The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 561: The Tears of the Emperor

Seeing that their time was nearing its end, Aldrian couldn’t help but show a pained and sorrowful expression. After this, he would lose the two figures who had accompanied him for so long in the past and continued to guide him in this life.

They were the two souls he had created with his own hands, who remained loyal to him even now, though only their wills remained.

"Don’t be sad, Your Majesty. Although we can’t accompany you on the road ahead, there are still many followers who are alive and waiting for your return. They’ve never given up, holding onto nothing but the belief that you would come back to them," said Feng Xuanyan.

"Yes, that’s right. Don’t be too sad," Long Shentian added. "Like I said, we are only the past. Your Majesty must not be too drawn into the past—you have to focus on the future. There are still many things that can be saved, many things that can still be done."

Aldrian took a deep breath and nodded.

"I truly want to converse with you about many things, but after this, I and the entire powers of the continent are going to attack the devil territories, so we might be able to evade all of our worries about Tarius descending to this land," he said with a sigh.

"Originally, I had hoped you two would still be alive so we could face this matter together, but you both left me first."

Feng Xuanyan nodded.

"Well, it couldn’t be helped, Your Majesty. We had to do everything for your return. Your strength alone is what determines fate. Your very existence is what matters most. As long as you live, everything else is trivial. Every possible future remains open, and all of them are far brighter with you in it," she said.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Long Shentian agreed. "And you intend to invade the devil territory? That would be a good move. That territory is actually one of the formation’s foundation. Ever since the devils came and took it shortly after our arrival, it has become the formation’s weakest link and its flaw."

"With you reclaiming that land, the formation will finally be whole. The ’gap’ will be closed, and the continent’s protective formation will be complete, without any weaknesses."

Feng Xuanyan nodded.

"Yes, Your Majesty, and also I want you to be careful, because when you finally absorb the energy we left behind for you in the throne hall, the formation will lose all of its main foundation to keep the formation active. We used our bodies as one of the main foundations at that time to strengthen the formation before extracting your energy from us."

"Your energy became the main foundation and source since that time, as our bodies slowly died and weakened the formation. But we had no other choice. To keep the formation active, we had to make sure it had its main foundation, no matter what it was."

"The formation will be deactivated for some time after you absorb the energy, but don’t worry, Your Majesty, we already prepared many crystals of divinity to replace the foundation left behind by your energy. The formation will fully activate again after a while. Although it will not be as strong as when having us or your energy as the foundation, the formation will be fully under your control at that time," he added.

Aldrian nodded.

"I see. So that’s why not long after my birth, the barrier covering the core area of the forest and the entire formation in the forest was disturbed. When you extracted my energy from your bodies, the foundation of the formation was disturbed and caused changes in the forest—and those effects can still be felt even today."

He finally knew everything he wanted to know from the forbidden zone that had been famous since ancient times.

The Everlasting Silent Forest, the forbidden zone that was actually created by Long Shentian and Feng Xuanyan. Not only that, he could guess that a few other forbidden zones on this continent were also built by them to hide the formation’s foundations, as well as treasures like the origin sword he found in Dragon Back Mountain.

He then saw the translucent parts of their feet begin to dissipate, as particles of light slowly consumed them.

Looking at this, Aldrian sighed again and looked at their faces, which were still smiling at him.

"Your Majesty, the moment you absorb the energy in the hall, the entire world—this entire universe—will give a sign of your return. You have to prepare for what will come to you. The invaders will finally know about your being—a being outside of their understanding," Feng Xuanyan said.

"With the barrier covering the continent deactivated, this continent will be accessible from the outside again. Many will come to you with various intentions, and we believe that Your Majesty can take care of the rest with the power we left behind," she added.

The particles of light had already reached their knees, and they kept rising. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

"Your Majesty, you can use our bones to make artifacts or whatever you desire. Even though we are dead, we can still help you on your journey. As for our beast cores, they are inside the stone tablet. After you leave this place, you will find them, and you can use them as you see fit," Long Shentian said.

"Your Majesty, remember, although we are no longer by your side, our spirit and hope are always with you. Not only us two, but countless beings still place their faith in you. Keep walking forward and don’t drown too much in the past. We want when your majesty look back, you see the power of the people pushing you forward—not the people you feel guilt toward," he added with full conviction.

The particles of light had already reached their waists.

Aldrian listened to their advice with focus, like a student absorbing their teacher’s guidance. At this moment, he wanted to engrave their words, their expressions, their very beings into his memories. This was a rare moment when he felt his heart tear apart, knowing he would be parting ways with two of the closest people from his past.

As the particles of light already reached their stomachs, Aldrian suddenly hugged them both without hesitation. He pulled them into his embrace while they were still "seated", which made their eyes widen in shock.

Now, both of their faces were beside the sides of Aldrian’s face, and his hands rested behind their backs.

They glanced to the side, looking at Aldrian’s profile. They did not expect him to suddenly hug them. Then, they finally smiled again as they returned the embrace. They knew the reincarnation their emperor was living through was making him more "human," filled with worldly feelings.

This was good, as it meant their emperor’s experience was causing a change that would make his "radiance" even brighter in the future—a change that would make him an even better figure than the already perfect character he was in the past.

"Thank you for all your effort for me, for all the sacrifices you have made. Although I still do not entirely remember all our interactions from my past life, I already consider you as my own family," Aldrian said, his voice full of gratitude and determination.

"Long Shentian, Feng Xuanyan, I’m truly grateful that my past self decided to create you. Without your existence, the entire story would be very different. I might not have come this far without you."

"I’m sorry if I ever acted in ways that made you uncomfortable in the past. I’m sorry that I wasn’t there when you needed me."

"I will make sure that you will not be disappointed in me, and I will fulfill your hopes. I swear this upon my name, Aldrian."

Suddenly, they felt their emperor’s body tremble, and not long after, they felt their shoulders grow wet.

They knew that, for the first time, they had seen their emperor cry.

Looking at this, their eyes—which had already dried earlier—could not help but water again. They tightened their hug, as if seeking comfort from each other.

The particles of light had already reached Long Shentian and Feng Xuanyan’s arms, which made Aldrian feel the pressure on his back loosen. Their arms had disappeared, leaving only parts of their shoulders, necks, and heads.

"Thank you for giving us life, thank you for always taking care of us, thank you for everything," Long Shentian said.

"Thank you for always entertaining us even though you had your own business in the past. Thank you for not forgetting us, thank you for never abandoning us, thank you—really, thank you," Feng Xuanyan said as the light reached their upper necks.

Aldrian heard each of their words, and his tears grew heavier.

"Goodbye, Your Majesty," they said softly. But before the light particles reached their mouths, they spoke one last time.

"May the great emperor of all heavens continue to reign sovereign."

After that, their entire beings dissipated into particles of light, showing only their smiling faces streaked with tears. The light particles then moved toward Aldrian and entered his body, as if wanting to become one with him.

He felt the warmth of the light and a slight change in his cultivation, but he did not care about it.

His tears continued to flow even after they disappeared. He then dropped his hands from the hugging position but did not move his body. He remained like that for a few moments, even as his surroundings began to disintegrate.

At this moment, there was nothing grand about him. The only thing visible was his deep sadness.

His tears bore witness to his sorrowful heart, a memory he would hold close.

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