The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 369: Arbares City

While the people of Oris Town were still in commotion over the appearance of the giant beast, Aldrian and the others had already moved to another location. Aldrian made a brief stop in a vast, deserted area before arriving at their current destination.

When Arthur looked around, he was shocked to find himself in another city—this one located in the northern region, within the territory of the Heavenly Direction Church.

Arbares City, the second-largest city after Heavenly City, had a population of over a hundred million. Its grandeur was evident in the sparkling lights illuminating countless buildings and the bustling streets below. They had appeared on a hill overlooking the city, allowing them to take in its full splendor from above.

"Arbares is the other destination I wanted to mention to you, young master. We found evidence that the traitor might have fled here. His traces were discovered in this city, and that is further supported by the fact that the mayor is one of his supporters," Arthur said with a sigh, trying to get used to the strangeness of Aldrian’s abilities.

"We tracked his movements after an operator at the teleportation station reported seeing someone matching the traitor’s description. However, he appeared to be injured, as he walked past many people while trying to hide his face. His traces were later found in one of the city’s inns, and from there, he was seen heading toward the mayor’s mansion before we lost track of him," Arthur explained before turning to Aldrian.

"Young master, did you found something that made you come here before I even had the chance to inform you?"

Aldrian nodded. He knew that Cardinal Carsius’s next destination was this city. As the church’s investigation had revealed, Cardinal Carsius had spent several days at the hideout in Buran Village before making his way here—something Aldrian had also confirmed from the memories he had read.

It seemed that the traitor had first sought help from the devils, which was why he visited the hideout in Buran Village.

But why was Cardinal Carsius injured? The answer lay in what had happened at the hideout. The devils had set a trap for him, intending to eliminate him in secret. Since Cardinal Carsius possessed crucial information about the devils’ operations within the church’s territory, and after learning that he was being pursued, they decided to dispose of him.

Faced with a powerful formation that could have endangered his life, Cardinal Carsius was forced to use one of the high-level artifacts he had brought with him to escape. This was why traces of his holy energy remained at the site when the church’s investigators arrived.

After escaping from Buran, he made his way to this city. However, since the devils in Buran had no way of knowing where he had fled, and they couldn’t move freely due to the church’s main forces frantically searching for both the traitor and the devils, they ultimately gave up on pursuing him. In their eyes, the traitor would inevitably meet his end sooner or later, with the entire church hunting him down.

With many church members actively searching for Cardinal Carsius, the devils’ activities and communications across the church’s territory had essentially come to a halt. The same was true for this city.

Although Aldrian did not know Cardinal Carsius’s exact location after his arrival here, he had gained valuable information—there was another devil’s lair hidden in this city.

The lair was massive enough that, if the devils launched a sudden attack, it could plunge the city into chaos before anyone even realized it. And that was exactly the situation at hand. The devils’ lair in this city was concealed by a powerful formation that rendered it undetectable to the church’s members. Thanks to that treacherous bastard, even the mayor himself was unaware of its existence.

"Wait a moment, let me check something from here," Aldrian said before closing his eyes. He spread his senses across the entire city, scanning each individual within it.

Nothing could hide from him. Even hidden masters or those who attempted to conceal their cultivation or true identities were powerless against his scrutiny. He examined each person meticulously, looking their information with absolute precision.

His mind worked at an incredible speed, processing vast amounts of data with unparalleled accuracy. After nearly a minute, he let out a sigh, opened his eyes, and shook his head.

"He is not in this city," Aldrian then turning to the others.

"It looks like he is no longer in this city and has already moved elsewhere," Aldrian said to them.

Arthur raised an eyebrow. What made Aldrian so certain? However, he chose not to question it, trusting that Aldrian had his own way of determining the traitor’s whereabouts.

"However, I discovered something else—something the church seems unaware of until now. The underground area surrounding this city serves as a hideout for the devils, housing a considerable number of them with formidable cultivation. The strongest among them has reached the low Emperor stage, with thousands of others below that level. Additionally, there is another massive summoning formation, similar to the one we saw in the hideout at Buran Village."

