The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 459: The Deep Impact of Aldrian’s Strength

A moment before the golden light appeared, all the swords in the capital city, and even in nearby cities like Padina—trembled and floated into the air, all of them pointing toward the sky where Aldrian stood.

The overwhelming sword will could be sensed even in the surrounding cities, a clear display of the immense power radiating from Aldrian just before he unleashed the Pillar of Heaven’s Judgment.

When the blinding pillar of golden light descended from the heavens, it struck the Heaven’s Punishment Spear directly. A dazzling light burst forth, followed by powerful winds from the impact.

The collision also produced a booming, rumbling sound as space itself collapsed, forming a massive void in the sky. That void gave rise to a spatial storm so intense it began pulling everything within a five-kilometer radius into the rift. As the crack in space widened, the city began to feel its effects.

However, thanks to the city’s barrier, the impact was minimized. And because the clash happened high in the sky, the effects on the city were further reduced.

Cardinal Carsius was momentarily confident in his spear-throwing technique, but that confidence was short-lived. He soon sensed the spear being pushed back after holding the golden pillar for only a few seconds, then sent flying four kilometers to the northeast.

Without hesitation, Cardinal Carsius used his movement technique to escape, his flying speed increasing several times over. The golden pillar, having pushed aside its obstacle, instantly struck the ground, creating a violent tremor. Had he not escaped just now, he would have been instantly obliterated because the light pillar held enough power to kill him outright.

How could it not, when Aldrian poured the power of the three major territories’ domains into this strike? He had to take the Heaven’s Punishment Spear seriously, because in Cardinal Carsius’s hands, its power had already surpassed the peak emperor stage.

If he hadn’t blocked that spear throw seriously, it would’ve been far too late for regrets. That attack carried enough force to kill him a thousand times over.

Without hesitation, he empowered the Pillar of Heaven’s Judgment using the combined strength of the three great domains, even at the risk of devastating the land below.

Aldrian then moved, swinging Eternal Spirit upward and carving a massive slash mark along the path of the pillar, stretching all the way to the horizon. The golden pillar rose into the sky, following the arc of Aldrian’s sword.

As he swung upward, the clouds split apart along the entire length of the pillar, creating a breathtaking spectacle for those watching below.

Rumble!

The sound of the collapsing ground echoed into the distance, accompanied by waves of dirt and dust rising into the air. The area surrounding the slash mark was filled with giant cracks in the earth, making it look as though a great natural disaster had just occurred.

Because of the size of the pillar and the power it contained, the slash mark became a deep and wide chasm spanning over 25,000 kilometers. The chasm lay dangerously close to the frontline troops, terrifying many of them to their core, they had narrowly escaped being obliterated by the golden light.

However, a few unfortunate souls weren’t as lucky. Some king-stage cultivators that still unconscious from Aldrian’s heavenly lightning strike earlier , were caught in the blast and completely annihilated.

This was the strongest Pillar of Heaven’s Judgment Aldrian had ever unleashed. It was a fusion of his three main domain powers, amplified by his current duke-stage cultivation. The result was far more devastating than when he fought the Lust Devil back then when the chasm he created was only ten thousand kilometers long.

There was only silence after Aldrian executed the Pillar of Heaven’s Judgment. Many still felt cold in their feet, shaken after witnessing the sheer scale of destruction. Many believed the technique had already reached the divine grade.

There had already been rumors that Aldrian had comprehended a divine-grade technique, but since they had never seen it directly, they still held doubts.

But after this overwhelming display of power, many of them began to believe. Also, it could mean one thing—Aldrian was the first person in a long time to comprehend a divine-grade technique.

Prince Wilmar stared at the devastation caused by Aldrian’s strike, unable to keep his thoughts from racing.

What kind of monster is that man? Is he even stronger than a peak emperor-stage cultivator? How can someone at the duke stage wield such power? Could he be hiding his true cultivation technique?

How is that possible? There’s no way he could keep hiding his cultivation after unleashing a technique like that.

To use something of that scale, he would’ve had to concentrate all of his energy flow into a single, overwhelming force—completely abandoning any other techniques aside from that sword strike.

Even if he used some kind of artifact to conceal his true cultivation, there should’ve been a momentary gap, some slip, some fluctuation, because the chaotic energy of heaven and earth swirling around his body from that powerful sword strike would have exposed his real level.

But if, after all of that, his cultivation still appears to be at the duke stage... doesn’t that mean he really is still at the duke stage?

