The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 418: The Strength of Baron Rosalind

Duke Schmidt’s thunderous voice resounded throughout the entire city, meant to shake the hearts of its people. However, a calm yet authoritative voice swiftly countered his proclamation.

"End today? That remains to be seen. The people of the Rosalind Barony are fighters—you will pay dearly for stepping onto our land," Baron Rosalind declared.

Duke Schmidt sneered at the baron. Their families had never been on good terms. The Schmidt family had done many things behind the scenes to tarnish the Rosalind family, but the Rosalind family, being quite strong and once supported by the first prince, made it impossible to bring them down completely.

The Rosalind family had already put some noble families on edge. Despite their apparent connection with the imperial family for many years and their considerable power, their low-profile nature made many suspicious. They consider the Rosalind family a threat to their faction aligned with the second prince.

Although they claimed to remain neutral, their closeness with the first prince was something that could not be ignored.

"Is that so? You truly will not give up until death comes knocking at your doorstep!" Duke Schmidt sneered.

As he spoke, the lightning cannon of the flying fortress exuded a powerful pressure, one that the Rosalind troops could clearly feel. Crackling electricity surged around it—a clear sign that the cannon was about to unleash its devastating lightning beam.

"Open the barrier! I will step out myself!" Baron Rosalind suddenly ordered, stunning the soldiers around him.

"My lord!—

"Quick!" The baron’s voice carried urgency, making the soldier grit his teeth before swiftly executing his lord’s order. He instructed the operator of the city barrier to deactivate it, and instantly, the barrier came down.

Baron Rosalind floated outside, but he was slightly stunned when Elena followed him beyond the barrier.

"You go back—"

"I will follow you, Father," Elena’s voice cut him off.

The baron swallowed his words, then looked down at the soldiers below and gave a nod. Moments later, the barrier rose again, sealing off the city and leaving him and Elena outside.

For Baron Rosalind, there was no point in trying to persuade Elena. She had already made her choice, and he knew how stubborn she could be once she decided on something. Yet, he couldn’t help but feel proud—his daughter, once a little girl, had grown into one of the great swordmasters of the continent, standing by his side in this moment.

"Stand back," Baron Rosalind said.

Elena nodded and floated a distance behind her father.

Baron Rosalind’s demeanor suddenly changed as he closed his eyes. At his waist, he carried a long object wrapped in black cloth, which he had retrieved from his storage ring on the way here.

Slowly, he removed the cloth, revealing a sword. As he unsheathed it, a powerful aura spread through the surroundings—the unmistakable presence of a divine-grade weapon. This was a low divine-grade sword, one of the legacy artifacts of the Rosalind family.

The appearance of the low divine-grade artifact shocked many, even the troops of the Rosalind family. They had never seen their lord wield a divine-grade sword before, nor had they known that their family possessed such a weapon. While they were aware of a legacy artifact within their family, this was not the one they knew of. It was no wonder they were stunned by its sudden appearance.

Elena watched her father wield one of their legacy artifacts with pride. This sword had been safely secured by him for years, never once taken out, simply because they had never needed to. Its existence was known only to the main family members.

If even the troops of the Rosalind family were shocked, then what about their opponents? There was no need for explanation—they were just as stunned.

Duke Schmidt had never heard of the Rosalind family possessing a divine-grade sword. Seeing it now, he realized just how deep their secrets ran, hidden well enough to evade countless eyes and ears.

He gritted his teeth as he stared at Baron Rosalind’s sword. How could he not feel envious? Even in his own household, there was no divine-grade sword! While his family did possess a low divine-grade artifact, it was a defensive artifact meant for protecting the family mansion, nothing like a sword, which could directly enhance one’s combat strength.

"I have to take that sword!" he thought, his eyes flashing with greed.

He then turned toward the flying fortress.

"Fire!" he shouted.

Baron Rosalind ignored all disturbances as he held the sword before his face, his eyes still closed.

Rumble!

