I splayed my arms wide as the swarm comes from behind me and in front of me like the spiral of a wind tunnel.

Surging towards him, he just seems to react in time as they finally reach him. I can see his hands grip, and then he disappears beneath the waves.

It is then that I can see flashes of light peer out from underneath the chittering bugs. This only grows more and more, Until I can see nine beams of light piercing out like swords. When I can finally see, it appears to be coming out of every orifice and his two hands.

This is my best opportunity to attack him, as the demonic qi is harder to deal with than the normal one.

Of course, while all of this is happening, I’m not staying in this treehouse like an idiot. I’ve already grabbed a few of the poison containers that had remained from my battle with the Panther. I tossed them into the tree house behind me to slow him down any way I can.

In addition to that, I head straight for the poison area of the jungle. This time, I won’t be playing around at the edges, but heading directly in. I’m fighting against someone who it’s absurdly faster and stronger than I.

Unfortunately for me, this does nothing and despite my plans I can’t even get more than a few 10s of kilometers away under a minute, before he immediately bursts out from within the treehouse and through all the poison, to immediately grab me by the back of the neck.

It appears the poison barely held him, and is only showing the most minimal effects on him. He used a piece of the wood on the ground to punch through the restrictive one, and the speed and power of him moving through the air with that in front of him made it only catch the edges of his body.

It’s only the back of his body that’s been affected, ironically enough.

… Then instantly snapped my neck.

My vision blurs as my body attempts to reform it. He does it almost like a grip trainer, as he relaxes his hand then squeezes again every time it reforms.

While doing this, he brings me back into the treehouse and watches my reforming carefully.

The whole time, he is now spreading his spiritual sense over my body, exploring every cavity. It feels utterly violating now that I have qi to tell that he’s doing so.

It’s like that shiver you get when you feel someone watching you, except this one is sticky and doesn’t just go away. Not only that, but since I’m already used to it, I can tell exactly what he’s looking at and for how long.

He is utterly fascinated by my dantian and Meridians. Since he’s a foundation establishment cultivator, he isn’t able to check into my mental status, but only the body level of aspects. Even with that, there is only so deep he can go. Being able to discover the generic aspects of a person’s body with your spiritual sense is one of the early foundation establishment abilities. As you grow through that realm, though, you are be able to discover more and more. You can also send it out further and further from your body.

1.

This is not good.

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There is still at least half a day before the other creatures can get somewhat close to this area.

I might not be in my right mind if I am about to go through what I assume he’s about to put me through. This is the best time I have to set up plans.

I immediately send a warning over to Gong and everyone I know approach at any time. That I am in danger, but to give me six days to respond before they do anything. If that amount of time has passed, then everything I could try has already failed.

My scan lets me know that whatever a demonic cultivator of his level could come up with, I’d be able to last for at least that long. Mentally, at least.

It’s a good thing the healing constitution also slightly helps with that aspect.

Both unluckily and luckily, he doesn’t seem to be that sort of demonic cultivator, though. It appears there just will be a ton of pain and suffering in my near future.

He seems to be finishing up his spiritual sense over me and what he plans to do, so I quickly send out a warning to the tamed creatures that are incoming. They are to coordinate an attack within that time period for the best possible moment.

Ao Jin seems to get a strange feeling about the way I scrunched my face up, although he’s basically paralyzed me multiple times.

My vision quickly goes dark, as he's chopped off my head yet again. This happens repeatedly, as my focus quickly switches to just staying alive.

It takes some time before this pattern ends.

When I finally fully awake, I come to myself floating in the air with my arms and legs spread out in a X pose. Definitely not a comfortable position.

My eyes focus on the man in front of me, who appears both intrigued and slightly morose.

“I was originally hoping to make this quick for you. Truly. However, it appears you may have things about your body that are too good to pass up.”

He shakes his head.

“Of course, it would be the one person I have actually grown to like that would allow me to forgo killing other people.”

The look of earlier sadness I had seen, when he realized that he would have to fight me, has returned to his face.

“I also wanted to make this easier on you, but it doesn’t appear that anything that would numb the pain works on you. I Have used so many expensive things to make it work, but it just doesn’t seem to have an effect. And in order to get the benefit of my abilities, I need you to be conscious.”

He gives a slight smile.

“You seem like an understanding person. I hope you can understand that with a body like yours, it would tempt anyone.”

Shivers.

He continues, ignoring my obvious look of revulsion and fear.

“Take heart in that you’ll be saving many lives which would have been lost without your sacrifice. And that I’ve tried everything I could to make this easier. I know it won’t matter, but know that I truly appreciate this and I promise to let you go after I save my wife and child.

“Obviously, after crippling your cultivation.”

This is a man twisted by his situation. Willing to do anything to reach his goal. I should have fully healed him instead of just the normal stuff.

Maybe it would have helped if I had healed any mental stuff, but that isn’t even close to normal in this world.

… I might make that standard from here on.

The sudden silence steals my attention.

He’s stopped talking and is just staring at me. He whispers aloud.

“I wonder….”

He circles my floating body.

Wait, he was just talking about crippling my cultivation.

I can see him extend out a whisper of demonic qi towards me, just like the one that he sent towards that bird earlier. I desperately ask my scan if there is anything I can do to resist.

As it gets closer and closer, my scan gives me non-helpful notes about demonic qi in this world that I already knew from the demonic cultivator knowledge.

Demonic qi has been fundamentally changed from natural qi. Just by having it touch your body gives negative ramifications. While regular qi is ordered and stable, demonic qi is more chaotic and, in some ways, poisonous. Your body has to adapt to using demonic qi.

So, as it approaches and finally touches me, I can feel my skin flare up instantly from the contact as it suddenly dives deep into my meridians. From there, it circles around my body until it gets into my lower dantian.

The whole time my body is healing and trying to survive this attack. On his side, Ao Jin looks fascinated by how my body is holding up against the effect of the qi.

He circulates it once more through my meridians before attempting to build more and more demonic qi into my lower dantian.

He’s trying to make me into a cultivation furnace.