NOVPUB
Chapter 146: The Ominous Energy
If the sole purpose of this place—the secret realm—was for him to come to it, then he would gladly do so, but only if it aligned with his will. After all, as those words said, There is nothing that can escape my will. He would walk this path on his own terms, not anyone else’s. And even if those words weren’t meant for him, he would claim them as his own.
He recalled the figure’s question before he arrived at the secret realm: What of about your future? Although it seemed trivial, the question held significant meaning for him. His future was his to shape. Even if a road had already been laid before him, he was the one who would decide whether to take it. The sword, too, had told him he was already shaping his own destiny.
Though his belief seemed paradoxical, it was the truth he had grasped through his introspection. He was certain of it.
Looking at the symbol again, he felt a surge of gratitude. Though he didn’t know its true meaning, it had greatly opened his mind and given him enlightenment. After ensuring there was nothing more to uncover in the cave, he spoke to his group.
"I’ll step outside for a moment; I want to check something," he said. The others nodded in understanding, and Aldrian left the hall. He was confident now that there were no traps or formations here—reaching this place with the strength of this continent was impossible.
This place could only be accessed by him—or by anything connected to him, like...
"The blueprint."
Though neither he nor Mardred fully understood how Mardred had managed to reach this place, Aldrian had pieced together a theory. When the blueprint transformed into light, it became that symbol in the box. It must have left a mark on Mardred’s body, allowing an entity to take control of him and enabling him to bypass the natural formations of the Dragon Back Mountain.
Mardred had heard a voice before losing consciousness, one that had said, "You will be one of the people to open the path for his return." That confirmed it—Mardred’s sole role had been to lure Aldrian here. The key to all of this had been Aldrian’s desire to uncover the mystery of the missing blacksmith and investigate whether the blacksmith had ties to the devils, or to the creation of the artifact that helped the devils, allowing them to infiltrate nations across the continent.
Now that the blueprint had served its purpose, and Mardred’s role had come to an end, everything that followed would depend on Aldrian. Yet, he couldn’t help but be amazed by the intricate chain of events that had led him here after Mardred’s disappearance. His initial suspicion toward Mardred, due to the devil connection, had brought him to this point. Ironically, Mardred’s vanishing had also thrown Duke Badin’s and the devils’ plans into disarray.
All of this has the same trigger: the phenomenon of the Dragon and Phoenix in the sky. He had no doubt to the fact that this phenomenon is connected to him, he is aware that it occurred on the same day he was born, and that it is intertwined with his existence. Although his parents only told him that he was different from others without explaining the details of his birth, all these signs are enough for him to connect the dots.
Aldrian was certain that whoever had built this place had meticulously calculated every condition, setting up Dragon Back Mountain as a forbidden zone that even Peak Emperor stage cultivators dared not approach.
"How powerful must someone be to plan all of this, ensuring I would walk this path?" he wondered. This person seemed capable of seeing the future and shaping it accordingly.
As these thoughts raced through his mind, Aldrian glanced toward the entrance and stepped outside. Immediately, he activated his golden energy to shield himself from the fierce wind. The sheer strength of the wind was beyond anything he had ever encountered, far surpassing what even a Peak Emperor stage cultivator might endure. The wind had become so thick that it was visible, with streaks of white slashing through the air and cutting across the terrain with terrifying force.
Aldrian ignored all of it and looked upward toward the mountaintop; he still needed to climb to reach it. The sun was just appearing on the eastern horizon, making the path quite visible, even though the wind hindered his vision. Still, it was better than navigating in the dark of night.
He had thought that with the golden energy protecting him, he could fly now, and that was what he would try to do. He hadn’t done it earlier with Xin Haotian and Duke Valiard because he didn’t know what kind of obstacles they might face, so it was better to save his energy.
He first tried to float, and to his relief, it actually worked. Despite the chaotic flow of energy in the area, Aldrian managed to maintain control. Encouraged by this, he tested flying upwards. When he felt confident, he accelerated, swiftly ascending, following the contours of the high cliff toward the mountain’s peak.
As he soared past the summit, a vast flat land spread out before him. In the center of it was a platform, standing solitary and striking. Aldrian flew toward it, and as he neared, his eyes locked onto a familiar sight—the same symbol that had greeted him in the cave.
He landed on the platform, inspecting both the structure and the symbol engraved upon it. The platform’s design was identical to the one where the sword had been, and this place was also quite special because the flow of energy concentrated on this platform.
He knew exactly what that meant.
"This platform is the eye of the formation—the center of it all."
Each formation has an eye that serves as the central and most vital part, sustaining and connecting all points within the formation. Aldrian surmised that for a large-scale formation covering the entire mountain region, the eye must be positioned atop the land to connect all points more effectively.
With the formation’s eye now under his influence, he realized he could control the Dragon Back Mountain phenomenon. But first, he needed to establish his domain here. He wouldn’t let the opportunity slip by to claim this entire mountain as his domain.
As soon as his domain was established, his senses heightened, and the surroundings became crystal clear, free of any obstruction. The howling winds felt more docile, though they still carried strength. Aldrian could now sense the laws of nature here with greater accuracy, uncovering new facets of his environment. One particularly striking discovery was the ominous energy he had sensed before climbing the mountain.
He teleported to the location where the aura of death was strongest, now manifesting as ominous black energy in his view. This energy was intangible to others, it could be sensed but not fully comprehended, seeming too abstract for most to grasp. The dread emanating from it felt as if he were staring into the essence of death itself.
"What kind of laws are contained in this energy? It feels so ominous and dreadful—is it something that can even be comprehended?" Aldrian mused. Yet, his curiosity compelled him to delve deeper. He settled cross-legged in the rocky field, the site of past carnage, determined to feel and understand the energy that seemed otherworldly.
Though he initially coated his body in golden energy for protection, he soon decided to conserve his strength and retracted his golden energy. He wanted to focus entirely on comprehending this new energy. The moment he ceased his protective energy, the wind surged, as if trying to slice through him. But suddenly, the wind changed direction, forming a protective dome around him.
Controlling the eye of the formation, coupled with his authority within his domain, Aldrian could manipulate the phenomena around him, including the wind. Rather than causing him harm, it now shielded him.
With renewed focus, he turned his attention back to the black energy. A minute passed, then two. He remained still, his senses attuned to the ominous force. After five minutes, a shiver coursed through him as he grasped something profound from this energy.
"It’s truly amazing, yet terrifying. It feels as if death itself stands before me—the energy capable of affecting living souls and all beings of nature."
Inside his mind, Aldrian recognized this energy as the very essence of pure death—an annihilation of life with no benefits for the living. This energy was chilling, capable of instilling a profound dread in anyone who beheld it. For the first time, he encountered a force so cold it felt as if it could extinguish the very spark of existence.
He then think of his past experiences, he had occasionally felt a glimpse of the black energy from the people he had killed within his domain, but that energy vanished instantly before he could comprehend it. He first sensed it during his first battle with the devils.
Here, he understood that this energy was so potent it had created an area filled with black energy, resulting from the amalgamation of countless deaths over a long period.
"The energy of death, which brings only death if it touches your soul— is this the death energy? Death laws?"
