Cosmic Ruler - Chapter 218

Chapter 218: Ascension II

For the next few days, or rather years, Aiden focused solely on hunting down all of Ivan’s cheats while working tirelessly to reach the peak of Spirit Godhood.

After achieving the level of Spirit God, Aiden’s goal was to ascend to the Immortal Realm, leaving the Spirit Realm behind. But his mission became even more urgent when something unexpected happened—Ivan suddenly turned into a Demonic Cultivator. This transformation made securing Ivan’s cheats more critical than ever, as the consequences of leaving them unchecked could be catastrophic.

Ivan’s descent into demonic cultivation unleashed a wave of destruction across the Spirit Realm. He began hunting with reckless abandon, even going as far as destroying entire villages. Yet, despite his malevolent actions, the World Will seemed to favor him, marking Ivan as its chosen Destiny Child.

Aiden made countless attempts to hunt Ivan down, but each time, Ivan managed to escape, slipping through his grasp like a shadow. It became clear that simply chasing him was not enough. Ivan’s strength, amplified by his throne-like Martial Spirit, made him nearly unstoppable. He was already overpowered, and if left unchecked, his power would only grow further, as the World Will continued to grant him new destinies.

Now, Aiden’s only option was to nerf Ivan—to ensure that he could not acquire any more destinies or grow even more powerful. The battle was no longer just about stopping Ivan; it was about weakening him, stripping away his potential, and ensuring that the balance of power in the Spirit Realm could be restored.

Now at the peak of the Spirit God realm, Aiden stood tall, his expression solemn. Before him stood Ivan, radiating an aura of equal power—he too had reached the Spirit God realm.

“How are you, thief bastard?” Ivan spat, his voice dripping with contempt.

“What do you mean?” Aiden asked, his brows furrowing in confusion.

“Don’t you dare act ignorant!” Ivan roared in response, his rage barely contained.

“It was YOU all along, stealing my providence!”

Aiden’s eyes widened slightly, but he remained silent as Ivan continued.

“Do you even know how it feels when something that rightfully belongs to you is stolen, and you don’t even know who did it? It feels like someone is ripping you apart piece by piece—THAT’S WHAT YOU DID!” Ivan’s voice was raw with anger, each word a lash of accusation.

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” Aiden replied, his confusion genuine.

Ivan frowned, staring at Aiden as if trying to pierce through his soul. The look of bewilderment on Aiden’s face was unmistakable. Even Aiden himself seemed unaware that stealing Ivan’s opportunities had caused such excruciating pain.

‘He really didn’t do it?’ Ivan thought, doubt creeping into his mind.

Suddenly, Ivan clutched his head and began to laugh—a maniacal, unhinged sound that echoed through the air.

“HAHAhahaha…”

“Ahahahahahahaha!”

“Fucking shit!” Ivan cursed, his voice filled with a mixture of relief and madness. “After all this time, I thought it was you… but NO! There’s a different leech out there, LEECHING OFF ME!” Ivan shouted, his expression wild as he gripped his head, eyes blazing with fury.

His red eyes locked onto Aiden, and with a crazed look, he spoke, “Congratulations,” he said, panting heavily as if each breath was a struggle.

“Congratulations?” Aiden echoed, uncertain of what Ivan meant.

“Congratulations, you get to live,” Ivan said through gritted teeth. As he spoke, a pillar of light erupted from his body, signaling the beginning of his ascension.

Aiden could only watch in silence as Ivan ascended toward the heavens, a maddened look etched on his face, leaving behind the echoes of his laughter and rage.

Aiden kept his eyes on Ivan until the last trace of him vanished, ascending to the heavens. As the light finally dissipated, Aiden mumbled to himself, “Nexus, was it true?”

The silence that followed gave him no answers.

“Oh yes, I forgot,” Aiden sighed, recalling the situation. “There’s still time before Nexus returns.”

He turned around to see Serina approaching him.

“How did it go?” she asked.

“Not the way I imagined,” Aiden replied, disappointment evident in his voice. He had genuinely expected a fight, but Ivan’s confrontation had turned out very differently.

Aiden explained everything to Serina, and she gasped. “So, you really stole it from him?”

“No,” Aiden shook his head. “It’s not exactly like that. My artifact simply shows me the locations of treasures. It wasn’t just his that I took. Besides, he hadn’t even claimed them yet.”

Serina nodded thoughtfully. “Then why did he say they were HIS?”

“How the hell would I know?” Aiden shrugged, then sat down on a nearby rock. “Are you ready?” he asked, looking up at Serina.

“Yes, I am,” she replied, determination in her voice.

