The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 516: Conversation with Patriarch Xin 2

Patriarch Xin and Xin Haotian were truly shocked when they heard there was another surviving guardian family. Until now, they had believed that none of the other main family had survived the great war with the devils three million years ago.

They knew a small number of survivors existed outside the main family, hidden in some of the secret realms, but they had never met anyone from the main bloodline, which they believed had long perished.

And yet, Aldrian claimed that another guardian family had survived alongside them?

Even Xin Haotian was hearing it for the first time, since he and Aldrian had never spoken about it.

"Are you certain, young Aldrian? How do you know they are from the guardian family?" Patriarch Xin asked with a doubtful expression.

Aldrian did not answer and instead took out a scarf from his storage ring. Once it came out, it immediately wrapped around his hands by itself. Patriarch Xin and Xin Haotian raised their eyebrows because this scarf was actually a divine-grade artifact.

But then, Patriarch Xin narrowed his eyes.

He could sense a divine aura from the scarf, which meant this scarf was created by beings of the higher realms.

"Wait, this scarf," he thought, as he seemed to have seen this scarf somewhere before. After a few moments, he finally remembered where he had seen it.

"Isn’t this the Heavenly Scarf of Divine Phoenix? The artifact given to the Ragius family?"

He saw this scarf in their records, which included descriptions and pictures of the artifacts used by the four guardian families. These records were something that each of the guardian families possessed, since their duties could require them to work together.

They needed to be familiar with each other’s artifacts so they could cooperate more harmoniously and cover the gaps in what each family lacked. The artifacts given by the dragon and phoenix were known to all four families anyway. Hiding them would only be detrimental to the unity of the guardian families.

"Is this the Heavenly Scarf of Divine Phoenix? The artifact given to the Ragius family?" Patriarch Xin asked Aldrian, and Aldrian responded with a nod.

Seeing the confirmation, Patriarch Xin’s heart trembled.

"The Ragius family actually survived. They escaped from their secret realm before they were fully annihilated by the devils during the great war three million years ago and took refuge in the Atria Empire," Aldrian explained.

"In that place, they changed their family name to Rosalind. Long story short, as time passed, they forgot their roots and their past, so they never returned to the Everlasting Silent Forest."

Aldrian then explained how the scarf ended up in his possession, and he also spoke about the other artifacts from the Ragius family.

Hearing Aldrian recount his story about the Rosalind Barony, Patriarch Xin and Xin Haotian felt as if it was all surreal. To think that all this time, the Rosalind family—now a noble family within the Atria Empire—was actually the Ragius family!

Xin Haotian truly did not expect this. Did that mean Elena Rosalind—one of the ten great swordmasters of the continent—was actually part of the guardian family?

"I see. To think that the Ragius family ended up like that," Patriarch Xin sighed. "No wonder we couldn’t find their artifacts. They actually escaped—we thought their artifacts had already been taken by the devils."

"But, they really did hide themselves well. We had no idea about it. And also—" he looked at Aldrian.

"I can imagine they are much weaker compared to their former strength, since they have been living outside our ’habitat.’ They were given cultivation techniques that are far more effective when practiced within the Everlasting Silent Forest. The heaven and earth energy is much richer here, which deepens their comprehension and helps them build a far stronger cultivation foundation."

Aldrian nodded.

"Well, yes. Even their current patriarch is only at the low emperor stage, and they were pushed into a corner by an enemy faction during the civil war," he said. "If they had the kind of strength the Xin family has here, I doubt they would be struggling like that. They might have even been able to turn the tide of the civil war."

Since entering the Xin family manor, Aldrian had already sensed more than seven emperor-stage cultivators—something no noble family outside could compare to, not even the imperial family. Patriarch Xin was the strongest here, at the peak of the emperor stage, powerful enough to lead an empire outside. With the Xin family’s combined strength, they could easily establish their own kingdom if they wished.

"What a pity. I hope they can return to the Everlasting Silent Forest and regain their strength, especially with the time of the prophecy drawing closer. If that prophecy refers to another great war, then we are essentially doomed. The power of the continent now is much weaker than it was during the great war three million years ago," Patriarch Xin said.

"Well, that depends on their decision in the future. I still haven’t spoken to them about whether they want to return to the secret realm inside the forest," Aldrian replied before he sipped his tea. He had to admit it was delicious and refreshing, though not quite as good as the tea he had when he met the Heavenly Demon.

Patriarch Xin also sipped his tea before placing the teacup down and looking at Aldrian.

"Now, about why we want you to help us uncover the mystery of the Everlasting Silent Forest. As you know, there is a secret in the central part of the forest, where the dragon and phoenix have stayed all these years. The central part of the forest is covered by a barrier that can’t be broken, even when the devils tried to breach it three million years ago."

"However, all of that changed when the phenomenon of the Dragon and Phoenix appeared in the sky over the continent more than 16 years ago. Since that day, our people, who sometimes check the barrier, have sensed that it is weakening. In fact, since then, some holes had occasionally appeared before closing again, but not at fixed intervals."

"We are worried that this is a sign something has happened to the dragon and the phoenix inside the core area. With the prophecy drawing nearer, this is absolutely not a good sign. We don’t know what happened inside the core area, as we have never established a connection with the dragon and the phoenix."

"If something has happened to the dragon and the phoenix, and if the devils’ target is the same as it was during the great war three million years ago—the core area where the dragon and the phoenix reside—or if their target is the dragon and the phoenix themselves, then we will not have enough strength to withstand the devils’ forces," Patriarch Xin said.

Hearing the patriarch’s explanation, Aldrian opened his lips.

"Wait, the devils at that time were targeting the core area?" he asked in wonder.

"Yes. Although the devils spread across the continent, causing destruction and conquering many territories, their real target was the core area, where the barrier covered it. We don’t know what they were after, but the devils were indeed targeting something inside the core area, and they tried to force their way in."

Aldrian frowned. This was a clue, a clue that the devils had been on a mission for a long time, and it had something to do with Feng Xuanyan and Long Shentian. Were the devils really targeting them? What could have made the devils target them?

Then, he remembered what Long Leiyun of the Silver Lightning Dragon Clan had told him. Aldrian realized there were problems beyond just the devils and the prophecy on this continent. Could this still be connected to the parties Long Leiyun mentioned, the ones who had challenged his authority?

Aldrian set those matters aside for the moment and asked Patriarch Xin.

"Let’s say that the great war happened and the devils’ target is still the core area. Until today, I’ve already killed three of the Seven Deadly Sins and weakened the devils’ influence across the continent."

"With all those losses, do the devils still have enough strength to attack the core area? Realistically, with their strength greatly reduced due to the death of some of the Seven Deadly Sins and many devils across the continent, they wouldn’t have enough power to face the entire continent’s strength like they did during the great war three million years ago." He added.

Patriarch Xin shook his head.

"I’m not sure, as only the devils know the extent of their own power. So, I can’t be certain if they have some hidden cards beyond the known powers like the Seven Deadly Sins or those devils who infiltrated the empires."

Aldrian sighed inwardly. From what he had seen in the memories of the devils he had killed, there was no sign of any hidden power—at least none known to the devils whose memories he had accessed.

Even when he looked at the memories of the Envy devil, there was nothing that indicated the devils had any hidden powers that would allow them to face the entire continent, if they lost many devils and the Seven Deadly Sins.

But if the devils were still targeting the core area after he had already greatly reduced their strength, what made them so confident in continuing the attack? What was their hidden card? Was it the descent of their god?

There was something beyond his calculations, and it made him uncomfortable.

"Devil lord, what are you planning?" Aldrian thought.

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