NOVPUB
Chapter 142: The Origin
The moment Aldrian, Xin Haotian, and Duke Valiard entered the cave, it was as though a transparent shield blocked the wind. The strong gusts couldn’t penetrate inside, and the terrifying sound of slashing wind also stopped. The three of them glanced back at the entrance, noticing an invisible barrier that allowed them through while blocking the external disturbances. Aldrian was curious about how it worked, wondering what mechanism allowed them to enter while keeping other elements out.
He then walked deeper into the cave, and as they took a few steps, the crystals on both sides of the path began to emit light, illuminating the road ahead. The path was quite long, and they remained cautious, wary of potential traps or signs of living creatures. Despite the serene and silent atmosphere, they knew better than to let their guard down.
After about 30 minutes of walking, they came upon a set of double golden doors, each 10 meters wide and 4 meters tall, with a symbol engraved in the center.
"This is the same symbol as the one on the box," Duke Valiard remarked. They attempted to push the doors open, but they wouldn’t budge. They searched for clues to unlock the door, but their efforts were fruitless. They didn’t want to force the doors open with destructive techniques, fearing it could trigger something dangerous.
As they continued searching for a solution, Aldrian examined the symbol on the door again, connecting the dots in his mind.
"If Mardred managed to pass through these doors without forcing them open, there’s only one possible ’key’ he could have used—the blueprint," Aldrian deduced.
"Mardred Valiard was able to overcome many obstacles on Dragon Back Mountain alone, and the blueprint is the most suspicious item connected to his success. That the blueprint has a special feature that allows the one carrying it to bypass the formations here. No wonder the Badin family couldn’t figure out how Mardred managed to climb all the way up."
Aldrian released his golden energy and stepped closer to the door. "If the blueprint and my golden energy have the same effect, then what about this?" He placed his hand, now glowing with golden energy, on the symbol etched into the door. The symbol glowed for a moment, followed by the sound of cracking stone as the doors began to open slowly.
"It worked!" Aldrian smiled.
Xin Haotian and Duke Valiard, initially stunned, quickly moved closer to the now-opening door. To their surprise, beyond the door wasn’t a room but a vast hall. Both men were awestruck at the sight of such a grand structure hidden within the harsh mountain. It raised a question in their minds: who built this? And for what purpose? They glanced at Aldrian, only to see him deep in thought.
"What’s wrong, young master?" Duke Valiard asked.
Aldrian looked up. "The blueprint... I can feel it here, in this hall where we’re standing."
Duke Valiard and Xin Haotian scanned their surroundings and extended their senses, searching for anything unusual. Yet all they found was an empty hall. The only feature that stood out was the same giant symbol at the far end of the hall.
"We’re not finding anything," Xin Haotian said, perplexed.
"That’s why I’m thinking... is there a trick here?" Aldrian replied, but he also felt a sense of déjà vu creeping up on him.
"Why does this hall seem so familiar? Where have I seen this before?—oh?" Suddenly, it came back to him—his vision from before he left the secret realm. A vision he had nearly forgotten, where he saw a giant bone at the center of a massive hall, and he felt insignificant within it.
He had suppressed the calling from that place for a long time, and it had remained still. But now, remembering it again, that calling returned with full force, urging him to go there as soon as possible. Aldrian steadied himself, forcing the feeling back down and calming his mind.
"I remember now! This hall—it’s the same as the one from my vision, though this one is much smaller. To think I’d find a clue here." Aldrian scanned his surroundings, walking around to inspect the hall thoroughly.
He checked every corner, leaving no stone unturned, but still found nothing. Frustration crept in as he began to ponder.
"Why did the blueprint lead me here if there’s nothing to find? Was my assumption wrong? Could the symbol have guided me to this place for another reason, rather than to the blueprint? But from the memories of those people the blueprint is here."
As he wrestled with the thought, a new idea struck him.
"What if this symbol was never meant to reveal the blueprint’s location, but instead, to lead me here?"
Aldrian approached the giant symbol at the far end of the hall and gently traced its surface.
