The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 441: Varuga Town

Inside the imperial palace, Prince Wilmar and Grand Duke Donovan sat at the dining table, seemingly enjoying the meal before them. Maids stood by at the edges of the room, ready to attend to their needs. For a few moments, only the sound of forks meeting plates filled the dining room, until the prince’s voice broke the silence.

"The effect should take place today, right?" Wilmar asked.

"Yes, Your Highness. Based on my estimation, the Weilmar Barony, especially Caritas and Weilmar City should already be in chaos as the outbreak has begun," the grand duke replied.

Wilmar nodded before slicing another piece of meat and continuing the conversation.

"Now we have leeway while that bastard deals with his own problems. He’ll be too preoccupied until everyone infected has died. I don’t believe he can solve this crisis. However, even if he does find a solution, it will be too late for him to do anything. By then, our troops will have already conquered the north and west. After that, we can focus on the south, strike the Rosalind Barony again, and finally move east."

He put a piece of meat in his mouth and chewed.

"After that, we’ll have even more power, and we’ll use everything we have to crush that man!" he added after swallowing the meat.

Grand Duke Donovan nodded.

"The western side only needs a little more push before it falls. And although we encountered a hindrance in the south with the appearance of that mysterious swordsman, once he returns to Caritas, we can resume our offensive and regain momentum. We only need to maintain our pace for two weeks at most, and we’ll be ready to conquer the eastern region," he said.

"Even the mysterious swordsman has his limits if we cut off his connections within the empire. Even if we can’t kill him, we can drive him out of the empire that way. Well, that is—if he isn’t too stubborn."

Wilmar took another bite and smiled.

"Good, good. But truly, we are fortunate to have ’that man’s’ Gu in our facility. With his help, we can continue our research and breed other kinds of Gu," he said.

"Yes, Your Highness. I am also truly amazed by these Gu. I doubt anyone could recognize them, as this type of Gu is unique. The first time I saw them, I never imagined they could be so small. Their effects are terrifying, and it will take some time for our enemies to even realize what hit them," he answered.

"Even if that man or anyone else discovers the cause of the outbreak, there won’t be any evidence pointing to us. All traces have already been erased with the deaths of our subjects," he added.

Wilmar sliced another piece of meat and took a bite.

"It’s a pity we don’t have any scouts to report on the situation in the Weilmar Barony. I want to hear the panic of those people and that bastard’s reaction. It would be a delightful thing to witness."

"Well, it can’t be helped, Your Highness. Based on our assessment, Caritas and Weilmar will be in total lockdown, meaning they will cut off their teleportation station’s connection to the outside. If we send scouts there, they will have difficulty transmitting information back. Using a communication artifact is also risky, as it can be detected when in use," the grand duke answered.

The prince maintained his satisfied smile as he thought over the situation.

"Let’s see if you can escape from this."

They continued eating without issue, the atmosphere remaining upbeat. It was only natural—they already felt their plan had succeeded.

------------------------------

As for the main target of their operation, Aldrian was already elsewhere, far from Caritas. He had just stepped out of a teleportation portal in Varuga Town, the place where he could completely mess with Grand Duke Donovan.

The people spreading the Gu had come from here, meaning this town had something special about it. According to the information he received from Arson, this place was also a hotspot for shady activities. He wanted to find out exactly how ’special’ this place was.

The moment he stepped out of the teleportation portal, he had already made himself invisible using a light-manipulation technique. He casually passed through the checkpoint station, where town soldiers were inspecting each traveler. Before making a move, he wanted to first observe the situation in the town.

Just like any other place in the empire, on the surface, this town appeared no different from the others. However, Aldrian could sense a strange atmosphere lingering over it.

Many people here were hiding their true faces and intentions behind fake expressions.

When he looked at the merchants offering their goods, they wore warm expressions full of generosity, but in reality, they were sinister traders with ill intent. There were also people offering various services, yet they harbored hidden agendas deep within their hearts. These individuals were experts at hiding their true intentions, and they seemed to understand each other’s nature well. As a result, the town was shrouded in an odd tension, where everyone remained wary of one another.

