The seasons changed without waiting for anyone, yet Aldrian remained in the Shrine of the Beginning. Ti passed unnoticed by him, and he seed unaware of how long he had been there. His body still stood, though he no longer floated as he had when he first began cultivating in this place.
Angelica and Pope Claudius had long since stopped prostrating before Aldrian. Now, they simply gazed at him in wonder.
"What could he be seeing within himself? It has already been more than a year, yet he hasn’t moved at all," Pope Claudius said to Angelica, who stood beside him.
"I don’t know," Angelica replied, her eyes fixed on Aldrian’s figure. "But thanks to the young master, our church has experienced an unprecedented rise in both holy energy and purity. Today’s church is unlike anything before—I almost feel like it’s surreal. He truly is the prophesied one who will change our church forever."
After a brief silence, Angelica asked,
"Father, what about the traitor? Has he been found?"
Pope Claudius’s face darkened at the ntion of the topic.
"That bas—that traitor is still nowhere to be found. Like a slippery rat, we managed to track so of his traces, but we lost him entirely at the teleportation station near the border of the Vindas Empire. I should have captured him back then—if I had, we wouldn’t be dealing with this ss now," he said through gritted teeth.
A year ago, not long after the golden pillar of light shone over the entire Heavenly City, all beings had prostrated before it—except for a few. However, once the pillar disappeared and people began questioning what had happened, they rushed to the source of the light. It was then that the pope noticed soone missing from the church’s ranks—Cardinal Carsius.
After Pope Claudius explained the golden pillar’s appearance to the church mbers and cald them down, he finally sensed that sothing was wrong. When he looked for Cardinal Carsius, the man had already disappeared. Worse still, he had taken several high-grade artifacts from the secret vault, fueling the pope’s rage.
Enraged, Pope Claudius ordered a search for Cardinal Carsius, causing an uproar among the higher-ups of the church. He then publicly announced the cardinal’s suspicious activities, declaring that Carsius was suspected of having ties to the devils.
Many voices, especially from Cardinal Carsius’s faction, rose in his defense. However, with the support of the Saintess, Pope Claudius swiftly suppressed their protests. Moreover, the prophesied one—their destined savior—was said to have stood by the pope’s decision, knowing the cardinal’s true nature and vowing to see him captured.
Left with no other options and unable to refute the accusations of the pope and the Saintess, the higher-ups of the church from the Cardinal Carsius’s faction ultimately chose to support the decision and launched a search for Cardinal Carsius. As they investigated him, many began to uncover suspicious traces—evidence suggesting that he had been communicating with outsiders. This only strengthened the belief that Cardinal Carsius had secretly been in contact with the devils all along.
To this day, Cardinal Carsius has vanished without a trace, taking several of the church’s artifacts with him. He has beco the most wanted man in the church across the continent, and the church has spread word of his cris to the other major powers—shocking them all. Yet, despite the growing discussions and speculation, Pope Claudius remains unconcerned with public opinion. His only goal is to capture the traitor.
"Truly, the ti of prophecy draws near. We have faced many great events in recent years, and with what happened in the Atria Empire, it is clear—we are on the verge of chaos era," Pope Claudius said.
Angelica remained silent, feeling the sa as Pope Claudius.
Suddenly, they sensed a shift in the surrounding energy, all of it converging toward a single point. In that instant, Aldrian’s body exuded a brilliant golden energy before it quickly faded away. The sudden surge of power from him left both Pope Claudius and Angelica utterly shocked—what they had just felt was beyond belief.
Slowly, Aldrian opened his eyes, a golden hue flickering within them for a brief mont before disappearing. He had no idea how much ti had passed, having been completely imrsed in his cultivation. However, after his encounter with the heavens and the mysterious "figure," his mind felt clearer than ever. Though he still couldn’t uncover the full truth of his origins, he had gained information that might aid him in the future.
Looking down at his own palm, he clenched and unclenched his fist several tis. He felt stronger—far stronger than before. But more than that, he sensed sothing new, sothing he had never been able to perceive prior to cultivating here. A mysterious energy had gathered inside his body, continuously flowing into him without stopping, without any effort on his part.
