Chapter 248
At the same time, within the Underworld Realm.
"Praise Narayana."
Just as Andhaka stumbled and fell into a wilderness, and sat down to rest on a rock, a voice suddenly rang in his ears.
This prompted Andhaka, who had just run out, to stand up and look around. "Who is it?"
"Praise Narayana."
Narada continued, his smile unchanged for millions of years.
"I am Narayana, Lord of the Himalayas, the Great God, and a humble follower of Brahma, Narada."
"Narada?"
Andhaka paused, then asked, somewhat puzzled, "But I didn't feel anyone picking me up. When did you arrive, and what are you doing here? Don't pick me up, go away."
"To find out Narada came from and where he went, you'd have to spend your whole life."
However, Andhaka didn't mince words when Narada made fun of him.
He continued, his expression serious, "Please answer my question."
"I was traveling through the Three Worlds when I happened to meet you."
"... I see."
Andhaka had no suspicions, so he thought that since the other party had introduced himself, he should also introduce himself.
"I am the blind Andhaka, but I fear no one, nor do I wish to harm anyone. I am telling the truth."
Andhaka's series of words seemed a bit strange, Narada knew from Brahma that he was very sensitive, so it wasn't surprising.
"Then what do you want to do, blind Andhaka?"
"... Yes, I want to become the strongest king in the world, the most powerful king."
"What a fresh target."
Narada nodded, "But those who aspire to become the most powerful king in the world must all pay homage to Brahma."
Brahma?
"Yes."
"Can't Love God do it?"
Andhaka's sudden question almost left Narada speechless.
Love God? Kama? Deity who isn't even Eight Guardian Gods...
It's not that Narada looked down on Kama, but rather that Kama didn't have much of a presence among the gods. His most prominent moment was when Indra asked him to go to the Himalayas Mountains to connect the Parvati and Shiva.
While it's certainly possible, it still feels somewhat lacking, considering that Vishnu spent 999,000 years to receive the blessing of the Sun God Surya...
"I'm afraid that won't work. As far as I know, no king worships the Love God."
Narada quickly skipped the topic, "But the blessings bestowed by Brahma are countless. Once you obtain Brahma's blessing, you can conquer not only this world, but the entire Three Worlds. However, obtaining Brahma's Blessing is not easy; you must undergo rigorous ascetic practices for it."
The Rishi paused, then raised his hands and continued speaking.
"This requires you to challenge your physical and mental limits, and even surpass them."
Andhaka hesitated for a moment, but in order to fulfill his wish, he resolutely nodded:
"I will do it! I will complete this rigorous ascetic practice! Once I succeed, Brahma will surely bless me! This is no joke!"
To this, Narada smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Praise be to Narayana."
After this, Andhaka began his ascetic practices asceticism toward Brahma.
Where he stood, the Taiga had dried up in the blink of an eye, turning into a vast expanse of molten lava, much like the transformation of the sea into fertile land.
And amidst the molten lava, Andhaka stands alone like a golden rooster.
Praise be to Brahma!
Praise be to Brahma!
Andhaka stands on one leg like a golden rooster, hands clasped together, murmuring something.
However, perhaps because he had not seen any movement from Brahma for a long time, Andhaka became somewhat irritated. He stared at the fire in the Fire Sacrifice used for asceticism, where a dim figure glared angrily and let out a low growl.
Brahma!
Andhaka drew his small sword. "I will offer you my blood!"
The next moment, he slashed his palm, clenched his fist, and blood flowed continuously.
However, Brahma still hadn't arrived, so Andhaka continued:
"It seems you're still not satisfied, Brahma."
So Andhaka began to carve his own Flesh, an act that can be seen as an offering of his own flesh and blood during ascetic practice.
"Brahma, I will offer these eyes as well!"
Then, Andhaka slashed his eyes, blood streaming from them. The lacerations stretched across his already blind eyes, and the gushing crimson Waterflow formed a boiling lake of blood in the center of the lava pool.
