NOVPUB
Chapter 348: What She Saw
Although Angelica said she would show him what she saw, she blushed heavily as she lifted her hand toward Aldrian’s forehead.
"Excuse me."
Aldrian simply smiled and even leaned slightly to make it easier for Angelica to touch his forehead. She then placed her hand on his forehead, and they both closed their eyes.
Inside Aldrian’s mindscape, he was suddenly transported to another scene. From his perspective, he saw widespread destruction across the land. The sky had turned red, and death was everywhere as far as the eye could see. The aura of death and its lingering energy were so thick that he could almost feel them, even though this was merely a vision from Angelica’s memory.
He saw the Doria Empire reduced to ruins, its capital city nothing but rubble. The same devastation had befallen other empires. In the Ivory Empire, the once-thriving forests were engulfed in flames, and several World Trees had already been destroyed, leaving only a few standing. Everything he saw was utterly horrifying, offering no glimmer of hope to anyone witnessing such a scene.
The continent was slowly consumed by darkness, little by little, until finally, Aldrian saw it again. In the sky, he saw that thing once more—a giant eye, so enormous that they seemed visible from across the entire continent.
That eye gazed down upon the land as if looking at mere ants. The pressure it exuded was overwhelming, even though the vision wasn’t real. Yet, he had a feeling—that thing knew he was watching. The eyes seemed to focus directly on him.
He felt the unbearable pressure radiating from the being, and once again, a surge of rage ignited within him, like a spark growing into an uncontrollable fire. Unconsciously, he tried to unleash his golden energy, but before he could, a sudden burst of golden light erupted from afar, spreading at an incredible speed. The radiant light swept across the entire continent, as if trying to illuminate the land and purge all the darkness.
All the people nearest to the source of the golden light were saved from the darkness. The golden light spread across the entire continent, affecting everything—including Aldrian’s vision—before he finally came back to his senses and awoke from the vision.
He opened his eyes and saw that Angelica had also opened hers.
She looked at him with a worried expression.
"That was the vision I received back then. Are you okay after seeing it?" she asked.
Aldrian smiled at her.
"That thing in your vision? If there is anyone who truly hates it and wants to destroy it, that person would be me. You don’t have to worry. After seeing your vision, I can confirm that it is indeed the same thing I saw in someone’s memory," he said.
When he read the memories of Duke Badin of Forgeheart Kingdom, he had seen the devils showing the duke a vision of the continent’s future. For ordinary cultivators, merely looking at that thing would bring despair—and even trigger an inner demon—because they had witnessed something far beyond their ability to resist.
The devils took advantage of Duke Badin’s negative emotions, amplifying them as they showed him the impending thing that would descend upon the continent. It was no wonder he betrayed the Forgeheart Kingdom—he had lost all hope that the continent could survive. In the end, he chose to serve the devils, believing it was his only chance at survival.
Hearing Aldrian’s answer, Angelica was stunned but nodded in understanding.
"You are truly incredible, young master. After I saw that, I was sick for days and fell into despair for a long time before the second vision came to me."
"The visions I showed you were actually two combined into one. The first was the arrival of darkness, with no hope of retaliation, and the second was the golden light spreading across the land."
"Although I have already spread word about the prophecy and warned of its dangers, I still feel that it is not enough. But when the second vision came to me, that was the moment my hope was reignited. I can only pray that the light will prevail and give the continent a chance to survive."
"So please, young master, save this continent."
Angelica attempted to bow slightly, but she suddenly felt stuck—she couldn’t move her upper body. It was as if something was holding her in place, preventing her from bending forward.
"Please don’t bow to me—it makes me feel bad. Even if you weren’t asking me to, I would still fight for the survival of this continent. I’m one of its inhabitants, after all. Besides, I have a personal grudge against that thing, so I’ll gladly fight it," Aldrian said.
"Also, you are truly extraordinary for keeping your spirit intact after seeing that thing. Not everyone remains sane after witnessing it."