The deafening sound of the lightning cannon echoed as it fired a lightning beam toward the city barrier. However, standing in front of the barrier was a lone, small figure—Baron Rosalind. Compared to the size of the lightning beam, he appeared insignificant.

The lightning carried the strength of a high emperor-stage attack, making it clear that the crew of the flying fortress had used an immense amount of energy stones to push the cannon’s power to its limit.

Suddenly, Baron Rosalind opened his eyes. In an instant, he lifted his sword and slashed downward.

Third Movement of the Heavenly Sword Garden: Heaven-Splitting Void.

The moment the sword descended, the surroundings seemed to lose their color, and the space wobbled for a split second before returning to normal. There was no sound, no excessive movement, even the wind remained unaffected after the slash.

For lower-level cultivators, nothing appeared out of the ordinary after the slash. However, for an emperor-stage expert like Duke Schmidt, the hidden force within the void was unmistakable.

The true shape of the slash remained unseen, its energy traveling through the depths of the spatial void. What made it even more terrifying was its uniqueness—despite its overwhelming strength, it did not leave behind a spatial rift, yet it was still powerful enough to cut through anything in its path.

The incoming lightning beam suddenly split in half, then continued to divide again and again until it reached the large spherical structure at the front of the flying fortress. The beam dissipated, and the fortress trembled slightly upon being struck by the invisible slash.

As the lightning faded, everyone could clearly see a crack forming on the surface of the structure—a testament to the sheer power of Baron Rosalind’s attack. Those who witnessed it were left utterly shocked, their eyes fixed on the faint crack and the floating figure of Baron Rosalind.

Strong! He is so strong!

They could sense that Baron Rosalind was "only" at the low emperor stage, yet he had just unleashed an attack with the power of a high emperor-stage cultivator!

At this moment, they finally understood why so many had placed the Rosalind Barony on their watchlists and even considered it a threat. With a cultivator as powerful as Baron Rosalind, it was no surprise that others felt wary—especially those whose interests did not align with the Rosalind family.

No wonder the second prince had once sought Rosalind’s cooperation despite their neutral stance. Talent and strength of this caliber were far too valuable to ignore!

Baron Rosalind released a deep breath after using one of the Rosalind family’s techniques. He had chosen to face the lightning beam himself, revealing his true strength to prevent it from breaking the city barrier. With their scarce resources, repairing the barrier would be impossible if it were to shatter now.

At the same time, this display was meant to deter the approaching army seeking to destroy his city. If he could shake their morale even slightly, it might make them hesitate—make them question whether attacking this city, or him, was truly worth the risk.

Duke Schmidt watched this display of strength, his gaze trembling. He looked at Baron Rosalind, who still held his drawn sword, his eyes now fixed upon him.

Slowly, Baron Rosalind pointed his sword at him.

"Come," he said..

Duke Schmidt’s face turned solemn. The mocking expression was gone—there was no more underestimation. He had never witnessed Baron Rosalind’s full strength before, and he doubted that what he had just seen was the extent of it. One thing was clear: if he fought with an arrogant mindset, he would undoubtedly die. He had to give it everything he had.

"You’ve truly surprised me. To think you possess such strength... you’ve hidden yourself well," Duke Schmidt said as he floated closer to the baron. He unsheathed his sword, a peak heaven-grade weapon. "You are strong, but what can you do when you and your troops are outnumbered?"

The emperor-stage and king-stage cultivators behind him followed, floating forward as well.

Yet, Baron Rosalind remained calm, his gaze steady as he looked at the approaching enemies. Behind him, Elena also began to move, floating toward her father, ready to strike.

From the city walls, an emperor stage and eight king-stage cultivators rose into the air, intent on aiding their lord in battle. The city barrier briefly opened to allow them through before sealing shut once more.

They floated into position behind Baron Rosalind and Elena, their presence reinforcing the formidable stance of their leaders.

Duke Schmidt kept his gaze fixed on Baron Rosalind before finally giving his next command.

"All cannons—fire at the city barrier!" he roared.