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Chapter 114: Six Months
Aldrian slowly opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the stone tablet of the Heavenly Demon’s Flower Scripture. He felt new knowledge settle into his mind, and he finally understood the Being’s essence more deeply. The concepts that had previously eluded him vanished as if they had never existed, thanks to his comprehension of the Heavenly Demon’s Flower Scripture.
He had received the crucial information he needed, all thanks to the woman—the wife of the Heavenly Demon. He bowed to the stone tablet before turning around to look for the sect master and Baek Ji-Min, but neither of them was there.
"Don’t tell me I’ve been here for a year?" he thought, hoping that nothing had gone wrong while he was in that space.
He then approached the large double doors, now closed. Just as he was about to touch them, the giant doors slowly open, revealing the sect master, who looked at him with a mixture of amazement and shock. Aldrian smiled before approaching her and cupped his hands toward Sect Master Baek Ha-Yoon.
"I’m sorry if I took too much time. I hope nothing went wrong while I was in my comprehension session."
"You need not worry," Baek Ha-Yoon replied. "Although six months have passed, everything has remained in order."
Aldrian was stunned by her words. Fortunately, it had only been six months, though it was still longer than he had anticipated. Now he understood why cultivators could remain in seclusion for years—the flow of time felt different while cultivating, passing much faster than expected.
He then looked to the sect master’s side, where Baek Ji-Min gazed at him as if he were her ancestor. In fact, not only her—several grand elders nearby regarded him as though he were an anomaly. When they first heard that the sect master had granted permission for the successor of the Heavenly Demon’s Scripture to view their secret scripture, they were filled with doubt and even displeasure.
The thought of an outsider studying their sacred scripture was seen as disgraceful, regardless of the fact that this outsider was the chosen successor of the Heavenly Demon’s Scripture. The grand elders had urged the sect master to provide an explanation. They even warned her, she could face backlash in the form of the elders’ judgment. Her position as sect master would be at risk, and she might even be replaced.
But who was Baek Ha-Yoon? She simply let their protests go in one ear and out the other. She essentially ignored them, indirectly telling them, "Go fuck with your opinions." As the leader of one of the three great sects of the Demon territory, she had the power and authority to back her decisions.
She knew that not all of the elders liked her, but she didn’t care. In demon territory and among demonic cultivators, strength was everything. There were no "ancestors" or other figures of authority to keep her in check within this sect—she was the strongest here!
After Sect Master Baek Ha-Yoon had put the elders in their place, there was little they could do. They couldn’t push her too far, as they still relied on her strength. Though some had the same level of cultivation as her, her power was widely recognized throughout the demon territory and beyond.
Now, as Aldrian emerged from the Heavenly Demon’s temple, the grand elders, who had once doubted him, were shocked. They realized he had comprehended the Heavenly Demon’s Flower Scripture. How did they know? Because Aldrian’s eyes had turned a bright, fiery red.
After opening his eyes earlier, Aldrian had activated the Heavenly Demon’s Eyes of Truth. Although he could use this technique after first comprehending the Heavenly Demon’s scripture, he had chosen not to, feeling it wasn’t necessary. However, now that he had also comprehended the Heavenly Demon’s Flower Scripture, he felt compelled to test the technique with his newly gained knowledge.
The knowledge of this technique and the Being’s essence in the Heavenly Demon’s Scripture wasn’t as complete as in the Heavenly Demon’s Flower Scripture. This made him wonder if the Heavenly Demon’s wife was the creator of the technique and an expert in the spiritual elements of the Being.
As Aldrian looked around, he could now see things that had been hidden from him earlier. Some of the elders had smiling faces but rotten hearts, while others wore serene expressions, yet their inner selves were twisted. Each one of them concealed something beneath their outward appearance, and it became clear to him that they all had their own secrets.
When he turned his gaze to Baek Ji-Min, he saw a different image—a flower, a beautiful flower standing tall in the middle of a thunderstorm.