Angelica smiled.
"Maybe it’s because I’ve already experienced so many terrible things and horrifying visions that my mind is stronger than most," she said.
"Do you know what that thing is?" she added.
Aldrian sighed. "I don’t know, but whatever it is, that thing doesn’t belong in this realm. That’s all I can say for certain."
Something beyond the comprehension of this world’s cultivators, something even the Heavenly Demon had faced only reinforced his belief that it was not of this realm. He was convinced that the thing came from a higher realm, a being beyond their understanding.
"I see," Angelica said.
Aldrian took a sip of his tea, savoring the taste before turning his gaze back to Angelica.
"Anyway, let’s talk about something else. The prophesized time can wait—we should focus on the more immediate problems first. How is His Holiness, the Pope’s condition?" he asked.
Angelica sighed. "His condition is worsening each day. Even though I have been using healing techniques on him, there has been no improvement at all. He is already under observation by our best physicians, but according to their examinations, his body seems to be rejecting holy energy. His dantian is leaking energy, and he cannot replenish it.
There are no other abnormalities—no signs of poison or anything unusual detected in his body. This is truly a bizarre condition, and even I cannot understand it. This is the first time I have encountered something like this," she said.
Aldrian frowned. From the symptoms, it resembled what Emperor Durand experienced when he was cursed. However, if it were a curse, Angelica’s techniques should have been able to break it.
If it wasn’t a curse or poison, then what was happening?
"I have to check on him myself," he thought.
"Angelica, can I visit him? I want to check on him myself—maybe I can do something about His Holiness’s condition," he said.
Angelica’s eyes brightened for a moment, but then she frowned.
"I think that will be quite difficult. The Pope’s chamber is heavily guarded, and your arrival here is supposed to be a secret. If your presence becomes known to other members of the church, it will cause trouble for you—especially with people from Cardinal Carsius’s faction. One of the reasons I invited you secretly was to avoid drawing his attention.
If I invited you openly, he would come up with a thousand reasons to make things difficult for you. That would be detrimental to both you and us," she explained.
Aldrian could sense the frustration in her voice, but he still smiled. For him, this kind of problem wasn’t something that bothered him.
He then closed his eyes and decided to establish his first domain in this Holy Kingdom.
Truthfully, he had been curious about this territory ever since he arrived—especially after entering this place. He felt fresher, stronger, as if he had received an invisible boost from somewhere. But how? He hadn’t even established his domain here yet, so why did he feel this way? That was the question he wanted to find the answer, and perhaps his domain would help him uncover the truth.
As soon as he formed his domain, a surge of power rushed into him, sharpening his perception. True to his suspicions, there was something special about this land—something different from any other place he had been. The moment his domain took root, he felt a surge of power unlike any other he had experienced before.
"Why is this one different?" he wondered.
Intrigued, he wanted to explore it further, but he knew that would have to wait—there were more pressing matters to deal with.
He expanded his senses throughout his domain, which now encompassed the headquarters of the Heavenly Direction Church, and began searching for the Pope. It didn’t take long. He soon located a chamber guarded by church knights. From their emblems, they seemed to be a different group of knights from the Paladins led by Arthur.
Inside, he found an old man lying on a luxurious bed, sweat dripping from his forehead. Though his eyes were closed as if trying to sleep, his face occasionally twisted in pain.
When Aldrian examined the old man’s information, he confirmed it—this was indeed the Pope.
"You don’t have to worry, Angelica. I can visit his place without anyone knowing," he said reassuringly.
Angelica tilted her head in confusion, but before she could ask anything, she suddenly felt a shift in her surroundings. A strange sensation washed over her, and when she spread her senses, she was utterly shocked—they were already in the Pope’s chamber!
She now found herself beside the Pope’s bed, with Aldrian standing next to her.
Sensing the sudden presence of others, the Pope’s closed eyes slowly opened, his gaze falling upon the two figures before him.