Finally--
Swish!
Golden rays of light condensed and shone in all directions, solidifying and calming the boiling magma, which then transformed into lush green grass. The golden light also fell upon Andhaka, healing his bleeding eyes.
Even though Andhaka is still blind, he senses the vibrant life around him.
He slowly raised his head to face the brilliant divine light shining down from above, and burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha... Please forgive me, Brahma, I do not mean disrespect to you. I laugh because I find it ironic. These eyes are of no use to me, yet they become my best offering during Sacrifice."
"Andhaka! Because your rigorous asceticism has been Satya Yuga and you have successfully pleased me, you may ask me for a blessing."
Brahma spoke slowly and deliberately.
"I know that you have been living in darkness until now. Would you be willing to ask for sight as a blessing to begin a new life?"
Andhaka raised his head and slowly clenched his fist.
"No, Brahma! I don't need it. This darkness has been with me since my birth, and its complete end can only come after my death. I hate the light in this world, yet everything forces me to remember it, forces me to accept it. I would rather spend my life in this darkness!"
"I do wish to see, but sight in this world depends on light. Grant me sight, but grant me sight through hearing!"
"Very well, I grant you sight through hearing; everything you can hear will appear as a perceptible image in your mind."
With a smile, Brahma raised his Divinity right hand, and a faint radiance echoed with his voice, instantly entering Andhaka's body.
"Haha, very good, Brahma."
Andhaka smiled again, "But Brahma, this is not the blessing I asked for, but the one you wished me to ask for."
Andhaka played a little trick. If Brahma had acted strictly according to the rules, he probably would have left immediately. However, Brahma thought that Andhaka was related to the reincarnation of Kavia, so having another one would barely offset the asceticism.
Therefore, Brahma, with his snow-white hair, lowered his gaze to look at Andhaka, who was meditating below, and said softly:
"Speak, state what you desire."
Then, Andhaka said, word by word, "I want to conquer death, to live forever, and I can obtain everything else by myself, Brahma."
"No, Andhaka, I cannot grant you immortality. Ask for something else."
Brahma!
Andhaka gritted his teeth and shouted, "It seems my ascetic practices haven't been enough! Is that why? Brahma, you refuse to bless me, yet you impose your own ideas on me!"
"Andhaka, I cannot grant you immortality as a blessing, but you can decide for yourself how you die; that is what I can give you."
"Hahaha, since that's the case, Brahma."
Andhaka raised his hand high, pointing at Brahma, "My death will only occur when I willingly choose light, not life; the day I truly thirst for light will be my death!"
At that moment, Brahma raised his right hand again, and Divinity light radiated from him, flowing into Andhaka's body.
As you wish!
Brahma spoke slowly.
His voice was Divinity and majestic, resounding endlessly, traversing countless voids, and echoing continuously throughout this Underworld Realm.
Rumble!
A terrifying thunderclap descended from the sky, accompanied by a continuous barrage of lightning.
Finally, Brahma gave Andhaka a deep look before disappearing from the Underworld Realm.
Roar!
Andhaka opened his arms and let out a low growl.
An invisible wave of energy erupted from his body, instantly turning the surrounding green grassland to ashes. Terrifying earthquakes struck one after another, the earth cracked open, and countless molten rocks burst forth from the ground.
"Hahahaha! I've finally succeeded! I'm going to give that incredibly beautiful woman to Maya!"
Andhaka laughed loudly.
His arduous practice and the Brahma's Blessing, besides aiming to become the king of the world, were primarily motivated by a desire to repay Maya, the alias of Kavia.
If Maya could become the king of the Three Worlds, he would Adam become the Heavenly Emperor or the Asuras King, let alone the acting Love God of love!
And the woman's figure beside the figure in the fire and the one he feared.
In Andhaka's eyes, it was so beautiful that it was perfect to give it to Maya! As for that figure, he would surely kill it with his own hands!
The Third Beast JPG.
Chapter 309 A Surprise Fact... Yeah, right.
