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Chapter 258: The Envy Devil’s Past?
As he created the spatial barrier, he counterattacked with his own technique. Heavenly lightning, fused with death energy, crackled from his body. With a swift motion of his hand, he pointed at the Envy Devil with his index finger.
The Envy Devil, witnessing Aldrian unleash his technique, felt his heart shudder. What the hell?! The abomination of heavenly lightning! He could feel the might of heaven and the terror of death contained within that lightning.
"Not good!" He gave up approaching Aldrian and switched to his defensive technique instead. Clasping his hands together, he mumbled a few words before something suddenly emerged from his body. A giant, transparent red avatar materialized, enveloping him. The avatar, clad in armor, resembled a wrathful giant with a frightening, angry face.
Aldrian paid no heed but thought of something briefly before unleashing his lightning at the Envy Devil. The Envy Devil, seeing the lightning slithering toward him, braced himself. Finally, the lightning struck the avatar enveloping his body.
Rumble! Crash!
The Envy Devil gritted his teeth as his body trembled in pain after the black lightning struck his avatar. The lightning didn’t pierce it instantly, but he could sense his avatar gradually losing its durability. He was shocked as the armor seemed to weaken with each passing second, chipping away at his avatar’s power.
"This won’t do."
From his avatar’s palm, he cast another curse seal, and the giant hand slammed down toward the lightning and Aldrian. This death curse was designed to instantly affect the soul, turning the victim into a living dead. It tormented their soul relentlessly until they finally succumbed to their own pain.
Aldrian saw the incoming palm and released even more lightning from his body. His surroundings had already transformed into a garden of destructive lightning. With his full power, he redirected the strike toward the approaching palm. The lightning collided with it, and within seconds, the palm shattered. The Envy Devil spat a mouthful of blood as his technique broke, but he had successfully distracted Aldrian.
He instantly retreated, and Aldrian appeared to pause his attack, looking at the Envy Devil with curiosity.
"Were you a Buddhist monk in the past? Some of your techniques resemble those commonly used by monks of the Buddhist sect. The chant you mumbled was a Buddhist chant, and that avatar technique—isn’t that the Narayana Battle Form? Although it lacks the holy energy of the Buddhist sect, I’m certain it’s the Narayana Battle Form. Did you betray the Buddhist sect in the past?" Aldrian asked.
Aldrian had read about the Buddhist sect in the past. When he saw the Envy Devil’s information earlier, he noticed techniques commonly associated with Buddhist monks. However, the Narayana Battle Form was a technique that could only be comprehended by monks of high status within the sect. Although Aldrian was genuinely curious about the devil’s past, he knew he still had to kill him—after all, he is a devil now.
The Envy Devil didn’t answer but looked at Aldrian solemnly. Truthfully, he hadn’t used that technique in so long, as there had been no one capable of forcing him to unleash that battle form. With his combination of the curse domain and his flames, he had been able to overpower every opponent he had faced until now.
But since he couldn’t use his domain for some time due to the damage it had caused to his soul, he had to rely on his other trump cards. The Narayana Battle Form was one of them.
"It seems it’s true that you are a traitor of the Buddhist sect. To think that a monk from the Buddhist sect would fall into the abyss of envy is truly ironic, especially when you should know that Buddha taught mankind should not be consumed by envy or jealousy. Now, I will represent the Buddhist sect to cleanse the stain of the past and sever your karma with the Buddha."
Aldrian could sense a change in the Envy Devil’s mind when he mentioned the Buddhist sect, confirming that the Envy Devil truly had a past with them.
Aldrian then channeled the power of the Ivory Empire domain and the Forgeheart Kingdom domain into his body. The aura and pressure he exuded now were unlike before; the combined might of the domains felt like the presence of a higher being in the eyes of the Envy Devil. He fought to maintain his composure, resisting the sudden surge of reverence that arose deep within his soul.
