Removing the Curse
Although he was not aware that Azrael has billions of years of experience. Things are better left unspoken. Azrael would not allow anyone who was older than him physically to call him senior.
Cecilia giggled, seeing this interaction. She knew Azrael was only trying to lighten the mood.
"I will now explain the curse that the heavens casted on you. It's a curse that will slowly consume your soul without you noticing it. It will devour you until your soul is destroyed and erased, with no chance of reincarnation."
The old man couldn't help but shudder. He then inspected himself, even his soul, but no matter what he did, he couldn't detect any anomaly.
"Don't waste your effort; you wouldn't notice it. Even my master, who has great daos beyond perfection, couldn't detect it until the curse had eaten most parts of his soul—a damage he could not reverse. Although his Great Daos were still weaker than mine, beyond perfection is still beyond perfection. With that being said, you should realize how powerful and sneaky this curse is. So, even if you dedicate your whole life to it, you wouldn't be able to detect it, let alone remove it."
"Then, can you detect it?"
Azrael smiled confidently, "Of course. Not only that, the curse hasn't done much damage, so with a power exerted, I can even remove it."
The old man beamed with delight.
"Then-"
"But what could I gain from helping you?"
"What?"
"Like I said, what can I gain from helping you? You don't expect me to go through all the trouble of removing this curse without any return, do you?"
The old man was stupefied; he didn't know what to say. He thought about it, but he couldn't think of anything he could offer to the man in front of him. The man was powerful, more powerful than he was. Even if he were at his 100%, he doubted if he could fight this man. With this kind of power, he could get anything he wanted. Treasures? He could get those forcefully. Beauty? With his appearance and power, females would unquestionably want to be with him. He just needed to say one word, and the prime example here is the beautiful and powerful elf beside him. Thinking about it carefully, he opened his mouth. "What do you want from me?"
Azrael smiled slightly. "I want you to be my general."
The old man looked at him with surprise. He didn't expect this man to make such a request. General? Him?
Azrael ignored his reaction and continued, "You have peered into the roots of the mural. You have glimpsed the past and realized the true face of heaven. My request should be no surprise. I want to gather powerful beings under me because the past you have glimpsed will bite back in the future. Yes, I am powerful—more powerful than you, more powerful than my master. But that is not enough to completely end what will come. I wouldn't waste manpower like you. That's why, if you want to remove that curse, submit to me and let me work you to the bone in the future. I will put you on the front line when that thing comes."
The old man took a deep breath. "I agree."
"Good." Azrael then looked at Cecilia. "Honey, can you step back for a moment?"
"Sure."
Azrael then looked at the old man with a solemn expression. An aura of great daos suddenly emerged from Azrael. This aura was much stronger than even his aura when he was at his 100%. The old man felt the weight of the entire cosmos descending, making it hard for him to breathe.
Azrael's right palm glowed with light as chains made of great daos bound the old man, holding him in place.
At the same time, several arrays made from great dao appeared inside this dimension. Though it was an independent dimension, it was still connected to the Secret Mystic Realm. Azrael sealed this place because he knew that the heavens wouldn't sit still and would take action. That action would implicate not only the Secret Mystic Realm but the entire Mortal Realm, and the effects would not end there—it would also reach the Great Plane above this mortal realm.
Azrael then slammed his palm into the old man's chest.
"Ugh!" The old man couldn't help but groan as black veins appeared on his skin, and he began to bleed from his orifices.
Inside the old man's soul, Azrael was in a pure white place. At the center, a large, ominous black symbol floated. In comparison to the current Azrael in this place, it was as if he were an ant.
Azrael launched his attack.
Outside, after Azrael slammed his palm into the old man's chest and delved into his soul, black ominous clouds appeared in the dimension.
Cecilia couldn't help but look solemn. She didn't try to stand next to Azrael because of his order; instead, she remained on guard. Black lightning with a tint of red started to form. This time, the heavens were truly angry—not only because it sensed the curse being removed but also because the same presence, the man who had challenged it multiple times, was the one removing the curse.
The black-red lightning surged forward, an ominous force threatening to consume everything in its path. Azrael, still within the old man's soul, fought against the symbol at the core, aiming to break the curse.
Cecilia stood vigilant, her eyes sharp as the dark clouds of malevolent energy gathered around her. The lightning bolts, charged with destructive intent, shot towards Azrael's location. With a swift movement, Cecilia stepped forward, drawing her sword, and unleashed the Sword Great Dao to intercept the incoming attack.
The clash between the black-red lightning and Cecilia's Sword Great Dao created a dazzling display of sparks and energy. The sheer power and malevolence of the heavenly attack pressed against Cecilia's defenses, but she held her ground, determined to protect Azrael and repel the impending threat.
