The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 444: The Cruelty Hidden Beneath the Surface

Swish!

Sword energy slashed through the air, hurtling toward the incoming group. The one leading them, who calls Karl "my lord," dodged instantly, but the others had no time to react and were struck by the attack. Their bodies were cut in various places—some died instantly, while others survived with their non-vital limbs severed.

"Argh!"

Agonized cries filled the air as the wounded clutched at their bleeding wounds, writhing in pain.

The leading man, who had successfully dodged, couldn’t relax as he saw Aldrian suddenly teleport right in front of him. Already prepared for anything, he tried to cast his technique, his peak King-stage cultivation aura flaring. However, Aldrian simply used Spatial Lock to immobilize him before piercing his heart with sword energy.

Spurt!

Blood gushed from his lips as Aldrian slashed his hand sideways, creating a massive wound that caused the man to lose a large amount of blood before dropping dead instantly.

Aldrian did all of this with just one hand, while his other hand continued dragging Karl. This place, which had already become his domain before he entered it, was his hunting ground.

"Wait... wait—"

Slash!

"Spare—"

Slash!

He killed the remaining men who were still alive and continued walking in one direction for a few minutes until he finally arrived at a door. Without hesitation, he opened it, and what he saw made his expression twist in disgust.

Inside the room, numerous glass tubes contained various kinds of living Gu. Some were of normal size, while others were as small as the ones that had caused the outbreak in Weilmar Barony. Because they were crammed together in a single tube and great in number, he could see them clearly with his naked eye.

He counted tens of different kinds of Gu inside the room, each stored in hundreds of glass tubes arranged neatly. A creepy sound—chi... chi... chi—echoed across the space, making the atmosphere even more unsettling. He could also sense traces of devil energy in some of the tubes, which meant that certain Gu had been developed with the help of devils.

Aldrian glanced at Karl in his grasp and smirked.

"If I show this to the outside world, the consequences won’t just fall on the Donovan family. The second prince’s faction will also suffer from the negative impact. I can already imagine the Buddhist Sect and the Vindas Empire, as neighboring territories, immediately siding with the opposition faction. They might even send their armies here."

Karl’s heart shuddered, but he could neither resist nor speak. Aldrian was already dragging him to another place.

When he arrived at the next room and saw what was inside, his expression darkened, his fury intensifying.

Inside the room were several glass cages, neatly arranged like a display. The cages were quite large, capable of holding multiple humans inside. Within them lay the skeletal remains of past victims, and Aldrian could feel a strong presence of death laws lingering within, signifying the many deaths that had occurred there.

From Karl’s memories, this room served as an experimental chamber for the practical application of Gu. The Donovan family using humans as test subjects, had developed their Gu with the help of the devils.

Aldrian choked Karl and forced him to look at the cages. He pressed Karl’s face against the glass, making him stare directly at the bones and skulls of the victims. Some still had bits of rotting flesh clinging to them, a grotesque reminder of the horrors that had taken place.

"You like watching them suffer, huh? You enjoy listening to their screams for help, begging for it to stop? You like that?"

He then slammed Karl’s face against the glass, shattering it instantly and wounding his face.

"Argh!" Karl cried out as shards of glass grazed his skin, drawing blood that dripped from the fresh wounds.

Aldrian dragged Karl toward another room, continuing to cut down any groups of people he encountered along the way. They all met their end under his techniques.

Eventually, he arrived at a massive chamber filled with cages, where hundreds of people were being held. Most of them appeared malnourished, their hands and feet bound in cuffs. Aldrian could sense that the restraints also functioned as sealing artifacts, preventing cultivators from circulating their energy.

Most of the prisoners looked in Aldrian’s direction with terrified expressions, knowing all too well the fate that awaited those taken from this room. However, they were stunned when they saw Aldrian dragging a man in his left hand.

At first, they didn’t recognize him, as his head hung low, obscuring his face. But when they noticed his noble attire, realization struck.

That man was the one the people here called Mr. Derik, a figure of high standing in this place, someone whose orders were obeyed without question. Seeing him in such a wretched state, being dragged by this masked figure, left them utterly astonished.

