What the trio didnāt know was that each Bloodfiend carried a subroutine of the Neural Link Fabric in their Soul Fragments.
This system allowed them to adapt on the spot, adjusting their Qi-flow templates according to their opponentsā weaknesses.
The Bloodfiends knew every flaw in their enemiesā stances, every delay between movements, every inefficient Qi surge. And they exploited them without mercy. This was why Aksai had created new puppets in haste as well. He didnāt dare to underestimate his enemies just because he had many trump cards up his sleeves.
Jinās speed faltered for a split second. A Bloodfiend swept in low, its leg technique faster than his own, knocking him off balance before driving a palm into his chest. He hit the ground hard, blood spraying from his mouth.
Wen raised his sword to defend himself again, but two puppets attacked him from both sides, their blades moving in perfect unison. His weapon flew from his grip as one of them struck his wrist. The other slammed a kick into his ribs, cracking bone.
Linās glowing palms struck out in desperation, but three puppets surrounded her at once, matching her rhythm perfectly. Her own martial art betrayed herāeach motion countered by a better one. Within seconds, she too was overwhelmed.
The fight ended as quickly as it began.
All three of Aksaiās former teachers lay on the ground, bruised, bleeding, and unable to move. The Bloodfiends surrounded them like local thugs would after bullying the citizens at a city square.
Without a word, they pulled out Spirit-based talismans from within their armorāthin sheets covered in glowing Essence Equation runesāand pressed them onto the bodies of the defeated martial artists.
The talismans flared to life, chains of light wrapping around the trioās limbs, locking their movements completely.
Jin Jolan growled weakly, struggling against the bindings. "Damn... these... fuck*ing puppets..."
The Bloodfiends didnāt react. They stood in silence, eyes faintly glowing, waiting for their next command.
***
[Terminating the Light Steps + Qi Flow Arts combo to maximize Qi consumption efficiency]
[Current Spirit essence reserves: 49%]
[Current Argent Qi reserves: 84%]
[Current Aether energy reserves: 71%]
After crossing a certain distance, Aksai canceled his custom movement technique and began walking at an easy pace. The Celestial Stinger spun between his fingers like a toy as he moved forward, his eyes fixed on what lay ahead.
Each flick of his wrist made the dagger flash silver under the dim light, its curved edge glinting like a cold smile. Around him, the Devil Vines spread across the mid and long range ā thick, dark tendrils pulsing with crimson veins, feeding on the dead and dying scattered across the battlefield.
āThese Argent artists are no joke. Although Iām glad they havenāt upgraded their martial arts to match their cultivation base, itās still difficult to one-shot them using my usual methods.
Theyāre faster, more aware of their surroundings, and their life essence is annoyingly tenacious. Even when I land critical hits, they just refuse to die.
But itās not impossible to fight them. I just need to catch them off guard. And to do that, I need to calm down.ā
Aksaiās breathing steadied as he planned his next move. He knew he needed to hurry ā his Spirit essence reserves were dropping fast. Half of it was already gone.
Every Spirit spell he used through the vines came at a cost.
He had made the Devilās Den stronger and more efficient than before, thanks to the Neural Link Fabric that allowed him to control every single vine and construct as if they were extensions of his own body. The Heretic Dao principles had made that control even smoother and more precise.
But even that power had limits. His reserves werenāt endless, and he couldnāt afford to waste Spirit essence on defense while simultaneously commanding an army of undead and plants.
So instead of relying on Spirit spells alone, Aksai decided to do what he did best ā fight directly using martial arts.
He took a deep breath and let his silvery Argent Qi flow outward, wrapping around his body like a thin armor. It shimmered faintly, giving his skin a metallic glow.
As he walked, the Celestial Stinger twirled gracefully in his hand. His movements grew sharper, lighter, faster ā each motion controlled yet fluid, as though he were performing rather than fighting.
The Aurous Artist elder standing across from him raised his weapon ā a long, curved saber humming with golden Qi. His eyes narrowed as he felt the growing pressure radiating from Aksai.
"You... youāre not even an Aurous Artist?" he asked, disbelief heavy in his voice.
Aksai didnāt bother to answer. He simply smiled faintly and tilted his head.
"I donāt need golden Qi to deal with the likes of you," he said softly. "My silvery Qi is more than enough."
With that, he moved.
The Celestial Stinger cut through the air with a whisper. His body seemed to blur as he stepped forward, using Qi Palm Arts to control his balance and redirect his energy mid-strike.
The dagger in his hand moved in perfect sync with his palms, tracing patterns that should have belonged to open-handed martial forms but instead turned into piercing and slashing dagger strikes.
This was a mixed martial art developed by Aksai using the help of the Neural Link Fabric. As such, each strike carried the power of both the martial arts ā dense, focused Qi compressed into sharp bursts.
The fusion wasnāt something that should have worked, not normally. The two martial arts were meant for different styles, different flows.
But the Neural Link Fabric inside Aksaiās body had read the rhythm of both arts and merged them into a single, smooth flow of energy using a unique Qi-flow Template.
Now, his dagger work wasnāt just fast. It was unpredictable. Each slash followed the lines of palm strikes; each stab carried the weight of a Qi blast.
The Aurous elder tried to block, but Aksaiās movements slipped past his guard like water. A quick twist, a sidestep, and the Celestial Stinger drew a silver arc that cut through the manās shoulder.
The Grand Martial Hallās grand elder staggered back, his golden Qi flaring in panic.