The Shining Star Above The Heaven

"The patriarch of the Barevisk family, Patriarch Munez Barevisk, has a little brother who at this moment serves as one of the elders of the Barevisk family. His name is Ferix Barevisk. Their relationship has not been good for a long time, or more precisely, it turned sour when their father, the past patriarch, chose the successor," Vars explained.

"I know it will sound classic, but just like how noble families' descendants fight for the title of successor, they have to use everything to make themselves chosen. They do not care if they harm each other, and the Barevisk family at that time was no different."

"At that time, the past patriarch actually leaned towards the little brother. He was a much more talented and genius cultivator compared to the older brother. However, because of one accident in the past, the decision of the past patriarch truly changed," Vars released a sigh.

"Sir Ferix suddenly could not advance any further in his cultivation after an accident, and his cultivation even slightly regressed. I do not know the details, but because of that, the past patriarch finally leaned towards the elder brother, and in the end, he chose him as the successor."

Aldrian raised his eyebrows. He could not help but think this was a classic scenario, and the only thing that came to his mind was that it had been caused by the current patriarch's machinations.

"Did the current patriarch cause his little brother to end up like that?" Aldrian asked.

"Well, that was what many people inside our family thought at that time. It was seen as a kind of conspiracy, because there was no way we could believe there was no foul play when the successor battle was ongoing and suddenly an accident occurred to one of the candidates. However, the problem was that there was no proof of the current patriarch's involvement in that accident," Vars answered.

"Of course, the past patriarch was also suspicious about it, but in the end he could not do much, as the current patriarch had great support and the little brother had suddenly run into problems in his cultivation. Even when our family called a famous physician of our star to check what had really happened to Sir Ferix, he could only conclude that Sir Ferix's dantian was damaged because of a mistake in his cultivation."

"The family already tried many ways to heal it, but nothing could cure Sir Ferix's condition. All the elixirs and medicines used to repair his dantian did not work, and the situation has not changed until today."

"After the current patriarch took the reins, he simply threw his little brother into one of the remote regions of our territory as an elder representing the Barevisk family. The current patriarch could not do much to Sir Ferix besides sending him far from the center of power and giving him a title, because Sir Ferix still had many followers, and their number was quite large. If the current patriarch did something excessive, there might be chaos, which was undesirable." Vars then stopped.

Aldrian thought for a moment and finally asked, "If that is the case, then in your opinion, why would Patriarch Barevisk send an envoy led by people from a faction that opposed him to represent the family on this continent? It is his niece, whose father was likely harmed by him. Does that not seem strange? Also, does she have any status inside the family?"

Vars thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"This is also what confuses me, master. If the patriarch wanted to build a good connection with you, then he would have sent someone he trusted the most, not someone from the opposing side. However, because of the patriarch's dubious intent toward master all this time, I truly do not know what he was thinking by sending his niece on this mission," he said.

"As for her status, Miss Ilona is one of the guardian pavilion masters of the family. Although from the outside there seems to be nothing wrong with this, in truth the current patriarch still does not want to loosen his grip over his little brother."

"To prevent any rebellion, so he chose his little brother's daughter as one of the pavilion masters. Although the current patriarch gave her a position, in fact he treats her as a hostage kept close to him."

"Sir Ferix also could not do anything when his daughter was chosen, because if either she or he refused, it would be seen as an act of rebellion, and public opinion would worsen as well. Moreover, the accident that befell Sir Ferix's wife made him much more passive, and he could only follow his older brother's orders."

"What happened to Sir Ferix's wife?" Aldrian asked.

"I don't know the details, but it seems she had an accident while traveling to an unknown location with a group of cultivators. When she returned, she had already fallen into a coma, and most of her group's members were dead. Even to this day, she still has not awakened," Vars replied.

Aldrian nodded in understanding. But then he could not help but smile. It seemed he had found something he could take advantage of. If he played it right, he might gain a proxy in the Akares star and cut one of the Valroy family's powers.

Aldrian looked at Vars for a moment and spoke.

"Why don't you take advantage of the situation and meet with her? She does not have a good relationship with the patriarch, and you could persuade her to join hands with me in taking revenge. You could even explain your circumstances to her," he said. But Vars shook his head in response.

"That would be too risky, master. I don't know how she would react if she knew my circumstances, or her opinion about you. Moreover, I don't have any assurance from master that I won't be abandoned in the future before I truly join master's empire," he added with some embarrassment.

Aldrian nodded. "That's true." He then picked up the teacup and took one last sip before setting it down.

"Alright, I think I've heard enough. For the rest, I will meet with her directly. There may be details she knows that you do not," he said, which made Vars raise his eyebrows.

"You will meet with her right now, master?"

Aldrian responded with a nod. "Anyway, I will go first. The day after tomorrow, I will call you to officially accept you all into my forces. There will be another group besides yours joining as well.

"You can tell your men about it," he added.

Vars nodded in response. "Yes, master, I will tell them."

"Good. Then see you two days later," Aldrian said before disappearing.

After he vanished, Vars slumped back against his seat and let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, his master had truly decided to take him in, and his greatest worry had been resolved just like that. Still, he could not help but think about the fate of the Barevisk family in the days to come.

He could only hope that there would not be news of the destruction of one of the greatest noble families in the Akares star in the future.

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Inside one of the rooms of a luxurious inn in Caelistis City, a beautiful woman sat in her seat with a table in front of her, gazing out through the open window. Beyond the window lay the breathtaking scenery of the city, with the glimmer of stars scattered across the night sky.

She wore a black nightgown that accentuated her alluring figure. Her long black hair, swept by the cool night wind drifting in from the window, added another layer to her beauty.

Holding a glass of wine in her hand, she seemed lost in thought, a faint look of confusion crossing her face. She let out a quiet sigh and murmured to herself.

"What should I do now?"

"Why don't we have a conversation?"

The sudden voice of an unknown man from behind her startled her to the core. Without even looking to see who it was, she immediately prepared to strike. Whoever this intruder was, he had appeared inside her room without her detecting a single trace!

But then she was shocked once again as she realized she could not move her body! She tried to force herself, but it was futile, her body felt as if it were bound by an unseen force, unable to move even an inch!

However, she quickly understood what had happened.

'Space laws… he locked me using space laws!'

Panic rose within her as she tried to speak, only to discover that even her lips would not move. Her heart turned cold as she realized she could do nothing but shift her eyes.

In that instant, she understood. Whoever stood behind her was far stronger than her, by many times.

As panic continued to grip her, she heard footsteps approaching from behind. Her heartbeat quickened. At this moment, she felt truly vulnerable, powerless to do anything but wait for the man to reveal himself.

After a few moments, from the corner of her vision she finally caught sight of a figure. Since her head was fixed slightly lowered, even when she forced her eyes upward she still could not see the man's face. She watched as he pulled the vacant seat in front of her, turned it toward her, and finally sat down.

Only then, when his face entered her line of sight, did she see him clearly. The instant his reflection appeared in her eyes, she was struck with shock.

The man before her was the one spoken of everywhere, hailed as the most powerful cultivator to ever exist. His very existence was a deterrent, a presence that no one dared to test lightly.

The man her family seemed to harbor ill intent toward… and the man she wanted most to avoid at this very moment.

'Aldrian the Great!' she screamed within her mind.

She could not comprehend how this man had appeared here, seemingly for her specifically. Did he come because he somehow knew of her family's schemes?

If that was the case, then she might truly die here tonight.