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Chapter 104: Return to Reality
It’s Dark.
Only darkness.
Aldrian saw nothing but darkness—darker than a night sky. The last thing he remembered was the Heavenly Demon waving his hand, and then the scene around him shattered. After that, there was nothing. He felt like he was floating in the void, directionless. Yet, the rage inside him lingered, like a volcano on the verge of eruption, because he hadn’t had the chance to release it.
He needed to know what that "thing" was, but the Heavenly Demon had sent him back before he could do anything.
"Hold on, Aldrian. Don’t let anger control you," he told himself, trying to calm down with those self-reflective words. But the rage still simmered within. He couldn’t believe how petty he felt—angry just because he had experienced fear. He knew he was prideful, but feeling this much rage over mere fear was something new for him.
Aldrian closed his eyes, attempting to calm his mind once more. He tried to set aside the events he had just witnessed. Slowly, he adjusted his breathing and energy circulation.
Inhale.
Exhale.
He kept the negative thoughts in check, working to suppress them.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Gradually, Aldrian began regaining his composure. He controlled the raging energy within, and eventually, it returned to normal. When he finally felt like himself again, he opened his eyes. But the darkness remained, making him feel as though his eyes were still shut.
"Where is this place?"
Now that he had time to inspect his surroundings, Aldrian felt confused by the overwhelming darkness and emptiness around him. He couldn’t sense anything—it was as though he were trapped in an endless void. He didn’t know what kind of place this was, but at least he could control his floating body. Adjusting himself, he decided to fly in a random direction, relying purely on intuition to guide him.
He flew aimlessly, unconcerned about where he might end up. He couldn’t tell if he was moving straight, up, or down, but he kept going. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed until, finally, he saw something far in the distance: a faint glow hovering high above on the horizon, like a lone star in the night sky.
Without hesitation, he flew in that direction. He kept flying and flying, and with each moment he got closer to the ’star,’ he felt as though something inside him was unlocking. At times, memories of lives he didn’t recognize appeared and embedded themselves in his mind.
These weren’t like the visions he’d experienced since childhood. This time, it felt as though these were his true own memories—he knew what he had done, what he had lived through, and what he had truly felt.
In one of the memories, he lived like a mortal, full of struggle and humiliation. In another, he lived like a wealthy young master, indifferent to the world. Aldrian could feel that these memories were real, not fabricated—because he was the one who had lived them. He couldn’t quite explain it, but he was certain these visions were his own memories. It was a strange sensation, especially since he was only 13 years old, yet in those memories, he was already an adult.
As he became absorbed in these visions, the lone star suddenly shone brightly. Before Aldrian knew what was happening, he found himself back in the temple of the Heavenly Demon in the Piercing Heaven Sect. He stood there, stunned, still trying to process what had just occurred, but the stone tablet of the Heavenly Demon’s scripture made him realize that he had finally returned. 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝘣.𝘤𝘰𝑚
"I’m finally back, huh."
He wanted to take in his surroundings, but he was stunned to find the temple in disarray. The walls were cracked, and a large hole in the ceiling made him wonder what had happened while he had been immersed in his comprehension.
As he turned, he noticed many people staring at him as if he were a terrifying, high-order monster. Confused, Aldrian saw Sylphia, Eleine, and Xin Haotian approaching him.
"What’s going on here? Did something happen while I was cultivating?" Aldrian asked.
"You didn’t feel anything? I mean, were you not aware of what happened?" Sylphia’s voice was filled with worry.
"I wasn’t. So can you tell me what’s going on? Why is everyone looking at me like I’m some kind of freak?"
"You did all this," she answered.
Aldrian was stunned. Instinctively, he spread his senses, intending to scan the domain he had created inside the Piercing Heaven Sect. But to his shock, his awareness extended far beyond the sect—even beyond Vermilion City.
"This... my domain already covers the entire Demon territory! How—?" His thoughts halted as his gaze fell on the Heavenly Demon’s scripture and the temple around him. The answer was clear.
"This place is the center of faith gathering. The karmic connections here are the strongest throughout the entire territory."