Aldrian then used his technique to heal everyone in the room, causing a sudden warmth to spread through their bodies, shocking them. Though most were still malnourished, they felt a newfound strength, enough to move their limbs despite their hands and feet being cuffed.

They gazed at the masked figure in wonder. Who is this person? Has he come to save us?

"All of you inside the cages, crouch! I will cut the cages!"

The prisoners immediately obeyed, crouching as instructed. Once Aldrian confirmed they were all in position, he made a slashing motion with his hand. A powerful slash released from it, infused with his overwhelming sword intent.

After that, the top half of the cages suddenly vanished as Aldrian teleported them elsewhere. The prisoners, astonished to see the cages sliced in half with their upper sections disappearing, slowly standing up and stepping out of the ruined cages carefully.

"All of you, form a line in front of me so I can destroy your cuffs," Aldrian’s voice rang out, and the prisoners quickly obeyed.

As they lined up before him, murmurs spread among them as they whispered to one another.

"After I destroy your cuffs, wait outside this room for the others. Stay nearby and don’t wander too far until I’ve freed everyone," Aldrian added.

Aldrian then began breaking the cuffs on each prisoner. Every time he broke a set, the next person stepped forward, and the process continued.

The prisoners watched Aldrian with varied expressions, uncertain of his identity or true intentions. Some remained wary of him despite their newfound freedom, while others felt grateful. There were also those who observed him with blank expressions.

Their gazes occasionally shifted to Karl, who lay motionless at Aldrian’s feet in a pitiful state. Some felt a surge of rage, while others trembled with fear at the mere sight of him, even in his current condition.

Aldrian could tell they had been deeply traumatized. Just looking at Karl was enough to bring back painful memories.

Aldrian lamented the fate of these people, suffering until this very day. Among the prisoners were men and women, young and old—even children, some barely toddlers.

He had already seen the truth through Karl’s memories, but witnessing it firsthand still left a deep impact.

At an age when they should have been playing with their families and friends, they had instead been subjected to cruel experiments, reduced to nothing more than test subjects.

From Karl’s memories, Aldrian also learned the truth about the so-called "suicide squad" that he had assumed willingly spread the gu in Weilmar Barony. In reality, they were just prisoners following Karl’s orders, believing his false promises.

These unfortunate souls were nothing more than disposable test subjects, already infected with gu, unknowingly carrying their own death sentence.

Trusting Karl’s words, they obeyed his instructions without question, convinced that freedom awaited them once their task was complete. They didn’t even realize they were spreading the gu—Karl had merely told them to open small tubes and walk around in cities and towns.

Some of them were mere children—children who truly believed that once their task was done, they would finally be free to play outside.

As the last prisoner was finally freed from all restraints, Aldrian turned his gaze toward the people waiting outside the room.

"Alright, all of you, wait here for a moment. I need to take care of something," Aldrian said before closing the door.

The freed prisoners didn’t understand what he intended to do inside that nightmarish room. However, moments later, agonized screams echoed from behind the door.

"Arrghh!"

"Spare me!"

"Argh! Please!"

They instantly recognizing the voice, it was Mr. Derik.

Realization dawned upon them. The masked figure was torturing Karl, and for the first time, they felt a sense of relief settle in their hearts.

Many among them harbored deep grudges against Karl, and hearing his agonized screams was like music to their ears.

After a few minutes, Aldrian finally emerged from the room, dragging Karl by his leg. The people then saw Karl’s worsening condition, some of his limbs were dislocated and bent at unnatural angles. They could only imagine the torment Aldrian had inflicted on him inside.

"I will send you all to Varuga Town. You can stay there for some time until you decide your next course of action," Aldrian said.

For a moment, everyone stood in stunned silence. Then, some began tearing up as the weight of his words sank in, they were finally free!

At first, many of them remained wary of Aldrian’s true intentions. Their long imprisonment had conditioned them to expect nothing but cruelty or deception. But now, hearing that they would soon leave this place, a wave of joy and relief washed over them.

One of them, overwhelmed with gratitude, fell to his knees and kowtowed before Aldrian, his eyes brimming with tears.

"Oh, savior, thank you for rescuing us!"