Chapter Twelve: Carnivores

Perhaps because more than ten hours were enough to calm his anger, when Neo saw the spirit in that giant pit again, he found it quite calm—just as calm as when they first met the day before.
“How did you uncover my disguise?” The spirit’s first question was that.
“Obviously, your heart isn’t truly calm,” Neo thought to himself. “I actually have some questions too, and I haven’t figured them out after a whole night. How about we swear by faith and soul and have a sincere conversation?”
“Hmph!” The spirit’s expression at that moment was the epitome of disdain. “Do you think your proposal has enough binding power?”
“Of course. I’m convinced of it,” Neo replied without hesitation.
“As you wish…” The spirit curled its lips.
After making the oath, the spirit said, “Now you can answer my question, right?”
“Yes,” Neo said. “Do you still remember how you addressed me after I told you my name?”
“Skywalker Daknis.” The spirit remembered yesterday vividly.
“Using a surname is a sign of respect, but it’s only widely practiced within human civilization.”
After a long pause, the spirit said, “You should be called Skywalker Neo.”
“No, it’s Neo. Though ‘Skywalker’ is a majestic title, it’s an honorary name given by the people to shamans. Simple and pure plants don’t have such nonsense.”
“So from the very first sentence, you knew I was an imposter?”
“Just a suspicion. I know that some great shamans, after returning to nature, merge with the totem spirits they used in life and become extremely wise beings. At first, I wasn’t sure if you were such a being—after all, the power shown by the mutation of Bitter Thorn was astonishing.”
Neo continued, “Well, now it’s my turn to ask questions. Who are you?”
“Who am I? Hahaha…” The spirit laughed, but its laughter didn’t sound happy at all.
“Feren Et. Have you heard of this name? Of course not. Not even in my time did anyone know it. Because I damn well haven’t had the chance to show the world my strength! Haven’t had the chance to write the chapter of my era!” the spirit said resentfully.
“If you’re referring only to the name Feren Et, I must correct you—it’s quite famous! Almost all intelligent beings in Aemera know this name. The founder of the Kyles Blood Robe Mage Order, the inventor of the Circle Spell, a legendary mage… There are countless glorious legends and stories associated with this name, but that was all over 2000 years ago.”
“That’s my body! My talent! My potential! My aptitude!” Feren roared in anger.
“The only pity is that it’s not your will. I understand,” Neo said calmly.
“No, you can’t understand. No one can understand the pain I’ve endured. And you, you’re mocking me!” Feren glared fiercely at Neo.
“No, I mean I’ve guessed what you want. A caster’s body, to learn from the guy who once occupied your body and created a glorious history, right?”

Hearing Neo talk about this, Feren’s expression instantly changed by 180 degrees—calm yet sincere and enthusiastic. But anyone without amnesia wouldn’t find such a change pleasant; it was too neurotic!
“Undoubtedly, you are wise and intelligent,” Feren said in a rhythmic tone. “But this time, there’s one very important mistake. I have absolutely no intention of taking over your body. I can swear on anything. Really, just as I said last time, all I want is a partnership—a close one. I can be your mentor, your friend. You’ll have all my knowledge and power. As you said, 2000 years have passed. Without even mentioning the power that could be accumulated over such a long time, just think—how many people have managed to keep their souls intact for 2000 years? If we work together, you can uncover the secrets that even past kings desired. Just imagine—what a wonderful thing that would be!”
“That’s how I understand your words,” Neo explained under Feren’s expectant gaze. “I can’t perform a soul swap like that damned guy who took over my body before. I can only use the dangerous method of seizing a body. For that, you’d better cooperate. I won’t treat you too badly either. I’ll share in your experiences, and what’s etched in your memories will also affect me. Maybe, when I have time, I’ll even help you avenge yourself or fulfill some unfinished desires. But don’t expect the original personality—it has to be me, only me.”
As Neo spoke, Feren’s expression twisted again, filling with rage once more. But this time, he didn’t turn into a roaring beast; instead, he quickly regained his calm. Yet this calm was like the stillness before a storm—calm, yet tinged with an indescribable, heavy darkness.
Feren indeed no longer hoped to “resolve things peacefully.” But he still had doubts unresolved, ones he couldn’t figure out even after thinking all night.
“One last question. I guess you already knew last time—that this tree is the root of all problems. Even a blindman could see that!” Feren grew louder and louder, eventually speaking through gritted teeth. “But with your intelligence, why don’t you understand the true meaning of ‘beheading’?”
“You mean destroying this strange tree?”
“Of course! It’s quite obvious! Are you really blind, unable to see the connection between these roots and the plant?”
“I can see it. But I’m a shaman! Even as a beginner, I can at least tell which spirits are simple and which are complex. There are no evil plants in this world—only ones that have changed or been distorted to survive. To judge based on appearance isn’t the way of the wise. Besides, can defining ‘disgusting’ or ‘beautiful’ by human standards truly be foolproof?”

