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Chapter 357: The Ones That Responsible?
At an unknown place, where only an endless white expanse stretched in every direction, an old man sat in deep meditation. However, his eyes slowly opened, and his expression frowned. He closed them again, trying to perceive something, but his frown only deepened.
"It’s coming from the First Heaven again... and this time, it’s much stronger. I’m even starting to lose control over a small part of that place. What is going on?"
He couldn’t comprehend the sudden disturbance, especially when he was so close to completing his goal. What the hell had happened? As someone of his status and strength, he couldn’t simply go there whenever he pleased.
"If not for the law of causality..." he sighed. He desperately wanted to see for himself what was happening, but the "assimilation" process had come to a halt due to this unexpected development.
Suddenly, a shadow appeared in front of him. It took the form of a burly man, with menacing red eyes glaring at the old man.
"Did you break the agreement? Did you act without my knowledge?" the shadow’s voice resounded, deep and terrifying, like a growling beast. Yet, the old man remained unfazed.
"What are you talking about? I would never do anything that would be detrimental to us. Don’t you have your own ’apostle’ in that place? Shouldn’t you have more knowledge of the situation than I do? As per the agreement, I have only attempted to influence that part of Heaven—nothing more," the old man replied calmly.
"My apostle reported that an unknown variable has appeared. He seems to be special—just like him. I have already inquired with the others, and none of them know anything about it. You are the last one I asked, and you still have no idea?" The shadow’s voice rose, laced with irritation.
"I am slowly losing control of that place, and I can’t even read its fate anymore! I can no longer see the present, the future, or even the past. It’s as if something is blocking my vision. Are you telling me that some kind of existence suddenly appeared and already has the ability to conceal itself from divine observation?" His voice boomed like thunder.
Despite the intensity, the old man remained calm and answered.
"I truly don’t know, and my answer remains the same. If it’s an unknown existence, then perhaps those rebellious bastards or even the Heavenly Demon are responsible for something beyond our awareness."
The shadow fell silent, he also lacked the answers as well and it was indeed a possibility.
"Isn’t the Heavenly Demon under the watch of the four of ’us’? Do you really think he could do anything while being closely monitored by them?" the shadow asked.
"Who knows? He’s full of tricks and powerful enough to pull off something unexpected without us realizing it. Anyway, that part of Heaven is mostly under your jurisdiction—I’m merely supporting it while managing my own. You’d better do your job properly, because this is just as important for us," the old man said.
The shadow stared at him in silence for a moment before vanishing, but not without leaving a final remark.
"You don’t have to tell me that."
Left alone, the old man closed his eyes once more. Though his face remained calm, his mind was filled with confusion. Something felt terribly wrong.
"What a strange phenomenon... What did we miss? What really happened in that place?" he wondered, sensing that his control over the tiny fragment of the First Heaven was slipping further beyond his grasp.
At this moment, he could no longer affect that tiny part of the First Heaven—the only remaining fragment still undergoing the process of assimilation. Initially once complete, it would fall fully under his control.
That place was one of the few where the resistance rebels had escaped with their utmost effort. To "them", it was nothing more than a futile struggle, yet it remained irritating. And because of the law of causality, they couldn’t directly come to that part of the world.
But suddenly, he lost all control over the assimilation. He could no longer connect to that part of the world, sending a wave of alarm through him. It was as if—
"Someone has already seized that part of Heaven before I could fully assimilate it."
If his suspicion was correct, then they had to be cautious. The fact that someone could steal Heaven’s domain without their knowledge suggested that this unknown figure might be far stronger than him.
"It looks like we need to gather and discuss this matter."
After all, at their level, anything beyond their understanding was bound to be significant—something that could drastically affect their plans.
He kept his eyes closed, maintaining his focus on that part of the world, hoping to understand what was happening in that fragment of Heaven.
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Inside Aldrian’s mindscape, he heard a broken voice. It felt strangely familiar, as if he had heard it before, yet at the same time, it was unfamiliar.
The sound felt familiar to him, as if he had spoken to this voice many times before. Yet, it was unfamiliar because this was the first time he had heard it with his own ears. Then, he recalled the feeling he had experienced during his heavenly tribulation at Dragon Back Mountain. At that moment, he had clearly sensed Heaven’s intent, and now, this voice carried the same presence.
Aldrian glanced around—upward, downward—but the scenery remained unchanged. With no clear direction, so he simply spoke into the emptiness.
"Are you the personification of Heaven?" That was the only conclusion he could reach. Although it sounded crazy and outrageous, he didn’t find it absurd. Strangely, it felt natural—almost ordinary.
"Answering... your... majesty... I am... Heaven."
Hearing this, Aldrian’s heart trembled. Even though he had somewhat expected it, hearing it directly still shook him to the core. Heaven had a personification—and it could speak? What an astonishing revelation!
But then, something clicked in his mind. If even Heaven—an existence beyond the comprehension of any being in the universe, something worshiped and regarded as the ultimate ruler—was addressing him with such respect... then what did that make him?
What was his true origin?
"Do you know who I am? Do you know my origin?" He finally asked. If this was Heaven itself, then it would know the truth about him—about what he truly was, right?
"I... don’t... know... your... majesty."
An unexpected answer. Aldrian felt his heart tighten with disappointment, as if he had slammed into a wall and had a bucket of cold water dumped over him.
If even Heaven itself did not know, then who would? Who had he been in the past? What was he? A sense of loss crept over him, but he forced himself to suppress it. He had thought he was finally about to uncover the truth, only to be met with yet another dead end.
"Your... majesty... is... the... only... one... who... knows... who... he... truly... is."
Sensing Aldrian’s feeling, the Heaven spoke again, but its words only left him more confused.
"If I knew the answer myself, I wouldn’t have to ask anyone or anything about me!" Aldrian thought in frustration. But then, he reminded himself that Heaven wouldn’t say such words just to toy with him. An existence that had likely been there since the beginning of the universe wouldn’t bother with meaningless jokes.
Aldrian sighed. Perhaps he would understand Heaven’s meaning in time. "One step at a time," he told himself. Maybe, in the end, he would find the truth.
"Your... majesty... time... is... up... can’t... take... too... much... time."
Suddenly, the white scenery began to crumble, revealing the dark void behind it. Aldrian wanted to stay longer—he still felt like he hadn’t gained any clear answers from this conversation.
However, he knew he couldn’t stop it. A sudden wave of sadness welled up inside him as the scenery darkened, leaving him in the depths of emptiness.
But he wasn’t entirely empty-handed. He had gained another piece of the puzzle—one that he could piece together in the future to uncover the full picture.
"I am someone whose origin even Heaven does not know... Someone only I know."
As the world around him faded into complete darkness, he looked ahead and then behind him—only to be stunned by the sight behind him. In this endless void, there was a lone source of light. A small island, isolated in the vast emptiness, and beneath the shade of a tree stood a solitary hut.
Aldrian, driven by curiosity, decided to walk toward the "island." The moment he stepped onto it, he halted, sensing the presence of someone inside the hut.
"Excuse me," he called out.
Silence.
There was no response, making him wonder if the person inside had heard him. He was about to call out again when the wooden door creaked open, revealing a figure standing within.
The moment Aldrian saw them, his eyes widened in shock—he knew this person.
"It’s you?"
