NOVPUB
Chapter 194: Entering the Devil Territory
Aldrian kept teleporting until he finally arrived at the border of the devil territory. Only after he stopped to sense his surroundings did he fully grasp how ominous and terrible the energy here was. The energy of heaven and earth in this place had been so thoroughly corrupted by negative energy that even the air contaminated. This energy also began to affect his mind, urging him to give in to his baser instincts. He frowned at the environment, wondering how any living being could endure such conditions.
"Oh well, for those who strive for strength at any cost, they will endure even if it means living in a place like this."
The devils are people who seek power through shortcuts, willing to sacrifice their morality to gain strength. To achieve this, they must absorb the negative energy, which inevitably corrupts them. Despite the ominous environment, there is no shortage of people eager to step into this place, driven by various reasons to chase power. This is why the devil territory never runs out of people. And even if no one willingly comes, the devils themselves can just capture others, and forcibly convert them into devil cultivators.
Aldrian could feel the negative energy constantly trying to influence him. He quickly circulated his own energy, and the unsettling sensation vanished immediately. Even without relying on his energy, his mental fortitude was already strong enough to resist the effects of the negative energy in this place. However, it was far more convenient for him to move freely without any disturbances caused by this energy.
Aldrian dashed forward and entered the devil territory, but he soon stopped, realizing he had no idea where to go next.
"Those people only mentioned that the Lust Devil is returning to the devil territory, but if I want specifics, I’ll have to find them myself."
He didn’t know which route the Lust Devil had taken from this point, but he thought he could ask someone nearby. For instance, he could sense a group of devils not far from him. Since earlier, he had been expanding his senses to their maximum, scanning the entire area for anything unusual. Eventually, he detected a group of devils who had established what seemed to be an outpost. Without hesitation, he dashed in that direction.
After a few moments, he found a camp with more than a dozen devils, who appeared to be enjoying their time. Without hesitation, he teleported into the center of their post. Using his illusion, he incapacitated all the devils, freezing them in place. Aldrian then read their memories before killing them.
From the memory of one of the devils, Aldrian learned that the Lust Devil was moving deeper into the territory. He also discovered that the devils had taken prisoners from Falanis and Ilyon. They were using a portable teleportation portal to deliver logistics and send the prisoners to the devil fortress, located 200 kilometers north. This fortress, a long-established stronghold of the devils, was situated near the border of the Rivas Grand Duchy.
That place was quite large and held significant strategic value, as it directly defended the region from the Rivas Grand Duchy’s forces, should they attempt to breach the devil territory. It was one of the forefront fortresses, forming a critical defense point along the border. Aldrian thought that if he could erase the devil’s forces there and save the prisoners, it would create a much-needed opening for the Rivas Grand Duchy to breathe easier.
After making his decision, Aldrian teleported to that location. If anyone were to see him from the sky, he would appear like a ghost, materializing and vanishing at different spots, yet always moving in the same direction.
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There are two fortresses that the devils have placed near the border with the Rivas Grand Duchy. One of these fortresses, called Sazim, is a key stronghold for the devils stationed along the border. It serves as one of the spearheads pointing directly at the Rivas family, and it has been the site of the most frequent clashes with them.
These fortresses have a long history with the Rivas family, and Sazim is one of the major sources of their headaches in this region. Situated atop a hill, the fortress is difficult to attack but easy to defend. Furthermore, the advantageous environment makes it challenging to mobilize a large army, as they would need to prepare artifacts with holy properties to shield themselves from the negative energy in the area, which would be a costly endeavor.
Inside Sazim, there were many new faces, but they were not devils. Instead, they were people who had been taken from Fanalis and Ilyon. Their numbers reached into the thousands, and they were gathered on a large, flat ground. Among them were men, women, children, and the elderly, a mix of both civilians and soldiers. Shackled at the wrists, they were forced by the devils to sit, helpless in their captivity.
The shackles were no ordinary shackles, once worn, they prevented a person from circulating their inner energy, effectively sealing their cultivation. Due to the effect of the negative energy in the area, some of the captives began to lose their sanity, but the devils struck them until they fell unconscious. The faces of the people were marked with fear and anxiety, as they didn’t understand why the devils had brought them here when they could have simply killed them and been done with it.
A few moments later, someone walked toward a higher platform where all the people could see him. He was a devil with a Middle Emperor-stage cultivation with his striking pale skin and red eyes. His gaze swept over the prisoners before he shouted at the devils.
"Separate the males and females. Let the females leave the field." His orders were quickly followed by his subordinates, who separated the prisoners whether they were children or the elderly. Once only the men remained in the field, the devil on the platform began chanting something. Before long, a giant symbol appeared beneath the feet of the men, emitting an ominous red light.
Many began to panic as the red light transformed into a pillar, trapping all the men inside. A few seconds later, they felt a searing heat rising within their bodies. The heat intensified until they were screaming in agony, their bodies writhing in pain as they desperately tried to break the barrier. However, without any cultivation to help them endure the burning torment, their resistance was futile.
The devil atop the platform continued mumbling his chant, but suddenly, he sensed something in the sky above the vast field. Before he could even focus on what it was, he was shocked to see the red pillar lose control and shatter. The men, finally able to breathe a sigh of relief, felt the intense heat vanish, allowing them to escape the burning torment.
The devil on the platform frowned as he looked up at the sky, where he saw a man—more precisely, a young man—floating in midair, as if he were a King stage or higher cultivator. All the devils were stunned by the sudden interruption, their gazes turning toward the sky. It was only when the devil atop the platform looked up that they finally saw the young man. They couldn’t sense his presence at all, only noticing him when the devil on the platform did!
However, there were other bizarre occurrences. The negative energy in the area suddenly began to thin out, causing all the devils present to widen their eyes in shock. This was an impossible occurrence—after all, the negative energy had been shaped here since ancient times and had never dissipated, no matter the circumstances. Although the negative energy remained thick, they could feel it gradually diminishing in both quantity and quality as time passed.
"Who are you?! State yourself!" the devil on the platform shouted at the young man. His voice, amplified by devilish energy, reverberated across the entire field, causing the ground to tremble. The people there had to cover their ears, the pressure on their eardrums so intense it felt like they might burst. Other high-ranking devils in the fortress soon emerged from their posts, having sensed the sudden appearance of this intruder.
However, the young man’s eyes simply swept over them, as if he didn’t care about the devil’s question. The vein on the devil’s forehead bulged in anger at being ignored by the unknown young man. Enraged, he shouted to his underlings.
"Kill him."
From various parts of the fortress, giant arrows were launched toward the intruder, the power of the arrows was enough to take down a King stage cultivator, as the arrows themselves were powerful artifacts. However, to everyone’s shock, the arrows were swallowed by a spatial crack, only to return with greater power when another crack appeared. A loud explosion followed, and fire erupted as the ballistas that had launched the arrows were destroyed.
After that, two of the King stage devils flew into the sky to attack the intruder with their spears. They did not underestimate the unknown young man, who seemed to have comprehended the space laws. However, they halted their movements when small sparks of lightning suddenly erupted from the young man’s body, growing bigger and stronger. A chilling sensation washed over them as they felt the power and aura emanating from the lightning.
The aura of the heavens!