Feren was stunned by the question. It thought its performance the previous day had been perfect—a vicious tree monster that could remain invincible as long as it didn’t hit its core. Yet Nio had had countless chances but never attacked the monstrous tree at the center of the pit. So this was the reason.

Nio said, “So I think the problem isn’t the monstrous tree. Even the previous spirit summoning was real—it was you who deliberately allowed it to happen. That monstrous tree is the last effort of this plant spirit. The green light in that altar is the real focus. If I destroy the monstrous tree, it will only free you.”

“Damn it!” Feren was speechless and could only curse, cursing that it had managed to summon a spellcaster only to end up with such an ‘excellent’ one.

“Alright, let me ask. What exactly happened here?”

“Want to know?” Feren chuckled mischievously.

“Yes,” Nio replied with a serious expression.

“Really want to know?”

Nio remained silent, gripping the hilt of his sword. With a hiss, the blue-steel sword slowly drew from its sheath.

“You guessed it. You guessed again! You even figured out that I wanted to attack right away! You’re damn clever, but…” This time the voice came from behind Nio, not a mental dialogue but a real voice, accompanied by a loud scraping sound.

Swish! Nio spun around abruptly. The blue-steel sword traced two beautiful arcs—blade first, wind noise following. Unfortunately, though it interrupted Feren’s words, it failed to strike him.

“But in the face of strength, all your cleverness is worthless,” Feren continued, his voice still behind Nio.

He swung his sword again fiercely. This time, Nio used not only the ‘sweep’ technique but also the ‘slash,’ causing a diagonal cross of light to flash in midair. This technique was known as the ‘Diagonal Cross.’

The wide-ranging ‘Diagonal Cross’ still missed its target. This time, Feren chose to move backward, allowing Nio to see how he dodged—by flickering! The moment Nio moved, with a flash of light, Feren disappeared from his current position and reappeared where he wanted to be.

Swish! Swish! Feren showed off proudly in front of Nio. His ‘flickering’ technique was flawless and seemed to be an innate skill, utterly perfect.

Feren moved dozens of times in quick succession, attacking Nio several times. Exhausted from defending, Nio had no choice but to take repeated hits, eventually being kicked aside and falling to the ground.

“Do you know? You made a big mistake. You didn’t defeat me in one go yesterday. That determined today’s tragic fate.” Feren crossed his arms and floated proudly in midair, looking down at Nio.

In fact, Feren was deliberately provoking Nio. This body had been prepared long ago for use in extreme situations, not created overnight.

Unfortunately, Feren lacked the talent to compete verbally with Nio.

Whether Feren was real or not, Nio adhered to one principle: provoke! Keep provoking! The angrier and crazier the opponent became, the greater his chances of winning—a lesson he had learned since his days as a young gladiator.

