A Farmer's Journey To Immortality

Capítulo 696: Looting First Supreme P4

Saarken no longer cared.

He raised the talisman, ready to pour what little power he had left into it.

However, something went wrong for the First Supreme once again. It was as if Aksai had already countered his moves before he made them.

Saarken’s body stiffened.

“What…?” he whispered.

A strange feeling spread through him. It was as if an unseen hand had grabbed hold of his insides. His remaining strength was pulled away in an instant. His muscles went weak. His bones felt hollow.

His Spirit essence vanished. Not leaked or burned. It was emptied.

His mind went blank for a moment. The anger that had been burning inside him suddenly faded. His hatred, his fear, his rage—everything that had driven him forward just moments ago—drained away like water from a broken cup.

Saarken gasped. He felt empty and weak. Before he could understand what was happening, a sharp pain bloomed on his skin.

Crack.

Something broke through his flesh.

A small flower bud pushed out from his arm. Its petals were dark and twisted. Then another appeared on his chest. Then his neck. His legs. His face.

One after another, strange flowers bloomed all over his body. They opened slowly, spreading a bitter scent into the air. Saarken’s eyes widened in horror.

“These… these flowers…”

These were the Flowers of Bitter Emotions.

They had been planted long ago, hidden deep inside him. Back when the Third Supreme had set his trap. Back when that woman who was supposed to be the younger sister of a subordinate that served the Third Supreme had acted strange. Back when he had sensed something wrong and killed her with his own hands.

But it had already been too late. He had already slept with her. The buds had entered his body then and lay dormant, waiting for him to weaken.

After all, there was a big difference between Aksai’s and First Supreme’s cultivation bases. The Spirit farmer couldn’t directly use the Flowers of Bitter Emotions on him. Thus, he had prepared to tire him out.

Saarken’s cultivation base suppressed these druidic traps with his power for weeks without knowing what they truly were. As long as his strength was full and his emotions burned strong, the buds could not bloom.

But now, he was drained. He had nothing left to stop them. The flowers bloomed fully, feeding on what little remained inside him.

Saarken looked down at his body, covered in dark blossoms, his talisman slipping from his fingers. His lips trembled.

“What… What have you done to me? Aren’t you from the righteous faction? How can you use such a vile demonic technique?”

Saarken dropped down with a dull thud, both knees hitting the ground. He tried to push himself back up, but his arms shook and failed him. His balance was gone.

His body no longer listened to his will. The flowers on his skin pulsed softly, blooming wider and deeper.

“No… not yet…” he muttered weakly. But his strength was already gone.

Saarken tilted forward and fell flat on his face. The impact made a dry sound, but he did not even feel the pain clearly. The talisman slipped from his loose grip and floated into the air, carried by the strange power of this place.

A thick vine shot out from the ground. It wrapped around the talisman in midair and pulled it back. The vine moved smoothly and placed the talisman into Aksai’s open palm.

Aksai glanced at it briefly before putting it away. Then he raised his hand.

At his command, vines and roots surged from all directions. They wrapped around Saarken’s arms, legs, waist, and neck. More roots rose from the ground and locked around his body like a living cage.

Saarken was lifted off the ground. The flowers continued to bloom all over him, draining what little remained inside. Only after the cage was fully formed did Aksai walk forward.

He did not want to give his enemy any chance to make a comeback. Hence the precautions.

Aksai then walked a few steps and stopped right in front of Saarken.

The vines forced Saarken upright, holding him in place. His head hung low. His eyes were dull. His body no longer gave off any pressure or threat. He was no longer the First Supreme of Kalingoot.

He was just a broken man. Aksai looked at him calmly. Then he smiled.

“Do you want to live?” Aksai asked in a casual tone.

Saarken’s eyes flickered slightly. Aksai continued, his voice steady and clear.

“If yes, open your Sea of Consciousness and let me brand a Slave Mark on you.”

He raised one finger slowly.

“If not, then I’ll have you turned into a Sentient Fiend after killing you.”

He tilted his head slightly, as if offering a fair deal.

“Either way, in life or death, you’d serve me.”

Aksai chuckled softly.

“But you do have the right to choose. I’m magnanimous like that. A believer in freedom of choice, if you will.”

He looked straight into Saarken’s eyes. “Now tell me,” Aksai said calmly. “What will it be?”

Saarken opened his mouth to speak. However, no sound came out.

His lips trembled, but his throat felt dry and locked. He tried again, forcing air through his chest, but even that simple act felt impossible. His body had no strength left. Not even enough to form a word.

Aksai watched him for a second. Then he sighed and slapped his own forehead lightly.

“Look at me,” Aksai said with a small shake of his head. “Asking questions without even letting you speak. Where are my manners?”

He waved his hand.

“Wait.”

The ground beneath Saarken stirred.

A dark red vine rose slowly from below. It was thicker than the others and pulsed like a living vein. Before Saarken could even react, the vine shot forward and pierced into his lower back, right near his tailbone.

“Uggggh—!”

Pain tore through Saarken’s body. He would have screamed at this point if he had the power to do so.

His back arched as the vine connected deep inside him. The pain was sharp, burning, and humiliating. He screamed, but the sound came out weak and broken.

The vine pulsed. Something warm flowed into his body.

Saarken gasped.

The pain did not disappear, but along with it came strength. His limbs no longer felt completely dead. His chest no longer felt hollow. Even his emotions, which had been drained until nothing was left, slowly returned.

Fear came first. Pure fear. Saarken lifted his head and looked at Aksai.

He no longer saw an enemy. He saw a monster he could never fight.

Aksai blinked in surprise as he watched the First Supreme’s behaviour.

“Huh,” he muttered. “I thought this would take longer.”

He had planned to talk more. To pressure him slowly. But looking at Saarken now, trembling and barely holding himself together, Aksai realized something. He had already broken him.

Saarken did not take long. Tears flowed down his face. He started crying openly as his voice finally came back.

“Lord… no… my liege Aksai Everwood,” Saarken sobbed. “I want to serve you forever. I… I thank my liege for his benevolence in sparing me.”

His body shook as he spoke. Without waiting for further orders, Saarken relaxed his defenses.

Deep inside his mind, the Sea of Consciousness opened.

Aksai’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Since devouring the memories of the ghost mentor who once possessed the Third Supreme, his soul-based techniques had grown much stronger. He now understood souls, minds, and control far better than before.

Among what he had gained was a new slave-marking method. It was cleaner and stronger. And far more stable.

The only rule was simple. The target had to open their Sea of Consciousness willingly and remain cooperative from start to end.

If that condition was met, the technique was flawless. If not, the backlash could be deadly even to Aksai. He had learned that lesson the hard way before.

Aksai did not rush. He summoned his Aether Beast.

The Spirit farmer had learned his lesson after almost being possessed by the ghost mentor of the Third Supreme. He used his Aether Beast as a soul-based firewall to execute the technique without risking his own soul’s foundation.

Using his Aether cultivation base, he guided the power carefully. Invisible waves of control flowed forward and entered Saarken’s open Mind Palace.

Saarken did not resist. Not even a little. A glowing mark formed deep within his soul.

The slave mark settled, complete and stable. Also, unbreakable.

Aksai withdrew his power and nodded slightly. From this moment on, the life and death of the First Supreme of Kalingoot rested in his hands.

Saarken lowered his head completely. He no longer had the courage to even look up.

Source: .com, updated by novlove.com