He exhaled, a deep breath of realization. As his senses continued to stretch beyond the Demon territory, reaching as far as the Ivory Empire, he knew his domain had expanded. It had merged, and now encompassed both major territories. He had claimed the entire southeastern side of the continent as his domain, along with half of the eastern side and most of the southern region.
He was satisfied with the unexpected gains from comprehending the Heavenly Demon’s scripture, but he would check the details later. Right now, he needed to understand what had happened.
"So, care to tell me what I missed?" he asked Sylphia.
Sylphia began recounting the events after he entered his state of comprehension. She explained how he hadn’t moved for an entire year, and then the phenomenon that had just terrified them all. The dark clouds that had formed, and their sudden disappearance, all happened in the span of ten minutes—but that brief moment was enough to make them feel like the end of the continent was near.
Aldrian was shocked by what had occurred. Did he unknowingly affect his domain with his emotions? Could his rage have caused such changes across his entire domain? If that was the case, he needed to control his feelings better in the future!
"Aish, this is really troublesome! Can I just separate my emotions from my domain?" he thought to himself, though he knew he would have to think about that later.
He then noticed a few people approaching—some were unfamiliar, but among them were faces he recognized, including Baek Ji-Min.
"Aldrian—no, young master Aldrian, how do you feel?" Sect Master Ryu Hyuk-Jae suddenly asked, smiling, though his smile seemed rigid. His mouth even twitched slightly as he spoke. As for Aldrian he felt goosebumps at the way this man suddenly addressed him with such respectful intonation, but he still responded.
"I’m good, Sect Master. I have to thank you for the opportunity you gave me. I must say, I’ve gained a lot from this experience. The Heavenly Demon’s scripture is truly marvelous and mysterious. It’s the first time I’ve encountered something like this," he replied, cupping his hands in respect.
Sect Master Ryu Hyuk-Jae glanced briefly at the other sect leaders before turning his gaze back to Aldrian.
"Then, young master, could you tell us what happened to you? What did you experience during your comprehension? Did you really succeed in comprehending it?" Sect Master Ryu Hyuk-Jae asked, his eyes filled with hope.
Aldrian paused to think for a moment. Strangely, new techniques had already embedded themselves in his mind, each one tailored for demonic cultivators. Even the Heavenly Demon’s method of cultivation was there, though it was unfortunately useless to him. However, the techniques he had obtained from the scripture intrigued him the most.
"Did i succeed?"
Aldrian stretched his hand forward and opened his palm. Without any difficulty, he summoned his energy. As it emerged, everyone recognized it as the same energy he had released during his comprehension state. Yet, they were still amazed by how effortlessly he now seemed to control it. Even Xin Haotian, Eleine, and Sylphia felt their hearts tremble in response.
The energy swirling in his hand wasn’t his usual golden energy—it was a black-crimson energy, radiating an ominous aura. The demonic cultivators present felt their own energies resonate with it.
Sect Master Ryu Hyuk-Jae knew that Aldrian possessed golden energy with the absurd property to suppress others’ energy, but it was this black crimson energy that truly resonated with him, making him feel a deep connection to it, as though his entire being was compelled to submit.
"The Demonic energy of the Heavenly Demon." He whispered softly.
They finally saw it with their own eyes—the Heavenly Demon’s energy, the purest form of demonic energy. This purity referred to the level of refinement, where negative energy was seamlessly merged with their own energy. The more a cultivator could refine the negative energy of the world and harmonize it with their own, the purer it became.
It was said that the Heavenly Demon had reached a level where he could refine negative energy to such an extent that he controlled it effortlessly, balancing it with the natural energy of the world like yin and yang—without the slightest imbalance.
To witness this energy manifest in front of them now left everyone in awe. If not for the presence of others, some of the demonic cultivators would have instantly knelt before Aldrian.
"So, are you a demonic cultivator now? Did you abandon your original cultivation technique and that strange golden energy?" Xin Haotian suddenly asked, voicing the question that lingered in his mind.
Aldrian merely smiled, his gaze fixed on the new energy he had comprehended. After a few moments, he extended his other hand in the same motion. The others watched, curious about what he was going to do—until their eyes widened in shock.
"No way!"
