NOVPUB
Chapter 185: Testing in the Midst of Battle
In one part of the battlefield, the cultivators holding the defensive line prepared for the incoming devil attack. However, they were stunned when all the beasts, whether flying or charging toward the defenses, suddenly began trembling uncontrollably and stopped in their tracks. The wyverns in flight immediately plummeted to the ground, their devil riders struggling to control them. Even after falling, the wyverns refused to rise. Similarly, the silver-armored rhinos halted and sat down, trembling, showing no intention of getting back up.
The strangeness didn’t stop there. As the devils stepped into this area, they trembled for a moment before dropping dead, like puppets whose strings had been cut. Everyone could see it—the moment before their death, their crazed expressions shifted to ones of pure horror, as if they had seen something unimaginably terrifying. With the sheer number of devils falling, their bodies quickly formed small piles, which continued to grow into a small mountain.
When the giant snakes entered this area, they also stopped, their ferocious expressions turning to ones of sheer fear. Now, in the midst of the battle, everyone realized that something very strange was happening in this part of the battlefield—it had become too conspicuous to ignore. The soldiers were equally confused, unsure of what was happening; it felt as though their job was being completed without them needing to lift a finger.
Atop the wall, Aldrian looked at the approaching invasion army with a serene expression. What others did not know was that the hostile devil forces were entering his domain—the designated killing zone for the devils. So, what exactly did Aldrian do to all these devils and beasts? In truth, he barely paid any attention to the beasts, doing nothing specific to them. He simply released a fraction of his aura into his domain, which alone was enough to make these beasts, none stronger than the Earl stage, tremble in fear.
His aura had a tremendous effect on the beasts that had yet to fully develop their intelligence. The moment they sensed his aura—which could even affect high-level beasts like those in the Forest of Despair—they immediately trembled in fear and reverence. Their instincts and bodies warned them not to act in the presence of this overwhelming force, as their very existence felt insignificant, unworthy of being before him.
As for the devils, they had entered Aldrian’s formation, unknowingly triggering illusions within their minds. This formation was entirely under his control, allowing him to dictate precisely what each devil would see. But these weren’t ordinary illusions; he had mixed his death laws into them to test their effect on the devils. As expected, the results did not disappoint. These illusions, infused with the power of death laws that only a divine being could comprehend, were nothing short of a death sentence.
What they saw inside their minds was the essence of death, something so horrifying that it struck them with pure terror. There was no way these low-level cultivators, even having become devils, could suppress their primal fear. Though they were in a frenzy, there was no defense against the death laws. They could reduce their fear, but they could not completely erase it.
The death laws, the very laws that became the bane of all beings and existence, magnified their fear to such an extent that it shattered their souls the moment they glimpsed death within their minds. It was literally scared to death. Because of the immense power of the illusion and the death laws, even though they saw it only for a moment, it felt as though they had witnessed it for eternity. It took but a second to see the illusion, and death was the inevitable result.
Aldrian then saw the three giant snakes approaching his position. Once they entered his domain, he merely needed to look at them, and they instantly stopped. Because the snakes were much stronger, being at the Grand Duke stage, Aldrian intensified his aura, making them feel the crushing pressure and his dominance. This part of the battlefield soon garnered the attention of others as they felt the weight of Aldrian’s presence. When they looked at him, they were shocked to see him floating, as though a god observing his subjects. He swept his gaze across the battlefield.
"He’s floating! Is he a King Stage cultivator?"
"No way, his cultivation is only at the peak Earl Stage."
The devils attempting to breach the town wall looked toward the area where Aldrian was. Some instantly dashed toward it, sensing the trouble in this part of the battlefield. Aldrian calmly stared at the swarm of devils before stretching his hand forward.
"I want to test if I can use a large-scale technique from within my domain."
He always used his large-scale techniques within his domain, where the destruction was entirely under his control and never left his domain. The only exception was when he used artifacts, like his sword, which allowed him to unleash attacks such as the Slash of the End, destroying everything outside his domain, even beyond his reach.
Now, he wanted to test whether he could use his large-scale technique outside of his domain while still remaining inside it, without relying on any artifacts. Within his domain, he could control everything smoothly and freely, allowing him to create powerful attacks by combining all of his domain’s power. But what if he was still inside, yet wished to activate his technique outside his domain? Would his technique retain the same power as when activated within his domain?
Looking at the many opponents before him, it seemed like a good time to test his ability. After floating and observing the incoming foes, he closed his eyes. His senses expanded to their maximum, reaching beyond the confines of his domain. He then attempted to activate the technique he had developed during his meditation, one that was well-suited for this large-scale battle.
Suddenly, in the sky outside his domain, the small space began to crack, as if something were trying to break free from the void behind it. Then, multiple cracks appeared in the sky, continuing to increase and extending as far as five kilometers in front of Aldrian.
He sighed, realizing that this was as far as he could control the space outside of his domain. Suddenly, strands of lightning began to appear from his body. At first, they seemed no different from ordinary lightning, but then they grew exponentially in strength. To make matters even more terrifying, the lightning was infused with the aura of the heavens.
"Who is he?! Why does he have a heavenly aura?!"
"What terrifying power! But he’s still only peak Earl stage."
Pac looked at Aldrian’s floating figure, his eyes and heart trembling at the sight.
"Who is this man?! How can he exude the heavenly aura?"
The power of the heavenly lightning could be felt across the entire battlefield. At that moment, Aldrian was like the god of lightning, his heavenly might radiating throughout the battlefield. He then looked at all the space cracks and smiled.
"First test."
He then opened a space crack beneath his feet, and without hesitation, struck it with a full power of the bolt of lightning. At this moment, he was only using the power of his small domain, but even then, the strike was powerful enough that even a middle King stage cultivator would have to avoid it. Following that, lightning erupted from each of the spatial cracks outside his domain, striking the ground and obliterating everything in its path.
The battlefield was instantly transformed into a field of lightning and destruction. All beings beneath the spatial cracks were obliterated by the power of the lightning strike that Aldrian unleashed using his comprehension of heavenly lightning. The devils stood no chance, their bodies and souls destroyed by the lightning without any resistance.
The booming sound of thunder followed, causing the ears of lower cultivation level devils to bleed. When the lightning strike subsided, all that remained was five square kilometers of destruction and carnage. The power of the heavenly lightning Aldrian had conjured left everyone wondering what kind of monster he truly was.
The devil commander widened his eyes as he gazed at the destruction in one area of the battlefield. The strike had obliterated everything, leaving only ashes as a testament to the power of the devastating blow—one that could rival the full might of a high King stage cultivator!
Even his battle with the commander from the Rivas family had come to a halt due to this absurd situation. To be honest, he wasn’t shocked by the scale of the destruction—he could achieve the same with his own cultivation level. What truly shocked him was how this human could exude heavenly might, and more importantly, that he was only at the peak Earl stage! It was absurd and beyond comprehension!
He immediately transmitted an order to some of the devils, his voice filled with urgency.
"Use Plan B now! We have to kill that man!"
After giving the command, he resumed his attack on the Rivas family’s commander, who was still in disbelief from what he had just witnessed. However, sensing the devil commander’s continued assault, he parried it with his technique, and the battle between them raged on.
As for Aldrian, he looked at his handiwork with a satisfied expression.
"Now, the second test."
