Chapter 1953 1953. Existence
Divine Demon rarely had to think about his life. He was pure when it came to his decision and mindset. He never had to hesitate because he embodied what a true demon had to be.
Yet, Heaven and Earth had put him in a hopeless situation. The trap didn"t have ways out. It was perfect in every sense, and Divine Demon could understand that clearly. It seemed that he only had to decide how to die.
Giving his existence away would preserve his thoughts. Divine Demon would lose everything he had built in those years, but he would maintain his mind. Instead, even if he decided to fight, Heaven and Earth would still steal part of his law.
Divine Demon couldn"t find any other option. He had failed to predict Heaven and Earth"s trap, but he couldn"t blame himself either. He couldn"t really oppose the rulers when they set their mind on a project.
"You sure put me in a difficult position," Divine Demon announced. "Well, not really."
The old cultivator frowned, but Divine Demon didn"t hesitate to reveal the meaning behind his words. His aura surged and expanded among the oppressing whiteness that the walls were radiating.
The light could suppress Divine Demon"s existence, but it simply retreated when his aura expanded. It wasn"t its role to fight against him in that situation. Heaven and Earth had put it inside the trap to temp Divine Demon, but they couldn"t use it to defeat him due to the limits of their fairness.
The azure energy that Divine Demon had gathered before the activation of the trap rotated around him and started to condense when it flowed toward his right arm. The power contained inside his centers of power also came out and helped in the process.
Circular inscriptions formed on Divine Demon"s arm and expanded to create the technique capable of releasing opposite laws that he had used in the past. A cylindrical formation soon grew from his limbs and created a cannon-like structure that stretched past his hand.
The light of the formation went from azure to white. Divine Demon"s law transformed that power into higher energy that brought the overall level of the inscriptions near the liquid stage.
The old cultivator"s face couldn"t help but show his astonishment in front of that orderly and calm display of power, but no fear appeared in his eyes. He was ready to die in that situation since he had already fulfilled his role.
"Impressive but useless," The old cultivator exclaimed while raising his hand and gathering his power. "Come on. Test your power against me if you feel like it. It will give you an idea of how Heaven and Earth"s path is the best choice."
Divine Demons snorted as his expression grew colder. His opponent wasn"t taking him seriously, and he understood the reason behind that reaction. It didn"t only involve Heaven and Earth"s trap. It also took into consideration the power of his technique.
A single attack with power in the liquid stage couldn"t be enough to defeat a liquid stage cultivator. Divine Demon even required the entirety of his energy to launch it, while his opponent only had to rely on his normal power to defend.
The lack of energy in the environment would limit Divine Demon to that single attack, and he couldn"t even use it to kill a mere cultivator. It felt incredibly disappointing that the entirety of his journey had to culminate in that pointless expression of power.
"I don"t doubt that I will die here," Divine Demon said in an almost uncaring tone, "But please, understand this old demon. I will never die silently."
"Do whatever you feel like," The old cultivator shrugged his shoulders without lowering his hand. "Heaven and Earth are ready to accept you in every form. The rest is up to you."
"I guess I can still seize a small victory then," Divine Demon whispered before closing his eyes.
His white energy trembled and grew unstable. The formation expanded as small flares tried to escape its structure. It seemed on the verge of exploding, but it was appeared too dense to shatter.
The formation"s power increased during the process. It had already stepped on the liquid stage, but it continued to grow as Divine Demon"s resolve surged. The old cultivator couldn"t help but remain astonished again when he sensed that the level of the technique surpa.s.sed his centers of power.
"You are incredible!" The old cultivator shouted. "That"s exactly what Heaven and Earth need. You have had access to powers that only rank 9 existences should be able to wield from the beginning of your divine path. You are the "Breath"" blessed son! You are the perfect product of the rulers" system!"
"I challenge myself to overcome this trap," Divine Demon announced without opening his eyes. "May my existence pay the price for my failure."
The old cultivator"s expression froze at those words. His excited and stupefied smile transformed into a worried smirk that struggled to trust the trap completely. His fears also intensified when he sensed the formation going past the liquid stage and stepping into the solid stage.
Divine Demon"s technique had reached the peak of the cultivation world in that exact second. The unreal event was nothing more than a miracle. He had managed to push energy that could barely touch the liquid stage in its perfect form past its natural limits. He had created power from nothing even while inside a trap meant to isolate his law.
The scene was breathtaking, and it even confirmed that Heaven and Earth"s hopes were on point. Divine Demon"s law wielded the very potential to improve. It could ignore meanings, requirements, fuel, and common reason to produce the intended effects. Only the word miraculous could describe its incredible effects.
Yet, Divine Demon always had to pay the price for that power. The world often paid in his place, but the trap prevented that from happening. The expert had to use another currency to perform that technique, and only his existence could work.
The old cultivator knew that Heaven and Earth had prepared countermeasures for that eventuality. They had predicted an eventual suicide on Divine Demon"s end. Still, the resolve shown by the expert worried him. Divine Demon was basically consuming his existence even before launching the attack. He was using his ability to perform miracles to perform that last incredible technique.
Not even Heaven and Earth knew that Divine Demon could do that. After all, only specific existences could use their potential or future gains as a proper fuel, and Divine Demon wasn"t among them. In theory, he could do everything, but that remained an unforeseen event that didn"t properly match his law.
Moreover, everything was part of a challenge, meaning that Divine Demon"s existence would suffer a second time if the technique didn"t consume all of it.
"Heaven and Earth surely hav-," The old cultivator tried to speak, but Divine Demon activated his technique before he could finish his line.
A wave of whiteness filled the insides of the trap, and the old cultivator felt forced to use the entirety of his power to protect himself from that discharge of energy. His body morphed as additional limbs, flesh, and muscles came out to defend him, but most of them turned into a gory mess anyway.
When the whiteness dispersed, the old cultivator noticed that only his head and a chunk of his chest had survived the attack. He was still alive, but he would die unless Heaven and Earth fixed him.
Nonetheless, the most striking detail on the scene was the absence of Divine Demon. The old cultivator was alone inside the trap.