NOVPUB
Chapter 74: The Night of Judgment 3
Under immense pressure, Aldrian finally released his aura. With a stomp of his foot, he broke free from the City Lord’s suppression. Golden energy seeped from his body, filling the entire hall for all to witness. The feeling in the presence of the mighty being, radiating a golden aura that demanded reverence from all, stunned the people inside.
It lasted only for a moment, but that brief instant was enough for Aldrian to make his first move. He conjured a towering wall of fire that shattered the roof of the hall, creating a massive pillar of flames visible from afar.
The pillar continued to grow until it struck the defensive dome, which was designed to protect the manor through a formation. The dome trembled under the pressure of Aldrian’s technique but held firm.
Some of the elders instinctively distanced themselves, as the heat emanating from the fire pricked their skin, and they weren’t confident in their ability to withstand it. Aldrian then spread his arms, causing the pillar of fire to expand. Elders below the duke stage immediately used their movement techniques to escape the hall, sensing that touching the flames would result in fatal injuries.
The expanding fire obliterated everything in its path. The City Lord gazed solemnly at the approaching inferno and summoned his energy, forming a green, sword-shaped flame. The flaming sword hovered momentarily before flying toward the expanding fire. When the two techniques collided, they canceled each other out.
Now, the City Lord and Aldrian stood facing each other once more, but with the surrounding buildings reduced to rubble. Rage boiled in the City Lord’s heart as he stomped the ground and launched himself at Aldrian with tremendous speed.
Aldrian then coated his arms in golden energy, forming gauntlet-like armor around them, and summoned a sword made of pure energy. Meanwhile, the City Lord unleashed his own technique, manifesting a blue, spear-shaped flame—the Demonic Blue Fire Spear—and thrust it toward Aldrian.
Not wanting to face the attack head-on, Aldrian used his movement technique—teleportation—to appear behind the City Lord in an instant and slashed at his body. The City Lord, stunned by Aldrian’s teleportation, narrowly dodged the incoming strike and channeled his demonic energy into his other hand, conjuring a Demonic White Fire Halberd to counterattack.
Aldrian saw the halberd coming and parried it with his flaming sword, creating a deadly zone where the two kinds of fire clashed violently. The heat from their battle could be felt from a great distance. By this time, the elders had already retreated to the edge of the manor, about a kilometer away, though still within the defensive formation.
"What are you doing just standing there? We must help our Lord suppress this man!" A man holding a fan shouted at the elders. They snapped out of their reverie and, without hesitation, moved closer to the battle.
Though some of them were confused as to how the situation had escalated so quickly, they took their positions and formed a battle formation. From it, a massive avatar appeared—a demonic figure wielding a sword.
The City Lord, still trying to suppress Aldrian, glanced at the elders for a moment before retreating using his movement technique. Aldrian, seeking to maintain the upper hand, noticed the giant demonic avatar and also attempted to gain some distance. He teleported toward the City Lord, hoping to prevent the avatar from striking recklessly.
The City Lord had anticipated Aldrian’s teleportation and made a series of quick movements to maintain distance, giving the elders an opportunity to land a blow on Aldrian. By now, he had realized that Aldrian’s battle proficiency was exceptionally high, and his power could match his own, though Aldrian clearly lacked the same energy capacity.
As the City Lord kept his distance, he parried Aldrian’s incoming sword attack. At the same time, the demonic avatar’s sword descended upon Aldrian. The towering blade exuded such overwhelming power that the air itself seemed to tremble. Aldrian, seeing the incoming strike, attempted to teleport once more but was startled to find his foot stuck. 𝑛𝘰𝘷𝑝𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝘮
He glanced down at his right foot and saw a black chain wrapped around it, trapping him. With a swift slash of his golden energy, he broke the chain. Although the chain held him only briefly, it was enough for the demonic avatar’s attack to reach him.
Aldrian had no choice but to defend against the attack, which carried the power of a High Grand Duke. The elders had formed a battle formation with a Low Grand Duke Grand Elder at the head, along with 12 Duke stage and 6 Marquess stage cultivators. Together, they harmonized their energies, creating a force equivalent to that of a High Grand Duke.