When Aldrian expanded his senses to the maximum, he was stunned to discover numerous hidden strong cultivators throughout the town. There were even a few Emperor-stage cultivators within some establishments, an unusual occurrence for a town of this caliber, as individuals of that level were rarely found in such places.

He also sensed several shady locations concealed behind the town’s ordinary façade. Although he couldn’t determine what was inside those hidden places, their entrances were carefully obscured from outsiders, seemingly accessible only to a select few.

If he wanted to see more details inside the place, he would have to create his own domain here, something he had already planned to do next.

Without hesitation, he freely spread his senses, scanning everything without restraint. He knew that doing so would alert the hidden Emperor-stage and King-stage cultivators. Spreading one’s senses so openly was considered disrespectful, and many would take offense to it.

Just as he had expected, the moment he spread his senses freely to the maximum, cultivators from various parts of the town immediately responded. Their own senses expanded outward, as if seeking to identify the one who dared to disrespect them.

Many of their senses swept past Aldrian’s invisible body, and he was certain that some had already detected his hidden presence. The Emperor-stage and some King-stage cultivators even focused their attention in his direction.

Aldrian smirked at this. He then teleported onto a rooftop, making himself visible. He now wore a different mask from his usual one, along with a robe that concealed his features. Standing motionless, he closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again.

Suddenly, from his right side, a figure with peak King-stage cultivation appeared, his hand moving as if to choke Aldrian. However, just before it could reach his neck, a spatial crack opened in front of the hand, causing it to plunge into the void.

Without warning, the crack snapped shut at incredible speed, severing the man’s hand before he could react. Blood instantly spurted in all directions as his severed hand vanished into the void.

"Argh! Nggh!"

The man was about to scream in pain, but Aldrian grabbed his mouth with one hand and instantly forced him to swallow a bolt of lightning. His body convulsed violently before Aldrian’s other hand struck his dantian with a powerful punch, instantly shattering it. His cultivation dissipated at an alarming speed, but Aldrian paid no mind, he simply wanted to look the man’s memories.

However, before Aldrian could begin, another figure appeared a few meters away. Then another. And another.

In moments, more than ten King-stage cultivators had surrounded him, all wearing deep frowns as they observed the scene. They turned their gaze to the King-stage cultivator in Aldrian’s grasp, who was barely clinging to life. With his dantian shattered and his body scorched by lightning, he was already on the brink of death.

One of the King-stage cultivators then sneered as he glanced at the helpless man in Aldrian’s grip.

"Serves him right. His own reckless nature led him to this. He never thinks before acting, always killing anyone who disrespects him without hesitation," the man said with a mocking tone before shifting his gaze to Aldrian.

All of them could sense that Aldrian was only at the low Duke stage, yet he had effortlessly subdued a peak King-stage cultivator. That could only mean one thing—this masked figure was concealing his true cultivation level.

"Who are you? How dare you—" The man’s voice suddenly halted as recognition flashed across his face. His eyes narrowed as he took a closer look at Aldrian’s masked figure.

He recalled something from the news he had read not long ago, a figure who had become a hot topic across the continent in recent years. According to the latest reports, this cultivator was at the Duke stage, as sensed by those who had encountered him.

More importantly, he was the one who dared to stand against the entire Second Prince’s faction alone.

The mysterious swordsman.

Although sketches of his face had spread across the continent, he was known for wearing a mask. The mask before them was different from the one the swordsman usually wore, but it was still known that he preferred to conceal his face.

Some of the King-stage cultivators also seemed to realize something as they observed their colleague who had abruptly fallen silent.

Meanwhile, sweat had already begun rolling down the man’s forehead.

"Shit!"

Finally, something clicked in their minds as they recalled the news. A chill ran down their spines, and without hesitation, they instinctively tried to flee, soaring into the air. The slower ones, still processing the situation, could only watch in confusion at their companions’ sudden panic.

"HE IS—!"

But before they could finish their shout or escape, they felt their bodies freeze, locked in midair.

They were horrified to find that no matter how much strength they used, their bodies refused to move.

"Where are you going? Since you came to me voluntarily, you should stay a while."

Aldrian’s voice sent a chill straight to their hearts.