the following few minutes. ]
[ Additional Effects: Second Skin, Visual Invisibility, Spirit Sense Invisibility. ]
Aksai slowly lowered both talismans.
For a few seconds, he simply stared at them without speaking.
Then a realization suddenly dawned on him, causing his eyes to widen slightly.
"Damn it. This bi... This... This woman was almost as crafty as me. So that was her plan."
Everything suddenly became clear.
Kalina had never intended to gamble recklessly without a backup.
She had deliberately burned her Essence Blood.
She had deliberately accepted the severe backlash.
She had even intentionally exposed herself to lure him into launching a decisive attack.
Once Aksai committed himself, she would have landed her counterattack.
After seriously injuring him, she would have immediately activated these two hidden talismans.
The Instant Recovery Talisman would have healed most of her injuries. The Spirit Reclamation Talisman would have restored enough Spirit Essence for her to cast powerful Spirit Spells once again.
Meanwhile, Aksai would have remained crippled with a severed arm and countless accumulated injuries. The outcome would have been completely reversed.
He looked down at Kalina again.
"...You really were dangerous."
He finally understood why she had looked so confident after severing his arm.
She had not been bluffing.
She truly believed victory was already within her grasp.
Unfortunately for her, it was Aksai who caught her unprepared.
Serya’s venom had completely paralyzed her body before she could activate either talisman. Then the Void Gu had destroyed her heart.
Everything had happened too quickly. She had never been given the opportunity to activate her final trump cards.
Aksai let out a long breath.
This battle had been eye-opening in many ways.
It also made him let go of the pride he had taken in believing he was smarter than most of his peers.
The battle with Kalina might have gone his way this time but could he always ensure the same results every time he faces an opponent from the empire with his current accumulations?