The Shining Star Above The Heaven
Chapter 623: The Aftermath

Chapter 623: The Aftermath

Three days later, the continent was still recuperating from the destruction caused by Tarius. Many were repairing broken structures or rebuilding what had been destroyed. At this moment, the people across the continent stood united, working together to regain their vitality after the calamity.

Although many mourned the loss of lives during the calamity and war, life had to go on.

The continent also experienced peace and order during this time. There had been no open acts of evil in the last few days. Bandits and those with malicious intent did not dare to act as recklessly as before. They were afraid that, somehow, their evil deeds would become known to Aldrian.

At this moment, many already knew that Aldrian’s cultivation was above everyone else on the continent. His battle with a god had been visible to all, after all. Because no one knew the true extent or limits of Aldrian’s ability, many rumors began to spread among the populace.

Some said that Aldrian’s senses could cover the entire continent, making it pointless for anyone to try escaping if he decided to pursue them. There were also rumors that he could send a long-distance technique and kill anyone across the continent without even having to move an inch.

These rumors strongly deterred anyone who might have been tempted to test their luck by committing evil acts as they had in the past. Thanks to this, the continent had entered a period of order unlike anything before, where people no longer feared bandits or anyone who might disturb or kill them.

There were also other things that had happened in the past few days.

What Aldrian had said to the alliance forces had already spread across the continent, sparking widespread discussion, especially among those who still knew little about the world beyond their continent.

The news that the limitations placed on the continent for so many years had been lifted brought great joy. With those restrictions gone, cultivators could now break through to realms far beyond the peak emperor stage. Those who possessed divine techniques could finally begin to comprehend them, which would greatly benefit the continent’s overall strength in the long run.

As for the Devil Territory, or what it used to be called—Aldrian decided to give that land to the beastkind of the continent. The others simply followed his decision, as he held the greatest authority when it came to matters concerning the continent.

In the Barisan Continent, the beastkind had never had their own dedicated territory or unified organization. This was a rare chance to provide them with a land of their own.

Since the beastkind failed to secure their own territory during the migration from the outside continent in ancient times, they had been forced to live scattered across the land, without a vast territory like the major powers.

Only a few beasts had managed to settle in places like the Forest of Despair, and even then, it was due to their longstanding collective strength and their historical ties to Emperor Thonias.

For years, conflict between beastkind and the other races could be heard almost everywhere, almost every day, due to many reasons. With this new partition, Aldrian hoped that the clashes between beasts and humans, or other races would be drastically reduced.

Moreover, there was also a large group of devil beasts with high cultivation. Their collective strength alone was already enough for them to form a nation of their own.

That was why Aldrian decided to give the Devil Territory to the beastkind and rename it the Beast Territory, simple, yet clearly showing whom the land now belonged to. Once the news spread, many beasts who had gained intelligence or achieved cultivation began migrating toward the newly declared Beast Territory.

It was a joyous moment for beastkind, as they could finally have a territory of their own, just like the other races. However, some groups, such as the beasts from the Forest of Despair, chose to remain in their own land.

They, too, had participated in the war, as all of them were Aldrian’s followers. They had come voluntarily, as there was no way they would simply stay behind while their leader went to war. What kind of followers would they be if they just remained in their land at such a moment?

Although they had lost some members in battle, they still demonstrated their strength as beings of the Forest of Despair.

The spirits and beasts of the Forest of Despair played a major role in one of the regions during the war. Their strength proved to be a great support to the alliance forces.

In the past three days, scenes of countless beasts making their journey to the Beast Territory had become common. Although people initially panicked, they had gradually gotten used to it.

As for the first World Tree of the continent, Vireline—she chose to remain in the canyon and allowed her main body to take root there. Although Aldrian had told her she was free to do anything beyond guarding the foundation of the formation, she still decided to return and stay in the canyon.

She still wished to protect that place, but the difference now was that she no longer needed to keep her main body buried underground. Emperor Ladwin also requested to Aldrian that a small elven settlement be built near the World Tree, and Aldrian agreed, though he gave a warning. The elves who lived there would have to coexist with beasts possessing devil-type cultivation.

Emperor Ladwin did not mind, as long as there would be an elven settlement near the World Tree.

Aldrian, of course, understood why the emperor wanted that. No matter the reason, the World Trees were still beings deeply revered by the elves, and they wished to stay close to them wherever they were.

Moreover, Vireline was special, she was the first World Tree on this continent.

The environment within the Beast Territory had also greatly improved over the past three days. As of today, it no longer resembled the old Devil Territory.

The sky was no longer stained with an ominous red hue, but instead displayed a natural blue, with sunlight fully illuminating the land. The negative energy had diminished, now balanced with the other energies, making the territory no longer much different from the rest of the continent.

The only thing that still weighed on some people’s minds regarding the Beast Territory was the presence of beasts who used devil cultivation. They were large in number and incredibly powerful.

Many still couldn’t forget the acts of the devils throughout history, so a deep-rooted prejudice remained. Even though these beasts had stood on the opposite side of the Devil Lord during the war, the fact that they still used devil cultivation made others uneasy.

Aldrian knew it would take time for people to let go of their bias against them. Of course, he had the power to hypnotize or erase memories of the devils from the minds of most people on the continent, but that was something he clearly had no intention of doing.

He also gave thought to the cultivation path of those devil beasts. Since the environment no longer supported devil energy, it would become increasingly difficult for them to cultivate or grow stronger. He already had a few ideas in mind to address this issue.

Another change was the rising density of heaven and earth energy across the continent. It had been growing richer by the day, and the source of this transformation was the Everlasting Silent Forest, where the dense energy originated and spread throughout the land.

The forest itself had also changed from what it once was. Its former image as a forbidden region had now transformed into what many began calling a cultivation sanctuary, a vast area filled with rich spiritual energy, capable of accelerating cultivation even for those cultivating in its outer zones.

The forest, once known for its dead silence, had now become a place frequently visited by cultivators. The strange phenomenon of people disappearing was no longer a concern, as word had spread that Aldrian had already taken care of it.

Having already made the entire Barisan Continent his domain, and with full control over the formation, Aldrian had deactivated the trapping functions scattered throughout the forest. He no longer saw any need for them and allowed people to enter the forest freely to advance their cultivation.

With no more risk of being trapped inside the secret realm, cultivators could now train there with peace of mind.

They could now enter some of the secret realms through spatial cracks visible from the outside, and even cultivate within them. With so many different types of secret realms, the forest had truly become a cultivation paradise.

This approach was also intended to quickly raise the average cultivation level of the continent’s people. It would help them build the confidence to face outsiders and ensure that this continent would not fall behind others. In the future, they would have to grow accustomed to living alongside people from other continents.

All in all, the drastic changes across the continent had brought great benefits and stability to all beings.

And there was one more great change visible to all across the continent, the appearance of a vast floating landmass in the central region of the Everlasting Silent Forest.

The enormous land and the grand palace atop it were truly magnificent, visible from every corner of the continent.

Everyone who laid eyes on it would gaze with reverence and worship, for they knew that this was the dwelling place of their savior, their hero, their leader, and even, to some, their god.