NOVPUB
Chapter 147: Comprehending Death Laws
The laws that govern death and all that relates to it. The laws that transcend time and space because every living soul and every being with consciousness holds the potential for death in their life. They will ultimately face death if that is their end. Even the strongest cultivators cannot outrun death, it is always near. The question remains: when or how will one meet death?
Will it be death from old age? Death in battle? Or perhaps through entering the cycle of reincarnation by their own decision? There are myriad ways to experience death.
When Aldrian comprehended a small part of death energy, he felt a profound darkness. This darkness was different from that within his being’s essence. The darkness in his essence resembled a vacuum, devoid of substance, while the darkness from the death energy was a chilling abyss. If one gazes too long into it, they risk being consumed by its depths.
Aldrian pondered that if a cultivator were to grasp even a fraction of this energy, they might spiral into madness if they don’t have a solid mentality. This energy and its laws haunt those who comprehend them, their minds forever altered after brushing against this abyss.
Indeed, Aldrian felt the impact on his own mind as he delved into this energy. The death energy sought to consume him for daring to touch an area that mortals should not approach, for the laws of death belong to the divine. However, Aldrian remained undeterred. When the darkness attempted to envelop him, he released his golden energy to shield himself from the corrosive power that consumed his life.
He could feel the energy attempting to siphon his life essence, shortening his lifespan and drawing him closer to death. His mind was also affected by being pulled into the darkness, this was the first time Aldrian felt a formidable force trying to devour his entire being as he comprehended the laws. He remained steadfast, smiling with excitement at the prospect of understanding laws he had never touched before.
"Interesting. This death energy is really ferocious. Everything that touches this realm of death laws will be consumed by it, yet my golden energy still tames it. When this energy seeks to corrode my life essence and mind, it halts before my golden energy. Amazing." He was truly grateful for his golden energy, which had helped him in countless situations.
Though he could still hold his ground while comprehending the death laws without the protection of his golden energy, his golden energy made the effort much easier. As he delved deeper into the death laws, his body exuded a thick aura of death, and the black energy surrounding him reacted to his death aura, creating a swirling vortex of death energy so powerful that its oppressive darkness could be felt from afar.
The energy that should have been intangible became visible, manifesting as dark energy that spread outward, enveloping Aldrian.
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Inside the cave, Xin Haotian, Duke Valiard, and Mardred were each engaged in their own activities. Xin Haotian was inspecting the hall, studying the walls and the unfamiliar symbols. Duke Valiard and Mardred were deep in conversation when suddenly, a chill ran down their spines.
They felt their souls tremble as this unsettling sensation crept into their beings. Xin Haotian glanced toward the path leading outside and dashed toward it. Throughout his adventurous life, filled with various experiences, he had never encountered such an ominous feeling, it made his soul tremble.
A sense of foreboding filled his heart, but he bore it and pushed himself to see what was happening outside. When he reached the barrier that separated the chaotic environment outside from the quiet interior, he was baffled by what he saw. Even amidst the chaotic winds that could kill him in an instant, he observed a vortex of black substance reaching toward the sky.
Though separated by the barrier, he could feel the dread of death itself looming before him—something he had never experienced before.
"What is that?!"
His soul had been trembling since earlier, but after he looked at the vortex of mass of black energy, he felt as though his soul was being drawn in by the vortex. Before long, Duke Valiard and Mardred arrived at his side, and their reactions were more or less the same.
"What the fuck is that?" Mardred swore unconsciously as he stared at the swirling mass of death energy and aura.
"I’ve never felt anything like it. That amalgamation of energy is truly ominous and chilling. What kind of energy is that?" Duke Valiard said, his voice trembling as cold sweat dripped from their faces.
From their position, they could see the vortex of energy reaching the sky, affecting the clouds above.
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All the living beings in the vicinity of Dragonback Mountain also looked in one direction as the giant swirl of black energy rose into the sky. Even from a distance, they could feel the dread emanating from that energy.
"What is that?" From Duke Badin’s base camp, duke Badin asked, frowning as his heart tightened. He tried to calm himself down. He glanced at the two cloaked men and was stunned to see their expressions beneath the hoods. He had never seen such a look on their faces before, he had always thought they were in control and indifferent to everything.
The two men’s eyes trembled as they exchanged voice transmissions, both clearly affected by the vortex of the black energy.
"What the fuck is that?! It’s like the energy a necromancer uses, but even more terrifying! I feel like my soul would be sucked into it if I got any closer!" The raspy-voiced man that spoke to Duke Badin asked while glancing at the cloaked figure beside him. However, he received only silence as the other man gazed at the swirling energy with a solemn expression. After a few moments, he finally replied.
"I don’t know. Necromancers are masters of soul, they take advantage of dead bodies and trap the souls of their victims to obey their commands. They use binding techniques to anchor the soul to the corpse. While their technique does exude a similar feeling to this black energy, this one is on another level. Even my soul trembles just from looking at it," he explained.
The raspy-voiced man was stunned by the answer before he looked at the figure beside him. He was surprised, as he thought nothing on this continent could make this ’man’ tremble. Yet here they were, both feeling their souls tremble just from witnessing the swirling energy.
"I have a bad feeling about this," the raspy voiced man thought to himself. "Is it those people? What the hell are they doing there?" He then looked at Duke Badin.
"We have to investigate this ourselves. Prepare your underlings, we’re going in."
Duke Badin was taken aback but quickly responded, "We’re going to enter the mountain with that kind of thing appearing? The usual phenomena are already impossible to cross without sacrifice, but you want us to enter with that ominous force?" He pointed at the swirling black energy.
"Do you want to solve your problem or not? We don’t know what Duke Valiard’s group is doing or if they’ve discovered something we’re unaware of, but if they find Mardred and the blueprint, you’re dead," the man said through voice transmission to Duke Badin. Duke Badin responded only with silence, gritting his teeth to hold back his urge to attack the man. He knew he needed him, but he also recognized that he couldn’t defeat him—especially not with the two of them together.
"Let’s go before—" Suddenly, the man halted his transmission and looked up at the sky, where the vortex of the black energy reached the clouds. The clouds darkened, and the black energy began to descend back to the ground. However, from their position, they felt a pressure they were all too familiar with—a pressure that signified the might of heavens.
"Heavenly Tribulation!" the man mumbled.
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Back in Aldrian’s position, he sat cross-legged, comprehending the laws of death. Inside his mind, he could imagine death, feel its essence, and understand what it truly was. All of this knowledge would allow him to create his own techniques using the death laws. The black energy that once tried to consume him was now under his control, and he could sense that with his golden energy, his death energy became purer and stronger.
When he opened his eyes, he felt a pressure that he had sensed not long ago, but now it was directed toward him. The sky had darkened, and strands of lightning appeared within the clouds.
Yet, as Aldrian looked at this ominous sight, a smile spread across his face. He felt no anxiety, not even a hint of it.
"It’s good to see you again."