"That must be her representation, a lone flower, fighting against the storm that rages around her. It also symbolizes the Heavenly Demon’s Flower." he thought.
What puzzled him most, however, was the image he saw surrounding Sect Master Baek Ha-Yoon. Behind her calm and detached demeanor, he saw a thorny rose. This rose was surrounded by rotten corpses, making it appear as though she was the last thing standing amidst a slaughter. The thorny rose hidden behind her eyes revealed a darker, more dangerous side to her that she concealed from the world.
Aldrian suddenly understood what Baek Ji-Min must have experienced. She had gained this ability in her teens. If she had been seeing the world like this for most of her life, she could easily have gotten lost in her own thoughts, potentially developing an inner demon from the overwhelming sight of others’ hidden natures.
"She’s truly a tough woman, with an incredible strength of will," Aldrian thought to himself.
He then deactivated the technique, causing his eyes to return to their original blue, a sight that left Baek Ji-Min visibly shocked.
"How did you do that?" she asked through voice transmission.
"It’s a secret," Aldrian replied, his tone playful.
"Sect Master, I would like to stay here for today. Is that okay? If not, then I’ll be on my way," Aldrian said.
"Of course you can stay. Your companions are already in their accommodations, waiting for you. You’re welcome to stay as long as you wish," Sect Master Baek Ha-Yoon replied.
"Thank you for your generosity, sect master. I’ll excuse myself to my room, then. I need to consolidate the gains I’ve made from the scripture, if I may."
Baek Ha-Yoon gave a nod to one of the elders, who motioned to lead Aldrian to his room. Baek Ji-Min watched him go, then quickly followed, but not before bowing to her mother. Sect Master Baek Ha-Yoon watched them walk away, a small smile forming on her lips—a smile unseen by anyone else.
As they made their way to his room, Baek Ji-Min bombarded Aldrian with questions.
"How did you change your eye color back to normal?"
"How did you manage to comprehend the scripture?"
"Why wasn’t there a phenomenon like when you comprehended the Heavenly Demon’s Scripture?"
Aldrian waited until they were seated in his room before answering.
"How did I change my eye color? Hmm, let’s just say it returned to normal without me doing anything."
"As for how I comprehended the scripture, I just... did. There wasn’t anything stopping me."
"And why wasn’t there a phenomenon? I’m not sure."
Of course, he couldn’t reveal the deeper truth—that it had to do with his own rage when he looked at the ’thing’ and his connection to his domain, something he kept carefully guarded as one of his secrets.
Hearing his answer, Baek Ji-Min felt like pulling her hair in frustration. It seemed like Aldrian was teasing her, not giving proper answers. Yet, the way he spoke—so calm and without a hint of a joke—made her doubt her initial reaction. Maybe he was being serious, but his vagueness left her feeling unsatisfied. Aldrian didn’t offer any further explanation, simply telling her what he felt she needed to know.
"By the way, when you comprehended the Heavenly Demon’s Flower Scripture, did you meet a woman?" Aldrian suddenly asked.
"A woman? If you mean the silhouette of a woman, then yes, I saw her," Baek Ji-Min replied.
"You didn’t talk to her?"
"Of course not. I felt like I couldn’t speak. It was only for a moment that I saw her, and I have no idea why her silhouette appeared when I comprehended the scripture."
Aldrian pondered her response.
"So, the experience of meeting the Heavenly Demon and his wife... that was just me?" he wondered silently, setting the thought aside for now.
The conversation shifted, and they discussed various aspects of the scriptures. Naturally, Aldrian didn’t reveal everything, keeping some knowledge to himself.
Soon, Sylphia, Eleine, and Xin Haotian joined them, and the room filled with chatter. Over the past six months, Xin Haotian and the others had grown closer to Baek Ji-Min, forming a strong bond.
As day turned to night, Aldrian was finally left alone in his room. He sat cross-legged on his bed, reflecting deeply on the insights he had gained from the Heavenly Demon’s Flower Scripture.