Like all Asura who receive blessings, Andhaka, who received Brahma's Blessing, was to become the Asuras King and lead his Asura to attack the Heaven Realm once again, seizing Indra's throne as the Heavenly Emperor of Gods.
Indeed, that was what Andhaka thought, but at this moment Brahma's Blessing that "everything you can hear will appear as a perceptible image in your mind," he did not immediately return to teach the Asura who wanted to kill him a lesson, but instead came to a city in the Human Realm.
Andhaka remembered that Maya, as the Proxy God of Love, had been traveling between the Human Realm and the Underworld Realm all these years, so he wondered if he could meet Maya again since he hadn't seen Maya for a long time.
So he stood on the roof of a building, and amidst the cacophony of conversation, the scenery of the place gradually came to form in Andhaka's mind.
A multitude of dilapidated, chaotic buildings, seemingly crammed into the cracks of the city, reek of lust, money, and alcohol in many places. Even outside the City, there are filthy people scavenging for scraps...
Once, Andhaka thought that Maya was able to persist in spreading 'love' in the Human Realm, so humans must be better than Asura. But now it seems that humans are not so good either. They look somewhat troublesome and dirty, which is quite an uncomfortable sight.
The Aspected God naturally understood the reason for this, because the era had entered the Treta Yuga Era. In the Satya Yuga Era, no one needed to work, and food and other necessities were readily available. However, in the Treta Yuga Era, people had to start working to survive and were enthusiastic about sacrifices, pursuing results through Ritual.
If you do the math, it's roughly equivalent to moving from the Golden Age of Greece to the Silver Age.
Will I be able to see him? Or will I not...?
Andhaka asked himself this question dozens, even hundreds of times.
Then, Andhaka heard the sounds of plants and distant animals, which pleased him greatly, for it meant that Maya had arrived. In the past, when he heard these sounds, it was always when he met Maya.
In the past, he could only hear the voice, but now he could already picture 'Maya' in his mind.
A person with a straight back, silver hair, and holding a Bow and Arrow made of many colors, with a Cockatoo perched on their shoulder, appears at first glance to have a sculpted, Perfection physique and bone structure, possessing an artistic beauty from their brow to the tip of their nose...
Especially those eyes, a beautiful blue that seemed almost unreal. Coupled with their shimmering brilliance, they were not only works of art to be admired, but also possessed a kind of life-like beauty—a beauty that felt dreamlike and ethereal.
Perhaps this was some kind of added bonus; for Andhaka, no matter what, 'Maya,' the only one who had accompanied him since childhood, was the best in his heart. Therefore, with the excitement of finally seeing her, Andhaka came to Maya and said somewhat incoherently:
"I'm sorry, something happened that caused the delay. Please forgive me."
"It's alright, but Andhaka, I heard they say there was a fire somewhere Andhaka you—"
"Yes, there was a fire."
Andhaka's face contorted with Wrath. "Those bastards tried to kill me! They even went so far as to set my house on fire..."
Kavia could understand Andhaka's Wrath; after all, he had almost died, and anyone would be understandably Wrath.
But he also understood that since Andhaka hadn't appeared before him for so long after this incident, he must have been undergoing arduous spiritual practice to earn Brahma's blessing. He guessed that Anthaka had probably succeeded by now and was appearing before him.
Well, although his companionship over the years seemed to have improved Andhaka's heart, this 'Child of Darkness,' Kavia couldn't help but feel worried when he thought of the former Jalandhara...
After all, under normal circumstances, after being blessed, Andhaka became the Asuras King and then became interested in his own mother, Parvati, wanting to possess her. Even after learning from his Asura mentor Shukra that he was a derivative of Shiva, he did not give up. It can only be said that love had clouded his judgment.
However, Kavia is unaware of is that Andhaka has already seen Parvati's figure beforehand. Andhaka has feared fire since childhood, and the figure in the light is Shiva. The woman's figure next to Shiva's figure on the night of the fire is naturally Parvati.