"The symbol that illuminates everything, even encompassing yin and yang. But what does it truly represent?" He closed his eyes, focusing on the symbol and channeled his golden energy into it.
Suddenly, the symbol blazed with a blinding golden light, forcing Xin Haotian and Duke Valiard to shield their eyes. Time seemed to freeze for all of them as the radiant light filled the entire hall.
In that instant, Aldrian’s mind was transported to a place of absolute darkness—different from his being’s essence. As he tried to make sense of it, a familiar voice echoed through the void, the same voice he had heard not long ago, a voice of that ’figure’.
"This was your past destiny... but what about your future?"
Unbeknownst to Aldrian, his physical body in the hall had shifted to another place. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a beautiful garden, with vast grasslands stretching toward the horizon. Looking around, Aldrian quickly realized that this was the same place he had seen when he first glimpsed the ’divine sword,’ except now there was someone else here.
"Is this... a secret realm?" Aldrian wondered.
He walked towards the figure sitting cross-legged, facing the sword platform. As he got closer, he froze, stunned by the resemblance the figure bore to Duke Valiard.
"Is he... Mardred Valiard?" he thought, and when he looked into the figure’s information, it confirmed his suspicion.
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Mardred Valiard
Age : 87,043 years
Race : Dwarf
Cultivation : Middle Emperor
Cultivation technique : The Energy of Creation’s Flow
Attack techniques : Battle Hammer Strike, Hammer of Destruction, The Dawn of Inferno, Hammer of Inferno.
Defense technique : Earth Wall
Movement technique : None
Supporting technique : None
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The features of the figure’s face were strikingly similar to Duke Valiard’s, with the only difference being that Mardred looked far more mature and older. At the moment, Mardred sat with his eyes closed, seemingly lost in his own world, unaware of Aldrian’s presence. Aldrian then shifted his gaze to a floating sword—the same sword from his vision.
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The Origin Sword
Description: The origin of all swords.
Level: --
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Reading the sword’s description sent a shiver down Aldrian’s spine.
"The origin of all swords? What the...?! Is this the first sword that ever existed?" he thought, stunned.
No wonder the process to create this sword was so grueling, taking the dwarves millions of years, and yet they still couldn’t complete it! And after he absorbed the knowledge from the symbol, he also knew that the dwarves were destined to fail because...
"The true knowledge required to create this sword lies within that symbol. The blueprint merely shows how to craft the sword’s outer appearance, not the true sword itself, the Origin Sword should be of higher grade than divine," he realized. "And that symbol... it could only be activated by me, which means..." Aldrian’s eyes narrowed with the realization. "I’m the only one who can create this sword."
He stepped closer to the sword and carefully examined it, noting the severe damage it had sustained. When his hand touched the hilt, the sword trembled, and a man’s voice echoed in his mind.
"You’ve finally arrived. I’m glad you’ve made it this far." Aldrian froze, stunned by the sudden voice. He wanted to ask something, but the sword continued speaking.
"This may be our last meeting, so please listen carefully to my final message. I am part of the past, and you hold the future. If you’ve reached this point, then you already have the answer or are at least close to it, even if you haven’t realized it yet. Tell me, young man, what is your name?"
"My name is Aldrian Aster," he responded, still in shock that this damaged sword still possessed consciousness.
"Aldrian Aster... just as it was foretold, even though you are separated by time, you are still you. But now, you’ve fully shaped your own destiny." The sword thought to itself.
Suddenly, the sword began to crack at the edges.
"It looks like my time has come. To be honest, I wanted to follow your journey and see how you return to your place when you finally find your answer, but natural fate has consumed me in the end. All beings will eventually meet their end, including me."
The cracks spread rapidly along the blade, reaching the hilt.
"May the glory of the ultimate ruler always follow you." With those parting words, the sword crumbled into pieces, disintegrating before Aldrian’s eyes.
Aldrian felt an unexpected pang of sadness in his heart as he looked down at the remnants of the so-called "Origin Sword." He sighed, his emotions stirred by the loss of something important. Suddenly, he sensed movement behind him. Turning around, he saw Mardred Valiard slowly opening his eyes.
