The Shining Star Above The Heaven
Chapter 621: Resting After the Calamity

Chapter 621: Resting After the Calamity

"Greetings, senior," the golden-haired man said with a reverent tone. He did not shout, but his voice could be heard clearly by Aldrian despite the distance.

Aldrian simply stared at the handsome, golden-haired man with a calm expression, waiting to hear what he wanted to say.

"Allow me to introduce my humble self. I am Rozwald Avilandis, the emperor of the Martal Empire of the Orian continent. We came with no intent of hostility, so please rest assured that we have no desire to act against senior’s interests," the golden-haired man known as Rozwald said.

"First, we are not on the same side as the devils. We came here after seeing the black pillar shoot into the sky and thought to stop whatever plan the devils were attempting," he added.

"However, we truly did not expect that the devils’ plan would be so great that they could open a portal to the higher heavens and summon an immortal. If senior had not stopped that immortal, we would not know the fate of this world. So, please accept my grateful bow for saving the entire world." He then bowed his head.

The others who saw this also bowed. Not only would it have been inappropriate to let Rozwald bow alone, but they, too, felt sincere gratitude that someone had been able to face that immortal and foil the devils’ plan. Even if Aldrian had failed to prevent the destruction of their world, his strength alone was enough to earn their respect, and their bow.

After a few moments, Rozwald straightened his body and looked at the avatar again.

"Senior, if your great self does not mind, I would like to pay a visit to the continent we have long called untouchable, or in ancient times, the Barisan continent. I also wish to visit senior directly to express my gratitude."

The others gazed at Rozwald with narrowed eyes. All of them instantly realized this man’s intent. He wanted to visit the continent, yet it only directed to himself and his faction. He was trying to seize the opportunity to bring himself closer to that senior and build a connection, without involving the rest of them.

Knowing they would be left behind if they remained passive, one of them finally gathered the courage to greet Aldrian.

"Greetings, senior. This humble one is Frederick Van Ricondel. I am the king of the Valhemin Kingdom of the Orian continent. Like Emperor Rozwald, I would also like to visit your great self," said the brown-haired man.

"Greetings, senior..."

One by one, those who appeared to be the leaders of their respective nations, sects, or whatever organizations they belonged to, began expressing their intent to visit the continent.

Aldrian understood their intentions. He also wished to learn more about this world. These people likely possessed deeper knowledge of the world, or even of this heaven. That was something he would need for his future plans.

But still, this moment was not the right time. The Barisan continent had just experienced something terrible, and he wanted its people to have time to rest. He also needed rest, and to sort through everything he had gained over the past few weeks. These people could wait until he allowed them in.

"I understand all of your intent, but unfortunately, you will have to postpone your visit. I don’t want anyone from outside this continent to come here until I say otherwise. Until that time comes, return to wherever you came from. That is all." Aldrian’s voice resounded clearly to all those gathered above the sea.

The people who heard it were stunned, but inwardly, they sighed. They understood that this senior had just fought a great battle and seemed to want rest. They also knew they could not keep pushing, no matter how high their status was.

In their own lands, they were leaders and wielded great authority, but in front of this senior, all of that was meaningless.

Strength was everything—and in front of power as great as that senior’s, their status was nothing more than an illusion, not even worth mentioning. All they could do was obey and wait for the moment that senior allowed them to enter. At the very least, he had given them a chance to visit the continent in the future.

Not long after, Aldrian saw most of the flying fortresses and smaller transports, called cruisers, retreating toward the horizon, leaving only a few behind. He understood that those who remained had been tasked with waiting until the time came when they could enter. If that moment arrived, they would notify their respective factions.

Aldrian thought that the major problems had been taken care of, with only remnants left. From his position, he could easily sense the surviving devils scattered across parts of the devil territory. He raised his index finger, and heavenly lightning began crackling from its tip.

A moment later, he opened a small spatial crack in front of his finger, and then shot the heavenly lightning through it.

At that moment, in some parts of what used to be devil territory, spatial cracks suddenly appeared in the sky, followed by bolts of lightning. The alliance forces also noticed several lightning strikes flashing on the horizon, leaving them wondering why lightning had suddenly appeared.