He then decided to use his most powerful attack. He knew that if he hesitated and didn’t cast his best technique, he would be done for. He forcefully released his domain, and at the same time, his giant avatar conjured a long red sword. Pain surged through his entire body and soul as he pushed himself to his limits to release the domain even though his soul was already injured, and prepared for the strike using his avatar.
"Not enough!"
To make his strike more powerful, he decided to use his devil form. His body transformed, becoming bulkier and much larger. His skin turned red, and his face grew more frightening. He now resembled a Dharmapala, striking terror into anyone who saw him.
Aldrian knew that the Envy Devil would strike with his most powerful attack. He then took out the Eternal Spirit and instantly assumed a stance. Inside the Envy Devil’s domain, the properties of the domain tried to influence him, causing chaos in his mind. Even his karma with his surroundings seemed to be affected. The Envy Devil’s domain seemed to force nature to abandon him, but how could the Envy Devil’s domain make nature leave Aldrian? He was one with nature itself when inside his domain.
The Envy Devil trembled upon seeing the sword in Aldrian’s hand, as he now confirmed that Aldrian was indeed the same person who had caused chaos in the Devil’s plans across the continent. He was the mysterious swordsman, the one who had killed the Greed Devil and the Lust Devil.
His eyes were bloodshot as he endured the pain in his soul while trying to unleash his technique. The Narayana Battle Form raised the sword with both hands. The giant sword, standing tall as if it wanted to split the clouds, was truly intimidating. The thick devil energy he released from his body even created a vortex around him, attempting to overwhelm Aldrian’s domain with its dark power.
The curse rune and purple flame also covered the sword in the avatar’s hand, and the pressure it exuded tried to compete even with Aldrian’s. The red clouds of the Devil’s territory were pushed away by their mere aura.
Finally, the Envy Devil completed his preparation and instantly brought the sword down in a chopping motion. The space couldn’t withstand the strength of the sword and began collapsing in its wake.
Narayana’s Sword of Destruction
Aldrian, seeing the giant sword coming at him, finally unsheathed his own sword and pointed it at the incoming strike.
With the Envy Devil’s technique combining destructive power and curses, Aldrian had the perfect technique to counter it. Suddenly, the sword illuminated with golden light, and just as the giant sword almost reached Aldrian, the Eternal Spirit released a golden pillar that collided with the giant sword, causing it to stop in its tracks.
Pillar of Heaven’s Judgment
Their clash caused the space to collapse even further, creating a spatial storm. The entire fortress was razed to the ground as the clash instantly destroyed it. The Envy Devil gritted his teeth as he struggled to push the giant sword forward, but he could feel the sword being pushed back instead.
Not even three seconds after their techniques clashed, the giant sword suddenly shattered, and the golden pillar shot toward the avatar’s body. The avatar’s massive form held for only two more seconds before it too shattered. The golden pillar didn’t stop there—it pierced through the Envy Devil’s domain, creating a hole before shattering it completely.
The continued impact of his technique and the breaking of his domain finally struck the Envy Devil hard, severely damaging his soul. His vision blurred, and he felt as if he could faint at any moment. He couldn’t move his body at all. It was clear to him that he was done for. In that moment, he suddenly remembered his past, when he had lived peacefully with his master in the mountains. There were no complex problems in his mind back then—only the tranquility of life with his master.
He couldn’t maintain any of his techniques anymore, nor even stay afloat, so he plummeted from the sky. Aldrian then canceled the Pillar of Heaven’s Judgment and instantly teleported to the Envy Devil’s body. He grabbed his head with one hand while still holding the Eternal Spirit with the other. Aldrian closed his eyes as he attempted to read the Envy Devil’s memories.
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In an unknown place, an old monk walked, wearing his simple kasaya. People around him passed by without even touching his body. He seemed invisible, yet at the same time still visible. He walked with his hands clasped, but then suddenly stopped. He sighed, sensing something in his soul, and said to himself,
"Amithaba, our karma in this life has finally come to an end. I hope you have another chance to atone for your sins in the next life, and that you are not led astray by your own feelings."