“Very well then, let’s ascend. I’ve done all the work I could here,” Aiden said, rising to his feet.

“Hmm,” Serina nodded, and together, they initiated their ascension.

A pillar of light descended upon them, marking the beginning of the Trial of Ascension. Aiden flexed his muscles and did a light stretch, his gaze fixed upwards.

From the heavens, a being descended. Its form was otherworldly—a pure white body with no discernible face, only a featureless slate. Its elongated limbs ended in five razor-sharp claws, and its feet were like talons. Two large feathered wings extended from its back.

“Prove your worth,” the being commanded, its body suddenly engulfed in lightning. But this was no ordinary lightning—it was Heaven’s Forbidden Lightning, capable of dealing devastating damage.

It raised its hand, and Aiden prepared himself, summoning his Golden Martial Spirit. But before he could engage, another pillar of light descended upon the being, causing it to morph. The featureless figure transformed into a humanoid soldier clad in gleaming armor.

The being now had three pairs of enormous feathered wings, an eagle-like helmeted face, and it wielded a lance with a lightning spearhead. Its entire body was encased in golden armor, intricately designed with celestial motifs.

“Hmm,” the Heaven Inspector mused as he observed his own transformation. “It seems either Heaven is jealous of you, or it holds great expectations.”

Aiden pursed his lips. He wanted to say that Heaven was definitely jealous of him, but he kept the thought to himself. Instead, he swung his sword, sending a golden slash straight at the Heaven Inspector.

The Heaven Inspector barely moved, lightly sidestepping the attack. With a calm demeanor, he grasped his lance and began to channel an artful technique. “Dragon Descending Art,” he intoned, his voice steady. “First Form: Piercing Relentless Rush.”

He moved the lance in an intricate pattern, summoning the illusion of a dragon rushing at Aiden with terrifying speed.

In response, Aiden raised his sword high and swung it downward in a vertical slash, murmuring, “Space Rend.”

The space before him split open, swallowing the dragon whole. A moment later, the rift opened behind the Heaven Inspector, releasing the dragon to attack its own summoner.

The Heaven Inspector reacted swiftly. He drove the lance into the ground, using it as a foothold to leap into the air. With a quick strike, he redirected the dragon’s trajectory, sending it hurtling skyward instead.

The battle had only just begun, and both combatants were testing the limits of their opponents.

The Heaven Inspector landed gracefully on the ground, his eyes locked on Aiden. “It seems you know what you’re up against,” he remarked, his tone tinged with curiosity.

Aiden nodded. “Yes, you could say that.”

“Good,” the Heaven Inspector replied with a hint of satisfaction. “At least this won’t be boring.”

As he spoke, the lance in his hand began to morph, now crackling with white and black lightning. The tip shifted, taking the shape of a trident head, glowing with raw power.

The Heaven Inspector moved fluidly, his steps precise and controlled as he announced his next technique. “Second Form: Drifting Dragon Tail.”

A relentless assault followed, with attacks coming at Aiden from every possible angle. The lightning-infused trident moved with terrifying speed, threatening to overwhelm him. If not for Aiden’s keen insight, honed through countless battles, he might have been lost to the barrage or, at the very least, heavily injured.

Aiden kept moving, parrying the lightning trident with his golden sword. Each clash sent sparks flying as he maneuvered through the onslaught. Then, seizing an opportunity, he counterattacked, breaking the second form and sending the Heaven Inspector sliding backward.

But Aiden didn’t stop there. He swiftly activated his Martial Skill, “Spatial Shift,” which was essentially a cultivation version of a blink technique. By opening small spatial rifts, Aiden could move instantaneously across the battlefield, attacking from all sides.

As he pressed his advantage, the Heaven Inspector’s eagle-helmeted face gleamed, and he spoke, “Third Form: Ascending Dragon Drop.”

With that, the Heaven Inspector leaped high into the air, descending with terrifying speed, like a meteor aimed directly at Aiden. It seemed like a reckless, almost suicidal move, but it was anything but. His descent was fully controlled, his aim precise as he bore down on Aiden from above.

Seeing no way out, Aiden summoned his Death Dragon Spirit Skill, bracing himself for the impact. “Death Embrace,” he invoked, and pure black leathery wings encased him, wrapping around his body like a protective cocoon.

This skill wasn’t defensive by nature; it was an offensive technique designed to engulf his opponent in dark, death essence-filled wings. But now, Aiden used it as a countermeasure, knowing that he could never block the Heaven Forbidden Lightning directly. Instead, he sought to neutralize it by merging the deadly energies with his own.

The two forces collided in a burst of light and shadow, the battlefield crackling with the sheer intensity of their clash.