The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 384: Swift Before the Food Gets Cold

At this time, the entire mayor’s mansion was in a panic as a strange phenomenon occurred. In front of the dining room, a dozen of Young Master Alexi’s knights stood frozen like statues. Everyone who saw them tried to free them, but all their efforts were futile—none of the knights could move even an inch.

The dining room where their lord was located also could not be opened, no matter how hard they tried to break in. It was as if a protective formation prevented anyone from entering.

"Once more!" one of the guards attempting to break the door shouted. Three guards then unleashed their sword techniques against the door, but it did not budge.

"It’s futile. The door seems to be protected by a formation that can withstand even a Grand Duke-stage attack," another guard said.

"What the hell really happened? Who would dare attack us so brazenly? Is it the rebels?"

"I don’t think so. We’ve already crushed their resistance in this city, and their last base in this region is Weilmar, which is far from here. Didn’t we also confirm that no one suspicious entered the mansion?"

While the guards were discussing what had happened and how it occurred, Alexi’s knights, who were trapped in a spatial lock by Aldrian, desperately wanted to shout at them.

"Nnnngggg."

"Nnnngggg."

"Escape! That monster is inside! Escape!"—this was what some of the knights were trying to scream, but the guards attempting to break the door misunderstood their intentions.

"Be patient. We’ll free you once we find a way. Fortunately, you’re not in any immediate danger—you just can’t move. Our priority is breaking this door to check on our lord before we try to solve your problem," one of the guards said to the knights, who could only produce muffled sounds.

"You fool!" a knight screamed in his mind.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t convey their warning—until suddenly, the door to the dining room finally opened, revealing the scene inside.

The guards who had been trying to break it down froze in shock when they saw a young man standing there alone. Their lord and young master were nowhere to be seen.

The guards frowned in confusion, but before they could react, the knights—who had been unable to move just moments ago—suddenly regained control of their bodies. And the first thing they did was—

"RUN!" they shouted, warning the others.

The guards were bewildered, but before they could process the situation, they turned to look at the young man—who was now smiling at them.

To the knights who had witnessed what Aldrian had done to their lord and the branch head of the Golden Swan Commerce, that smile looked like the very face of a devil.

Before they could realize what was happening or react, all the knights and guards, numbering in the dozens suddenly collapsed to the ground, their bodies convulsing as blood poured from their orifices. Their expressions twisted in horror.

Moments later, their very souls shattered, unable to withstand the terror that had invaded their minds.

Aldrian simply walked past them, having slaughtered them all with nothing but his illusion. There were no screams of pain—only the sheer terror etched onto their faces told the story of the nightmare they had endured before death claimed them.

He did not hesitate. In his eyes, they simply deserved it.

From the memories he had read from Alexi and Parus, Aldrian knew that these people were not innocent either. They had also enjoyed the benefits of Alexi and Parus’s deranged acts. To him, they were unworthy of mercy—perfect targets to vent some of his frustration after everything he had witnessed on his way to and inside the mansion.

The moment Alexi harbored vile thoughts toward Sylphia, Aldrian had already wanted to kill him and the others to vent his anger. However, after reading Alexi’s memories, witnessing the state of the city, seeing the actions of some soldiers from the Second Prince’s faction against its citizens, and reading Parus’s memories as well, his mood had plummeted to its lowest. He felt the need for a purge.

After killing them, he felt some of the fury inside him dissipate, making him feel slightly calmer. He walked toward the rooms that had been turned into a brothel, entering them one by one.

Each time he stepped inside, he was greeted by an erotic scene—a reminder that these men had also indulged in the benefits of being Parus’s underlings.

Without hesitation, Aldrian grabbed each man’s head and crushed it using only his raw physical strength. These men, who were at most at the Marquess stage, stood no chance against his sheer power. Their heads popped like melons, brain matter splattering across the room as he ended them one by one.

