The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 442: Wait…wait!

Although he spoke with a slightly joking tone, to these people, Aldrian’s voice only brought a sense of impending doom, as if a nightmare had descended upon them.

Many of the senses that had locked onto this place vanished instantly, as if those who had been observing Aldrian hurriedly retracted their awareness to avoid being noticed. Some of the Emperor Stage and King Stage cultivators hidden in the shadows looked in Aldrian’s direction solemnly. A few even began to leave their establishments, attempting to distance themselves from him.

Others remained in their places, fearing that any movement might draw Aldrian’s attention. After all, given everything they had heard about this young man and what they had just witnessed, they worried that trying to escape would only make them stand out even more.

One of those who shared this mindset was the strongest cultivator in town. Inside a grand mansion on the northern side of the town, a man sat in his cultivation room, clearly agitated.

He was a middle-aged man at the middle Emperor Stage, someone who, under normal circumstances, should not have been in a place like this. He woke up from his cultivation state after feeling someone’s sense sweep over him. When he checked who it was and witnessed what Aldrian had done, he immediately withdrew his sense.

Sweat dripped from his forehead as shock gripped him.

"He is here?! How could this be?!" His mind was in turmoil.

"Shouldn’t he be in Caritas, dealing with the outbreak? Did he abandon the people of the Caritas? Does he not care about them?" he thought. Then, another possibility surfaced—one that sent a chill through his heart.

"Does he know where those subjects came from and came here? Does he know that we are the ones who sent them?"

"No, no, it’s impossible for him to have found out that we are responsible for the outbreak this quickly. It’s only been a few hours since the effects took hold, and by now, those subjects must already be dead. There’s no way that man could know that the ones who spread it are dead among the others."

He kept trying to think positively, but the thought still gnawed at him.

"However, if he doesn’t know the truth, then why did he come here?! Leaving so many infected people behind in his city."

Another confusing matter was—how had he entered this town without anyone noticing?

Ever since Aldrian’s appearance and his involvement in the civil war, Grand Duke Donovan had already warned him about the threat Aldrian posed. He was unpredictable, completely outside the norm, so he had to remain cautious of his sudden movements.

He had ordered everyone from the teleportation station to the gate guards, to thoroughly check anyone coming from the western side of the empire, especially from Weilmar Barony. If that man, known as the mysterious swordsman, appeared in town, he would be alerted immediately and could execute for his escape’s plan.

He knew his limitations, fighting Aldrian with his current strength was no different from suicide. He did have something that might trap Aldrian, maybe even kill him. However, he preferred not to use it. If it failed, not only would he be doomed, but the Donovan Grand Duchy would also suffer the consequences.

He gritted his teeth. If the mysterious swordsman had indeed come because of the outbreak, then he had to prepare for it. He took out a communication artifact and spoke into it.

"Prepare for evacuation. We have company, and we must be ready in case our facility is discovered. I want everything done as soon as possible."

"What? What happened, my lord? Did someone strong enough to force an evacuation appear?" a voice responded from the artifact.

"The mysterious swordsman."

"..." There was silence for a few seconds before the other side responded.

"Alright."

Once the connection was cut off, the man stored his communication artifact and walked toward his treasure chamber. He didn’t know if his decision was the right one, but he had no other choice if his life was at stake.

"I hope it’s enough to kill him."

But then, he suddenly sensed someone approaching the mansion. The moment he realized who it was, shock gripped him. Panicked, he frantically rushed toward the treasure chamber, but before he could reach the room where it was located, someone appeared before him in an instant.

He was so stunned that he had no time to react before the figure seized him by the throat and pressed a hand against his abdomen.

He tried to attack the hand that was choking him, but suddenly, his body felt sluggish. A sudden wave of weakness washed over him, and to his horror, he realized he couldn’t control the flow of energy inside his body. It was as if something had blocked his meridians and dantian!

Panic surged through him. Right now, he was no different from a mortal! It finally dawned on him—at the very moment this figure had grabbed his throat and touched his abdomen, he had sealed his cultivation and energy pathways.

He couldn’t comprehend how this man had suddenly appeared inside the mansion, let alone right in front of him.