Doesn’t that mean the old rumors were right all along—that he was only at the marquess stage, or even lower, when he began carving out his legend?

His mind went blank. Aldrian was a being who shattered every understanding of cultivation and power scaling that had been established since ancient times.

If someone like him—still at the duke stage or even lower—could defeat an emperor-stage cultivator, then what meaning did cultivation levels even hold in his eyes?

What was the point of cultivation if he could overcome the strongest cultivators here with a lower realm?

Prince Wilmar wasn’t the only one thinking this way. Many others shared the same thought.

They couldn’t help but feel that the heavens were unjust—for allowing someone like Aldrian to exist.

The people still looked up at the sky, staring at the chaotic spatial storm raging within the massive spatial cracks torn open by the clash between the Heaven’s Punishment Spear and Aldrian sword’s attack.

But then, they noticed the spatial cracks began to mend themselves at an unnatural pace, as if someone was controlling the flow of space itself. In moments, the rifts fully healed.

Not long after, they saw Aldrian slowly descending from the sky. The dark clouds had already dispersed, swept away by the violent impact of the two techniques and the raging spatial storm that followed.

He came to a stop about a kilometer above the ground, directly over the massive army.

Prince Wilmar wanted to issue a command, to attack, to retaliate, but the words caught in his throat the moment he recalled Aldrian’s strength.

All the soldiers, even Cardinal Carsius stared at him without continuing their attack. However, the cardinal had already recalled the spear that had been thrown several kilometers away back into his grasp.

Aldrian remained silent, his gaze sweeping across the vast army below. His eyes lingered on Cardinal Carsius, Prince Wilmar, and Grand Duke Donovan. Then, he stretched out his left hand while gripping Eternal Spirit tightly in his right.

Suddenly, something appeared in his grasp.

The people were stunned to see that Aldrian was holding someone, or more precisely, he was gripping a person by the leg, leaving them hanging upside down. Confusion spread through the army, many wondering who it could be.

But a few recognized the person immediately—especially Grand Duke Donovan.

The tattered attire, bruises, and bloodstains on his body did nothing to stop the grand duke from recognizing him, for the man in Aldrian’s grasp was Karl Donovan, the grand elder of the Donovan family.

He had already known that Aldrian had kidnapped Karl, but Karl’s fate had remained uncertain.

The last time he checked Karl’s life sign was right after receiving news of the kidnapping. At that time, it seemed Aldrian was keeping him alive. Afterward, the grand duke assumed that Karl had been abandoned somewhere, left to die.

But now it was clear—Aldrian had kept him all this time.

Grand Duke Donovan looked at Aldrian with little expression. Normally, he should have been furious just like Prince Wilmar since he was one of the parties who had suffered the most because of Aldrian’s actions.

After Aldrian’s declaration, many had begun to question both his and the Donovan family’s integrity. The accusation that he had orchestrated a gu outbreak in the Weilmar Barony to harm innocents for the second prince’s faction gain was something the public found especially abhorrent.

They were in the midst of a civil war, but even so, the mass killing of innocents didn’t sit well with the public.

Aldrian, looked at the grand duke with a faint, knowing smile, as if he understood exactly why the man remained so composed.

"Many of you may not know this man, but I do, and a few of you do as well," Aldrian said, his voice echoing clearly across the area. He gave Karl’s leg a slight shake, as if to emphasize the broken, pitiful state of the grand elder.

"He is Karl Donovan, grand elder of the Donovan family."

"He, along with Grand Duke Donovan and with the second prince’s approval, launched a massive attack on innocent civilians in the Weilmar Barony using gu. That outbreak took the lives of thousands and nearly claimed someone very dear to me."

"Now, why am I telling you this?"

Suddenly, a surge of deathly energy erupted from Karl’s body, engulfing him entirely in a black, ominous black hue energy.

Karl, who had been unconscious until now, was jolted awake by the searing pain tearing through his body and soul. The death energy corroded every part of his being. He writhed in Aldrian’s grasp, desperately trying to escape, but he couldn’t.

"Argh! Argh! Mercy—please! Forgive me! Argh! No!"

Within seconds, his body was reduced to nothing, consumed entirely by the death energy.

It was a terrifying sight for all who witnessed it.

Prince Wilmar, watching from a distance, felt a chill grip his heart. He immediately sent a voice transmission to Cardinal Carsius.

"Do it now! Use your most powerful technique—I’ll use my special artifact. We don’t have time. If we wait any longer, we’ll end up just like him!"