CHAPTER 682: STRANGE RESONANCE

A week later, Aldrian arrived at the other end of the Orian continent, where he could see the ocean beyond. For the past week, he had not stopped like he had in the Martal Empire. He had already gathered plenty of information, so it was better to finish his business first before doing anything else.

During that week, he had also killed some of the people who still tried to enter the Barisan continent. Just as he had promised himself, there would be no warning, no listening, and no seeing. He would simply strike to kill.

From his position, he sent heavenly lightning attacks after creating his domain. Those stubborn people would not even realize what had hit them before they were instantly obliterated by the heavenly lightning strike.

There was even someone at the pseudo-immortal stage who tried to enter, but that person also perished under the lightning.

Unbeknown to him, those who did not attempt to enter but witnessed the heavenly lightning obliterating many people spread the news, adding stories that the continent was truly off-limits. Everyone who tried to enter would be instantly killed, which greatly deterred those who had not yet made the attempt.

As time passed, the number of people trying to enter decreased, giving Aldrian peace of mind.

At this moment, he was still in space, looking at the vast ocean beyond the Orian continent. From where he floated, he could see another land in the distance along the curved horizon of the Ancient Blue Gate World.

From the information he had received from Emperor Rozwald, that land was a continent inhabited mostly by humans or more specifically demonic cultivators—the Central Continent.

Why was it called the Central Continent?

Legend said it was the first continent to take shape before the others appeared.

Aldrian could sense faith energy flowing toward that direction. He did not know why, but he felt it might be gathering somewhere on that continent. With the legend and the name of the continent, he felt it was possible.

He wondered what kind of things might be waiting for him there, so he continued to teleport.

For the next few hours, he kept teleporting until he was already above the vast ocean, though it was not as wide as the one separating the Barisan continent from the others. He continued approaching the Central Continent when he suddenly sensed something approaching him from behind.

When he spread his senses, he discovered that the thing approaching him was actually an interstellar vessel. Its massive hull was closing in from the distance, but he did not stop. He even slightly changed his path so that he would not have to meet with the vessel.

However, after he changed his path, he sensed that the vessel seemed to be following him. This made him stop his movement to confirm it. Floating in place, he waited to see whether the vessel would pass or approach him directly. After a short while, the vessel also came to a stop not far from him.

That confirmed it was indeed pursuing him. Without delay, he formed his domain just in case.

Before long, a side hatch of the vessel opened, revealing a middle-aged man wearing robes typically seen in the demon territory. His long brown hair was tied in a ponytail, and a divine-grade sword hung at his waist. This man had cultivation at the middle pseudo-immortal stage, giving the impression that he was the leader of a large organization.

The man looked at Aldrian with a confused expression, while Aldrian regarded him in quiet curiosity. Through the system, he could see the man’s information, but he said nothing. One detail in that information suddenly reminded Aldrian of someone from the Barisan continent.

Aldrian was still wearing his mask and robe to conceal his features. Since the mask was an artifact, the man’s senses could not discern the face or features hidden behind it.

Aldrian’s gaze then swept over the many windows on the vessel, where several people were watching him in wonder. His eyes returned to the man.

He waited for the man to speak first, and after a moment of silence, the man finally did.

"Who are you?"

Aldrian felt puzzled by the question. Why was the man asking that when he had been the one to approach? Shouldn’t he be the one asking for the man’s identity instead?

"You are the one who approached me, and you are asking that?" Aldrian replied, his tone carrying confusion.

Silence returned. Aldrian was genuinely perplexed by the man’s behavior, which also seemed tinged with confusion. Extending his senses toward the man’s heart and mind, Aldrian found that the man was bewildered by his very existence. He did not understand why the man felt or thought this way, but he could tell there was no ill intent.

After a few moments, the man released a sigh and looked at Aldrian again. He cupped his hands as a sign of respect.

"My apologies for my abrupt question. I truly did not expect to sense something that made me doubt my own perception. But let me introduce myself first. I am Shin Ryongsuk, vice master of the Piercing Heaven Sect of the Central Continent," he said.

"I just returned from my business in Arantes Star and, by coincidence, sensed something from you that truly intrigued me. How should I address you?"