"Did he already take care of those fools?" he thought as he stared at the masked figure before him.

"You... who... are you?!" He feigned ignorance, pretending not to recognize the man in front of him. He struggled to speak, his words choked out with difficulty as Aldrian’s grip tightened around his throat.

As for Aldrian, he smiled behind his mask, his blue eyes locking onto the man’s gaze. Of course, he knew the turmoil raging inside the man’s mind. Fortunately, this place was covered by his domain, allowing him to teleport inside without problem.

After gathering information from the King Stage cultivators earlier, those who had initially harbored ill intent toward him, he had killed them. From what he learned, this mansion housed the highest authority in town.

"Karl Donovan. With that surname and your level of cultivation, you must hold a high position within the Donovan family, huh?" Aldrian said, completely ignoring Karl’s question. "To think that the Donovan family placed you in charge of this town... I wonder what Grand Duke Donovan is trying to hide."

Karl’s eyes widened slightly. How does this man know? His connection to the Donovan family was confidential, only his family members were aware of his true identity here. The people in this town only knew him by an alias, believing he was an outsider appointed by the Donovan family to manage the town.

Too bad for him, Aldrian had easily seen his true name using his Eyes of the Heaven.

Despite his precarious situation, one that was already standing at the edge of a cliff, Karl still tried to salvage it.

"What are you talking—?"

"Shh," Aldrian interrupted. "There’s no need to lie to me or pretend you don’t know who I am. I’m here because of what your family has done—especially Grand Duke Donovan, you know?"

Hearing Aldrian’s reason for coming here, Karl’s heartbeat quickened, something Aldrian picked up on with ease. A smirk formed beneath his mask. It seemed he had hit the jackpot.

"I don’t really understand—"

Slam!

Aldrian slammed Karl’s body into the floor, forcing a mouthful of blood from his lips. The impact shook his internal organs, sending a wave of agony through him. With his energy flow completely blocked, he was powerless to defend himself. The floor cracked beneath him, along with several of his ribs.

"Well, whatever. I don’t need you to talk anyway—I can find out what I need myself," Aldrian said, pressing a hand to Karl’s forehead.

"Wait! WAIT!"

Aldrian ignored him and began to read his memories, but he suddenly paused as a group of guards rushed in his direction. The impact from slamming Karl into the ground must have alerted them, prompting their arrival.

He didn’t mind their approach and simply let them come. However, the moment they saw him and Karl’s condition, their expressions shifted to alarm.

"Intruder—"

Before one of them could finish shouting, the entire group suddenly collapsed to the ground, their bodies also convulsing. Their eyes turned red, and their faces contorted in sheer horror.

Aldrian had cast his illusion technique on them. Now, they were trapped inside their worst nightmares. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

"Wait, wait! Please, let me talk. Don’t—"

Before Karl could finish his words, Aldrian slammed him into the ground once more, his hand still gripping Karl’s throat. His vision spun, a splitting headache overtaking him, while the internal wounds from the first impact worsened.

"Argh!" He finally cried out in pain as his organs trembled again, and more of his ribs fractured under the force.

Ignoring Karl’s suffering, Aldrian pressed his hand against his forehead once more. Without hesitation, he dove into Karl’s memories, sifting through them harshly and without care. The sheer force of it nearly shattered Karl’s mind as Aldrian searched for what he needed, as well as anything he found interesting or important.

He maintained this position for over a minute until he was satisfied with what he had found.

What he discovered was quite unexpected, and he was glad he had come here. Now, he could pay a visit to the second prince, but before that, he had found something interesting within Karl’s memories.

Aldrian grabbed Karl by the sleeve and dragged his limp body toward the treasure chamber hidden within one of the mansion’s rooms.

Along the way, he encountered maids and butlers who trembled in fear, but he ignored them. They could do nothing but watch helplessly as their lord was dragged like a sack of wheat.

Occasionally, he came across guards, effortlessly rendering them unconscious with his illusions.

Before long, he arrived at the room where the treasure chamber was located. With ease, Aldrian cracked the sealing formation on the door’s surface. As the heavy chamber door creaked open, its contents were finally revealed to him.