Unbeknownst to them, Aldrian was eliminating every last surviving devil cultivator, except for the group of beasts under the World Tree and one man.

Zhang Haoran.

Aldrian had his own plans for dealing with him later. After ensuring that no devils remained across the continent, he finally deactivated his avatar technique.

The giant avatar’s form vanished, leaving Aldrian floating high in the sky. He glanced down at the continent below before teleporting to the grand hall of his palace. There, he sighed, and sent a voice transmission to Sylphia.

"I’ll come to you after I recuperate for a moment."

Sylphia, still looking in the direction where the avatar had disappeared, was momentarily stunned before a joyful expression spread across her face, though Aldrian couldn’t see it.

"Mm. Please rest as much as you need. You’ve already done your best. I know you must be tired."

Aldrian smiled. He thought the conversation was over, but then Sylphia’s voice came again.

"Thank you, dear. Thank you for saving all of us."

Still smiling, as if Sylphia could see him, he replied,

"Well, I need this continent for us to live a long life, after all. We’ll have a family to build someday, remember? How could I let this continent be destroyed?"

Hearing his answer, Sylphia blushed deeply.

"You’re truly shameless."

"Only for you."

His quick reply made her blush even more.

"Ah—go rest now. Don’t tease me anymore."

With that, she cut off the connection.

Aldrian kept smiling. He cherished moments like this—simple, free from complex problems. Just the pure, worldly feeling of love and the bond between two people.

He sat down in meditation, beginning to heal the internal injuries caused by the final strike of heavenly lightning during the tribulation.

He needed to recover quickly, then reunite with Sylphia and the others.

--------------------------------

The alliance forces, seeing that the avatar had already disappeared, decided to rest where they were. The war was finally over, and now, for the first time, they could truly relax. Many let out tired sighs as they sat down on the ground.

They weren’t sure if it was just their imagination, but the environment around them felt improved. The oppressive negative energy had dropped drastically. They no longer felt suffocated, nor was their mental state being affected.

Even those who used holy energy no longer needed to actively purify their surroundings or rely on their techniques to resist the negative energy. For once, everyone could truly rest, without exception.

"This must be the aftermath of that battle with the thing in the sky. The negative energy in the devil territory feels thinner by the minute," one emperor-stage cultivator said to his companion.

"Yes, we can sense it much more clearly now. I can’t believe the time has truly come in my life when the devil territory is purged of devils, and the negative energy here is thinning out. We can even breathe without suffocating," his friend answered with a sigh.

"It’s all thanks to Lord Aldrian that we’re alive to see this moment. I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if he hadn’t been on our side," the man said as he looked at the floating land visible in the distance.

"Yes, thanks to Lord Aldrian... but still, that battle was truly terrifying. How can Lord Aldrian be that strong? How could Lord Aldrian fight against that thing in the sky? Just looking at it was enough to fill my mind with fear and negativity, I couldn’t even move."

"I don’t know, and honestly, I don’t care how Lord Aldrian became that strong. What matters is that we survived the war, and the calamity."

Conversations like that could be heard among many of the troops—and it was only natural. The leaders didn’t interfere and simply let them be. They had just come through a war that would determine the continent’s future. For now, they needed rest—and a chance to release the weight they had been carrying.

On the other side, Sylphia was surrounded by several people. Her face was visibly red with embarrassment.

"So? What did Aldrian say to make you blush like that? There’s no way he just said he’ll come after recuperating, right?" Baek Jimin asked with a teasing smile.

"N-no... it’s not—"

"Look at her," Emperor Ladwin said with a laugh, shaking his head. "Aish, I’ve truly lost my daughter at this point."

"No... Father!" Sylphia shouted, stomping her foot.

Angelica, Aldrey, and Irene, who were standing nearby, couldn’t help but giggle as they watched her. The reaction of the elf who had managed to win Aldrian’s heart was truly adorable whenever she was teased about him.

The atmosphere was light and joyful as they continued teasing Sylphia for a while, until, suddenly, a figure appeared nearby, and all of them immediately fell silent.