Aldrian finally understood why this man possessed the same cultivation technique as someone from the Barisan continent. What caught his attention was that this man used the exact same cultivation technique as Sect Master Ryu of the Piercing Heaven Sect in the Barisan continent.

If this man was the vice master of the Piercing Heaven Sect of the Central Continent then it meant the Piercing Heaven Sect here was the origin of the one in the Barisan continent, which was already under his rule.

To think that he would meet someone from the main sect of the Piercing Heaven Sect while on his journey to the Central Continent—he felt as if fate had truly directed this man to cross his path now. Still, he did not know what the vice master meant by sensing something from him that had sparked such intrigue.

"You can just call me Aldrian," Aldrian said calmly, which left Vice Master Shin momentarily stunned.

Aldrian?

The name Aldrian had recently become a hot topic due to the information about the Barisan continent spreading everywhere. Although there could be many others with the same name across different places, this was the first time Shin had met someone who bore it.

"So, what exactly did the vice master of the Piercing Heaven Sect sense from me, for me to have the honor of being approached by you?" Aldrian asked.

"I felt some resonance with your body, and it was quite strong. This is the first time I have ever experienced something like this. How should I describe it? I simply felt that something inside your body drew me toward you," Vice Master Shin replied.

But there was something he did not say—the feeling of reverence and worship he sensed toward Aldrian. Earlier, he, along with several people inside the vessel, had felt the same sensation, something they had never experienced before. They sensed a resonance with something nearby, and then detected something moving at great speed, teleporting repeatedly.

That feeling grew even stronger the moment they saw Aldrian, prompting them to follow him and decide to greet him in hopes of uncovering the cause of this phenomenon.

At first, the one meant to greet Aldrian was not the vice master, as they did not know whether Aldrian was dangerous or not. However, he insisted on facing Aldrian directly because he felt strong pull toward him. He wanted to find out for himself what this was about.

"Are you the demonic cultivator Aldrian?" Vice Master Shin asked.

"Well, not entirely, but I could be one if wanted to," Aldrian replied, which made Vice Master Shin frown.

"What does that mean?" he asked, his tone carrying slight irritation. Aldrian’s answer felt more like a mockery than a proper response.

"I could say that I’m special. And if I show you why, you will be in shock," Aldrian answered.

His answer still did not satisfy the vice master, who continued to frown. But then he took a deep breath and let it out, as if trying to keep himself from getting angry.

"Where are you going, Aldrian?" he asked.

"I just want to visit the Central Continent. I have business there."

The vice master raised his eyebrows before smiling.

"It is such a coincidence that I am also on my way to my sect. How about you follow us to the Central Continent? It will save much of your energy, right?" he suggested.

"I can see that you are using a teleportation technique to try to reach the Central Continent. Compared to exhausting your energy later, it is much better to use transportation."

Aldrian remained silent for a moment. This was not a bad idea. He was curious about what the vice master had said regarding something inside him that created a resonance. He also saw no harm in following this man from the main Piercing Heaven Sect, as he could learn much more about the Central Continent from him or his sect.

Aldrian thought that the main branch of the Piercing Heaven Sect must also be one of the most powerful sects in the Central Continent, with roots tracing directly back to the Heavenly Demon. The three great sects that had a direct connection to the Heavenly Demon and his wife were in no way small or weak in any place.

"Aldrian, please don’t worry about me having any ill intent or anything like that. I am simply curious about the strangeness surrounding you, and I would like to have a conversation with you. Do you need me to swear in the name of the Heavenly Demon for you to trust me?" Vice Master Shin said.

Aldrian smiled behind his mask and looked directly at the vice master.

"No, you don’t have to," he replied. "Alright, I will follow you. I am also curious about what you would like to say and what this is about."

Vice Master Shin smiled.

"Great. Then let’s go. We will continue our talk after we arrive at the Central Continent, not long from now," he said, stepping aside and gesturing for Aldrian to enter the vessel first.

Aldrian floated calmly toward the vessel. As he drew near, his gaze happened to pass over one of its windows, and in that moment, he noticed a beautiful woman gazing in his direction.