The Shining Star Above The Heaven

"Excuse me, your majesty, but I don't understand what you mean. Who are 'they'?" Princess Vaeril asked.

"Did your family not find anything suspicious about the opposition faction? Why did they suddenly gain so much momentum and support? Your family must have already investigated something like this, right?" Aldrian asked in return.

Princess Vaeril nodded. "Of course, your majesty. We already investigated them, yet what we found so far does not satisfy us. There seems to be something we missed, and we cannot fathom what it is since we still cannot uncover it. What we did find is that the opposition, led by that one grand duke, managed to persuade other nobles to join their faction."

"However, we know that the sudden spike in the opposition's influence is not without cause. They must have used something to entice the others to join them—and it worked. That something is what we are still searching for, as it could be dangerous."

Aldrian nodded in understanding. "Well, it is expected that your family would find nothing, as their activities are truly hidden in the dark and carried out with great care. Even the imperial family would not uncover anything."

The princess was still confused, which made Aldrian ask her,

"Before I tell you more, do you know about the sudden appearance of the heavenly lightning more than a week ago?"

The princess raised her eyebrows and nodded.

"Yes, I know of it. A strange phenomenon appeared across the continent of elves. In fact, we received reports that the other continents also experienced the same phenomenon. The sudden appearance of heavenly lightning strikes erupted randomly in many places, leaving all powers confused, and it only happened within a single day." She then narrowed her eyes.

"Why does your majesty ask about this strange phenomenon?"

"Did the opposition faction's actions become more rushed after that day?" Aldrian did not answer her question but asked back instead, which left her stunned. Yet she still nodded.

"Yes, their movements seem more rushed, as if they were being pursued by time."

Aldrian smiled when he heard this.

"As expected. Well, to answer Princess Vaeril's question, 'they' are the devils. They are the ones who have been playing behind the scenes. I suspect the opposition forces have a connection with them. I already have much experience with how skillful the devils are at persuading or infiltrating noble houses to do their bidding or working alongside them. Perhaps that is also why the devils were able to enter the imperial palace. Do you really think their sudden appearance there was a coincidence?"

Princess Vaeril narrowed her eyes.

"The devils? To be honest, that was one of our suspicions as well, but we truly could not find any trace of devils among them. What makes your majesty so certain they are the ones behind all of this?" she asked.

"Could they really have pierced so deeply into our ranks? Could they erase even the smallest clue of their dealings with the opposition? The event when the devils killed some members of the opposition noble houses in the imperial palace back then also left us uncertain about their relationship with the devils."

"Well, they absolutely could do all of that. But you don't have to worry about the devils anymore. The heavenly lightning phenomenon that day was me cleansing the entire world of the devils. Since that day, there has not been a single devil left in the Ancient Blue Gate World, not even in their most secret hiding places," Aldrian said.

Hearing that, Princess Vaeril's heart trembled. The heavenly lightning strikes were caused by him? The phenomenon that appeared across the entire world was his doing? How could that be possible? Just how great was Aldrian's true capability for his power to reach the entire world? How could he achieve such a feat?

Many questions surged through her mind, and her heart grew cold. At this moment, she finally understood that his reputation and the stories about him still did not reveal the full extent of his strength.

He fought against an immortal—that much had already been witnessed by many. Yet for his attack to cover the entire world was another unbelievable, untold story about him. And to think he had killed every devil with such precision… how did he even know who they were?

'What is he? A god?' the princess thought in astonishment.

"Why did the opposition faction's movements become more rushed after that day? It is because they realized their backer was already gone. That forced them to hasten their attempt to seize the throne, as it was their only chance at salvation. Without their backer, their power was greatly diminished, and the only thing they could rely on was the opinion of the masses," Aldrian continued, even as the princess's mind was in turmoil.

"They must seize the throne quickly so they can bury the fact that they were working with the devils. Once they sit on the throne, the truth will no longer matter, and their history with the devils will be erased."

"Like I said, Princess Vaeril, the devils are extremely careful and meticulous in their operations. They will make certain you never find any trace of them. Moreover, they have many helping hands through the traitors, which makes tracking them exceedingly difficult. Even the imperial family could already be infiltrated, and you would not have known it all this time."

The princess's brows furrowed as she pondered Aldrian's words. After a few moments, she looked at him again.

"Your majesty, you said that you already have experience with the devils's craftiness. If this truly is their doing, then we are facing a new method of theirs, one we have never encountered before. If that is the case, we hope your majesty could help us uncover the truth and reveal it to our people, so the opposition force will lose the support of the masses."

Aldrian nodded. "That can be done, and that is why I said there will be bloodshed again. Those traitors who have already worked with the devils deserve death. They are truly one of the things I despise most."

Hearing that, Princess Vaeril's expression brightened, and she immediately bowed."I truly thank you, Your Majesty Aldrian. As the representative of the Lavrin imperial family, I sincerely offer my gratitude to you. We will not forget your kindness in helping us."

Aldrian smiled. "It is no problem, Princess. This is also something I wish to do. Uprooting the devils' influence and anything tied to them is something I take great satisfaction in."

Princess Vaeril could not help but feel that his words were chilling, as though what he did was nothing more than a sport. She thought that Aldrian's path was truly drenched in the blood of the devils and of anyone who associated with them along his journey.

Suddenly, Aldrian felt his communication artifact sending an incoming signal. He took it out and activated it, placing it beside his ear so the princess could not hear the words from the other side.

"Your majesty, there is another group requesting an audience. This one comes from the Beast Continent. They consist of the Dragon King, the Phoenix Queen, the Spirit Ancestor, and their entourage," reported the elder from the Xin family.

Hearing that, Aldrian's eyes widened slightly, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Bring them in," he ordered.

"Yes, your majesty," the other side replied before cutting off the communication.

Aldrian stored the communication artifact away and looked at the princess.

"Princess Vaeril, it seems our meeting must come to an end. There are other guests already waiting for me, and I must receive them," he said as he rose to his feet.

"Ah, yes, your majesty. My apologies if I have already taken too much of your time, but once again, I truly thank you for being willing to help us. I will remain in this continent for some time so we may discuss further cooperation in the future," the princess replied as she also stood and offered a handshake, which Aldrian accepted.

"I hope you enjoy your stay in this continent, Princess," he said.

After a few moments, the princess and her group gathered near the teleportation formation. Yet before they could step toward it, the formation shone brightly, and several figures emerged from within.

The moment they saw who appeared, they were utterly shocked, for these were figures well-known across the world.

The Dragon King, the Phoenix Queen, and the Spirit Ancestor, accompanied by their entourage. The fame of the Dragon King and Phoenix Queen had long been spread across the world, as both were leaders of their races and their strength was known everywhere.

The Spirit Ancestor, however, was different. Though her reputation was not as widely recognized outside the Beast Continent, or at least not among the recent generation, she carried a legend of her own.

She was a spirit of the spirit race who could glimpse the secrets of heaven, a truly terrifying ability, especially for the Spirit Ancestor, who was the most powerful Celestial Night Spirit. With her strength, it seemed there was nothing that could be hidden from her.

That was why her kind had been hunted in the past, forcing them to migrate to the Beast Continent—something the entire world knew in the past.

Since that time, the Spirit Ancestor had remained within the Beast Continent, never once stepping outside of it. Princess Vaeril knew of her because she had seen portrait of this legendary figure while studying the knowledge of the world in the past. The old woman before her looked exactly like those portrait.

Yet to think that the Spirit Ancestor would come here personally, accompanied by the most renowned dragon and phoenix, only showed how important Aldrian was to the Beast Continent.