The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 366: Adding One More Energy

Arthur looked into Aldrian’s eyes—eyes that did not seem to care whether his actions would endanger the people around him. However, Arthur knew it was not that Aldrian was indifferent to those around him, but rather that he was confident in himself. He was certain that the creature emerging from the formation can’t harm anyone nearby. That was the confidence of a cultivator whose strength could overwhelm everything in his path.

"Let’s go evacuate Buran Village," Arthur said.

"Captain." ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

A fellow knight, whose cultivation was equal to Arthur’s, wanted to voice his opinion, but Arthur signaled him to stop. He was the vice-captain of the Paladins, someone who had never been assigned the same mission as Arthur due to protocol.

Leaders and their deputies were not permitted to undertake the same mission. This was the only exception, because Aldrian had specifically chosen him.

"Young Master is not someone who would recklessly endanger others. He must have a plan in mind, and we can show our devotion by trusting him and obeying his orders."

The others, who had also wanted to persuade Aldrian, swallowed their words. They did not know the full extent of his strength, and their worries remained. However, their captain’s words stirred something within them.

They wanted to devote themselves to Aldrian in this mission as their true leader and the prophesied one chosen by the heavens.

Gritting their teeth, they remained silent before slightly bowing toward Aldrian.

"We obey, Your Eminence."

Aldrian smiled at them.

"You don’t have to worry about the creature that will emerge from this formation. Like Arthur said, I wouldn’t be doing this if I weren’t sure of myself. If I lacked confidence, I wouldn’t have attempted it in the first place."

If they still harbored doubts after Aldrian’s words, it would mean they lacked faith in the prophesied one. Accepting this, the knights chose to follow his plan without hesitation, quickly returning to the surface to begin the evacuation.

Left alone, Aldrian turned his gaze to the other side of the hall, his eyes lingering on the wall. Though the others couldn’t detect it, he was aware of a another hidden passage that led to a place. However, he set that thought aside, refocusing on the formation as he reached out and touched it.

"Can it only be activated using devil energy?"

He had never learned how to recreate devil energy, despite having absorbed countless memories of devils.

"Let’s try with my own energy first."

Aldrian injected his golden energy into the summoning formation, hoping to activate it. However, within seconds, he immediately stopped, his energy had begun purifying the formation, which, in effect, was the same as destroying it.

Next, he attempted to use the demonic energy of the Heavenly Demon. The formation briefly shone for a split second, but cracks quickly began to appear across the formation, forcing him to stop again.

With this, he confirmed that only devil energy could activate the formation. Closing his eyes, Aldrian focused on the negative energy within the surrounding heaven and earth.

He decided to attempt the cultivation technique of the devils, a method that claimed had an unknown origin. In the past, he had never paid much attention to this cultivation technique, believing he had no need for it. But now, things were different.

Following the instructions in the cultivation manual, he began absorbing the negative energy. As he drew it in and gathered it within his dantian, he finally understood why those who practiced this method could grow stronger so much faster. He also realized why devils inevitably abandoned their morals and integrity.

This cultivation technique truly stripped away one’s moral. The more negative energy a person absorbed, the more their morals were forcibly pushed aside. They would inevitably be influenced by it, and depending on which type of negative energy was most dominant, they could even lose their sanity. Pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, or sloth—each could take control.

However, he only needed devil energy to activate the formation, not to cultivate it. Without concern for which type of negative energy he absorbed, he simply took in all of them at once—something no other devil could do. The burden of such an act would normally be overwhelming and they can lose their minds.

Aldrian paid no mind to the risks and continued absorbing the negative energy. He felt a slight shudder in his soul from the overwhelming influx, but he held firm. At the same time, he kept his golden energy at bay, carefully maintaining a balance—he didn’t want it to purify the negative energy before he could use it.

After a few moments, he finally sensed a new presence within his dantian—a dark, ominous red energy.

He had successfully created devil energy, and the realization brought him satisfaction. However, just as he relished the success, he felt something stir within his soul—"something" trying to connect to him, and without hesitation, he severed the connection.

His instincts told him that this would bring bad news. He thought it was a karmic thread, one that might connected him to a higher being or perhaps even the god of the devils.

It was not yet time to face such an entity. He was still too weak compared to them.

He then watched as the devil energy was absorbed by his golden energy, but Aldrian did not panic—he had already accomplished what he wanted.

In his dantian, his golden energy functioned as the dominant force. Due to its all-encompassing nature, it naturally absorbed any other energy created within him. However, if he willed it, he could still use other energies, such as the Heavenly Demon’s demonic energy or various elemental energies.

Testing his control, he summoned the devil energy into his hand. A moment later, a dark, ominous red aura appeared in his palm, bringing a satisfied smile to his lips. However, he also felt a sense of disgust and irritation. Even though this was his own energy, it still irritated him, leaving him to wonder— was he angry at this energy simply because he had encountered that ’thing’? Or was it because the fury from that time still lingered within him?

Thinking about the irritation caused by the energy, he recalled another strange energy within the holy energy of the church when he connected to the heavens. Unlike devil energy, this energy was more "calm" yet it corroded the purity of the holy energy.

At that moment, he had finally sensed the direct source of the holy energy’s gradual degradation. The presence of this energy had also irritated him, stirring an unexplained anger within his heart. He had some guesses about its origin, but for now, he set them aside—it was still beyond his reach.

Right now, he focused on the devil energy in his hand and pressed it against the formation on the floor.

"If others saw me right now, they would instantly mistake me for a devil." That was also why he preferred to be alone at this moment, leaving the others to handle "them" at Buran Village.

Following the summoning method he had learned from the memories of past devils, he finally got a reaction from the formation. A reddish light flared to life, and a smile formed on his lips—he had succeeded!

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On the surface, in Buran Village, the activities had already stopped since it was nighttime. The village was eerily quiet, with no signs of movement or sound, making any passerby wonder if it was still inhabited. The only indication of life came from the faint glow of lanterns inside the wooden houses.

In one of the houses, four people sat together—three men and one woman. All of them were Grand Duke stage cultivators, an uncommon sight for a mere village. At this moment, they were on edge, as if waiting for something.

"Why have those church bastards returned? Didn’t they already ransack the entire outer hideout? From their auras, they’re powerful King stage cultivators, with one at the Duke stage," one of the men muttered.

"I don’t know, but from the aura they’re exuding, they all seem to be from the Paladin Knights, except for that one at the Duke stage," the woman said.

"What do you think?" another man asked, turning to the last man.

The last man remained silent, deep in thought. They were in the middle of their usual activities—there were no missions from the higher-ups, just the task of maintaining the summoning formation. The sacrifices had already been completed, and all that remained was to summon the creature. However, they knew they had to wait for the prophesized time according to the plan. If they summoned the creature now, the effect would be minimal.

However, what he did not expect was for the church members to return to their hideout. When he sensed their cultivation levels and their knightly aura, he immediately realized that the church had likely discovered something! All the King stage cultivators from the Paladin Knights were not opponents they could face. The only option left was to summon the creature.

But just before they could complete the summoning process, he sensed that one of them had discovered the hidden path! Without hesitation, he ordered them to abandon the process and escape. Their lives were more important after all.

But then, if the church found that formation, everything they had done in this place would be in vain.

He gritted his teeth at the thought. He had spent over nineteen years maintaining control of this place, only for it to fall apart now.

His train of thought abruptly stopped when he sensed a group of people approaching from the sky.

"They’re here."