At last, after so long, he decided to check his own status. But the mont he saw the screen, he was truly shocked by what he found.
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Aldrian Aster
Domain : The secret realm, The Ivory empire, The Demon Territory of Barisan continent, The Forgeheart kingdom, The Doria empire, Heavenly Direction Church Territory
Age : 16 years
Cultivation : Low Duke
Current energy : 1,420,121 ( 6.5 /10m)
Energy needed for the next stage : 1,570,001
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His cultivation stage and speed had advanced so significantly that he was stunned by his own progress. However, as he thought about it, it make sense—after all, he just connected to the heavens and even talked to their personification, a reality that still felt surreal to him. He felt as though he could completely control the forces of heaven within his domain, but he knew he would need ti to maximize the potential of his power.
After his encounter with the "figure," he understood that he still had a long way to go. He needed to grow stronger, and fast, if he wanted to uncover more about his origins and the secrets hidden within him.
"Young Master."
Angelica’s voice pulled Aldrian from his thoughts. He turned to his side and saw her and Pope Claudius staring at him as if he were a god. He then smiled at them.
"I’m sorry, but it seems I unknowingly cultivated much longer than I anticipated," he said. "By the way, how long have I been cultivating?"
"You have been cultivating for a year and four months, young master," Angelica answered, causing Aldrian’s eyes to widen.
"What? It’s already been that long?" He had not expected so much ti to have passed. His conversation with the heavens and the "figure" had completely imrsed him in cultivation, pushing him to grow stronger at an accelerated pace. This was, without a doubt, the longest cultivation session of his life.
"Yes, young master. And while you were cultivating, several events took place," she said.
Aldrian nodded and looked up at the ceiling, where the symbol of the Absolute Ruler was displayed. His connection to it had grown significantly stronger, and he could sense that in the future, if another symbol of the Absolute Ruler existed elsewhere, he would be able to feel its call from even greater distances. Even now, he could sense a growing pull from the Everlasting Silent Forest—but he suppressed it.
It was unavoidable. The Heavenly Direction Church’s main territory bordered that forbidden forest to the south, making him closer to the source of the call than he had ever been in the past.
Turning his gaze toward Angelica and Pope Claudius, he spoke.
"Alright, I’m done here. Thank you for allowing to stay," he said gratefully.
"It’s no trouble at all, young Aldrian—or should I call you Your Eminence?" Pope Claudius said with a small smile. "You have already given the church far more than we could have ever asked for. Your stay here is not sothing to complain about."
"No, don’t call that. It feels strange and uncomfortable. Just call like you always have," Aldrian said.
"Alright then," the pope replied with a smile.
Aldrian then stepped down from the altar and approached Angelica, positioning himself behind her wheelchair.
"Ah, no, young master, I can—"
"Young Aldrian, I can—"
"It’s okay, I insist," Aldrian said with a gentle smile, cutting them off.
Both Angelica and Pope Claudius fell silent. Angelica blushed, hesitating for a mont before finally nodding. After witnessing Aldrian’s transformation, she felt unworthy—how could soone like him push her wheelchair? And yet, despite everything, he still remained the sa person at heart.
Seeing Angelica nod, Aldrian gave a satisfied nod in return before pushing her wheelchair forward, with the pope walking beside them. Pope Claudius glanced at the two and could only smile warmly. Since Aldrian had arrived at the church, Angelica seed more "busy"—more active. She was also more expressive and noticeably happier.
He was glad. He had always felt pity for this child, who had endured a cruel fate since she was young. Though those hardships were in the past, he still wished for her to interact more with others and show her happiness freely.
Ever since she beca the Saintess, she had few friends to talk to. Her status kept her distant from others, making her more reserved with her emotions. It saddened him, and he had done his best to entertain her whenever he could. But he knew that what she truly needed was soone closer to her age—soone who could be her friend.
"Ah, since we’re together, why don’t we talk about what happened while I was cultivating?" Aldrian asked. "What events did I miss?"
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