The Shining Star Above The Heaven
Chapter 259: The Situation in the Capital

Chapter 259: The Situation in the Capital

While Aldrian was dealing with the Envy Devil, the situation in the capital grew increasingly chaotic. After discovering the underground base, they also found numerous artifacts belonging to various noble families from the northeast territory. The imperial family also found evidence of movements by members of these families within the capital.

All of these families were part of Grand Duke Gouvard’s faction, causing a massive commotion. From this, the imperial family realized that many members of these families were already lying in wait within the capital for something significant to happen.

From the imperial family’s perspective, this kind of trickery seemed more like an attempt by these families to initiate a coup. Martial law was finally declared as the situation grew more serious. The imperial soldiers were dispatched to every part of the capital to search for them. The sight of imperial knights moving back and forth caused panic among the city’s residents, who wondered what was happening in the capital.

Some of their questions were answered when commotion broke out as imperial soldiers arrested several individuals. These scenes occurred in many places across the city, and some even escalated into fights. The number of infiltrators from the noble families was quite large, reaching thousands. Not all of them could be arrested at once, creating time gaps that allowed some to escape.

Even though the imperial family had already closed off the city, they were not fast enough to cover such a large area instantly. The good news is that the imperial family discovered these infiltrators early, before they could finish their preparations, preventing the situation from reaching devastating proportions. Most of the clashes could only be seen as desperate struggles.

Some high-ranking cultivators from noble families were involved, but they were swiftly dealt with by the imperial army. They couldn’t withstand the imperial forces, who came fully prepared. Additionally, there was one individual personally overseeing the operation and even assisting the imperial army.

Emperor Durand observed everything from the skies above the city. His senses extended to their maximum, covering the entire city. He could feel the movements of his men as they maneuvered throughout the city. While his face remained expressionless, anger boiled within his heart. Never in his lifetime had something like this occurred, some nobles daring to think they could dethrone him with their power.

However, all of these events began to form a complete puzzle in his mind. His curse, the war, the poison, and now this bold effort by the nobles—all of them were interconnected. He imagined what would have happened if he were still under the curse. He would have had little choice, and his family might have collapsed, plunging the Doria Empire into a devastating civil war.

"Those traitorous bastards! Wait until I clean up this mess and set everything right in this empire," Emperor Durand thought.

He had just returned to full health after being in the cursed state for so long and hadn’t had the chance to focus on solving the empire’s problems. But it seemed that after dealing with the capital and Hector’s condition, he would need to show the entire empire that such tactics would bring nothing but their own destruction.

He still had many things on his mind, but the most urgent matter now was to heal Hector’s condition. Not long before this, he had suddenly sensed a powerful aura and the sounds of battle. He immediately made his way to the source of the battle, only to find that the person responsible was the Envy Devil, who had attacked Aldrian’s mansion. Lorenzo, still at the mansion, then informed him that Aldrian had suddenly appeared and disappeared again with the Envy Devil.

However, Aldrian had told him that he would visit the imperial palace after taking care of the Envy Devil, so he could only hope that Aldrian would deal with the Envy Devil quickly. Hector’s condition was already critical and could worsen at any moment. As he anxiously waited for Aldrian, he suddenly saw a soldier running toward him.

"Your Majesty, I come to report some news."

Emperor Durand lowered his altitude so he could face the soldier and hear the report.

"Speak," he ordered.

"We have received a report that the dead body of Wei Zhi, one of the Seven Devils of Annihilation, was found hanged in Rivas City. The identity has been confirmed, Your Majesty."

Emperor Durand widened his eyes. This news came out of the blue. Wei Zhi, that bastard who had truly given the empire a headache, died? How was that possible? But then, suddenly, he remembered something from when he had checked the underground base. There had been many traces of lethal poison and even signs of Gu techniques from the fight that broke out there.

He knew that there was one expert among the devils skilled in Gu and poison, and that was Wei Zhi. He frowned because this didn’t make any sense. If the dead body in Rivas City was Wei Zhi’s, then who had fought here? If these two were indeed the same person, how in the world could Wei Zhi’s body have even reached such a far location?

These questions added to the many already swirling in his mind. But if that body really was Wei Zhi’s, it would be great news for the empire—and for the entire continent.

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At this time, at the northern gate of Rivas City, people had gathered to look upward. The cultivators of the Rivas family had already created a sterile zone to make space for the investigation team to examine the scene. What they saw above the gate was a body hanging by the neck. The condition of the corpse was miserable, with only the upper torso remaining visible to the onlookers. There were no eyes in the empty sockets, blood stained the face, the nose was broken, and there were no ears.

On his body was also a sign, with large letters that read:

"Wei Zhi, one of the Seven Devils of Annihilation. May his death ease the pain of the people he has hurt."

The people were shocked by the identity of the corpse. Wei Zhi’s name was already infamous because of his heinous acts with poison and Gu. It seemed that karma had finally caught up with him, and he had died a horrible death. While no one knew how he had died, the miserable state of his corpse gave the onlookers a sense of satisfaction.

"Make way, make way for Grand Duke Rivas!" The people were stunned by the sudden arrival of a group from the Rivas family, and they could see that Grand Duke Rivas was also part of the group. It seemed the grand duke wanted to examine the corpse personally and confirm its identity.

After inspecting the body, he had no doubt that this was indeed Wei Zhi. There was no doubt, as the remnants of the disgusting energy and Gu inside his body could not be mistaken.

"Take his body and burn it. Don’t let anyone see this disgusting creature any longer," Grand Duke Rivas ordered. The soldiers of the Rivas family then began to lower Wei Zhi’s body. As he watched this, Grand Duke Rivas couldn’t help but think.

"Who is the person capable of killing Wei Zhi, and why did they choose Rivas City to hang his body? May his death ease the pain of the people he has hurt? Is it purely revenge?"

"From the state of his body, I can tell that it was a clean cut made with a sharp object. To make Wei Zhi suffer this much... does the person who did this hate him to the core?"

Suddenly, a commotion erupted behind him, causing Grand Duke Rivas to turn around. His eyes widened as he saw his daughter, Irene, walking toward him with hurried steps, her eyes sharp and cold.

"Where is he? I want to see his corpse," Irene said, her voice frigid.

Grand Duke Rivas sighed and pointed at the body already on the stretcher. Irene looked at Wei Zhi’s corpse from afar, and her body began to tremble. She bit her lip, trying to hold back her tears, but eventually, she covered her face, unable to suppress them any longer. As she remembered Cecile’s suffering and how it was the Gu that caused her pain, she thought of Wei Zhi, the only devil known to wield such a technique.

Now, she felt a sense of relief, knowing that the person who had caused her friend so much suffering had met a gruesome end. It was an outcome that, at least, eased her heart, even though she had not been the one to kill Wei Zhi herself. She composed herself, stopping her tears, and looked at Wei Zhi’s corpse once more. The body was now closer to her, allowing her to examine it in more detail, and it was then that she noticed the letter she hadn’t paid attention to earlier.

Her eyes widened as she sensed something from Wei Zhi’s corpse. Her mind raced, and a figure flashed through her thoughts.

"Aldrian?"