Aldrian glanced at them before continuing, "And right now, the place we’re standing on is one of the secret entrances to their hideout. You know what that means, don’t you?"

While scanning the people’s information, Aldrian also examined the vast underground network the devils had built. He had to admit, the devils were not to be underestimated—they had managed to construct such a massive hideout without anyone noticing.

Hearing Aldrian’s words, the others’ faces turned to shock.

"What?! Then we have to warn the city folk and inform the mayor to mobilize the army! With that many devils and such high cultivation levels, this will turn into a large-scale battle! And that summoning formation—if a giant beast appears here, it could be catastrophic!" Arthur exclaimed.

However, Aldrian shook his head.

"There’s no need to alarm the citizens—that would only cause unnecessary panic. Just inform the mayor and have the city guards maintain order. We’ll take care of the devils below," he said calmly.

"Are you sure, Your Eminence? If what you say about the thousands of devils with the strongest at the low Emperor stage is true, then there’s no way the battle won’t be felt on the surface. It will be massive, and it could affect the entire city," said a woman from the Paladin Knights.

"And if the devils successfully summon the beast, it will be a disaster."

"Don’t worry," Aldrian replied with a smile. "I will make sure the battle doesn’t affect the surface, nor will I give them a chance to activate the summoning formation. The people above won’t even realize a battle is taking place underground."

As he finished speaking, his gaze shifted to a newcomer in the group—a black-haired man clad in a dark robe, the symbol of a flying Great Peng emblazoned on his back.

Though he had remained silent the entire time, his presence alone was overwhelming. He exuded an air of mystery and unapproachability, making others instinctively hesitant to draw near him.

"You stay here. Don’t move, and keep your energy and aura completely restrained. Not even a trace of your devil energy should seep out," Aldrian instructed.

"Yes, Master," the man responded.

Aldrian nodded while the others eyed the man with narrowed gazes. This was no ordinary person—he was actually a Great Peng that had taken human form. It was common knowledge that spiritual beasts could transform into human form once they reached the Emperor stage.

Before arriving here, Aldrian had stopped in a vast, deserted area to test the Great Peng’s transformation. There was no way he could travel openly with a massive creature exuding thick devil energy—that would only cause widespread panic and unnecessary trouble. That was why he needed the Peng to assume a more "simple" form.

However, Aldrian had been concerned that, since this was a clone from unknown place, there might be some differences compared to the normal spiritual beast information. Fortunately, his worries proved unfounded—the Peng was able to shift into human form just as expected.

"Martinez and Gloria, go to the mayor and inform him about the situation. If he underestimates you or dismisses the information about the devils, use my name—or anyone else’s who can intimidate him," Aldrian instructed the vice-captain and the woman.

"Yes, Your Eminence!" the two responded in unison before dashing toward the city.

Once they were gone, Aldrian dropped to one knee, placed his hand on the ground, and closed his eyes.

"Wait, let me prepare something before we breach their lair," Aldrian said.

He then focused on multiple points of the formation. Without the devils realizing, he silently overwrote their existing formations, transforming the underground hideout into a "giant cage" that trapped them inside. With this, no vibrations or even the slightest sign of battle would reach the surface. In essence, he had created his own space with spatial barrier, severing the underground base from the outside world.

Next, Aldrian turned his attention to the hidden formation concealing the entrance to the underground base. This formation was far more complex, designed to evade detection even from mid-Emperor stage cultivators.

To Aldrian, it was nothing more than a minor obstacle—he cracked the formation in less than a minute. Suddenly, the ground trembled before splitting apart, revealing the entrance below.

Behind the opening, two devils stood in shock at the sight of the unexpected guests. However, before they could even let out a scream of alarm, their heads were already severed from their bodies. Aldrian had flicked his finger, unleashing a sharp slash energy.

"Let’s go. We’ll clean up this place first before moving on," Aldrian said, stepping forward.