“Is that so? What a pity. By the way, you’ve got a nice body on you—how much did it cost?” Neo asked, gasping as he lay on the ground.
The body Ferren was using was indeed the product of roots, but unlike those roots, its surface wasn’t covered in writhing, worm-like movements; it resembled real skin, though not smooth, as it was covered with faces of suffering.
The souls of the villagers of Wald Village were all under Ferren’s control. Yesterday, during the battle with Neo, Neo freed some of them, and now all the remaining souls appeared on this body.
“Remember well—your suffering stems from your ignorance and your filthy mouth!” Neo’s mockery enraged Ferren, who gave up arguing and started trampling him instead.
Although Neo managed to get a slight advantage by lying back on the ground, which freed him from being trapped behind, it greatly reduced his mobility, leaving him vulnerable to further attacks. For half an hour, Neo endured a relentless barrage of blows.
“Cough! Cough!” As he gasped, blood spilled from his mouth. Lying sprawled on the ground, his armor was nearly torn to shreds by Ferren’s claws and fists. The sharp, brightly green-tinted fingertips were as effective as piercing spears. Even though Ferren wasn’t an expert fighter, just his constant ability to “blink infinitely” was enough to make Neo taste despair—there seemed no chance of victory at all.
“Are you awake now, young hero?” Ferren emphasized the last three words slowly, with a triumphant expression. Defeating a warrior in the way of a warrior, and leaving him completely helpless, filled Ferren with satisfaction—even a sense of clarity. His words now carried clear intent to humiliate and trample.
“Cough!” Neo, in a miserable state, spat out more blood. Sniffing, he said, “You know what? Your trampling has almost forced out my poop and urine!”
“Haha, is that so?” Thinking Neo had given up, Ferren crossed his arms, pleased. “Keep talking. Maybe I’ll consider sparing your life.”
Neo swallowed hard, gasping, “I want to poop, I want to pee. So I wondered, how would someone like you do these things? See, he can’t find anyone to help him take control of the body, so he has no choice but to turn himself into a monster. After holding back for over 2,000 years, even his desire to find a girl to relax with is gone…”
Neo didn’t need to say anything more. Ferren’s face twisted in rage as he charged forward and trampled him again. He didn’t remember how long he continued this time—only when his anger subsided did he stop. Neo now looked like a pile of trash, barely recognizable as a human. Anyone who saw him in this state would likely conclude he was dead or dying.
“Huh…” Neo moved weakly, spitting out two more mouthfuls of blood. Unfortunately, he didn’t even have the strength to spit; the blood just flowed out from the corners of his mouth.

“It must feel great to trample on people! Hehehe…” It was hard to imagine that even in such a state, Neo still hadn’t dropped the sword in his hand. Using the sword as a cane, Neo struggled to get up, blood dripping continuously from his body as if it might drain him of all blood at any moment. Hunched over, panting with bloody saliva, he slowly straightened his legs and back. Staring at Feren, Neo said slowly, “But this isn’t fighting—it’s a battle! In a battle, there’s no such thing as constant defense!” Ahowl… Neo let out a roar. A battle cry of faith! His body trembled with that roar, blood splashing in its wake. Neo’s blood-soaked, roaring figure seemed to transport one to a vast battlefield filled with clashing weapons, brave warriors who faced countless injuries yet fought on without retreating, with corpses lying everywhere and broken swords scattered about… “If I die in battle, I’ll return to your embrace early. If I survive, I’ll understand the path you follow, uphold the laws you uphold, with unwavering determination!” Neo recited the creed of faith, his eyes glowing with intense light. A faint earth element energy swirled around his body, gradually forming a flame-like blaze… Watching all this, Feren no longer felt like playing or bullying. Before his overwhelming power, Neo was undoubtedly weak, but Neo was also strong—his resilience and devotion to faith moved him, stirring memories of the past, though those memories didn’t end on a happy note. “Faith…” Feren’s expression changed once again, shifting from reminiscence to a grotesque twist. “What can stand against overwhelming power? Nothing! Everything is insignificant in its face, nothing but dust to be crushed.” Feren roared loudly, not so much speaking to Neo as convincing himself. “You might be right—power is supreme. Many people’s faith is the power to conquer everything. But you’re just a traitor who yields to external forces. You don’t deserve to speak of faith!” Feren’s gaze at Neo was cold yet fanatical. “So what? I’ll live, while you’ll die along with your faith!” As the last word echoed in the air, Feren vanished from Neo’s sight. It was at that moment that Neo made a stunning move. He dropped the swords he hadn’t let go of and turned to embrace something—only to find nothing behind him. The embrace was swift, arguably the fastest Neo had ever moved at, making it hard to believe he could still react so quickly given his severe injuries. It was a gamble—betting that Feren would strike from his unguarded back for the final blow. In pursuit of perfection, countless intelligent beings are unknowingly influenced by such scenarios. Neo won. The void he embraced revealed Feren’s figure, and then his limbs wrapped tightly around Feren’s body. Thud! Neo’s claws pierced into Feren’s body, unleashing wild bursts of life force.

The power of purification flowed through Ferren’s body and surged forth vigorously. In an instant, Ferren was enveloped in a new green light, within which spindle-shaped spiritual glows danced upward—signs of Neoh’s most powerful technique from the Life series: the Wave of Life. Within this light, Neoh received healing, his injuries greatly alleviated.