However, despite the horrific killings, the women inside did not seem disturbed. Instead, their eyes remained fixed on Aldrian.

They didn’t care about the killings—all they could think about was their raging libido. At this moment, they only wanted to satisfy their lust, regardless of who the man in front of them was.

Aldrian watched as they tried to entice him with their naked bodies, but he only sighed. The scene before him was enough to make any ordinary man lose himself in desire, yet he felt nothing but pity.

Their behavior wasn’t of their own free will—it was the effect of the potent aphrodisiac scent filling the room. Even he could feel its influence, though his golden energy constantly purified any poison before it could fully affect him.

Before they could make another move, Aldrian destroyed the aphrodisiac incense burning in the rooms and purified the air with his golden energy.

After clearing the air, he made the women faint with a controlled electric shock, at the very least, this would keep the aphrodisiac from further affecting their bodies while they were unconscious.

With the women’s situation handled, Aldrian moved on to the torture rooms. He teleported from room to room, using his golden energy to stabilize those who were still breathing, ensuring they were no longer in immediate danger.

He carried out everything swiftly and efficiently, wasting no more time, his food was already done, after all.

He also killed every single guard in the mansion area, and his next step was to claim the entire city as his domain. Standing in the mayor’s mansion, the very place where this city’s faith and authority converged, it would be a waste not to establish his domain here.

After finishing everything, he instantly disappeared from the mansion and reappeared outside the Old York restaurant.

He sighed, taking a moment to adjust his bearing and aura to something more serene. What he had just done at the mansion had left him filled with killing intent and a deathly aura, something that wouldn’t be appropriate to show others. It would only ruin the mood, after all.

Once he had calmed his mind, he stepped into the restaurant. Just as he expected, his food had already been served, and his group had even started their feast.

"Ah, you’re back! You have to try this, dear—it’s so delicious," Sylphia said the moment she saw him. The others also turned their heads to look at him.

Aldrian finally smiled sincerely, his expression full of warmth and love, before nodding. Just then, Old York emerged from the kitchen, his face filled with astonishment.

"Are you okay, young man? Did they do anything to you?" the old man asked.

"What could possibly happen to me? They didn’t do anything to me—in fact, they even helped me instead," Aldrian replied as he took his seat and looked at the food in front of him.

The others only glanced at him, thinking to themselves,

"Of course they didn’t do anything to you—you’re the one who did something to them!"

Old York, though confused, sighed in relief. It seemed those bastards still had some restraint to some extent, as he had never seen them let a targeted victim go. Although Aldrian was undoubtedly powerful, he was still alone, while the Second Prince’s faction had thousands of men here, many with strong cultivation.

Aldrian kept his focus to the food before him. Fortunately, it was still steaming slightly—a sign that it was still hot. He had ordered grilled wild beast meat with the restaurant’s special sauce and spices.

The moment he took a bite, his eyebrows rose in surprise at how delicious it was.

"It’s truly good, Sir York," he complimented.

"Isn’t it? I’ve perfected both the sauce and the grilling technique to bring out the best flavors, and this is the result," Old York said with pride.

Aldrian continued his meal, but amidst his feast, he glanced at Old York curiously.

"Sir York, are you part of an organization or a noble family? I can sense that your Grand Duke-stage cultivation is quite solid and strong, so I wonder—why open a restaurant despite being such a powerful cultivator?"

Old York fell silent for a moment before letting out a sigh.

"Actually, I used to be part of a noble family. They recruited me as a cook and provided me with a cultivation technique that happened to be highly compatible with me. That’s how I became this strong," he admitted.

"A noble family, huh? They must have been quite generous to even help their cook cultivate," Aldrian commented before taking another bite.

"Yes, they were very good to me. That’s why, even to this day, I still regard the Rosalind family as my own," Old York said with a nostalgic expression.

Aldrian’s hand froze mid-movement, his knife hovering over the meat. His gaze shifted to Old York.

"Rosalind family?"