Sensing the overwhelming force, Cecilia infused her Paint Great Dao into the clash. Colors erupted in vibrant patterns as she created intricate paintings in the air, deflecting and dispersing the malevolent energy. The combination of the Sword Great Dao and Paint Great Dao created a dazzling dance of sword strokes and swirling colors against the dark backdrop of the incoming storm.
However, the black-red lightning intensified, forcing Cecilia to go on the offensive. Drawing on her Paint Great Dao combined with Life Great Dao, she focused her energy on creating a powerful army made of living paint. These beings, imbued with the essence of life, possessed fast recovery and exceptional vitality. As the clash continued, the living paint army joined the fray, engaging the malevolent energy with resilience and strength.
As the battle unfolded, the Paint Army, led by its resolute general, faced the relentless assault of the black-red lightning. The general, created by Cecilia's Paint Great Dao and infused with the essence of her Life Great Dao, commanded the troops to clash against the heavenly onslaught.
The black-red lightning strikes intensified, but the Paint Army displayed incredible resilience and rapid recovery. Each clash sent vibrant waves of color across the battlefield, creating a mesmerizing display of artistry amidst the chaos of battle.
However, the heaven, realizing the threat posed by Cecilia's combined Great Daos, unleashed a tremendous burst of energy, intensifying the black-red lightning to unprecedented levels. The colossal attack struck with overwhelming force, putting an immense burden on Cecilia's defenses.
The Paint Army fought valiantly, but under the intensified assault, the forces of heaven managed to break through their ranks, causing a temporary disarray. As blood seeped from Cecilia's wounds, the intensity of the celestial onslaught reached its peak, annihilating the Paint Army in a spectacular display of destructive power.
Yet, in the next instant, Cecilia showcased the remarkable recovery capabilities of a Saint Lord. Her injuries healed swiftly, and she stood once again, resolute and undeterred.
Cecilia's strength, though not equal to the old man's, was formidable for a Saint Lord. In the normal course, a Saint Lord typically mastered one Perfected Great Dao, and having two Great Daos was already considered powerful. Cecilia, on the other hand, possessed three Perfected Great Daos, an exceptional feat that could overwhelm an average Saint Lord. Furthermore, her Life Great Dao displayed signs of a breakthrough, surpassing the limits of perfection.
Contrastingly, the old man, despite having hundreds of Great Daos, was a relic of an ancient era born just a few eras after the Great Calamity. His trillions of years of existence had allowed him to accumulate vast knowledge and power. However, not all of his Great Daos reached perfection. Out of the hundreds, only 10 had attained perfection.The rest were formidable but fell short of the perfection level. His strength still surpassed the norm for Saint Lords, and he remained a formidable force.
Cecilia continued to clash with the black-red lightning. Suddenly, a heavenly flame descended, catching Cecilia off guard. Her left arm was engulfed in flames, and in response, she promptly cut off the burning part. Recognizing that even if she extinguished the flames, she wouldn't be able to heal the burnt area, Cecilia resorted to severing her left arm. After the amputation, her arm instantly regenerated.
In an instant, she found herself at a disadvantage. Injuries accumulated as quickly as her regeneration allowed. Each time she healed, the heaven's attacks intensified, causing fresh wounds. This cycle repeated multiple times, and she was being overwhelmed.
Then, powerful energies converged within the dark clouds. Seeing this, Cecilia knew that she couldn't face this head-on. Still, she didn't retreat. On her back was her husband, focused on removing the curse. She couldn't possibly ignore his defenseless back.
She readied herself. However,
"That's enough," a chilling voice echoed, causing the entire dimension to tremble.
"Heaven, oh heaven, why can't you just sit still? Why are you always itching to be slapped by me? Sigh."
A smile bloomed on Cecilia's face.
She then retreated, while Azrael floated in the air. As Azrael hovered, a face formed in the dark clouds, looking at him angrily. The face expressed its frustration with Azrael, who had challenged it multiple times. Thinking this was the opportune moment to strike the defenseless man attempting to remove the curse, it miscalculated due to Cecilia's interference.
Now aware that it couldn't inflict damage on Azrael without expending massive energy, crucial for the future, the thick clouds began to disperse. However,
"Do you think you can leave without a scratch after injuring my wife? That's a no-no even for a coward like you, you know?" Azrael swiftly attacked, completely erasing the thick clouds and shaking the entire dimension.
Amidst the cosmos, a powerful scream resonated, reaching only the ears of mighty beings.
"What is that scream? Could it be related to the voice we heard a few months ago?"
Powerful entities speculated, attempting to discern the source and significance of the mysterious sound.