“Ah…” Ferren screamed frantically. The dark red color on the vines that made up his body rapidly faded, returning to the plant’s deep green. The souls that Ferren had imprisoned and controlled were also freed by the purifying power of the Wave of Life and soared away.

Yet Neoh’s healing power from the Life series was not divine or sacred, nor was his opponent Ferren purely evil or demonic. Ferren soon realized that although this power freed the souls it controlled, it also brought benefits to him. Overjoyed beyond measure, Ferren felt as if he might explode with happiness!

Living within this plant’s body had been a reluctant choice. As a result, he had lost the ability to seize another body for a long time and faced countless hidden dangers, including the inability to use his most skilled spells. Ferren had blamed Neoh for all these imperfections and hated him deeply. But now, everything suddenly became better! Neoh’s unique healing power not only removed the last constraints on his abilities but also made him stronger and more perfect. Ferren knew he had perfectly escaped the prison that had held him captive for so long. He couldn’t wait to seize Neoh’s body—he was now full of confidence and optimism about the future!

But the next moment, Neoh dragged Ferren into hell.

Life Absorption!

This extremely special technique, born out of a highly unusual situation, was always marked as “unknown.” It appeared to be a magnificent method of absorbing life force, but in reality, its nature was even more oppressive. To date, no force had ever escaped its grasp.

As for how to digest what was absorbed, it had once been a serious threat to life. But now, Neoh had passed that problem on to the perfect woman who represented the relics’ treasures! Yet this was still a gamble. Neoh guessed that Ferren’s power must be significant, and he didn’t know how much his own body could withstand or how capable the perfect woman was.

It had to be said that Neoh had underestimated the intensity of Ferren’s energy.

For the first time, one of the ways to resist Neoh’s “Life Absorption” technique emerged: energy protection strong enough to surpass the absorption force. Simply put, Neoh couldn’t absorb it! This was a sign of Ferren’s immense energy.

Neoh knew clearly that if he failed at this step, he would die—or suffer an even worse fate. So at that moment, all of Neoh’s thoughts ceased their usual functioning and focused on one question: What to do?

In that brief span of less than two seconds, there was no time to devise any complex or thorough plan. Neoh only thought of one concept: pierce through and then absorb!

As a result, Neo exerted all his strength to reverse the energy absorption process and created a variant of this skill—“Energy Sting.” Just like a mosquito sucking blood, it first deceives the energy defense layer by offering something in return (injecting venom), diluting the protective energy, before suddenly absorbing it (completing the preparation and starting to feed). All these actions take place under the effect of the Life Wave. Thus, “Energy Sting” is extremely stealthy, making it difficult to distinguish between this force and the true effects of the Life Wave.

Feren, too absorbed in the wonders brought by the power of life, missed the perfect opportunity. By the time it realized something was wrong, Neo had already begun absorbing the energy!

“No! My power, my power!” Feren tried to resist, but unfortunately, the souls of the villagers had already been freed by the purifying force, and even the roots had broken free from its curse, retracting like cut rubber bands, leaving only its light body—the true form of Feren, a spiritual entity specialized by the massive energy it had acquired.

Feren attempted to reclaim its body. However, the skill “Energy Absorption” wasn’t a straightforward, step-by-step process of absorbing energy area by area. From the start, it seized all key elements, including soul energy and core strength, like casting a net, before extracting them uniformly. In other words, whatever total energy was lost from the body was also lost from the soul energy and core strength. This characteristic terrified Feren; in terms of dealing with life-threatening crises, it was clearly no match for the experienced Neo, and it wasted as much as 4 seconds doing nothing!

As Feren lost the power it took pride in, Neo also faced difficulties. The energy was immense. Although the relics and treasures could indeed absorb it, his body acting as a conductor for that energy was undoubtedly harmful to him.

“If I die in battle, I will return to your embrace early. If I survive, I will understand your way and follow your laws unwaveringly!” At this point, Neo could do very little other than hold fast to his faith and persevere.

“Stop! Stop, you damned thing!” Feren grew aggressive. With no physical form, it finally thought of another less effective method of attack: energy release, energy blasts. It no longer cared about anything else; having any means of attack was already good enough.

These energy blasts weren’t like hammers but rather knives, swords, spears—anything that could kill its opponent in one strike.

