The Shining Star Above The Heaven

A group of humans came out from an interstellar vessel that had just landed in one of the landing zones along the coastline of the Vindas Kingdom. There was nothing particularly unusual about this group of ten people of mixed gender, and those who saw them would simply think they were normal visitors from outside, just like many others.

The ten people, six men and four women, looked around curiously at their surroundings, and that was all the others could see from them. The strongest among them was a middle-aged man with black hair and red eyes, who was in fact a middle pseudo-immortal stage cultivator. As for the rest, most of them were at the pseudo-immortal establishment stage, which was an exceptionally strong composition.

However, they concealed their aura and cultivation, so no one could accurately predict their true strength.

Their bodies moved naturally, as though they carried no ill intent, yet their minds acted differently as they communicated with one another through sound transmission.

"We will learn everything about this continent, and more importantly, about our target before we plan how to make a move. Until we have gathered enough information, we will act as if we are nothing more than ordinary guests from outside the continent," the strongest of them, their leader, spoke to the group.

"We cannot be careless this time since we do not know the true capability of our target. Just in case, we will communicate as discreetly as possible while we are on this continent. If you want to discuss the mission with one another, then you are to use voice transmission only, and only when face to face."

"However, if you must use a communication artifact, you will have to speak in code so that no one else can understand what we mean. Is that clear?"

"Yes, my lord," the rest of them replied in unison.

"My lord, based on the target's reputation, are we truly enough to deal with him? I think we will need many decoys to shift his attention if we are really going to bring him down," one of them asked.

"Yes, that's why many more from the Hunting Ghost will arrive here in the next few days. They will serve as reinforcements and could act as decoys if we decide to move in the future," the leader answered.

"Once again, remember, do not even think of underestimating our target this time. Our target is the most powerful person we have ever faced. We must take this mission more seriously, follow the plan, and avoid doing anything reckless," he added as they walked toward the teleportation portal, which was guarded by troops from the Barisan Continent.

The teleportation portal connected to the nearest cities or towns, from which visitors could continue their journey to anywhere across the continent.

As they approached the portal, the leader addressed one of the guards.

"Excuse me, where does this portal lead? And how can we meet with His Excellency, Aldrian, the ruler of this continent?"

The guard looked at him. "You should call him His Majesty, since he is the Emperor of the great empire that unified this continent, sir. As for your question, this portal leads to Marlin City, the nearest city from here. You may continue your journey from there. If you wish to meet His Majesty, he is on the floating land where the grand palace is located."

The guard pointed toward the floating land and the grand palace, both visible from where they stood.

"Ah yes, thank you, sir. We will be going." The group continued walking, but before they could enter the portal, the guard called out to them.

"Enjoy your stay in the Barisan Continent."

The leader stopped and gave the guard a faint smile. "Thank you. I will enjoy it here," he said with hidden intent, before stepping into the portal, followed closely by his group.

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In another place, a group had just entered one of the cities in the Doria Kingdom. This group was composed of elves, which was not particularly surprising to the people of the continent, as they were already accustomed to their presence.

The elves numbered seven in total, with the lowest among them at the pseudo-immortal foundation stage. The highest cultivation was held by a male elf at the low pseudo-immortal stage, though their leader was a blonde-haired female elf at the low pseudo-immortal establishment stage.

All of them wore robes commonly worn by elves, garments that displayed their elegance and refinement as a race closely connected to nature.

The woman glanced at her surroundings after stepping out of the portal, then began walking away, the others following close behind her. After a few moments of strolling through the city, one of the male elves spoke.

"This place is just like the information already spread. It is truly weak, and even with only our group, we could take this city if we wanted to—heck, maybe we could even take over the entire continent."

After hearing that, the female elf stopped walking and turned to him with a cold expression.

The male elf shivered under her gaze and instantly bowed. "My apologies, Your Highness. I merely spoke what was on my mind. There was no intent behind my words."

The female elf resumed walking as she replied, "You had better be careful, Luren. We do not want to offend the ruler of this continent with your arrogant words. What if he were to hear what you just said?"

Hearing that, Luren nodded repeatedly as they continued on their way. "Yes, Your Highness, I will keep that in mind."

But inside, he ground his teeth. 'Bitch, let's see how arrogant you will be in front of me in the future. When the plan of our faction succeeds, you and your mother will have no choice but to step down from your lofty positions.'

The female elf, who was in fact a princess, ignored him outwardly, but she remained wary of Luren, suspecting he might cause trouble in the future. This was because he was the son of a duke whose family had a poor relationship with the royal family.

She had not wanted to bring him to this continent, knowing full well that both his character and his position might stir problems. However, his family's faction was quite large, and they had persistently pestered her mother until she had no choice but to allow him to accompany her here.

All the princess could do was sigh inwardly and hope that no problems would arise during their stay on this continent.

"For now, let us first visit the elves' territory on this continent. We can ask them for any information they have about this land and His Majesty Aldrian. Perhaps we can take advantage of the ties from the past, since they originally came from us," the princess said.

"Moreover, it is said that one of Emperor Aldrian's women is a princess of the elven kingdom here, so they must have many details that others do not know."

"Your Highness, but what if they no longer consider their roots, since they have lived here since ancient times? From their perspective, we might simply be strangers, a different group of elves altogether. If that is the case, we cannot pressure them by appealing to their origins," one of the male elves asked.

"If that happens, then there is nothing we can do except build our relationship with them naturally. Since the elves of this continent are under the rule of Emperor Aldrian, we cannot lean too heavily on our own influence, as that would only sour our relationship with him," the princess replied.

Their purpose here was to build a good relationship with the Barisan Continent, or more specifically with Aldrian, just as her mother had instructed. For the elves, this could bring many benefits, but for the royal family in particular, it would be even more valuable.

If the royal family could establish close ties with Aldrian, they would gain an additional support that could serve as a deterrent against the opposing faction. That faction had long sought to shake her mother's position as queen of the elves, and their pressure had grown more intense in recent weeks after 'that' incident.

That was why she remained wary of Luren, knowing he could ruin her family's plans. She was almost certain his family had sent him here with the intention of sabotaging any plan her family had that involved Aldrian.

'I have to make sure nothing happens to our plan,' she thought as they continued strolling through the city.

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Two days later, Aldrian sat upon his throne in full noble attire, befitting his status as emperor.

Why was he seated here in such formal dress? It was because several figures were already on their way to his palace, and they were close.