Aldrian channeled nearly all of his golden energy from his middle dantian, preparing to unleash a weaker version of the ’Slash of the End.’ However, without a physical sword and only one created from his energy, the concentration and energy consumption were immense. He had to form his sword’s will, channel his energy into the blade, and maintain its shape to release the attack.
The situation was turning against Aldrian, forcing him to make a critical decision. He had to use most of his energy for a decisive move. His golden energy surged, displaying its full might as it was released. His slash met the sword strike of the demonic avatar, and the resulting clash sent a deafening sound through the air. The golden energy shattered the sword strike, and though weakened, the remaining slash energy continued toward the demonic avatar.
The onlookers were shocked by the result of the clash. Although the slash’s power had diminished, the elders didn’t underestimate it. They quickly moved the avatar into a defensive stance as the slash energy approached, feeling their bodies tremble under its pressure. The sword slash attempted to cut through the avatar, but the massive construct was strong enough to withstand the weakened attack.
Taking advantage of the brief opening, Aldrian teleported away to create some distance. His breathing was labored, sweat dripped down his face, and he looked visibly exhausted. His energy reserves were down to 25%, and his recharge rate was much slower, far slower than it would have been within his domain.
The enemy forces had suffered little damage, and the defensive formation surrounding the manor was sturdy enough to withstand the full power of a Low Emperor. The situation looked grim for Aldrian, with death seemingly at his doorstep.
Yet, despite the dire circumstances, he felt as if he had been brought back down to earth. From this battle, he had gained a clearer understanding of his limits. Unbeknownst to him, a smile crept onto his face. The feeling of growing stronger, of discovering his boundaries, stirred something inside him.
He now had a better sense of how to prepare for the future.
"It seems they’re still too much for me," he thought, closing his eyes.
The elders of the City Lord’s manor were already prepared for the next attack. As for the City Lord himself, he stared at Aldrian, who appeared to be in a pitiful state. Guards ranging from Viscount to Earl stage had surrounded the entire perimeter of the manor as the support, sealing off any possible escape routes.
"Give up, young man! You can’t defeat me, let alone the entire City Lord’s manor. Hand over the information about the treasure! I know you got it from that wife of the Yu Patriarch. I’ll give you a quick death in return!" the City Lord shouted as he walked toward Aldrian. He assumed Aldrian had already surrendered, seeing him standing there with his eyes closed, seemingly waiting for death.
But Aldrian didn’t care one bit. He kept his eyes shut, and as the City Lord approached within 50 meters of him, the entire manor suddenly felt a shift in the surrounding energy. It was as if the flow of energy had been seized by someone and was now converging toward a single point.
The City Lord frowned, sensing something amiss. He glanced at Aldrian, a sudden bad feeling washing over him. Without hesitation, he used his movement technique to instantly appear next to Aldrian, attempting to decapitate him.
However, his strike hit nothing but air—Aldrian had vanished. Confused, the City Lord scanned the area, trying to locate him. That’s when he sensed it—Aldrian was floating in the air above.
"He’s floating!" someone exclaimed.
"Does that mean he’s at least Duke stage?" another muttered in disbelief.
The crowd was shocked, especially those at Earl stage. In their world, cultivators could only begin to float or fly at Duke stage. However, due to the immense energy consumption, most cultivators couldn’t fully take advantage of flying until reaching King stage, where they could more efficiently control their energy.
From their earlier battle, everyone was certain that Aldrian was only at the Earl stage, yet his combat power was absurd, matching that of a Grand Duke. The City Lord gazed at the floating young man, an ominous feeling creeping through him, causing unease.
As Aldrian’s golden energy surged, it intensified to the point where the very air seemed to thrum with power, making their hearts pounding heavily.
"ATTACK HIM!" the City Lord roared. He unleashed his own technique, combining it with the strength of his Three Demonic Fires Territory. All kinds of attacks were hurled toward Aldrian.
But as he opened his eyes, glowing with a golden hue, Aldrian stretched his hand forward and created a crack in the very fabric of space. The spatial rift expanded, swallowing every incoming attack before sealing itself shut.
Aldrian then pulled back his hand, clenched his fist, and punched the space in front of him. The impact caused the space to collapse, and the spatial crack began expanding toward the people below.
The City Lord, sensing the immense power behind the punch, broke into a cold sweat.
"Shit!"