Neo was a complete novice when it came to defending against energy attacks; otherwise, he wouldn’t have feared those wandering spirits back then. Fortunately, his role as a shaman and his days of mastering earth element powers for ritual techniques had given him some understanding of energy manipulation. At this moment, he could only barely use those skills to resist.

Of course, last-minute cramming is always a joke at critical moments. If random techniques could withstand the attacks of professional experts, then those masters could just use anything to kill themselves. In combat, Neo and Ferren are on par, but when it comes to energy control, Neo isn’t even worthy of polishing Ferren’s shoes. Ferren’s energy spear pierced through Neo’s arm, which was trying to block it, and then into Neo’s chest.

Non-physical injuries don’t involve splattered blood or broken bones like physical ones, but their severity is actually comparable, if not greater. Imagine those unlucky souls struck by lightning—burned on the outside yet raw on the inside—to get some idea of how Neo felt at that moment.

“You stole my energy, didn’t you? Well, I’ll give you enough—everything, all over your body! I’ll stab! I’ll stab again…” That was roughly Ferren’s unspoken message. Who can’t fight desperately? What’s the big deal!?

“Warning! Host’s vital functions are declining rapidly—critical condition…”

“Emergency response system: First standard plan—insufficient energy. Second standard plan—insufficient energy… Sixth standard plan—life preservation mode, activated!”

Just as this mechanism took effect, Ferren’s most powerful strike arrived, aimed at Neo’s heart. Neo’s left arm, which he had been using to block, no longer had the strength to lift even slightly. Despite trying his best to dodge, the strike still struck true.

At that moment, Neo thought he was going to die—his heart was being roasted; no one could survive that!

But instead, Neo felt as though he had just taken a brutal punch. The strike caused extreme pain, but it was still far from fatal.

Time was wasting too much for Ferren. Life absorption could turn a strong man into a skeleton in mere moments. The fact that Ferren had held on this long already broke all records—past, present, and future.

This failed attempt to strike the heart directly shattered Ferren’s fighting will. It sensed death approaching—a feeling it thought it had experienced before, perhaps due to forgetfulness, or maybe that time couldn’t compare to this one. In any case, Ferren felt an unprecedented fear. It even wished it could go back to the beginning of everything. Even if it had to be imprisoned for another 10,000 years, it could at least think, complain, or simply exist. But now, it was about to lose everything.

2000 years ago, Ferren failed because of its weak will. Now, it had fallen into the same trap again!

“Pity me! Let me live!”

Neo said nothing. He had no strength to speak. His condition wasn’t much better than Ferren’s. He was holding on, doing everything he could to solve the problem. While using life absorption, he gathered life waves and applied them to himself. His werewolf transformation was also activating—all these actions were just to survive!

“Please spare my life! I beg you!”

For a moment, Neo felt compassion, but he immediately rejected it. “There is no mercy where swords are drawn.” This was not only a maxim known to many warriors as a warning but also the ultimate truth on the battlefield. No matter how splendid or beautified, nothing could conceal the cruel reality—this was the essence of battle. Forgiveness in such a situation was not kindness; it was foolishness, duplicity, betrayal—betrayal of oneself!

“What have I done wrong? I merely seek freedom. Do I deserve to be trapped in that dark place forever?” Ferren cried out, dissolving into a final burst of light brighter than a diamond under the sun, vanishing from Neo’s right hand.

Everything fell silent, with only the wind singing across the battlefield.

It was over. Once again, Neo had achieved a stunning comeback, defeating an enemy far stronger than himself.

There were no waves of cheers, no streamers or flowers flying in the air, no audience—but no audience was needed!

Victory! It was its own supreme glory, requiring no one’s admiration, praise, or congratulations. All he needed was to know in his heart just how far he had gone and what price he had paid to earn this honor. He knew it!

“Ferren, there’s nothing wrong with seeking freedom! It’s just…” Neo didn’t bring up the harm to innocents. Justice was not his belief. He killed Ferren not to avenge the villagers or save their souls, but because it was the only practical way he could quickly disarm him. If so, why pretend to be noble? The blood on one’s hands couldn’t be washed away, but at least one could try to be honest, especially in front of the dead.

“We are all carnivores. Survival of the fittest. This time, I was lucky to win…” Now transformed into a wolf, Neo looked around the battlefield, closing his eyes slightly as he felt the wind and snow brushing against his fur, filled with deep thoughts…