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Chapter 161: The Strongest Technique of the Greed Devil
Creating a middle divine-grade artifact can immortalize a blacksmith’s name in the continent’s history, allowing their work to be cherished by generations to come. But what about those capable of forging something even higher? The only fitting title for them is ’Legend.’ Such blacksmiths are never forgotten by all people even the mortals without cultivation across the continent, their achievements marked by the creation of high divine-grade artifacts.
Throughout the history of Barisan, only a few individuals have managed to create high divine-grade artifacts, and their names are immortalized as the names of major cities, honoring their extraordinary legacy. When Aldrian saw the sword that the Greed Devil wielded, he instantly recognized its history.
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Heavenly Blaze Sword
Description: A sword forged by Dalahan, the first king of the Forgeheart Kingdom himself. One of his masterpieces, it was crafted from the tooth of the Fire Dragon to form the blade. This sword amplifies the power of fire-element swordsmen by 5%. When wielded by a non-fire element swordsman, it grants their strikes a flame property.
Level: High Divine Grade.
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A sword forged by King Dalahan, the first ruler of the Forgeheart Kingdom. Aldrian couldn’t hide his shock upon realizing this, as a sword of this caliber should reside securely in the royal palace’s treasure vault.
"Why is this sword here?" Aldrian wondered, his thoughts drifting to Duke Badin.
"It looks like he is a key I need to secure if I can’t get information from the Greed Devil." Aldrian needed to find out if the devils’ plans across the continent were connected to Duke Badin and his colleagues. After confirming that Mardred had no ties to the devils, the only one left to investigate was Duke Badin. But first, he had to confront this crazed individual wielding a high divine-grade sword.
He couldn’t underestimate the power of this high divine-grade weapon, a level above even Xin Haotian’s Illumination Sword. As for his own Eternal Spirit, Aldrian knew it couldn’t be measured by the continent’s standards, given the material used to create it. Divine Iron wasn’t native to this world, and its properties and enhancements were extraordinary—fitting for something used to craft weapons for gods.
With the Greed Devil wielding a high divine-grade sword in his devil form, his strength had surpassed the peak emperor stage, though he hadn’t fully entered the next realm. Yet Aldrian smiled boldly at the situation. Compared to the final strike of his Heavenly Tribulation, the Greed Devil’s current power was still no match. Though unexpected, he wasn’t desperate. In fact, he felt grateful to the Greed Devil for revealing such an artifact and power. It reminded him to stay grounded, even after acquiring his middle-grade divine sword, Eternal Spirit. This was a reminder not to grow arrogant, despite his strength being beyond comprehension for al people.
"I take back what I said about there is no being on this continent worthy of my full strength. There are still countless possibilities and situations I haven’t considered, and this is one of them," Aldrian thought.
"I have to say, you’ve opened my eyes and made me realize just how ignorant I still am in many things. For that, you have my thanks," he said.
The Greed Devil grinned. "Are those your last words?"
"No, I only said that you’re one of the few worthy to receive my full strike."
"What are you—?" The Greed Devil’s heart suddenly tightened. He sensed a change in Aldrian, though he couldn’t pinpoint it. Something in Aldrian’s bearing had shifted, an unsettling presence radiating from him. Aldrian was already channeling all his domain power and stood at his most powerful state, but now he was about to unleash his full strength, combined with the Eternal Spirit. He, too, was curious to see its full potential.
The Greed Devil wasted no time. In an instant, he dashed toward Aldrian with such speed that he seemed to teleport, striking with a chopping motion. The air cracked with ferocious devil energy, making the entire area feel ominous. Aldrian, prepared for this final showdown, paired his strike with Eternal Spirit, and as their divine-grade swords collided, spatial rifts opened around them, nearly shattering the trap barrier Aldrian had created.
Sword Devil’s Splitting Strike
The Greed Devil took a stance distinct from the 12 movements of the Void Sword. His aura sharpened, intensifying as he unleashed a sword energy so powerful that it surpassed the peak emperor stage. Seeing the strike, Aldrian quickly summoned an energy shield. Although it wasn’t as strong as the one he used against the Heavenly Tribulation, it was still reinforced with space laws.
When the strike hit the shield, the ground trembled, and a spatial storm erupted. Yet, the shield only cracked slightly as the space laws, bolstered by Aldrian’s domain power, absorbed much of the impact. The Greed Devil marveled at Aldrian’s resilience, astonished that he could survive such an onslaught, especially against a high divine-grade weapon.
Aldrian decided it was time to strike first and create an opening for his ultimate move. With swift precision, he unleashed the Slash of the Vanguard, catching the Greed Devil off guard. Stunned by the sudden attack, the Greed Devil was forced to block, but this time, Aldrian’s strength was on a whole different level than when he fought Erik earlier. The impact of the slash sent him reeling, his hand trembling as he blocked with the Heavenly Blaze sword.
The Greed Devil was driven backward, crashing into several boulders before finally stopping as he collided with a cliff, causing it to collapse over a distance of 1.5 kilometers from Aldrian. Emerging from the rubble, he looked down at his bleeding hands and then across the battlefield at Aldrian. A sense of shock ran through him; had Aldrian unleashed this power earlier, he might have died regretting his own arrogance.
But now, he felt an ominous sensation as the vast energy of the area surged toward Aldrian. He could feel the strongest sword will he had ever encountered. From Aldrian’s form radiated a sword will so intense it gave him the illusion of being sliced to death. The Greed Devil’s entire sword collection rattled, attempting to break free of his storage ring as if compelled to greet the arrival of the Sword God. In fact, at this moment, every sword across the continent was floating, each one pointing its tip toward Dragon Back Mountain.
This scene was even more spectacular than when Aldrian had unleashed the Slash of the End in the Ivory Empire. It made sense, as he was now far stronger, wielding his own divine-grade sword. Across the continent, people turned their gaze toward Dragon Back Mountain, where every sword pointed its tip in reverence.
Without hesitation, the Greed Devil steadied himself, preparing to unleash his strongest sword technique. Devil energy surged violently from his body, casting a reddish-black aura over his surroundings. The space around them trembled heavily, and even the barrier Aldrian had created began to shatter under the weight of their combined powers. Lifting his sword high above his head, the Greed Devil entered the final phase of his technique.
Aldrian noticed the Greed Devil preparing his own technique, but he remained unfazed, his mind calm and steady. As he unsheathed his sword in a slashing motion, each inch revealed seemed to distort time and space around it. Infusing the strike with the death laws, Aldrian added profound complexity to the simplicity of his slash.
"This is bad!" The Greed Devil’s eyes widened as he sensed the lethal strike approaching. Without delay, he unleashed his ultimate technique.
Sword Devil Annihilation Strike 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝔬𝖒
The Greed Devil’s attack tore through the air, space collapse around the blazing sword energy as it shot toward Aldrian at a speed faster than sound. Heaven and earth seemed fragile before the strike’s might, and even the surrounding heavenly energy and aura were pushed back by its force. Yet to Aldrian, the incoming attack appeared slower than it truly was. With Eternal Spirit in hand, he was about to unleash the strongest strike he’d ever mustered, eager to witness the collision of his own power against the Greed Devil’s strongest blow, each supported by a divine-grade sword.
Slash of the End
When the sword technique was unleashed from Eternal Spirit, the entire continent felt, for a split second, the sword intent and will capable of annihilating everything. But even that brief moment was enough to send a chill through everyone who sensed it—the razor-sharp edge of a strike that could annihilate anything in its path. This was a sword technique designed to bring the end to all that stood before it.
